Duke carefully inspected every corner of the manor. After confirming that no one had tampered with it, he conducted an even more thorough examination with Shadow Perception and Dark Eye, checking even the areas outside the manor.
Only after such cautious and meticulous inspection did he confirm that no one was secretly watching him at the moment.
Duke then went to the manor's main building, the residence intended for the manor's owner.
After entering, he headed downward until he reached the basement.
The basement itself had walls and doors forged from Magic Metal. Those had cost a great deal, which was why this manor had been so expensive.
Duke activated every security measure in the basement, including the Magic Metal door and the separate Wizard Formation within.
Only then did he focus his mind, summon metallic yellow sand to envelop his entire body, and prepare to activate the Coordinate Earring.
The Oracle Plane coordinates recorded in the Coordinate Earring led to the Astral Embers Apothecary. The small house in the apothecary's rear courtyard had once been Duke's temporary potion laboratory, and he had told Robert not to enter it.
A year had passed, and he had no idea what the situation there was like now. He had to put up his defenses before teleporting over.
Once Duke had finished his protective preparations, he activated the Coordinate Earring with a thought and headed for the Oracle Plane.
Ripples spread through the air around him, like a stone falling into still water.
After a brief wave of dizziness, Duke found himself in a narrow room—the small house in the apothecary's rear courtyard.
The room was pitch-black. Moonlight streamed in through the window, and silence filled the surroundings.
It seemed to be the dead of night here. The time was different from the