If, before, Jasmine had still quite enjoyed the various glances from the men, now she was left only with concern and fear. She quickened her pace once again, as though being pursued by the Fussac men. Finally, just as the men were approaching, she rushed into the apartment and escaped them. Inhale... Jasmine patted her chest, silently deciding to go out less in the evenings from now on. She had now realized that extraordinary beauty could have its drawbacks. Calming herself, Jasmine ascended the dimly lit stairs to the third floor and returned to the outside of her home, unlocking the door with her carried key. She approached carefully toward her parents' bed and once again studied their faces under the moonlight. Compared to when she had left earlier, her father and mother now looked notably rosy, with much less white hair and wrinkles, and their snoring had almost entirely ceased. They truly had recovered their health... Jasmine could not help but smile, and visibly exhaled a deep relief. Noticing the movement, her mother's eyelid fluttered and slowly opened. Jasmine held her breath, suppressed her smile, and prepared to surprise her mother. Her mother sat up half-way, looked at her, and her expression suddenly turned extremely alarmed. "Who are you?" the woman asked sharply, pushing her husband firmly out of the bed. Who am I? Jasmine was momentarily stunned by the question and didn't know how to answer such a simple one. At that moment, her father also woke up, watching the beautiful young woman with a mixture of curiosity and caution. "Get out! Or I'll call the police!" Jasmine's mother rose from the bed, picked up the candlestand placed beside it, and held it as a weapon. "We don't welcome thieves," Jasmine's father said politely, issuing the eviction order. He knew that when dealing with a thief, it was best not to be too forceful, or the guest might choose an extreme course of action. If he didn't have his wife and children, he wouldn't have been too afraid to fight off a thief—yet now, he carried an entire family on his shoulders. Jasmine finally regained her composure and quickly spoke: "Dad, Mom, I'm—" But before she could finish, her mother pushed her fiercely, and her father held her shoulders, guiding her all the way out of the room. What she said didn't matter under such circumstances. Clang! The door to their own home closed right in front of her, leaving Jasmine feeling bewildered and helpless. She wanted to tap on the door, to use her carried key to prove who she was—yet at that very moment, she heard her mother calling out to the police patrolling below from the opposite window: "There's a thief! There's a thief!" "The thief... My parents don’t recognize me anymore... Do they think I’ve killed myself? Will the police believe in the 'Fully Automatic Wishing Machine'? Jasmine’s heart tightened instantly, and without thinking, she decided to leave the apartment, avoid the police, and explain everything to her parents one by one once the sun came up—using shared memories to win their trust. Steady, steady, she hurried down the stairs, her head buried, being watched by neighbors who had come out upon hearing the noise, until she burst out of the building. Racing through the nearby alley, she bypassed the police arriving from the main street, Jasmine gasped for breath, stopped, and found tears slipping down her cheeks, falling to the ground. Suddenly, a hand reached out, covering her mouth, pulling her to a quiet spot in the alley. "How much? How much I’ll give you—whatever it takes," a slurred, drunken voice murmured in her ear, as if she were a street vendor, and she couldn’t resist his charm. Jasmine struggled desperately, feeling shocked, afraid, and utterly hopeless. Just as she felt she was about to collapse, the drunk man's hand loosened. "Miss, are you alright?" a rough, masculine voice echoed. Jasmine held her coffee cup, took a slow sip and said, "Um, I've just arrived at that alley." "Very well, then. Miss Jasmine, could you please tell us where your home is? We'll send someone to escort you back." The other officer asked politely. Thinking of her parents' reactions, of the disapproving glances they were exchanging, Jasmine couldn't help shivering, her voice trembling as she said, "I've had a disagreement with my parents and can't return home at the moment. Perhaps you could take me to the nearest hotel..." At this point, she remembered that she had only a few pence left—she simply couldn't afford a good hotel, and for her, a budget hotel would be almost like a hazard. The first officer paused, surprised, and said, "Good." On the way to the nearest hotel, the officer hesitated several times before finally speaking: "If, I mean if, you're ready to become a streetwalker, you can simply come find me—you don't have to go through all that trouble..." Hearing this, Jasmine felt her spirit nearly breaking, just as she had when, after being burned, she first saw that face. It left her profoundly insecure, and she remained silent, making no reply. Fortunately, the officer did not press her, and he escorted her all the way to the entrance of the hotel. "No, thank you," Jasmine said, declining his offer to escort her to her room. Once the officer had left, she quickly stepped out of the hotel without checking in. She wanted to go to the city square, to that "fully automatic wish machine," and cancel the previous wish. Such beauty was simply terrifying! After walking a few steps, Jasmine removed the scarf from her shoulders and wrapped it layer by layer around her face, just as she had done when she first stepped out this evening. At that time, her face still bore the marks of the flame burns, and her missing nose and severely damaged lips made her look like a demon. Upon arriving at the city square by the unstaffed public horse carriage, she once again entered the street and spotted the brass "fully automatic wishing machine." Jasmine felt instantly at ease, quickened her pace, and approached the machine. Then, she became uncertain—she didn't know how to operate it in order to cancel the previous wish. "Your first wish is free of charge and does not count toward your three wishes, so you now have one more wish," she heard the voice of Mr. Merlin Hermes. She turned to look and saw the magician, wearing a tall hat, calmly observing her by the gas lamp on the opposite side of the street, his soft glow illuminating his features. "Yes, yes." "Jasmine hurriedly produced a copper penny and inserted it into the 'Fully Automatic Wishing Machine.' 'I hope my previous wish is canceled,' she murmured, closing her eyes and gripping the wrench, turning it once. 'Thud.' She heard the slightly dull tap again. Opening her eyes, Jasmine rushed toward the nearby shop, pausing by the glass window and gradually removing the scarves wrapped around her face, layer by layer. She saw herself again—the not particularly beautiful young woman. Jasmine relaxed instantly, instinctively turning to look back at the 'Fully Automatic Wishing Machine,' only to find that it had vanished, along with Mr. Merlin Hermes. 'To the beautiful goddess, thank you, Mr. Hermes,' she sincerely tapped four times in a clockwise motion on her chest. Then, holding the last copper penny, she boarded the return omnibus. Throughout the journey, no one offered her a seat." When her figure vanished down the street, Crane reappeared by the sidewalk, holding an ancient silver mirror. "Great Lord, why didn't you conclude with something like, 'Excessive greed turns good things into bad ones,' or 'Wishes always come at a cost'? That would have given the whole matter a more philosophical tone, elevated it to the level of a fable." Words in silver shimmered and danced upon the mirror's surface. Crane smiled. "The real issue is that I simply can't fulfill her wish for her to become extraordinarily, incredibly, beautifully beautiful—using ordinary means. 'Lies' can only be adjusted to a certain extent. Therefore, I had to graft one of the effects of a seal originating from the Magician 'Judgment' Thew—her own legacy—onto her. As a result, while she gains astonishing beauty, she also acquires a powerful enchantment that renders men around her utterly irresistible." That seal belonged to Thew, the Magician of Judgment, and was a relic of the late Magician Shem. — Because of a lapse in preservation, Sherman’s exceptional nature fused with the box itself, becoming a powerful seal with unexpectedly negative consequences, to the point that even Sherman’s brother now looks at the box with a changed gaze. To resolve this, Sherman made a wish to the Sir of the Fool, asking Him to seal the item. As he spoke, Caine glanced at the "Magic Mirror": "Arodos, are you comforting me?" "No, the main issue remains her excessive greed. If she simply wished to become beautiful without adding so many 'very's, the outcome would have been quite good." On the mirror’s surface, silver words swiftly appeared. "Indeed, that falls within the realm of adjustability for 'lies'. Klein nodded to Arodes and said, "The adjustments made to her appearance through 'lies' can indeed become permanently solidified, yet there will always be a certain distinction from her original muscle, skin, and bone structure. After a few decades, as she begins to show signs of aging, the differences between the adjusted and unadjusted areas will gradually intensify, making her face appear quite strange and stiff—unless she truly becomes a 'faceless one,' constantly correcting the issues." With a smile, Klein shook his head slightly. "After all, lies remain lies." As he walked toward the other end of the street, he continued, "Moreover, even if she truly becomes beautiful, it remains uncertain whether her life will improve. Certainly, beauty can grant her access to many resources and enable her to marry into a 'princely' household; however, her inherent refinement, personality, and intellectual depth are likely to struggle to sustain such a lifestyle for long." "Well, it's not impossible that she's adept at learning, drawing strength from various experiences to ultimately master a fulfilling life—though that would be another story altogether. 'Miracles are fleeting, but fate is always long-lasting.' As he conversed with the 'Mirror' Arōdes, Klein's silhouette gradually faded into the end of the street. His understanding of the 'Miracle Worker' deepened once more. ………… Upon returning to her apartment building, Jasmine didn't attempt to open the door; it took her great courage simply to reach out and knock. With a creak, the door opened, and her mother stood before her. 'Oh, you've finally come back,' her mother exhaled in relief, then suddenly asked with genuine alarm, 'You—you look different!' Jasmine managed a smile. 'I've recovered,' she said, 'thanks to a man who's particularly skilled at creating miracles.' 'The Fully Automated Wishing Machine' man." Just as her mother and father began to suspect that their daughter had been influenced by the devil, several police officers in black-and-white checked shirts ascended the stairs and approached. Leading them was a woman with soft, calm blue eyes and a serene smile. "Miss Jasmine, we have a few questions we'd like to ask you," she said politely.