Not long after Soren left, about a minute or two later, a Portal opened in the living room. The slightly disheveled figure of a bewitching woman emerged from it. She first straightened her long dress and swept her flowing hair behind her ear, then touched the necklace around her neck with her fingertips, saying in irritation, "You little brat! You really went all out!"
"I'm your mother! How dare you use Maze on me?"
The bewitching woman seemed rather sulky. She idly glanced around the living room, then waved her hand to open another Portal and stepped straight through it.
"Once I figure out the secret of the Fate Card, I'll come back and teach you a lesson, you little brat."...
Inside the room.
The caravan mistress paused in her tracks. She had clearly already known that the bewitching woman had broken her Maze. She let out a soft sigh, then lightly tapped the wall with her finger. As though some mechanism had been activated, the bricks in the wall separated on their own, revealing numerous exquisite Alchemy components. A staircase wound downward, with lamps enchanted with a light spell on either side.
Following the winding staircase down, they soon came upon a very large Laboratory. It seemed even more spacious than the house itself. Rows of bookshelves stood along the sides, five or six meters tall and over ten meters wide, each holding several hundred books. There was also a small ladder nearby, apparently prepared for someone in particular. After all, Wizards had no use for something like a ladder. A simple Mage Hand could fetch any book they wanted. "Vivian is here, so I enchanted this place with Silence to avoid disturbing her."
Goria turned to look at Soren, pressed a hand against the wall, and an invisible