The past was built upon collecting unique characteristics.

The purple light in Levim's eyes slowly faded, and his aura subsided.

Witnessing his unexpected actions, the two confidants were so frightened that they stood frozen in place, too afraid to move.

What's going on?

Why did the Commander get so angry over the slightest disagreement?!

With a calm expression, Livim walked to the shadows and used his military boots to push aside the potted plants.

There lay the corpse of a gray rat on the ground, lifeless.

An ordinary rat? He frowned and bent down to examine it.

There was nothing unusual about this gray rat. It didn't seem to have been modified, nor did it show any signs of spirituality. It was just an ordinary rat.

Am I being too sensitive...? Levim fiddled with his finger, then straightened up and ordered in a stern tone:

"Throw it out."

"Furthermore, I don't want to see anyone deserting their post again!"

"Yes!" The two, who had been so full of confidence during their conversation, instantly lost their enthusiasm and hurriedly replied as if they were sitting on pins and needles.

After glancing around the room one last time to make sure everything was alright, Levim turned and left, his footsteps fading into the distance.

……

White Rose Palace, in the west bedroom.

Morian closed his eyes, briefly sensing the state of the "domesticated" creature, and confirmed that the other gray rats had not been affected.

Tonight's reconnaissance operation had to be suspended... He slowly opened his eyes and made the decision to halt it.

The senior commander named Levim was already on guard; continuing the investigation would only expose more information, and there was even a possibility that they would be approached by those along the way.

In fact, quite a bit of information was gathered tonight.

Morian touched his nose, recalling the conversation he had just overheard.

What is now almost certain is that Eric's weakness was likely caused by human intervention. Someone was using some method to make him unknowingly become weak, so that he would be more determined to "sacrifice" and incidentally provide others with a reasonable "explanation".

In addition, the second prince is hiding some unknown plans, the purpose of which is equally unclear.

But if it's just to eliminate a rival for the throne, there's no need to go to such lengths, especially since Eric accepted the proposal for the ceremony in the first place.

Unless... Raymond can control the ritual and bring some benefit to himself?

Thinking of this, Morian gently shook his head in denial; the conjecture was too alarming and lacked sufficient evidence.

Ultimately, it all comes down to those few key issues.

Let's keep quiet for now and see how things go when we meet with Eric tomorrow.

Soon we will be assisting Diana in her escape, and perhaps some special preparations will be needed, just in case…

Recalling Levim's keen senses, Morian couldn't help but think of the "Key of Caius" in his pocket.

This silver key can open passages and may play a crucial role, but the spiritual fluctuations it generates during use may be detected in advance by powerful individuals at higher levels.

Is there any way to evade the perception of a powerful being...? Morian pondered.

What would happen if the Key of Caius were tainted with the aura of the Grey Heaven?

He remembered that evening when Charlotte's "wish magic" had no effect on the high-ranking "Grey Heaven," which was enough to show that the suppression of rank could indeed produce some effect.

Hmm... we should give it a try, and if it doesn't work, we'll think of other ways.

Having made up his mind, he drew all the curtains tight and then closed the sliver of door he had left open to ensure sufficient privacy.

Then Morian closed his eyes and, following the "ritual" he knew by heart, took seven steps forward, giving a clear idea of ​​entering.

Familiar, unknown murmurs whispered in my ear, and the edges of my vision began to distort; the sensations I felt were nothing new.

He opened his eyes after taking exactly seven steps.

What comes into view is still that endless space.

Besides the original seven doors, the gray-white door transformed from "Gray Paradise" stands quietly a little further away.

Morian first glanced at the other seven doors to make sure they were all in their original state and there was nothing amiss, before slowly approaching the remaining gray door.

Looking around, the faceless figure, similar in size to himself, still stood quietly by the door.

Just like when we first met, it was surrounded by countless wings, and its body was half holy and pure white and half deep and corrupt, like a silent "gatekeeper".

However, Morian had grown accustomed to its presence and would selectively ignore it unless it displayed aggression.

It's definitely not because we can't do anything about it that we're letting it go unchecked.

He took the Key of Caius from his pocket and went to the gray door.

...Try touching the door with the key first, and see if you can get its scent on it.

If all else fails, then we can only leave the "Key of Caius" nearby and come back in a couple of days to see if it works.

Morian confirmed his plan, then reached out the key to touch the aura that symbolized "the end".

But when the key touched the door, the feel was a little off.

It wasn't a feeling of hardness and immovability, but rather a kind of looseness!

"What's going on here..." he muttered to himself, stopping what he was doing.

Could it be that, under the influence of the containment space, this gate, which was transformed from "Grey Paradise," is still constantly changing?

Although the door was still closed, it no longer seemed to be tightly shut; it could be opened with a gentle push.

Morian hesitated. In theory, one should be cautious when dealing with the unknown, but his urgent desire to become stronger compelled him to find out more.

Whether what lies behind the door is danger or opportunity can only be known by experiencing it firsthand.

He put the Key of Caius back into his pocket and reached out to touch the surface of the door.

Ultimately, I decided to take the risk.

With a little force, accompanied by a creaking sound, the door was pushed open.

What lies behind the door is not a specific space, but countless bizarre and fantastical scenes.

The moment he pushed open the door, Morian was overwhelmed by the light emanating from it before he could even react.

Consciousness seemed to sink into the deep sea, and countless fragmented images floated in the mind. The images were all unknown worlds in the "end" period, followed by endless darkness.

In these images, he felt as if he had witnessed many real "calamities" firsthand, but could only be a bystander.

……

When he regained consciousness, he didn't know how much time had passed.

The first thing you feel is a cold, damp smell with a faint fishy odor.

Morian forced his eyes open and looked around, only to find that he was no longer in the original containment space.

The sky above, and the surrounding air, were shrouded in a thick fog, which took on a sickly yellowish-green hue, and visibility was extremely low.