At midnight, dim crimson moonlight fell across a garden near Stoen University.
Michel Deitrich was only forty, yet he was already a senior associate professor. Dressed in his pajamas, he gently and meticulously polished each piece in his collection as though tending to a lover. Only when he was satisfied with the night's work did he leave the collection room for his bedroom, where he began considering which pieces to show the distinguished young lady that weekend.
That evening, he had received a letter delivered by a servant of the House of Earl Hall, the most powerful noble family in East Chester County. Its author was Miss Audrey Hall, daughter of an influential member of the House of Lords and known as Backlund's most dazzling jewel.
In the letter, the distinguished lady mentioned that she had acquired a copy of Roselle's Notes through him. She had also heard from the friend who supplied the notes that Mr. Michel Deitrich was an exceptional collector. As an enthusiast herself, she very much hoped to visit his collection that weekend.
Michel Deitrich had no reason to refuse. He even found himself looking forward to delighting the distinguished young lady with his collection.
Before long, he fell into a deep sleep. In his dream, his vast knowledge won the young lady's admiration. She was so taken with his collection that she invested assets and land worth over ten thousand pounds in the Antiquities Research Institute he planned to establish.
In the end, moved by Miss Hall's commitment to scholarship, he agreed to her request.
While Michel enjoyed his pleasant dream, two uninvited guests on his Mind Island watched his every move with keen interest.
They were, of course, Abner and Xio, who had traveled overnight from Backlund to East Chester County by "Teleportation."
Notably,