Klein opened the metal vial and brought it to his nose, inhaling a scent that was slightly sharp yet invigorating. This "Saint's Night Powder," blended from herbs such as deep sleep, dragon's grass, deep crimson sandalwood, and mint, was simple to prepare. After replenishing his supplies at the underground market, he had promptly purchased a vial then—now it came in handy. He poured a portion of the powder onto his palm, then focused his spirit, deepening the color of his eyes. Next, he closed the vial, took up the powder, infused it with his spirit, and scattered it toward the ground. As he walked, he circled the body of Siliris. Suddenly, an invisible wall rose, sealing off the space from the outside world. Klein shook off the remaining powder and retrieved another metal vial, then dripped the pure essence of "Amandra" sequentially around the area. He arranged the sequence of the ritual differently from the one Old Neil used at the Reel Biber household, since the purposes he sought to achieve were distinct. For instance, Old Neil first poured the liquid and then applied the "Night Saint Powder," creating a tranquility and holiness second only to that of the formal altar. In contrast, Caine first applied the "Night Saint Powder" and then poured the liquid, as his goal was merely to prevent the residual spiritual essence of Seris from being disturbed by the surrounding elements and to establish a setting that would at least suffice for the ritual's needs. — If he had adopted Old Neil's method, the residual spiritual essence of Seris would have been expelled entirely, making communication impossible. After completing these steps, Caine gathered his materials, maintained his meditative state, and softly recited the incantation written in Hermes' language: "I invoke the power of night;" "I invoke the power of secrecy;" "I invoke the favor of the goddess." "I invoke you to allow me to communicate with the spiritual essence of the heretics within the altar." … As the incantation echoed within the sealed environment, Caine suddenly felt an immense, terrifying, and hidden power descending upon him. His eyes completely darkened, as though the pupils and the whites had vanished. Seizing this moment, Caine silently recited the "divinatory phrases": "The formula for the Clown's potion." "The formula for the Clown's potion." … While silently reciting, he used meditation to briefly enter a dream state, standing within it. In the hazy, skyless and earthless world, Caine this time remained unusually alert, gazing intently at a translucent, ethereal figure. He extended his right hand and touched upon the lingering essence of Seris. With a sudden roar, the scene before him instantly transformed. There now stood a wooden desk painted dark red, with a silver candlestand holding three candles, and a blank sheet of paper placed upon it. Serius was writing in the common Runes tongue with a steel pen: "This is the second formulation, as noted in the records, named 'The Clown.' " "Eighty milliliters of pure water, five drops of mandrake juice, seven grams of black-sun powder, ten grams of gold-draped grass powder, and three drops of poison-convolvulus juice—these are the auxiliary ingredients." "The primary, extraordinary components are: one crystal of the horn of an adult Hona-chi gray mountain goat, and one complete face rose." Serius seemed to need no recollection, swiftly composing the recipe for the Clown potion. At that moment, he paused briefly, sipped his coffee, then unfastened the silver pendant tied around his wrist. Holding the pendant, he half-closed his eyes and murmured the words and phrases: "Day of Destruction," "Peace of the Heart," "May the Lord protect us," "I offer my repentance." Only after Serius had finished his prayer did Caine finally catch a clear view of the pendant. Beneath the silver bracelet, looped one after another, hangs a human-sized statue—about the size of a thumb. The statue bears the giant's distinctive vertical single eye, its head facing downward, its feet bound by chains that connect it to the upper part. At that moment, the giant's vertical single eye suddenly glows with a faint blood-red light. Crackle! The scene that Caine sees instantly shatters—he weakens, nearly collapsing to the ground. A sharp pain like a heavy blow strikes his head; his vision floods with red, and his hands instinctively press against his knees. After several seconds, he regains his composure, stands upright again, feeling an unusual spiritual frailty, as though hearing piercing whispers in his mind. Nevertheless, thanks to his progress in absorbing the magical potion, the intense reactions soon settle down. "The inverted giant—the true creator... Are Siris and Hinas members of the Aurora Circle?" Yet in Heinrich Van Caster's dream, the captain saw a massive cross, a terrifying figure crucified upside down—far from the 'inverted giant' symbol of the Aurora Order. Clary took two deep breaths, waiting for her spiritual senses to gradually return. The Aurora Order, a secret society that emerged only in the last two or three centuries, venerates the 'True Creator,' symbolized by the inverted giant. They believe every individual possesses divinity; as long as one's spirit remains resilient and endures repeated trials, one can accumulate sufficient divine essence to become an angel. According to internal records of the Watchers, the Order's Sequence 9 members are known as the 'Secret Priests.' These exceptional individuals perceive certain mysterious and terrifying entities, possess foundational knowledge of ritual practices, and wield modest ceremonial magic. There is ample evidence indicating that seasoned 'Secret Priests' often experience cognitive distortions and are prone to losing control. The sequence 7 of the Aurore Order remains unclear, while sequence 8 is known as "The Listeners"—a remarkably formidable and unusual profession. Each Listener can directly hear the whispers of the hidden entities corresponding to them, often gaining powerful, distorted, and unique abilities as a result. However, if a Listener fails to advance, they typically struggle to survive beyond five years. Internal records from the Night Watch indicate that all Listeners are, in fact, mad—despite appearing normal on the surface, they are invariably hidden madmen. Well, Frey had mentioned that after each extraordinary being passed away, there would always be some strange changes—more or less. Kline thought this over, tapping his chest four times in sequence, and praised the goddess. Then, with his spirit slightly restored, he completed the ritual in order and broke the sealed wall of spirit. A gentle wind blew, and Kline forced himself to look again at Seris’s body. He noticed a distinct tumor still visible on Seris’s blood-streaked face—deep purple, nearly black—with liquid and light shimmering within it. "What on earth is this change?" Kline rubbed his temples, hesitating not to touch it. He bent down, picked up his staff, and helped bear the body’s weight. After the recent reversal, he knew Seris’s residual spirit had been completely destroyed—no matter how skilled the seer, Dail, could be, communication with Seris would now be impossible. A moment passed, and then Kline was joined by Captain Dunn and his teammates, Leonard and Coen Li. "I sense an inevitable bond between you and the extraordinary beings, and the forces of evil—your recent transcendent events have been more numerous than any we've witnessed in the past quarter." Leonard glanced at the bodies on the ground, delivering the remark casually, as if merely making small talk. "Perhaps not a coincidence," Cain suddenly recalled the red chimney he'd seen in his dream divination, as well as the majestic palace atop the Hornachis mountain range and the intangible presence of watchful gaze he'd last observed. Seizing the opportunity, he added that remark. "Have you ever tried spirit communication?" Duan asked, his deep gray eyes fixed on Cain. The scent of the "Saint's Night" powder and pure essential oil lingered in the air. "Yes," Cain replied openly. "I was concerned that your arrival might have been too late, and that the lingering spiritual essence might begin to fade." "Looking at your condition, you don't seem to be in great shape," the shorter Coen Li remarked with concern. While handing the captain the letter from Seris that had not yet been sent, Caine added, "When I went to the underground market to purchase ritual materials, I suddenly recalled that Serina had once visited the Dragon's Den, and that it was Hinas Vancent who had invited her. This suggests that Hinas is a regular patron there. Therefore, I suspect that the gentleman depicted in the portrait—someone connected to Hinas—may also have visited the underground market at some point. I showed the portrait to the owner, Swyn, who confirmed that this gentleman had been attempting to purchase artifacts and ancient texts related to Hornachis' main peak. This immediately reminded me of something—I had noticed someone recently returning the same journals I had been borrowing." Even if you encounter him directly, given your usual approach, you should feign ignorance and quickly leave the library, then head to Zothlan Street to find us. "Yes, you don't need to risk it—once the target is confirmed, as long as he hasn't left Tingen, there will always be a way to reach him," Dunning added while browsing the letters. Klein felt a bit embarrassed: "The library manager recognized him and called out for the officer's assistance." "I couldn't possibly have pretended not to hear that," said Leonard and Cohen-Li, who immediately exchanged a glance—one couldn't hide a smile, the other turned his head toward the side. Dunning gently nodded, shifting his gaze from the letter: "What did the spirit medium find?" "An ornamental pendant carved with a giant suspended upside down—I saw the giant's single eye flash crimson before the ritual concluded," Klein reported accurately. He hadn't yet mentioned the matter of the "Carnival" potion, for two reasons. On one hand, if Dunning and the others could later trace the relevant records from Siliris's hiding place, then whether or not he spoke about it would make no difference—there would be no additional credit to claim. On the other hand, should they fail to find such records, he could then report it at a later time, accumulating more credits for securing the materials and arranging the potion. This was a strategy of dividing one credit into two claims, a practice he had learned from Old Neil over the past few days. "Will the Aurora work?" Dunning murmured thoughtfully, then asked a few related questions. After listening to Clary's responses, he glanced at the weary expression on his face and raised his staff. "Indeed, you've uncovered a conspiracy targeting Tinggen City. You may now return to rest. Coen Li, go and fetch Old Neil." After giving his instructions, Dunning shook his head and offered a wry smile. "Before Sequence 6, extraordinary beings on the 'Unsleepers' path lacked many supporting abilities—indeed, even basic ritual magic was limited to the simplest and most fundamental forms." "So, Captain, you're saying that starting at Sequence 6, the 'Unsleepers' will receive corresponding enhancements?" asked Kline with genuine curiosity. "Yes," Dunning affirmed. ………… After leaving the Devereux Library, Kline nearly dozed off several times on the public carriage ride back to the Water Lily Street. He managed to stay awake long enough to enter the building, remove his hat, shed his coat, and then collapse onto the sofa. He didn't know how long he had been asleep when he suddenly awoke, checked his watch, and snapped it open. "Merrisa will be back in half an hour, and Bensen in forty to fifty minutes… we'll have to make them wait over an hour before dinner…" Kline rubbed his forehead and walked into the kitchen. He first washed his face with cold water, then pulled out the ingredients he had bought at noon—beef shanks, tomatoes, carrots, and onions. After making the preparations, he suddenly paused, feeling as though something didn't quite match what had happened in the afternoon. "I just saved a man from Tinggen," he mused with a smile, donning his white apron, picking up the knife, and beginning his busy work.