After listening to Senator Machet's response and considering the prior information, Cline initially concluded that the mouse from the country estate was indeed the half-divine "thief" who had been closely associated with Hae Yuruh. As for why the half-divine had gone mad and why he had bitten Hae Yuruh, that remained unclear for now. He gave a slight nod and, in a clockwise motion, tapped his chest four times: "May the goddess protect her." Then, he stepped past the host and entered the hall, waiting for the evening ball to begin. For Haijouer, although her pride stemmed from early education, exceptional intellectual aptitude, striking appearance, an elite family background, and a maturity far beyond that of her peers—these factors had always been considered normal and did not make her feel fundamentally superior to ordinary people. Thus, when her teacher—the very one who had long upheld her pride, symbolized her extraordinary experiences, and embodied her source of strength—suddenly transformed into a true mouse, not only becoming unclear in speech but also failing to intelligently bite her, the impact was profound. It left her deeply shaken, questioning whether supernatural powers truly represented transcendence beyond the ordinary, or perhaps approached the realm of the monstrous. Amidst her swirling thoughts, Haijouer unconsciously gathered a strand of her deep green hair behind her ear, growing increasingly irritated by the soothing music drifting from below. At that moment, she heard the creak of the door opening and slowly turned her head to see. A gray mouse with smooth, shiny fur entered, its eyes deeper than those of its kind, approaching a dark red. "Sea-yur," it spoke in a low tone. Sea-yur was first startled, then delighted, quickly flipping over and sitting upright, exclaiming, "Teacher! You—you've returned?" As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly noticed a number of gray mice emerging from the corner of the bedroom, the entrance to the balcony, and beneath the bed—each with dark red eyes, yet able to emit only soft squeaks. Sea-yur stepped back in alarm, tripped against the edge of the armchair, and wobbled precariously, nearly falling, before finally steadying herself. At that moment, she realized that all the mice with dark red eyes had vanished, and the door remained firmly closed, never having opened. Everything that had just happened seemed merely a vision, or perhaps a dream born of her own anxiety! After a moment of silence, Hai Ruo gently pursed her lips and exhaled softly. She sat down again, raising her hands to press lightly on the corners of her forehead. As she continued to press, her brows slightly furrowed, feeling that the moment had been somewhat hazy, not quite real. With a slight shift of her deep brown eyes, she removed the necklace from around her neck and held it in her palm. The necklace featured seven translucent emerald stones at its core, set around with a ring of small diamonds evenly spaced. At that moment, one of the stones began to glow softly, emitting a vibrant green light that gently illuminated her face, making her skin appear dewy and bringing into sharp focus a series of strange and mysterious symbols within her eyes. All the images from before suddenly returned to her memory, flowing back into clarity one by one, as if emerging from a hazy, dreamlike state. One scene after another, Hae Yur noticed subtle clues, confirming that she hadn't been dreaming, nor had she experienced a fleeting illusion—rather, she had been caught in a supernatural state for nearly ten seconds. "A Decryptor!" "This…." Hae Yur's deep brown eyes widened suddenly, and the word spilled from her lips, spoken almost in a tone of fear. She leapt to her feet, hastily scanning left and right, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Yet the more she did this, the more panicked she became, for she had no idea what would come next or what the person creating the illusion truly intended. The only thing she was certain of was that the other person far surpassed her in both level and power within the realm of the supernatural—this revelation shattered the last remnants of her pride. Minutes passed, and the bedroom remained utterly still, while downstairs, a lively melody played, vividly evoking the image of brisk, joyful dancing. Eventually, Hae Yur calmed down, feeling confident that nothing further would unfold. Then, she had the strength and calmness to ponder what purpose the unseen one behind the illusion truly had. As thoughts rose and fell, Hai Ruo suddenly had a hunch: the one who had just appeared had come specifically to see her teacher! Through the illusion, he had sought to verify her teacher’s current condition. Was her teacher a friend or an enemy? He must have already gone to find her teacher—what should he do now? He probably still didn’t know where her teacher was hidden… No, the incident where the mad mice bit me while I was at the country estate—everyone in the neighborhood knows about that! Hai Ruo felt a surge of anxiety, gripping the necklace tighter. She wasn’t sure whether the person she had just encountered was good or bad, nor did she know what to do next. She longed to go to the country estate and inform her teacher, yet she feared encountering danger and becoming a sacrifice. Moreover, her teacher seemed to have lost most of his ability to communicate; even if he received the message, he might not fully understand its meaning. Hai Rui'er stood up without realizing it, pacing back and forth in the bedroom. Finally, she made up her mind, pressed her lips together firmly, and walked to the door, addressing her personal maid outside: "I feel a bit tired. I'd like to go to bed now—please don't let anyone disturb me." "Yes, madam." The maid immediately replied. After closing the door, Hai Rui'er began changing into more convenient clothing, her expression solemn, her teeth lightly biting her lower lip. In the end, she decided to go to the country estate to inform her teacher. She didn't want to appear proud on the surface yet timid in reality, losing all her principles at the first sign of danger! That would make her look down upon herself. As Hai Rui'er slipped out of the house on the 39th street, through the balcony pipe, when the bodyguards were focused on the guests at the ball, Klein was holding a slightly sweet, chilled sparkling wine, engaged in conversation with several gentlemen about business matters on the southern continent. He tilted his head slightly, glanced at the garden area, and, by instinct, already sensed Hayourel's movements. ...Though not particularly endearing, she still had a good heart... Klein nodded almost imperceptibly, mentally adding a brief commendation. He had no concerns about Hayourel's actions, since traveling from Burkland Street in the northern district to the Mahert family's estate in the northwest suburbs by carriage would take three to five hours. Before that, he could simply find an excuse to leave the ball and teleport directly there to verify the situation. ——Although the Mahert estate was located in the northwest suburbs, it lay across the Tassok River, so one had to first detour to a bridge location. If it were daytime, one could use the steam subway to reach the southern end of the bridge via the riverbed; however, in the evening, only one of the three long bridges would be viable, making a total journey time of five hours unavoidable. Of course, since Klein had used the "Seed" gloves and read about the "2–105" vascular thief, he had a certain understanding of the abilities associated with the "Thief's Path." Thus, he suspected that Hayour, who possessed higher-tier items, could "steal" birds' flight ability and, using that brief period of sustained flight, directly cross the river mid-air—perhaps reaching her destination in just three hours. Nevertheless, no matter what, I would still arrive faster than her. Klein turned his gaze away and began considering whom to invite as his dance partner next. After a group of maids emerged from the cellars and headed straight for the kitchen to verify that all the flames had been extinguished, they immediately heard a series of squeaks upon arrival. Turning to look, they spotted an old mouse with grayish-white fur gnawing at the leg of a long table. This mouse seemed to sense their presence and, instead of fleeing, turned its head and fixed them with slightly red eyes. At the same time, more squeaks echoed through the room—eyes glowing red appeared one after another, from beneath the beams, beside storage cabinets, among the scattered furnishings, and even near the stove where hot water was being boiled. The maids were startled, nearly gasping in surprise. Though as members of the lower class, they were familiar with mice and had even killed several over the years, encountering so many at once was entirely new, and it deeply shook their spirits. "We'll go find Gerd," one of the maids said, stepping out of the kitchen, clearly frightened. Another maid nodded vigorously: "Miss Hayouer was even bitten by a mad mouse before... these don't look quite normal either!" As she spoke, they stepped back, gradually distancing themselves from the kitchen. At that moment, a figure emerged clearly against the long table in the kitchen—dressed in a white shirt, dark jacket, and deep formal attire, wearing a half-high silk hat and polished leather boots. He pressed the hat against his chest, slowly lifted his head, and surveyed the surroundings, his black hair and brown eyes, slender face with sharp features, unmistakably that of Germain Spalro. ——After leaving the ball early, Caine returned to the D'Ornay-Tondu estate, entered the bedroom, and directly transported Enyuni, his "winner." Of course, he placed her outside the manor so she could be easily relocated. As he took in the mice scattered around, he adjusted the human skin gloves on his left hand and turned his gaze toward the garden area of the estate. Almost simultaneously, every mouse in the kitchen stirred together, their movements growing sluggish before quickly returning to normal. They had now become the "Wizard's" secret familiars. As for Caine, his current limit for controlling familiars stands at fifty—this will improve further once he fully absorbs the magic potion!