22 Hope Road, The Capitola Inn, Room 2016, outside the room. Forth walked straight through the wall to this spot, unnoticed by anyone, and then, as agreed, tapped the door with a measured rhythm. Not long after, Dorian Gray Abraham, broad-shouldered, strong-armed, dressed in black formal attire, unlatched the door and turned the handle. The man quickly glanced left and right, made room, and allowed Forth to enter. "I didn't expect you to become the Record-keeper so swiftly," he said, checking the door lock carefully after closing it, then turning to face her with a quiet sense of wonder. By today's standards, he was already considered middle-aged, yet he remained stuck at Sequence 7, the Astrologer, with no prospects of promotion. In contrast, his student, Forth Wal, had moved from Sequence 9 to Sequence 6 in just about a year. Compared side by side, Dorian could not help but feel a deep sigh of admiration and sorrow. The lineage of the Abraham family was meant to be noble and enviable—yet now it felt like a heavy curse, one that left him disheartened. "All of this is thanks to your teacher," said Folshe, though she preferred to stay at home and rarely ventured out. Still, she occasionally accepted invitations from the nobility to attend literary and artistic salons, where she had gained experience in social grace. Indeed, she had received substantial support from her teacher—both in knowledge, finances, and in recipes and materials. Dorian glanced at her, shook his head, and smiled. "I'm not just teaching you—I've taught many students. The pace of your advancement? In my memory, only one person compares to you." He paused, then added, "Your next goal should be the Sequence 5 rank of 'Traveler.' But I have higher expectations for you—I hope you will achieve divinity and rise to the Sequence 4 rank of 'Sage-Mage.'" "Of course, I have one request: when you truly become a half-god, try praying to some hidden presence, listen carefully to its response, and understand what it is saying." "This does carry a certain risk, but for a Sequence 4 half-god, the capacity to endure is sufficient—without any other complications, there should be no issues." "Teacher, is this response particularly important to you?" Fores knew exactly what was going on, yet she feigned curiosity and doubt. Dorian remained silent for a few seconds, then exhaled deeply: "Extremely important. My parents, my siblings, my children—so many have sacrificed their lives in pursuit of this answer, only to come away empty-handed... "Don't worry. The very reason we have made such a great sacrifice is that an ancient curse runs deep in our family's bloodline, and you, being unrelated by blood, are part of a different story." "I don't expect that, in my generation, the answer I find will unlock the curse—yet I hope to understand its origin, to grasp exactly what my cause of death is..." At this point, Dorian took a deep breath and paused, no longer continuing. For some reason, Fleur instantly felt the weight of centuries—layer upon layer of generations accumulating over time. She truly found it hard to imagine the profound sorrow of a single person whose ancestors, parents, siblings, children, and even relatives all died directly or indirectly from the same curse. Thinking of her teacher's care, and recalling that in recent years she had received only this one expression of concern and affection from elders, Fleur blinked, lowered her head, and firmly nodded, "I will do my best." Dorian set aside his moment of reflection and gently nodded, "Your greatest strength is your kindness." "Villette felt a bit embarrassed and shifted to a point her teacher had mentioned earlier: 'The family?' She remembered that her teacher had never explicitly referred to the Abraham family, merely claiming that he and people like Lawrence and Anelisa were members of a secret organization. ——To distinguish between what her teacher had told her and what she had learned at the Tarot gatherings, Villette had carefully organized her thoughts before leaving home, so as not to inadvertently reveal information she wasn't supposed to know. First, a transparent crystal, almost ethereal; second, an ancient parchment; third, a small hunter's pack. "This is a remarkable trait bequeathed by a 'Traveler.' With it, you no longer need to gather the primary materials separately. This is the 'Traveler's' potion recipe—the pack contains the corresponding auxiliary materials. If you don't have a way to preserve them, make sure to consume the 'Record-keeper's' potion within six months, or their essence will completely fade away..." Dorian handed all the items to Folshe. "Thank you, Master," Folshe said sincerely. Then, she unfolded the parchment and quickly scanned through the potion recipe, focusing particularly on the ritual: "Establish special coordinates at four distinctly different, geographically distant locations deep within the Spirit Realm." "What is the purpose of this ritual?" Folshe thought for a few seconds, then asked her master. "After consuming the 'Traveler' potion, you'll begin wandering the spirit realm uncontrollably. Once you've gained some strength, you'll find yourself lost, and at that point, you can use the four special coordinates to return to the physical world. Otherwise, you'll remain deep within the spirit realm, where it's not only dangerous but also gradually assimilates you, eroding your sense of self until you become a spirit-bound being." Although Dorian himself didn't hope to become a 'Traveler,' he had previously witnessed students advancing to Level 5 in the hierarchy. "There should be another way to replace that..." Folshe murmured, as if thinking aloud. "Yes," Dorian nodded. "There was an item within the organization that allowed people to return directly from the spirit realm to the physical world—unfortunately, it has been lost." "Before Folshe could ask, Dorian turned and said, 'If, and only if, you truly become a half-god and fulfill my wish, I will hand you over one of the important items I hold—this is my expectation as a teacher." One of the powerful seals of the Abraham family? Folshe had a vague sense of it, but didn't commit to anything, instead saying as before, "I'll do my best." Then, building on this topic, she asked curiously, "Teacher, you mentioned that Sequence 4 is the 'Arcane Scholar.' What about Sequence 3, Sequence 2, and Sequence 1?" Dorian laughed at once, "You're still at Sequence 6! Well, Sequence 3 is the 'Wanderer,' Sequence 2 is the 'Traveler,' and the potion name for Sequence 1 is 'Key of the Stars.'" "Heh, I'm glad you brought up this point—I had completely forgotten to compile a set of guidelines for exploring the spiritual realm. These are the very things one must remember once becoming a 'Traveler.' "Then I'll stay one more night. You can come by tomorrow to collect the materials." While still mentally reviewing the high-tier magical potion names associated with the 'Apprentice' path, Vorths agreed: "Very well, Master." After settling these matters, Dorian paced back and forth several times, pondered for a moment, and then added: "There will be a certain attraction between exceptional traits within the same path. It's not very noticeable at lower sequence levels, but becomes increasingly strong as the sequence rises. Sometimes, this attraction won't be immediately felt—it will subtly draw you toward a high-sequence individual within the same path. Once you become a 'Traveler,' you must remain vigilant about this." "Having said that, Dorian paused and added, 'There aren't many half-gods who have followed the "Apprentice" path still alive. Among them, you must be especially cautious of a man named Butis. He is the "Saint of Secrets" of the Aurora Order, and like Louis, he is a betrayer within our organization. I'll send you his portrait tomorrow.' Butis... Firth repeated the name her teacher had just mentioned in her mind. At the same time, she gained a new understanding of her previous encounter with Louis Vien, the envoy of the Aurora Order: perhaps it wasn't a mere chance meeting, but rather an attraction stemming from their unique qualities—her teacher carried with him a powerful "Apprentice" path seal! Firth quickly set this thought aside and began inquiring about the various duties of the role of the "Scribe." ........ Berg Estate, Silver City. "There was actually a route that could bypass the central area of the 'Kingdom of the Giants,' entering through the 'Waning Forest' and the 'Desolate Tunnel'..." Derek Berg recalled the information shared by the 'World' gentleman above the gray mist. This was of great significance for Silver City, as early exploration from the afternoon settlement had shown that the closer one approached the 'Kingdom of the Giants' from the front, the greater the number and strength of dark-origin monsters became. "We must inform the Chief at once!" Derek suddenly stood up, rushed out of his home, and headed straight for the Round Tower, where he successfully met Chief Colin Iliath of the 'Six-Body Council.' Following the instructions of the 'Turned Man' gentleman, Derek explained that he had remembered certain murals he had seen in the 'Shadows' of the afternoon settlement, depicting a secret passage into the 'Kingdom of the Giants.' Colin Iliath listened quietly without interruption, and only finally nodded gently: "Well done. Excellent work." "What would you like in return for this achievement?" "An intact brain of a mature mind-drake." Darien had already prepared himself. Colin didn't ask why, but thought for a moment and added, "If that secret passage is genuine, its value must surely exceed even the complete brain of a mature mind-drake. Hmm... you might consider something else. Do you have any interest in the higher-tier potion recipes from the 'Farmers' Path?" That was a question aimed at the "Fool," Darien realized with a sense of surprise. "Do we even have higher-tier potion recipes from the 'Farmers' Path?" He couldn't recall having any. "Of course we do—you should remember that the Queen of the Giants is the 'Goddess of Harvest,' though the surrounding regions lack the corresponding exceptional materials. Don't worry—you have time to consider it further." Colin Iliad calmly shifted the topic. "Have you mastered the powers of the 'Priest of Light'?" "Yes," Darien replied simply. Colin stared quietly at the young child before him and asked, "What kind of divine-grade seal do you wish to select?"