The chapter opens with a flashback to a time when a king named Midas was poor and hungry, but someone saved his last drop of spring water and placed it in a bottle. The bottle contained the power of midas, and the king was able to control it. He tried to revive his wife, but she was dead. The narrator tells us that the legend says that those who steal from the artist will lose everything, and that Midas tried to save his wife. He tells the narrator that he has more experience than the narrator in this matter, because the fortress is "a fantastic place" . He says that if he were to complete the task, he would cure his brother's voice. He also says that the fortress would be a great place for him to retreat, and he would trust the narrator the most of his children. He asks the narrator to tell him if he is getting cold, and if he can help him. He wants to know if she wants to be alone or if she would like to be on her own. He can also summon the symbols in the ancient scriptures, but he says that he would need to read the scriptures first.