Scenes from the Past

"It's Mr. Adam. I'm sorry, but I can't let you in. The master just passed away; it's not convenient to see guests," Ai said at the door, smiling politely as he uttered something quite dreadful.

"What about what Alva said? Aren't you afraid of being fired?" Adam thought about having just seen Alva at the church. Did he die at light speed?

"How about if I say the master just went insane?" Ai mused, nodding thoughtfully as he asked Adam, but he remained at the door, blocking Adam's entry.

It was clear that Adam, like Doug, had ended up on Alva's blacklist.

"I just saw Professor Alva at the church," Adam said. "He sent me to fetch a painting called 'Scenes from the Past'."

"Is that so? Come on in then." Ai sighed in relief, opening the iron gate to let Adam in.

Following Ai to the drawing room, Ai asked Adam to wait there while he went to retrieve the painting.

Adam didn't have the habit of snooping around other people's homes. Unnecessary exploration would only embarrass him and yield no benefits.

However, this didn't stop Adam from observing the room.

"Obvious noble decor. This mansion must have belonged to a noble family," Adam noted. His last visit had been too brief, his mind preoccupied with Alva's choices.

This time, as he carefully observed, Adam noticed that the style here was quite similar to that inside the Reflection Tower.

"It's not surprising for styles to be similar, but some decorative symbols are nearly identical," Adam speculated.

"This mansion likely belonged to Anthony. After he was confined to the Reflection Tower, it was handed over to Alva."

Therefore, Alva referred to this place formally as the Latour residence rather than his home.

"It's even possible that Alva's surname Latour was inherited from Anthony." Adam's conjecture was not baseless.

When some nobles lost their titles, they would abandon their old surnames in honor of past glories, adopting their noble name as their surname.

If Anthony had no heirs to inherit the noble name and remained in a secretive state, it was possible that Alva, who caused this, might have abandoned his surname to take up the Latour name.

"There are also some paintings." Adam's attention was drawn to several paintings on the walls.

The paintings seemed enchanted, like the ones in the Thousand Paintings House, serving as portals to another dimension.

"Similar to Professor Anthony's Reflection Tower?" Adam wondered. He couldn't quite determine whether Alva or Anthony was stronger.

"If the Reflection Tower is Anthony's ritual, could Alva's ritual be the Thousand Paintings House?" Adam speculated.

Before Adam could ponder further, Ai returned with a painting.

The painting was about the size of a desk, covered with a white cloth, concealing its contents.

Adam took the painting and examined it. It depicted a lake with beautiful scenery, the sun either rising or setting, casting a long reflection on the water.

Confirming that this was indeed the painting called "Scenes from the Past," Adam didn't linger. He took a carriage to the Reflection Tower.

As he was leaving, he overheard Ai muttering about wasting two good excuses.

At the door, Adam again encountered Celine.

Celine's face darkened further upon seeing Adam, glaring at him.

"The master has been waiting for you... Whose painting is that?" Celine asked, her tone hostile. Suddenly noticing something, her voice grew louder as she pressed Adam.

"..." Adam instinctively felt that mentioning Alva's name might lead to trouble.

Celine's hatred for Alva had reached its peak. From Adam's entry with Alva's recommendation to recent events, her resentment had only deepened.

"Celine…" Anthony opened the door, softly calling out. Celine's near-explosive demeanor gradually subsided.

"Come in, Adam." A pale-faced Anthony managed a weak smile.

Adam nodded, becoming increasingly curious about what had happened.

From his interactions, Adam could see that Alva cared for Anthony and knew about his condition. Yet, Alva hadn't visited the Reflection Tower for a long time, even casting a curse to prevent Adam from informing Anthony about Alva's situation.

Carrying the painting, Adam entered the library and handed it to Anthony.

"Professor Alva heard you were unwell and asked me to bring this to you." Adam looked at Anthony's pale face, worried. Given his status, Anthony shouldn't be unwell.

"Could it be that, despite having to hide his identity and turn to sorcery, he refused to use the longevity methods associated with the other beings, leading to this flawed state?"

Speculation was just that. Adam noticed that Anthony's spirits lifted significantly upon receiving Alva's painting, to the point where Adam worried it was a deathbed resurgence.

Shaking off the thought, Adam watched Anthony gently touch the lake in the painting.

"Adam, this is the lake by the seminary," Anthony said softly.

"Our studies were intense. We had to rise before dawn for morning prayers, then head to another place for classes. There was a ten-minute break, and the sunrise usually happened then."

"We had to climb the wall and sit on it to catch a glimpse of the sunrise." Anthony's voice was gentle, filled with nostalgia.

"Our biggest wish was to graduate quickly, then row a boat on the lake at sunrise, letting the warm sunlight wash over us."

"Unfortunately, we never found a chance to do it together again." Anthony looked at the lake in the painting with increasing softness.

Adam, seeing that gaze, didn't want to interrupt Anthony.

Celine, carrying tea, also slowed her steps, her sapphire eyes filled with concern for Anthony.

Noticing the worried looks from Adam and Celine, Anthony smiled and said, "Don't worry. The Reflection Tower is my ritual. As long as I stay here, I'll be fine."

"Professor, you should take care of your health. There's no need to rush my lessons," Adam said, realizing that Anthony wasn't fit for long periods of activity, yet he waited daily in the library to teach Adam. No wonder Celine was so upset at Adam's lateness.

"This doesn't align with my interests; I shouldn't be saying this," Adam thought, but he had already spoken. "Never mind, let's call it earning Anthony and Celine's goodwill for smoother studies later."

"Really, don't worry about me." Anthony shook his head. "I'm stronger than you think."

"Also, Adam, as my student, besides sorcery, there's something else I want to teach you." Anthony smiled. "You might not want to hear this."

"A person's life can be long or short. Life is a great miracle, and we must be grateful for the chance to live," Anthony said.

"But there should be things in life more important than life itself."

"It's not about sacrificing your life for them, but letting them become the driving force in your life, supporting you."

"I will never forget the promise to row a boat on the lake with my friends, even while confined in the Reflection Tower. I'll always remember those mornings sitting on the wall watching the sunrise."

"Adam, perhaps life is about finding these things. When you find them, remember not to betray them or regret them later."

Adam's lips moved, but he simply nodded in agreement.

"Alright."