A pocket, two pockets, three pockets… Caine quickly sifted through and found a blood-stained leather wallet, a library borrowing card from Deville Library, two bronze-colored keys hanging together, an empty pipe, a dagger with its sheath, and several neatly folded letters. After placing all the items except the letters on the ground beside him, he straightened up and glanced at the wallet, confirming it contained only about fifteen sou in paper currency and a few copper coins. "Well-made wallet, really—such a pity…" Caine murmured silently, his thoughts drifting. If it weren't for today's unusually large personal expenses, the wallet purchase had already been scheduled in his routine. Shaking her head, Cline unfolded the letter and swiftly scanned it in a browsing manner: "Dear Mr. Z," "Allow me to defend myself. The transfer of the Antigonus family's notes from our hands was neither foolish nor a betrayal. While in our possession, it exhibited no special qualities at all." "I suspect it was alive—alive with a certain intelligence and wisdom, a dangerous entity that needed to be sealed." "It revealed different contents at different stages, to different people!" "This point has been confirmed by the sheep within the police department." "Though each time the notes presented a convincing and well-supported narrative, I believe only when held by descendants of the Antigonus family does it reveal its full, authentic form." “When we first obtained it, all we could see were the minor details of the Antigonus family, a general sense of the Night Kingdom on Honaquis Peak, and the three sequence potions formulas we had previously submitted to you. As you know, the Conclave holds the ‘Seer’s Path,’ which gives them exceptional tracking capabilities. Therefore, both I and Hynas considered it a highly risky move to continue preserving the notebook, and at the time, its demonstrated value wasn’t sufficient to justify taking on that risk. Without waiting for your reply, we discussed it among ourselves and sold the notebook to Welch, who lives in the same neighborhood. He has a strong interest in collecting artifacts and ancient manuscripts and is willing to pay a premium. That’s when the events you’re familiar with began to unfold.” "This is the first matter I wish to address. As I am writing these words, Heinas has passed away—suddenly struck by a cardiac illness during sleep. This, I believe, is a divine blessing, ensuring he did not meet the fate of being captured by the pagans. I have had to retreat to a safe, concealed location, even hesitating to leave the house. Fortunately, the Lamb informed me that Heinas was targeted by the pagans not because of the Antigonid family's records, nor because of his own identity being exposed, but simply because he had foolishly taken a female apprentice, hoping to gradually integrate her into our ranks. Her apprentice secretly observed his hidden incantations and, under the watchful eyes of the night-duty pagans, attempted a mirror divination. The subsequent events, I am certain, you can already imagine—there is no need for me to recount them in detail. Unfortunately, the Lamb's own status is still not high enough to uncover the precise details." "Based on all the feedback, the pagans haven't doubted me—他们的 investigation was interrupted by Heinas's timely death." "So I returned to the streets, planning to first visit the Deville Library and borrow a few journals to gather more clues." "As a power equally proficient in the 'Seer' path, the Antigonus family should have anticipated their own downfall; they must have preserved a secret treasure for a renewed revival!" "There's ample reason to believe that treasure lies at the summit of the Honachis Mountains, somewhere within the ruins of the Land of Night!" At this point, Caine's pupils constricted sharply, nearly causing the letter to drift from his hands. "Indeed, the Antigonus family holds the 'Seer' path sequence?" "Quite a coincidence!" "...One by one, thunderclaps exploded in Caine's mind, sending his spirit into turmoil and filling him with a sense of destiny: 'The original owner's death—the indirect assistance that enabled my journey across realms—was traced back to the Antigonous family, who mastered the "Seer" path. It was the journal of Emperor Roscel who ultimately led me to choose the "Seer" potion. And Emperor Roscel himself favored the "Seer" lineage precisely because of the enigmatic Mr. Chalatous, the head of the Monastery who also wielded the "Seer" path!' '...It's as if fate had woven an inescapable, suffocating web.' 'What lies hidden behind all of this?' Caine held the letter, pacing back and forth, striving to find further evidence to support what he had just heard. "Indeed, the monastic order under the Chalatou family is actively pursuing and seeking the legacy of the Antigonid family. Given that both families belong to the same extraordinary path, the rationale and motivations are quite sound—perhaps to complete a sequence, perhaps to acquire rare materials necessary for advancement to higher sequences, or perhaps simply to benefit from the Antigonids' accumulated experience in preventing system instability." "This makes it quite reasonable that the Antigonid family has secured part of the 'Seer' path's sequence chain." "By the way, when I sought clues for the 'Clown' potion, the images that appeared were almost exclusively tied to the Antigonid family—except for the tailor-clad clown from the monastic order. Thus, these symbols carry deeper significance: each image represents a potential path to obtaining the 'Clown' potion, each holding a hidden clue. Yet I still don't grasp the key insight, and thus, I've missed it." "With these two lines of evidence, Crane almost believed the things Siliris mentioned in the letter, and now understood why the word 'Hornachis' always appeared whenever he heard voices he shouldn't have." "Even the very first time this happened, I had just finished taking the 'Seer' potion!" he murmured to himself, his expression serious. At the same time, he speculated that two essential conditions—having 'come into contact with the legacy of the Antigonid family and still being alive,' and 'having become a Seer through the extraordinary path'—were necessary for someone to hear the whispered references to 'Hornachis.' Did the ancient ruins at the Hornachis summit truly conceal a secret treasure left behind by the Antigonid family? No, he couldn't think about that! Just the notebook had already killed several people—imagine what a complete treasure would mean! Klein shook his head instinctively, directing his gaze to the end of the third, and final, letter: "Dear Mr. Z, I hope you will assist me—I'm certain you share sufficient interest in that treasure. Until then, I shall strive to be a normal person, a typical history enthusiast. Finally, on the day of the great destruction, I shall offer to the Lord all the lambs of Tingen City. With humble regards, Sir Silas Aripis." He hadn't written down the address at all... It seems this is the cautious nature of a cultist—never leaving an address until the very last moment before mailing it. Ah, and since the Antigonus family holds control over part of the "seers' pathway," does the three-recipe formula that Serices submitted, obtained from the Antigonus family's records, include the "clown" potion? Very likely! At this very moment, Caine seemed to have found a clue to the "clown" potion. Though Serices didn't carry the recipe with him, there might be records preserved at his home or place of concealment, and certainly within his memory and mind. Caine turned his gaze toward the corpse before him, pondering how to get the dead person to speak. The solution came to him instantly in his mind: "Mediumship!" “The seers can directly communicate with the spirits that haven’t yet dispersed. Professions like diviners and investigators can also achieve this, albeit through ritual magic. When facing the corpse of the suit-wearing clown the last time, Caine had been preoccupied with saving lives, hadn’t brought the necessary materials, and lacked confidence—so he hadn’t considered the seer’s technique, missing the optimal moment. By the time he returned to Blackthorn Security, the spirits had already largely faded, and even with a seer’s presence, he could only gather rather superficial information. Now, however, Caine has fully prepared the materials and has gained firsthand experience using the ‘dream divination’ technique to communicate with lingering spirits of resentment. ‘I’m just afraid the spirits of the sect’s extremists might appear as terrifying entities—like the vision of the captain in Hainas’ dream… But the captain only grew weak for two days, and the injuries weren’t severe, not severe at all. Yes, it’s worth a try!’ After only a few seconds of hesitation, Caine made his decision, determined not to miss this opportunity. He lifted his head, turned around, and directed his gaze toward the spot where the glass had shattered, toward the onlookers who were looking this way. Pulling out his identification and badge, Kline stepped back to that location, standing through the glass with its rugged, bulging panels, and addressed the crowd: "I'm a junior inspector with the Special Operations Division of the Ahovah County Police Department. I've just subdued the suspect. Could you please send someone to carry this badge to the nearest police station so they can arrange for follow-up?" "Please secure the area here for the remaining individuals—I need to keep the scene intact and prevent anyone else from approaching." "Yes, Officer!" The manager who had initially frustrated Kline immediately took the badge. Once the scene was secured and no one else entered the lawn, Kline returned to the spot near the corner, standing to the side of the body. He was relieved that the innocent bystanders couldn't see the corpse, now more monster-like than ever, and as he set down his walking stick and revolver, reached into the row of pockets on the inside of his black trench coat to pull out a small metal bottle. He would use the techniques of "spirit communication" and "dream divination" to get the dead to speak!