Even though he was calm and mentally prepared, when the moment came to truly face the answer, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous and anxious.
No one knew how much time had passed when a knock sounded at the door.
Dorian listened to the rhythmic intervals for a few seconds, then took a deep breath, walked to the door, turned the handle, and pulled it open.
Outside the door was Fors, with slightly wavy brown hair, wearing a dark long dress and colored-glass spectacles.
Dorian habitually looked behind Fors, confirming no one was paying them any attention, before stepping aside to let his student pass.
At the same time, he glanced at Fors's hands and noticed that his student hadn't brought a suitcase.
Dorian withdrew his gaze, walked to the center of the room, found a spot to sit, and then pointed to the sofa opposite him.
"Have a seat."
Fors lifted her skirt a little stiffly and sat down, taking the opportunity to greet him.
"Good morning, teacher."
Dorian didn't directly get to the point. He thought for a moment and then asked.
"Did you really kill Boutes?"
"Mm." Fors took an exquisite, slender cigarette case from a hidden pocket in her clothes, opened it, and showed Dorian what was inside.
It was a pair of pitch-black eyeballs, frozen with an indescribable terror, as if they had seen something extremely horrifying before death.
Dorian had already mentally prepared himself to receive a gruesome head made of bloody fragments, like last time, but instead, his student hadn't carried any luggage, only producing a lady's cigarette case.
He thought it might be a relic that could prove Boutes's identity, but the fact once again exceeded his expectations.
This was still Boutes's remains, but even less than what was left from the Louis Wayne incident!
Only a pair of eyeballs… The "Astrologer's" spiritual intuition made Dorian believe the eyes indeed belonged to Boutes.
Seeing her teacher sink into silence without speaking, Fors subconsciously explained.
"His body completely collapsed and dissipated. Only these eyeballs are relatively intact."
She paused and then added.
"There are residual traces of Boutes's terror before death and the corruption from the 'Box of the Old Ones' in these eyes. It's a very strong cursed object, so I didn't send them to you directly. It would have brought misfortune to the postmen handling them, or even made them die without realizing it."
Corruption from the "Box of the Old Ones"... Dorian nodded in sudden understanding and let out a sighing laugh.
"He ultimately died by the 'Box of the Old Ones'?" "Truly fate…"
Back then, when Boutes betrayed them, he brought in people from the
Fors had heard the general course of events from the "Hermit" lady and Miss "Justice" at the private gathering where they distributed the spoils, understanding how magnificent and perilous the battle she'd missed was. She thought for a moment and said.
"Something like that…" "But he had already started losing control before he was corrupted by the 'Box of the Old Ones.'"
Dorian wasn't surprised and said to his student.
"Pack it away. This is your trophy."
When Fors closed the cigarette case and put it back in the hidden pocket, Dorian leaned forward, interlocked his fingers, and pressed them against his nose.
"Boutes was one of the most talented 'Apprentices' I've ever seen. Who could have guessed he would end up like this…"
As he said this, Dorian let out a long sigh, as if reminiscing about something or repenting for something.
Fors didn't really know the details of those matters and didn't dare to speak rashly. She could only remain silent, waiting for her teacher to come out of his emotions on his own.
After a dozen seconds or so, Dorian straightened up and changed the subject.
"How did you manage to digest the 'Recorder' potion?"
This wasn't just because he cared about his student, but also to accumulate experience to provide some reference for other family members teaching their own students.
Fors's expression immediately became a bit complex, as if she was recalling something she didn't want to remember.
"It was mainly because someone helped me. On one hand, they let me 'record' many strange or high-level abilities, and on the other hand, they took me to several places over a few months to 'record' different cultures and beautiful sceneries…"
Dorian was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"This isn't easy to replicate…"
He then asked.
"Gehrman Sparrow?"
"Mm." Fors gave an affirmative response.
Dorian fell silent again. After a few seconds, he spoke.
"What kind of deal does he want to make?" "Or rather, what does he want to obtain?"
Fors pulled herself together and, a little embarrassed, replied.
"He wants the potion formula for 'Traveler' and wants to exchange the 'Box of the Old Ones' for one of the two Grade 0 Sealed Artefacts in your hands."
This price was absolutely generous. Fors had originally thought that "The World" wanted to directly trade a promise for the Traveler potion formula and the Grade 0 Sealed Artefact, but she hadn't expected him to add the "Box of the Old Ones" to the deal.
Of course, the promise to lift the curse on the Abraham family was definitely worth that much to Dorian, but a promise was just a promise. There was no guarantee it would be fulfilled.
Dorian wasn't surprised that Gehrman Sparrow was asking for a Grade 0 Sealed Artefact; he had been mentally prepared for something like this. Instead, he found the terms incredibly favorable. After all, by now, there weren't many things left in the Abraham family that could still tempt a demigod.