Clink~
When Ruan Eternal dissolved into the flames, Iver seemed to hear a faint, almost imperceptible chuckle. A crisp collision suddenly rang out from the Golden Cup in his hand.
He lowered his head slightly and reached into the Golden Cup, retrieving a gemstone die.
It had been carved from a piece of faintly glowing amber. It was Ruan's parting gift.
—Of course, this violated the rules of the Dream Realm.
When Iver summoned the apostle, he had not prayed for the apostle to give him anything.
The apostles' ability to obtain the Hourglass's permission to cross the Wall of Equilibrium and reach the Material Realm for a short time was related to this kind of simple contract established through ritual—in short, any action affecting the Material Realm had best be reported in advance, ensuring that the entire process was documented and traceable.
Ideally, mortals should pray for one thing, and the apostles should do only that thing. Beyond that, they should not engage in dialogue or interaction, nor offer gifts. They also could not clearly give mortals prophecies, education, or deception beyond the contract, could not alter the other party's fate on a large scale or illegally increase or decrease their power, and could not illegally collect souls, extend lifespans, or spread the secrets of the Dream Realm in the Material Realm.
When those mortals prayed, the Hourglass and its apostles had already judged whether their requests were reasonable and compliant. If the request passed, that meant it was permitted. But if the apostle added its own interpretation, it might no longer be compliant.
Merlin's habit of running all over the world and interacting with mortals without the slightest hesitation was a typical violation. Ruan's act of bringing Dream Realm specialties to the Material Realm was also technically a