Dorian Gray's question did not surprise Fors. The correspondence over the past month had prepared her mentally, and she had even consulted the experienced " The Hanged Man " at Tarot Club to figure out what kind of expression and reaction would be normal.
"Are there really such Beyonder?" Fors asked in surprise.
Dorian nodded slightly:
"Have."
He looked around and, seeing no one nearby, walked to a tree that had lost all its leaves and placed his hand on it.
Dorian's figure suddenly blurred, as if he had become a reflection in the water.
When it became clear, he was already behind the tree, his posture unchanged.
"God! This is truly, truly amazing!" Fors exclaimed, her mouth agape, remembering the teachings of Mr. " The Hanged Man " and Miss " Justice."
Dorian returned, smiling, and asked again:
Do you want to become such an Beyonder?
"... I want to!" Fors paused briefly, then answered excitedly.
She was finally going to become an outer member of the Abraham Family, which would make many things much easier! Her heart was filled with genuine joy.
Dorian chuckled, then his expression turned serious as he asked again, quite solemnly:
Would you like to become my student?
Fors nodded repeatedly:
"Willing!"
Dorian breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately chuckled to himself:
"I'm not a good teacher, and I even taught... well, there's no need to bring up the past. In short, don't have too high expectations."
After considering this period of time, he decided to learn from past experiences and lessons, and not tell Fors about the Abraham Family. He would treat their relationship as that of a teacher and student, so that he would not have to worry about Fors coveting the few remaining super magical items of the family.
"No, your explanation of occult knowledge is excellent, really, Mr. Gray, no, teacher." Fors quickly clarified their relationship.
Dorian looked at the tombstone, shook his head and exhaled:
"I had no intention of teaching any more students, but your noble character has inspired me."
"If all goes well, I can give you the corresponding Potion today."
"Today?" Fors asked, quite surprised.
When she went to Backlund station to pick up Dorian Gray, she found that he was carrying only a small suitcase, barely big enough to hold a change of clothes, and there was no evidence that he was carrying any extraordinary materials.
Could he have his own resource channels in Backlund, resource channels belonging to the Abraham Family? Fors had a vague guess.
Her original plan was to take advantage of the inconvenience of being separated from the other party, sell the extraordinary materials for the " Apprentice " Potion, and then tell the other party that she had successfully advanced to Beyonder. In this way, she could not only get a considerable amount of cash, but also avoid the unfortunate result of having to repeatedly take the " Apprentice " Potion and spend more time digesting it.
"Yes." Dorian didn't explain, but pointed in another direction, "Let's go check on Labol and Anlisa first."
After paying their respects, the two left Green Cemetery and returned to the house where Fors and Hugh lived in the Cherwood Borough.
For the past month or so, Hugh, who had been promoted to " Sheriff," had been working tirelessly from dawn till dusk to pay off her heavy debts, trying to earn every possible reward. So, it was no surprise that she was not home around noon.
"Are there any quiet rooms?" Dorian looked around casually.
"Many." Fors led the new teacher into the living room on the first floor.
Dorian walked around the room to get a feel for the surroundings, then instructed Fors to light a candle infused with deep red sandalwood.
He then closed the door and drew the curtains.
In the dim, flickering light, he walked to the candle and took out two bottles of water-colored essential oil and some common herbal powders.
A ceremony? Shouldn't there be three candles? Fors curiously, not daring to speak, as if he was stunned by the atmosphere.
After completing the first part of the ceremony, Dorian stepped back and, with a solemn expression, switched to Ancient Hermes:
"I!
I summon in my name:
"A peculiar spirit that roams the Upper World, a void creature that loves music, Dorian Gray Abraham's contracted partner."
Ugh!
A sudden Wind Generation through the living room, carrying a trembling, weeping sound, and the flickering candlelight took on a pale blue hue.
Rings of light spread out rapidly, seemingly forming a door beyond the realm of normal perception.
A semi-illusory, semi-real spherical object flew out from the "bottom" of the aperture.
It is milky white all over, and has no eyes, nose, arms, legs, or feet. There is only a crack on the surface that looks like a mouth.
Dorian smiled broadly, opened his mouth, and began to hum a folk-style lullaby.
The "sphere" immediately began to sway from side to side, appearing extremely comfortable.
After humming the tune, Dorian reached out his hand:
" Marmot, give me the things I left with you the day before yesterday."
The "sphere" bounced up and down, its body suddenly swelled up, and its "mouth" opened wide.
Then, it produced two extraordinary materials with strange and wonderful light.
"You can do that...?" Fors was stunned.
Dorian caught the main ingredient of the " Apprentice " Potion, interrupted the summoning, and ended the ritual.
He turned to Fors and smiled:
Even in the Spirit World, void creatures like Marmot are extremely rare. Normal summoning cannot target them. A senior of sufficient Sequence must enter the Spirit World, search for a long time, and establish a contract with one of them so that the descendants can complete the summoning in the corresponding name.
"Once the void creatures arrive, a new contract can be established, binding them tightly to oneself and preventing them from being summoned by others."
"I see... That sounds interesting!" Fors said sincerely.
She couldn't help but yearn for the future:
If we disregard the Full Moon Curse and the suppression and constant danger faced by ordinary Beyonder, exploring this wondrous world is truly a wonderful thing... I hope that one day, I too can truly roam the Spirit World...
Dorian chuckled in response:
"The greatest advantage of Marmot is that it can swallow many items without causing them any harm, which is equivalent to a mobile, Concealment warehouse that is almost impossible for others to find."
"Of course, it can't store too much; its capacity is limited. Also, it doesn't like people without musical talent and will refuse to sign a contract with such people."
Thankfully, at least I can play the lyre... Fors had just breathed a sigh of relief when Dorian ordered him to fetch a black iron stew pot.
Watching the other person concoct Potion, her expression remained seemingly unchanged, but inwardly she was frantically praying for an unexpected outcome.
I don't want to drink the " Apprentice " Potion again! That would be such a waste of time! If I had known this would happen, I would have been more honest... Now it's too late. Master Grey must have done Divination, but the result was interfered with. Being honest means that there must be a powerful figure behind me, someone is directing me... Amidst her thoughts, Fors saw Dorian turn around and hand her a bottle of bubbling Potion.
"Drink it, and you will become Beyonder," Dorian said in a calm yet highly seductive tone.
Then, he offered Fors a word of comfort:
"Don't worry, I'm here, nothing will go wrong."
"Hmm!" Fors gritted her teeth, took the " Apprentice " Potion, and drank it down in one gulp.
At the same time, a thought flashed through her mind:
Honesty is the most valuable quality...
The carriage stopped outside the East Borough. Klein, carrying a cane and wearing a top hat, entered the vast slum from the relatively less dilapidated neighborhood.
After walking for a while, he saw two familiar figures emerge from the fairly tidy apartment ahead.
They were both girls, one seventeen or eighteen and the other fifteen or sixteen. They were Freja and Daisy, the daughters of laundry worker Liv. The latter had been kidnapped by Capim but was rescued because of the " Black Emperor " incident.
Daisy also spotted Klein and immediately broke into a bright smile:
Good afternoon, Detective Moriarty!
Klein smiled and nodded, then asked with slight surprise:
" Daisy, didn't you go to public elementary school?"
Following appeals from journalists like Mike Joseph, and with the support of the Church of the Evernight Goddess, the Backlund city government used Capim's property to establish a charitable foundation specifically to help women and families who had been harmed by Capim.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Daisy's family moved from their dilapidated apartment in a very unsafe area to the edge of the East Borough, turning one room into two, separating the "laundry workshop" from the sleeping and eating areas.
In addition, Daisy received compensation to attend a public elementary school, with the 3 pence per week tuition and corresponding meal allowance covered by a charity fund, which made her very happy.
What made Klein's observation strange was that public elementary schools only close on Sundays, Daisy shouldn't be here at this time.
"The school is nearby, so I took advantage of my lunch break to come back and help Freja deliver the washed and dried clothes to the guests' house. She and her mother are too busy to manage on their own," Daisy replied frankly.
The most direct impact of her going to school was that Liv and Freja had less laundry to do each day, resulting in a significant drop in their family income. If it weren't for reporter Mike's help in applying for subsidies from charitable funds, they wouldn't be able to maintain their current lifestyle at all.
Therefore, Freja had no chance of attending a public primary school. When Daisy and Klein talked about school, her eyes revealed an undisguised envy and pain.
Not yet eighteen, she could only quietly watch her younger sister go to school.
Klein noticed this detail and deliberately reminded Daisy of it:
"You really should know how hard your mother and Freja work, and you should treat them well."
Daisy nodded seriously and said:
"I've thought about it. Once things settle down, I'll use the evenings and Sundays to teach Freja what I've learned during the day. I'll be her personal tutor!"
Freja blinked suddenly and couldn't help but lower her head.
"Very good, that's good." Klein praised, bid farewell to the two sisters in a good mood, and turned onto another street.
After changing into his work clothes on Black Palm Street, he had just left his rented apartment when a middle-aged man in worn-out clothes approached him and asked with a kind face:
"Sir, have you ever heard of the Primordial Creator?"