The magical letter from the Profound Alchemy Society diluted the heavy atmosphere in the hall. Angel and Gloria temporarily set aside their worries over Toby facing his tribulation tomorrow and chatted for a while about the Profound Alchemy Society.
However, as the hands of the wall clock moved on and dawn drew nearer, Gloria grew restless again.
She began racking her brain for other ways to assist Toby's advancement, but she had failed to come up with anything over the past few months. Naturally, she found nothing now either.
Amid her unease, the hands of the wall clock reached five in the morning. The people of the continent were still shrouded in darkness, but those in Sky Mechanical City could already faintly see the pale white of dawn emerging on the horizon.
Gloria suddenly stood up. "I'm going out for a while."
Without saying where she was going, Gloria transformed directly into a mass of ghostly light and vanished from the hall. Angel sensed her presence and discovered that she seemed to have gone to the main city district.
Angel also left the hall and came to the courtyard.
The courtyard was utterly quiet. Neither Shali nor Azaz was there; only Toby remained, immersed in Dreamscape Twins.
Amid the fresh scents of soil, flowers, and grass, Angel quietly watched the distant horizon. Sparse black gradually turned to pale gray, then slowly faded into a faint white.
The process lasted for over two hours. At eight in the morning, sunlight bathed the earth.
Gloria returned from outside then, and Angel noticed a fragrance clinging to her. She usually carried a scent as well, though it was often the aroma of wine or the lingering aftertaste of food. The scent on her now was a floral fragrance mixed with Shulomon.
"You went