From a certain point on, Rowan started having black dreams every single night. That said, since there was no black door, there were no new abilities to gain. Whenever the black dream came, Gulliver Alastor was always there.
He sometimes gave pretty lousy answers to Rowan's questions, but he answered them all the same. That was enough for Rowan to figure there were gaps to exploit, so Rowan put in the effort every time. It wasn't reverence toward Gulliver: it was a connection between equals.
That was exactly why Rowan spoke casually to him. Rowan understood full well that formal speech would never put them on equal footing. Gulliver wasn't the type to hand over secret techniques just because someone asked nicely. His stubbornness had to be won through equality and genuine connection, not deference and respect.
That was Rowan's read on the situation.
Rowan talked about the plan, mentioning that a red-haired, green-eyed knight could be tracked down in the Central Empire.
