Bekkan, Joewood District, 22 Hope Road, The Hat Trick Inn. Dorian Gray Abraham, broad-shouldered and strong-armed, unconsciously paced back and forth in the room, waiting for student Firth to visit. As calm and prepared as he might be, when it came down to facing the answers he truly needed, he still found himself a little nervous and apprehensive. It wasn't clear how long it had been before a steady tapping sound came from the door. Dorian listened to the rhythm for a few seconds, then took a deep breath, walked to the door, turned the handle, and pulled it open. Outside stood Firth—brown, wavy hair, dressed in a dark dress, wearing glasses with colored lenses. Dorian habitually glanced behind Firth to ensure no one was paying attention to this side, then stepped aside to let the student pass. At the same time, he glanced at Firth's hands and noticed that his student had not brought a suitcase. Dorian then turned his gaze away, walked to the center of the room, found a spot to sit, and indicated the sofa across from him. "Please sit." Folshe hesitated slightly, adjusted her skirt, and settled into the chair, at the same time offering, "Good morning, Professor." Dorian didn't immediately get to the point; instead, he paused and thought. "You actually killed Butis?" "Yes." Folshe reached into a pocket of her clothing and produced a delicate, slender cigarette box, opening it to reveal the contents. Inside were two dark, luminous eyes, frozen in an expression of indescribable terror, as though they had witnessed something profoundly dreadful just before death. Dorian had expected, as he had the last time, to receive a gruesome, blood-streaked skull assembled from fragmented pieces—something that would haunt him. Yet the student had brought no luggage, only the elegant cigarette box. This led him to believe the contents would be relics that could prove Buthis's identity, but once again, reality surpassed his expectations: it was still Buthis's remains—but far less than Louis Vien's! Only the pair of eyes remained... "The Astrologer's" intuitive sense of spirit led Dorian to believe these eyes truly belonged to Buthis. Seeing his teacher remain silent, without speaking, Furse instinctively added, "His body has completely collapsed and dispersed; only these eyes remain intact." She paused and then continued, "These eyes carry the residual shock and emotional distress from Buthis's final moments, as well as contamination from the 'Ancient Box'—a powerful curse. That's why I didn't send them directly to you; otherwise, the postal carriers handling them would suffer ill fates, possibly even die unnoticed." The contamination from the 'Ancient Box'... Dorian nodded slightly, with a sense of clarity dawning, and smiled gently, "So, in the end, he did die from the 'Ancient Box'? "This truly is fate..." When Butis rebelled and summoned the people of the Aurora Circle, the very first item they seized was the "Box of the Ancient Days." Forth had heard the general account of the events during a private gathering where the "Seer" lady and the "Justice" lady recounted the sequence of events, and now, reflecting upon it, he realized just how magnificent and thrilling the battles had been that he had missed. "Indeed, that's true..." "But even before the 'Box of the Ancient Days' began to affect him, he had already started to lose control." Dorian was not at all surprised, and said to his student: "Keep it. This is your prize." When Forth closed the cigarette box and placed it back into his dark pouch, Dorian leaned forward, clasped his hands, and gently pressed his nose against them. "Butis is one of the most promising apprentices I have ever seen—yet he has ended up like this..." With these words, Dorian sighed deeply, as though mourning something, or regretting something. Forsyth wasn't very familiar with the specific details of the early events and didn't dare to speak up immediately, so he remained silent, waiting for the teacher to recover from his emotions. After a few seconds, Dorian straightened up and asked, "How did you manage to absorb the 'Archivist' potion?" This wasn't just about caring for his student—it was also about gathering experience to serve as a reference for teaching other family members. Forsyth's expression became somewhat complex, as if recalling something he didn't want to remember: "Mainly, people helped me. They enabled me to 'record' numerous unusual or advanced abilities, and also took me to various places within a few months, where I 'recorded' different customs and scenic beauty..." Dorian remained silent for a moment, then nodded. "That's not something easy to replicate..." He then asked, "Germán Sparrow?" "Yes," Forsyth confirmed. Dorian fell silent again, speaking only after a few seconds: "What kind of trade does he want? Or what exactly does he hope to gain?" Folse brightened, a touch embarrassed to answer: "He wants the elixir recipe of the Traveler Mage, and in return, he would like to exchange his 'Box of the Ancient Days' for one of the two 'Level 0' sealing items currently held by you." This price was absolutely generous—Folse had originally expected the 'World' gentleman to secure the Traveler Mage's elixir recipe and the Level 0 sealing items through direct promises. He hadn't anticipated the addition of the 'Box of the Ancient Days.' Of course, the promise to lift the curse upon the Abraham family was certainly valuable to Dorian, but promises, after all, were only promises—never guaranteed to be fulfilled. Dorian did not find it surprising that Germán Spalrosso demanded a "Level 0" seal item—indeed, he had anticipated it well in advance, even considering it exceptionally favorable. After all, by today's standards, the Abraham family had very few things left that even a half-god would still covet. He furrowed his brow slightly, asking, "What exactly does he want with the elixir recipe of the 'Traveling Mage'?" "Unknown," Fols responded calmly. Dorian stood up and began to walk back and forth. Suddenly, he stopped and turned to Fols. "I need to meet with him face to face and discuss it before I can make a decision." "Very well," Fols agreed without hesitation. Dorian breathed a quiet sigh of relief, preparing to send his student on their way and then quickly retrieving a potion to drink. —he had scheduled their meeting precisely when his curse was due to erupt. If anything unforeseen happened, his enemies would surely not have time to reach him in time. After standing up, Vorth did not move toward the door. She remained in place, reaching out toward the empty space ahead. Her arm suddenly felt heavy, then swiftly pulled back, dragging into view a figure dressed in a black coat and wearing a silk hat. The figure had dark hair and brown eyes, with a strong, defined silhouette and sharp, rigid lines—exactly Germain Spalro. Germain Spalro's eyes flickered, quickly regaining his composure and becoming indistinguishable from a living person. "Teacher, he's here," Vorth said formally, introducing him. "He is Germain Spalro." The display left Dorian Gray Abraham momentarily speechless, his mouth slightly open, unable to close it, and for a brief moment, he failed to respond. ——Though he came from an ancient family and held many secrets, his own rank of only Sequence 7 made it difficult for him to truly visualize even when he saw descriptions. After consciousness transferred to him, Caine reached into the inner lining of his clothing and withdrew a gold-case pocket watch. Tap. He glanced at his watch, offering no emotion to Dorian: "You have three minutes." ...Exactly as rumored—cold, aloof, driven mad... Dorian didn't hesitate; he spoke directly: "Give me a reason to believe in your promises." Caine closed his watch, placing it back against the inner lining of his clothing, then said: "In fact, I've already mastered the ritual to bring the 'Door' gentleman back." Dorian's eyes brightened, ready to ask immediately, but heard Germain Spauld calmly add: "Yet I don't intend to carry it out." "Why not?" Both Dorian and Fotheringham looked puzzled—Dorian eager to ask, Fotheringham hesitant. Caine looked out the window: "Do you know of the celestial pollution?" "Beyond the true gods and angels, the Abrahamic family undoubtedly ranks first in their understanding of the stars. Klein believes they must have left behind some subtle hints and implicit records. Dorian nodded firmly: "Understood." After fully absorbing the "scholar's" potion, Caine no longer needed to pull people into the gray mist to avoid the "Mr. Door's" ramblings—he could now directly employ the "Angel's Embrace" to address them. The only concern remaining was that the Abraham family members might be numerous, potentially overwhelming him or lacking sufficient spiritual strength. "...Which of your patrons is it?" Dorian paused and asked. Caine suppressed his sense of embarrassment and spoke with solemnity: "The great 'Fool,' sir." "'Fool'... Are you then of the Antigonus lineage?" Dorian suddenly drew a connection. Caine shook his head, dismissing the assumption. Dorian remained silent once more, but considering that they only had three minutes, he quickly added: "Does devotion to that figure ensure we are freed from the curse?" "As a member of an ancient family, he knew how dangerous it was to believe in an unknown entity, fearing that by resolving the ramblings of the "Gate" man, he might incur another curse. Caine calmly replied, "This is only a temporary solution—I'll find you a better one." Dorian nodded, seizing the moment and said, "I'll try to believe in your Lord, and I'll provide you with the elixir formula of the 'Traveling Mage.' If this indeed offers a temporary relief from the curse, then we'll proceed with the transaction for the 'Level 0' sealing object." He intended to use himself as a test subject to see if the method proved effective, and he didn't plan to inform the other family members, letting them wait for a better solution from the mouth of Germain Sparo until they grew impatient. "Very well," Caine said, pulling out a sheet of paper and pen from his coat pocket, swiftly writing down the honored name of "The Fool." Meanwhile, Dorian began to use the crystal ball to aid his memory, recording the elixir formula of the 'Traveling Mage.' After the exchange, Caine immediately turned his attention to the supporting materials and the ritual: "Supporting materials: one Star-creature, one Time-creature, one Spirit-creature. Ritual of advancement: establish legends at nine locations outside this planet."