Outside the Steam train station in Backlund.
Fors, wearing a hat with a thin black veil and blue flowers, stood in the lobby of the subway entrance, waiting for her teacher, Dorian Gray, to arrive.
The fine drizzle on the street and the cold wind blowing from underground made the Author shiver a little, realizing she had underestimated the spring in Backlund.
"I don't know how Hugh manages to be busy all year round. She said that before her father passed away, she didn't even want to get out of bed at home. Except for going to the bathroom, servants would bring her food and drink. Now she can leave very early every day and not return until night. No matter if it's a downpour or a thick fog, nothing has changed. She has completed one case after another and caught one wanted criminal after another." Thinking of this, Fors couldn't help but admire Hugh.
By last week, this " Sheriff " had not only paid off her debts, but had even saved £200!
It has to be said that " Sheriff " is the most suitable and extraordinary profession for bounty Hunter. Of course, the choice is limited to the Low-Sequence... Just as Fors ' thoughts were about to wander aimlessly, his gaze suddenly swept over a familiar figure.
He was a gentleman of medium height, dressed in the most fashionable black suit in Loen, with a half-high silk hat, and unusually broad, almost exaggerated, shoulders.
This was Fors's teacher, one of the few remaining members of the Abraham Family, Dorian Gray Abraham.
Fors was overjoyed and immediately opened his umbrella to go to meet them.
On the crowded street, before she had even gotten close enough to Dorian to exchange glances, she saw the teacher raise his right hand, make a fist, and press it against the first button of his black suit.
This is... dangerous! Fors, without changing her expression, shifted her gaze, a smile playing on her lips, to a young gentleman further behind. Then, as if nothing had happened, she walked Dorian Gray and headed forward.
An ancient family possesses an accumulation of wealth and resources that is unimaginable to ordinary people Dorian Gray had long ago agreed with Fors on certain emergency signals and hand gestures. The meaning of that gesture just now was very simple: stay away, don't come closer!
The young man behind her was momentarily stunned by the languid, mature woman's gaze, then instinctively straightened his clothes and adjusted his hat.
He had barely finished making those movements when Fors had already passed him and continued on his way.
The rain continued incessantly. Fors circled around before boarding a horse-drawn carriage and heading straight for the Hat Trick Inn at 22 Hope Street in the Cherwood Borough, a place Dorian Gray had booked in advance.
Having spent many years in the occult community and had a lot of experience, Fors calmly asked for a room facing the street, stood in front of the window, and observed the guests coming to the hotel.
Finally, she saw Dorian Gray step down from the carriage and enter through the gate.
Fors quickly turned around and went to the corner of the stairs, discreetly observing which room the teacher was led to by the waiter.
After waiting a moment, she took off her hat, ruffled her hair a little, and then walked to the door of room 2016 and knocked.
Her plan was simple: if the teacher's response was okay, she would go into the room to talk; if it seemed a bit off, she would pretend she had entered the wrong room or was a streetwalker trying to solicit customers.
The door creaked open slowly. Dorian glanced at the student in front of him, then looked at both sides of the corridor.
Then he raised his right arm, spread his five fingers, and pressed them on the second button of his suit.
This indicates that the situation was out of control and the anomaly has passed.
Fors a silent sigh of relief and darted into the room.
"Teacher, what went wrong just now?" she asked with some worry and concern.
Dorian closed the door and smiled bitterly:
I saw someone I knew.
He sighed and added:
"Enemy."
He was one of his former students who later rebelled with " The Traveler " Botis, nearly wiping out the upper echelons of the Abraham Family.
As far as Dorian knew, his student had also joined the " Aurora Order " and was likely one of the 22 divine messengers.
"What has he done? Is he very capable?" Fors asked curiously.
Dorian paused for a few seconds, then subtly revealed something:
"I, Lawrence, Labol, Anlisa all belong to the same organization, which suffered a severe blow due to the betrayal of certain individuals."
"That person just now was one of the traitors."
He didn't mention his family, nor the conflicts between blood relatives and disciples/students, to avoid Fors getting any unnecessary emotional involvement.
"How awful!" Fors suddenly thought of Mrs. Anlisa, who had been so kind to him, and Mr. Lawrence was so friendly and amiable.
"Alright, let's not talk about this unpleasant stuff." Dorian took a folded piece of paper from the inside pocket of his clothes and handed it to Fors, saying, "The ' Astrologer ' Potion recipe, and your understanding of ' Trickmaster ' and ' Apprentice ' has exceeded my expectations. This is the biggest surprise I've had in the last ten years."
"I went to the circus specifically." Fors didn't hide anything, and even felt it was something to brag about.
As she spoke, she unfolded the paper, intending to browse the " Astrologer's " Potion recipe.
Just then, Dorian nodded with satisfaction and said:
"I'm sorry, because of the previous losses, I don't have the main ingredients for the ' Astrologer ' Potion right now. Consider this your final test."
"However, I have prepared a gift for you."
As he spoke, he pulled a palm-sized notebook from his left pocket. The cover looked hard, with a coppery-green patina, and appeared quite old.
The notebook is made of three types of paper: one is yellowish-brown and rare; another is yellowish-brown, like parchment, about ten sheets; and the third is simply plain white paper. On the cover is a line of words written in Ancient Feysac:
"I came, I saw, I Record."
Fors shifted his gaze from the " Astrologer " Potion recipe to the notebook, recognizing it as the relic of old Mr. Lawrence, the very item he had specially delivered to his teacher in Pritz Harbor!
Dorian smiled and said:
I think you're probably familiar with it.
After Fors nodded repeatedly, he sighed and said:
"This is a remarkably powerful magical item, ranking in the top five of its kind that I've ever seen. This isn't to say it's more powerful than the others, but rather that its negative effects are easily neutralized. Considering both factors, it's extremely valuable."
"What's it called? What are its negative effects?" Fors couldn't contain his excitement and agitation.
Dorian stroked the cover of the notebook and said:
It's called ' Lemano's Travel Notes,' but we prefer to call it ' Lemano's Spellbook.'
"This 'magic book' allows you to witness and Record an extraordinary ability."
"This will be permanently saved on one page of your notebook. You can use it whenever you need it, but remember, after each use, the corresponding page will become blank again, waiting for you to Record again."
"... That sounds amazing." Fors felt like she was dreaming.
I can Record any extraordinary abilities I witness and use them even once.
This, isn't this just another kind of " Shepherd "? The Shepherd that Little " The Sun " was talking about... well, only in prepared single-match battles.
I wonder if it's possible to Record the extraordinary abilities of Demigod. If so, a well-prepared single-match battle would be even more powerful than the " Shepherd "!
Dorian seemed to hear her thoughts and explained in detail:
"In other words, it corresponds to Sequence 6 ' Scribe ' in our ' Apprentice ' pathway. Extraordinary abilities higher than this Sequence are not guaranteed to Record; there is a probability of failure. The higher the level, the greater the possibility of failure, and the effect is only half of the original."
"Based on the experience of previous users, the success rate against the extraordinary abilities of Sequence 5 is not low, but it becomes quite difficult when it comes to Sequence 4, which is at the level of Demigod. You might not succeed even once out of ten attempts. And I don't think any Demigod will show you again and again. If he is still an enemy, he has already killed you ten times."
"Did you see that? This yellowish-brown paper is specifically for Record extraordinary abilities influenced by divinity. There are three sheets in total, meaning that even if you're extremely lucky, you can only Record three Demigod- level extraordinary abilities, and each can only be used once."
Although it sounds like there are many limitations that prevent this " Travel journal" from exerting its full power, there are no such obstacles for two types of people: the Bravehearts and those who are backed by a large organization and have the help of Demigod... For a moment, Fors thought of praying to Mr. The Fool, asking Him to show His power and let him Record, but then he felt that this was too blasphemous and hurriedly apologized in his heart.
Then, she sincerely hoped that the " The Hermit " lady, who seemed to be the strongest in the Tarot Club, could become Demigod as soon as possible.
Dorian, oblivious to Fors's lapse in thought, continued:
"Like parchment, it has the extraordinary ability to Record Sequence 5 and Sequence 6. It has 10 pages and the effect is more than half of the original, about 70 to 80%."
"The remaining extraordinary abilities Record Sequence 6 and below, totaling 25 pages, are close to the original, but still somewhat inferior."
"Because of some things that happened before, there are only five pages left in the magic book. You'll have to study them yourself."
Dorian paused for a moment, then said with a serious expression:
"Before I give it to you, I must solemnly warn you that it has a negative effect. After each use, it will make you lose your way and encounter all sorts of dangers. You must draw your own blood and apply it evenly to the cover to eliminate this effect."
"Remember, don't underestimate getting lost; deal with it as soon as possible."
"Yes, teacher," Fors replied earnestly.
Dorian handed " Lemano's Travel Notes " to Fors:
"This is my gift."
"Teacher is so nice... "Fors pursed her lips and blurted out:
What was the name of your betrayed student? What did he look like?
"If I have the chance, I want to avenge you and Mr. Lawrence."
"No, don't think about that. You're far weaker than him. When he betrayed us, he was already a ' Scribe,' and now he might even be a ' Traveler,'" Dorian said solemnly. "However, you do need to remember him to avoid him. His name is Lewis Wien. I'll draw his likeness later."
"Hmm." Fors nodded.
Inside the " Future " pirate restaurant.
As soon as Klein stepped inside, he encountered " Admiral of Stars " Cattleya coming out.
The woman, no longer pale as she had been the night before, calmly said, wearing heavy glasses:
"Get ready, we'll be reaching that area of water soon."
So fast? Just how far did we fly last night? Klein was taken aback.