As Angel entered the painting, the door slowly began to close.
Seeing the door within the painting about to vanish, Mollyan suddenly rose from her seat and walked toward it.
Eya: "Mollyan?"
Mollyan paused, then turned and said lightly, "You can discuss the deployment details yourselves. In any case, once all the races have gathered, those details will need to be revised again. There is no point listening to a rough draft of the deployment plan."
"As for me, one Time Doppelgänger should keep another company. I have not seen Fan in a long time. I rather miss him."
With that, Mollyan stepped through the door.
The instant she entered, she heard Eya mutter by her ear, "I never heard of you having any dealings with Fan... Just say you want to drink Baiman Blood Wine."
Mollyan halted for a moment. She had wanted to retort, but the door in the painting was about to disappear. In the end, she said nothing and slipped inside before it closed.
As the door shut, the rippling oil painting slowly returned to normal.
Originally, the painting contained only an empty dining table and Butler Fan. But now, three figures sat before the table.
They were Angel, Laplace, and Mollyan.
Butler Fan was also in the painting, though he did not remain at the table. Instead, he slowly approached from nearby.
When Butler Fan reached the edge of the scene, he slowly drew the curtains. Crimson drapes obscured the dining room and covered the entire painting.
The people in the painting disappeared, leaving behind only a curtain.
As the painting's "curtain" fell, the people in the Cloud Grotto gradually withdrew their attention as well. Yet no one spoke.
After a long while, Prophet Yota was the first to break the silence. "Mr. Angel... is