Hilbert, of course, did not care that Rute had suddenly changed the subject... or rather, they both understood what Rute's real purpose was.
Otherwise, it was just an eagle. Even if Rute truly had an interest in how such a strange item was made, he could have waited until his Mage Tower was finished.
But for Rute, tonight was the best possible time.
He had always been someone deeply interested in such things, so if he could not figure out the reason in the middle of the night and could not resist coming directly to Gilbert for advice, it would be perfectly natural.
It just so happened that he also had a good excuse: although Aislin and Gilbert had reconciled, Gilbert had still suffered a loss in this matter.
The ring Aislin had given him was rich in resources, but considering future development... after reaching the Seventh Circle, staying shut away in a Mage Tower was not a good thing.
A Mage needed to develop their own understanding of the world, and only after becoming utterly convinced of that understanding could they find their path toward the laws.
Those who could truly reach the Eighth Ring generally had their own understanding of the world. Even if that understanding was wrong, as long as they believed in it and the world gave them a response, they could resonate with the laws... it simply might not be the same laws they imagined.
Many Mages who rarely left home could still find their own paths... even if those paths were merely narrow trails, they were still paths. That was because the human environment within a Mage Tower, though somewhat distorted, still counted as a small society.
So, Gilbert being assigned to such a remote place even after reaching the Seventh Circle was indeed