After giving instructions to the golden retriever Suzy, Audrey paced back and forth, still not entirely confident, since she wasn't sure whether today's ritual magic might bring about some unexpected occurrences. "Here's what I'll do..." She settled into a calm, observer's stance, carefully reviewing the anticipated sequence, and soon came up with a revised plan. Audrey locked the bedroom door securely and addressed Suzy: "Suzy, stay here. If Anne or the others try to force their way in, have them immediately notify me at the bathroom." As a precaution against unforeseen events, her personal maid carried a key capable of unlocking the secured door. Suzy gazed at her steadily, then gave three slow wags of her tail. "Very well! I'll let you choose today's lunch!" Audrey clenched her fists and gently swung them. After delivering the instructions, she entered the bathroom and observed that the square bathtub—measuring nearly three to four meters in both length and width—already held gently rippling water, with a steady mist rising, enveloping and softening the air. Audrey cleared the long rectangular table, once cluttered with jars and bottles, and then returned to the main room, bringing in the candles, offerings, and white robe. She closed the bathroom door behind her. After completing all these tasks, Audrey took a deep breath and picked up a shallow, translucent blue bottle, about the size of her palm. The bottle was cylindrical, glowing with a dreamy sheen under the light—it contained the ritual essential oil she had distilled the day before. As a devoted practitioner of esoteric studies, she had long explored such preparations and maintained a collection of her own distilled waters, floral essences, balms, oils, and incense at home, so she had swiftly prepared the necessary elements according to the Fool’s description. “Moonflower, golden mint, deep-sleep flower, golden hand citron, and rock rose… an unusual combination,” Audrey murmured softly. “Well, before a ritual magic, one must cleanse the body and still the mind—this is a sign of reverence toward the deities, or the beings we seek to invoke.” Recalling the steps, she placed the ritual essential oil at the edge of the bathtub and began unbuttoning her light, casual garments. One by one, the silk fabrics drifted into the laundry basket. Audrey gathered her long hair into a braid, first testing the water temperature with her hand, then gently lifting her feet and stepping in carefully, allowing her body to sink into the warm embrace. "Ah…" she exhaled comfortably, feeling a deep warmth spread through her entire being—exceptionally relaxed. She truly didn’t want to move a single finger. Audrey steadied herself, reaching for a small, translucent blue bottle beside her, and added a few drops of the ritual essential oil to the water. A fragrant aroma diffused outward, with a quiet, subtle fragrance lingering beneath the stillness. Audrey inhaled deeply and nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Very pleasant." "It's so relaxing, so comfortable..." "I just don't want to move a single muscle—I'd love to stay perfectly still like this..." "Quiet... quiet... quiet... still... still..." It wasn't long before Audrey suddenly heard the sound of a dog barking—wet, continuous, and quite loud. She snapped her eyes open, glanced around in confusion, and noticed that Suzy had already come in, the door open, crouched outside the bathtub, looking quite resigned. [Here, I'd like the reader to remember our domain: 101??????.??????] Rubbing her eyes, Audrey noticed the water temperature had dropped noticeably. "I... I must have dozed off," she said instinctively. Suzy looked at her, neither barking nor wagging her tail. "Ah, what a wonderful effect the ritual essential oil has! Truly wonderful!" Audrey chuckled lightly, her tone bright and cheerful. She stood up, took the towel, wrapped and wiped herself while speaking to the golden-haired dog: "Suzie, stay here and keep Anne and the others out!" Once the golden-haired dog had departed, she gave a quiet sigh, tossed the towel aside, and immediately donned the clean white robe. Closing the bathroom door, Audrey carefully went over the ritual she had recorded. She picked up four candles and placed them at each corner of the table. "The white bread at the upper left, the Fenwick bread at the upper right—so fragrant, though a bit cold... no, not now! The seafood rice at the lower left, the Dizzy pie at the lower right..." Audrey carefully arranged the altar as described by the Fool, pausing and shaking her head twice in the process. Having everything in place, she lit the four candles one by one, then picked up the silver knife and inserted it into the stack of coarse salt. After reciting the sanctifying incantation in Hermes' language, Audrey offered the small knife adorned with elegant patterns and placed it into the cup filled with clear water. Gathering her spirit, she withdrew the silver "Sacred Blade," visualizing the spiritual energy spreading outward from the tip of the blade. An invisible force surged forth, and as Audrey held the knife, she circled the altar once, feeling that spiritual walls had indeed risen around her, expelling all impurities and distractions. She maintained her state of being a "spectator," allowing her inner excitement and enthusiasm to remain unshaken. Setting down the silver knife, she took up the translucent blue bottle and dripped a drop onto each candle. A delicate fragrance rose in succession, and Audrey's body, mind, and spirit alike felt instantly calm. She took a deep, quiet breath, bowed with reverence, and recited the formal incantation in Hermes tongue: "O fool of a time unbound!" "You are the sovereign of mysteries above the mist!" "You are the King of Golden and Black, who rules good fortune!" "I invoke your aid." "I call upon your grace." "I beseech you to grant me a good dream." "Deep-sleep flower, herb of the Red Moon, bestow your strength upon my incantation." "Golden-handed citron, herb of the Sun, bestow your strength upon my incantation." ... As Audrey finished reciting the incantation and prepared to meditate upon her request, she felt a gentle breeze stirring within the sealed wall of spirit, and observed the deep red stars on her forearm beginning to flow and shift. Her heart leapt—she quickly half-closed her eyes, settled her focus, and offered her sincere plea. When everything had concluded, she glanced around with a slight sense of curiosity, noting no other unusual occurrences. "Is that sufficient?" Audrey furrowed her brow and murmured softly. ………… "The King of Yellow and Black, who wields good fortune—doesn't belong to this age's Fool." In the captain's cabin of the *Blue Avenger*, Algier Wilson, dressed in a storm robe, silently repeated the three descriptions he had heard in the afternoon, as if trying to extract clues about the stranger's identity. He shook his head, rose with slight impatience, yet ultimately did nothing. Though he now held full control of the ancient vessel inherited from the Tudor dynasty, Algier remained uneasy. There was a persistent intuition that the ship still held many secrets—much like the Blood Emperor himself. Thus, he would use it to test the Fool's abilities, but would not attempt any unknown ritual magic aboard. Alger reflected for a few minutes, then left the captain's cabin and went to the deck, where he addressed the few crew members: "We are approaching the Isle of Rosedale and will stay there for one day." The crew immediately erupted into cheers, shouting: "Thank you, Father!" Since the ghost ship required no sailors and had a small crew, they never worried about supplies and enjoyed fresh food and clean water every day. Yet, the daily voyage and the nearly unchanging scenery had taken a toll on both their bodies and minds, leaving them feeling weary, as though constantly suppressing something, enduring something, until they could no longer hold on. Rosedale was a well-known colonial settlement in the Sunia Sea, with a thriving commercial economy and a variety of industries. "I simply can't wait anymore!" one of the "sailors" exclaimed, giving a hearty, universally understood chuckle. … On the public horsecar heading toward Zothlan Street, Caine, who had been leisurely reading the newspaper, suddenly froze—as if he had heard a series of ethereal calls. The intangible whispers echoed within his mind, causing his forehead to pulse with an unrelenting ache. These calls came swiftly and vanished just as quickly, fading within a matter of ten seconds. Caine clutched his forehead, struggling against the deep, throbbing pain emanating from within his brain. "Was it the mysterious low murmuring Niel mentioned? Or the result of my unusually high inspiration?" Thoughts surged through him. Suddenly, he noticed four dark spots had appeared on the back of his right hand—spots that seemed to have emerged at some point, like natural freckles, quite inconspicuous. These spots, which had originally been part of the transfer ritual, quickly faded from deep to pale and then disappeared entirely. Caine stared at them, now formulating a new hypothesis: "Could it be that 'Justice' or 'The Hangman' had attempted the ritual magic I granted them?" Had his intuition truly been correct? "Indeed, those three descriptions can precisely pinpoint me through the mysterious space above the gray mist?" "But I'm still far from strong—I can barely hear the pleas being made. I'm not sure if there's any message preserved above the gray mist..." "Ah, I'll enter tonight and verify that." The subject of the portrait had a round face, approachable with a touch of bashfulness, and appeared young—around eighteen or nineteen. "Tris, suspected to be a非凡者, initially assessed at Sequence 8 ['Influencer'], with a possibility of originating from the 'Society of Spiritual Awareness'; the perpetrator behind the 'Alfalfa Ship' tragedy... there are eyewitnesses confirming that he left Enmater Port and traveled to Tinggen, and has since gone missing." Tris... the Alfalfa Ship... could it really be a非凡者's work? Clain suddenly recalled the dream interpretation from yesterday afternoon, as well as Joyce Mayer's description, and immediately said: "Captain, I know a witness who might be quite significant." "I know—Joyce Mayer. Last night, the 'Heart of Mechanism' team invited me over to assist, and in Joyce's dream, I saw you clearly. From several key details, I've confirmed that Tris was directly responsible for the Alfalfa Ship tragedy." Duan smiled calmly, his gray eyes steady. It's really dull,队长… Fortunately, I had a rest day yesterday, instead of showing up during work hours as the "seer." Clary muttered under her breath, feeling a near-fright of being caught by her superior fishing while on duty. She then asked, "Which sequence path is the instigator from? And what is the Theosophical Society?" Is it Tris's method of eliminating the risk posed by the magic potions, or is it a necessity for her promotion? After a few seconds of thought, Dune replied, "Exactly—now is the time you should start getting acquainted with the records of the extraordinary individuals and the secret organizations. Don't always have to be directed by old Neil to read historical documents." Captain, didn't you bring me in specifically to serve as a 'historian'? Clary didn't dare point out the issue, but nodded seriously. "Yes, of course."