Chapitre 39: Preparing to Enter
Ebner skimmed through the rest of the contract, noting additional clauses that prohibited disclosing information about the "Dream Labyrinth Tower," stipulated that any rewards from the exploration belonged to each individual, and included other minor conditions. Then, subtly activating his "White Eye," he verified the integrity of the contract and turned to Xio for her opinion. "What do you think?"
Xio, having reviewed the terms as well, saw no issues and nodded. "I'm good with it."
After aligning on the decision, they signed their names in Hermetic Script. Mr. Gaston, satisfied with a quick look, added his signature.
Once his pen left the paper, the symbolic seals and mystical markings around the contract lit up in bright, warm light. The markings quickly merged into stamp-like symbols that floated to imprint themselves on the backs of Ebner, Xio, and Mr. Gaston's hands.
A warm sensation flashed and faded, leaving Ebner with a curious, almost invisible sense of connection to the document.
With the contract secured, Mr. Gaston began to explain. "The 'Dream Labyrinth Tower' is a mysterious place existing deep within the realm of dreams. It is believed to have been created by high-ranking Beyonders of the Savant and Mystery Pryer pathways. How many entrances exist, I don't know, but there is one beneath this school, which I uncovered through a manuscript over a hundred years old. It took me almost twenty years to locate."
"What exactly is this tower? And what's inside it?" Ebner asked, intrigued.
"It's an inverted tower containing labyrinths, each a pocket of reality and dream. Upon entering the first level, we will begin on the ninth floor. Each floor contains a unique dreamscape with specific challenges. Once a puzzle is solved, we receive a reward of knowledge or information, and the passage to the next floor will open. The seventh and eighth floors offer more valuable rewards, but they're also progressively harder to solve," Mr. Gaston explained.
"What's the farthest level you've reached?" Ebner asked.
Mr. Gaston sighed. "I can reliably pass the ninth floor, and I've made it through the eighth floor a couple of times. But the seventh floor… it's exceedingly difficult. I have yet to crack it."
"So, this labyrinth can be revisited?" Ebner found himself fascinated; it sounded almost like a dungeon.
"Revisited?" Mr. Gaston appeared puzzled at the term, but he quickly deduced its meaning and shook his head. "Each person can only enter once a month, and returning too frequently diminishes the value of the rewards. By the second entry, the rewards are mostly knowledge you already possess, and by the third, they are almost worthless. Only by waiting at least six months do the rewards refresh. I've discovered this entrance three years ago, so I've gone through several times."
It really is like a dungeon... Ebner thought, holding back a smirk. Outwardly, he nodded thoughtfully. "So, entering every six months is ideal?"
"Precisely." Mr. Gaston nodded. "While the ninth, eighth, and seventh floors won't pose any life-threatening danger, they are incredibly challenging. The risks only appear after the sixth floor, though I don't know the specifics."
"Understood. That means you're only interested in reaching the seventh floor." Ebner nodded in understanding. After a moment's thought, he asked, "What kind of puzzles can we expect?"
"There are all sorts, like finding critical items and escaping from a building, locating explosives with clues, and many detective-style scenarios… but past experience isn't much help, as each visit brings different puzzles," Mr. Gaston replied with a trace of frustration.
"No wonder you were willing to pay for a 'detective'..." Ebner realized Mr. Gaston had offered a substantial fee to incentivize his teacher, knowing he would likely refuse without at least a thousand pounds. Moreover, only the right person could be trusted with such a discovery.
Xio interjected, "Will we be sent into separate dream labyrinths?"
Mr. Gaston shook his head. "No, we can enter as a team, though this increases the difficulty slightly. In the first three floors, however, the increase in difficulty is marginal—luck plays a larger role, in my experience."
Could this Dream Labyrinth Tower be created by that fellow, Roselle? Ebner suddenly suspected. "He" is both an angel of the Paragon pathway and a Knowledge emperor of the Hermit pathway. "He" perfectly matches Mr. Gaston's deduction about high-ranking Beyonders from both the Savant and Mystery Pryer Sequences.
"Mr. Gaston, could you tell me your rank?" Ebner asked, wanting to assess their team's potential capabilities.
"I'm a Sequence 7 'Appraiser,'" Mr. Gaston replied directly.
An Appraiser… the wealthy Savant pathway. No wonder he can offer such a hefty fee, Ebner mused, feeling a pang of envy. The Savant pathway mostly relies on Beyonder items to get by, lacking combat skills below Sequence 5.
Ebner nodded thoughtfully. "We're prepared as far as I can tell. Any other instructions?"
After a moment's reflection, Mr. Gaston asked, "Do you know how to craft 'Dream Charms'?"
"Yes, I do. What's the issue?" Unlike most gods who grant charms from their domains, the God of Knowledge and Wisdom could respond to nearly any type of charm request, even if they were slightly less powerful.
"The door to the underground passage requires a dream-related charm as a key. A Dream Charm will work, but if you were a 'Nightmare' or 'Dreamwalker,' that would also suffice. Normally, I'd have to buy two, but if you can make them, that'll save us some time," Mr. Gaston explained. "Take the day to rest, and we'll meet back here tomorrow night at nine for departure."
Ebner and Xio agreed with the arrangement. After requesting some materials for the ritual, they returned to the lodging Mr. Gaston had prepared.
Using his expert-level skills in ritual magic, Ebner crafted the charms with ease. Sealing them with his spiritual energy, he then turned his thoughts toward establishing contact with Klein, or rather, The Fool.
Though he had deciphered a way to create an object that could connect to the grey fog, he hesitated. The method itself required invoking a god or unknown entity, but he worried another god might interfere, even one as seemingly benevolent as the God of Knowledge. He preferred not to risk endangering Klein, his friend and future ally.
"Dwelling on it now won't solve anything. I still have time. Klein can't handle additional members in the Tarot Club just yet anyway, but once I advance to 'Knowledge Keeper' and unlock more of my White Eye's potential, I might be able to find a safer way to connect… I could also wait until Klein unveils The Fool's honorific name and use Ancient Hermes to reach out directly… though that might complicate things further. I'll only consider that as a last resort."
---
July 1, 9:00 p.m.
Ebner and Xio followed Mr. Gaston into the school's basement, through a concealed door that led to an underground passage. At the end of the corridor, they arrived before an opulent yet surreal door, seeming to hover between reality and illusion.
"Activate the Dream Charms and touch the door," Mr. Gaston instructed, demonstrating with his own charm.
Ebner and Xio followed suit.
As their charms activated, the world around them began to distort, and the next thing they knew, a massive, inverted tower stretched endlessly into the clouds before them.
L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
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État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
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