Faced with that "unaccountable sense of familiarity," other extraordinary beings from Sequence 9 might strive to recall it or simply ignore and forget it. But the seer was different. Caine directly concluded the ritual, dismantled the spiritual wall, retrieved the sheets of paper, and inscribed the divinatory phrase: "The source of that sense of familiarity." Then he sat by the edge of the bedroom bed, holding the paper and silently reciting the phrase. After seven repetitions, his eyes deepened, and through meditation, he entered a deep sleep, engaging in dialogue with his own spiritual essence. In the blurred, wavering world, Caine saw a carriage and a young lady dressed in a gray-white gown. The woman had smooth black hair, a round face, a gentle and sweet demeanor, her body trembling unnaturally. The image flickered, and then Caine saw her again—this time, the young and beautiful woman standing in an underground market, speaking with someone in a rather rough, informal posture. The dream faded quickly, and Cline awoke, now understanding why he felt familiar with the image reflected in the mirror. He had seen her in reality! "First encountered her on the street of Narcissus, near the area of the Iron Cross. That night, the captain's team was pursuing the 'inspirer' Tris beneath the Iron Cross. There seems to be a clear connection between the two events..." Cline pondered for several seconds, then arranged a ritual, praying to the goddess, and vividly described the image of his enemy. Dunne and the others had remained quietly attentive, refraining from interrupting until now, when they gradually gathered around to examine the portrait. "Have you seen her before?" Dunne asked. Cline nodded slightly, responding concisely: "Yes. That very night you were pursuing the 'inspirer,' I met her at the public station on Narcissus Street, which is near the Iron Cross." "Then she is most likely the enemy we just saw—Tris's accomplice." Dunne nodded as if thinking. At that moment, Leonard suddenly exclaimed, "Don't you find the portrait familiar? She resembles the 'instigator,' Tris so much!" "Seeing how little chemistry there was between Klein and himself, Leonard sighed quietly and said seriously, 'I have a bold idea.' 'What idea?' Deneen asked. Leonard stated directly, 'I suspect this person is actually the "Instigator" Tris!' 'What?' Flee expressed surprise. Deneen furrowed his brows, 'You mean Tris—the "Instigator"—is actually a woman? Or that the man we just saw is pretending to be a woman? No, based on the dream encounters, I'm certain she is a woman.' Klein, having witnessed so many unconventional and extraordinary plot developments, and after glancing at the portrait, immediately formed a different hypothesis: 'Could it be that the "Instigator" Tris has transformed into a woman?' This now explains so many details—why Tris's trail suddenly vanished, and why even divination efforts yielded no trace—because the very nature of the target has fundamentally changed!" The only question was: how had he suddenly become a woman, and it seemed so effortless... The newly transformed "expert in women's fashion" actually looked quite good—no, honestly speaking, quite excellent. Klein thought this over as he drifted into reflections. Leonard nodded with satisfaction. "Yes, that's exactly what I've been thinking. This perfectly explains the sudden disappearance of the 'initiator' Tris, and it aligns with the fact that the upper echelons of the sorceress order are predominantly female." "...", Dune and Fley found themselves momentarily speechless. Even though they had seen countless monsters and witnessed many wonders, such a transformation had never happened before. "So you're saying that several senior members of the sorceress order were once men?" Dune asked, not waiting for an answer, and continued on his own. "That does make sense—perhaps this is precisely what they, no, rather, what they are as female sequence alchemists, are known for." "Klein felt a chill run down his lower body, thinking the magical potions of the Witch sequence were simply terrible!" "I hope the Seer sequence doesn't have such disappointing potions... No, definitely not—after all, the Witch path itself suggests something's off. But I still don't know what the first-level Seer sequence corresponds to..." He unconsciously prayed to the goddess. "Can potions actually accomplish something like this?" Frey still expressed doubt. "Even mid- and low-level potions can produce remarkable transformations," Leonard said, spreading his hands with a smile, "since they all originally stem from the Creator." At that moment, Dune turned to Klein and said, "Try to locate the current position of your target through divination." "Certainly," Klein said, approaching the scattered dresses, feeling a sense of complexity as he carefully selected one and laid it out on the carpet. He planted his staff firmly there, recalling the target's features and corresponding details, and silently recited the divination phrases: "Tris, no—Tris's fate." "Tris's fate." ... After seven repetitions, Caine's eyes shifted from brown to black, and suddenly a wind began to swirl around him. His left hand detached from the staff's head, causing the silver-inlaid black staff to sway. Though it wavered, it did not topple over and steadied itself once more. "There's interference," Caine said quietly. Interference meant the direction was correct! The woman he had just seen was likely the one who had instigated the matter—the "instigator," Tris, no, Tris—Tris! Observing this, Dune gave a barely perceptible nod. "Indeed, a magical order that has been active on the continent since the last age..." Since Tris had become Tris, he concluded that the woman was not a member of the Logos Order, but belonged to a magical order. Surveying the room, Dunning sighed and said, "We can look into other avenues—such as the origins of these garments, or the owner of this house—and have the police dispatch personnel to investigate the steam train station and the docks." These indeed could yield leads, but then Trish would have ample time to distance herself from Tingen... yes, go home to the misty heights and try again. Dunning remained on high alert for Trish, someone who could suddenly unleash a large-scale catastrophe, and wanted to find her immediately, ideally right there and then. "Leonard, go to the police department and coordinate the follow-up efforts. Cain, you can go home and rest." Pausing here, Dunning rubbed his temple, then looked at Cain with a mixture of assessment and guidance. "If you were in charge, how would you have handled the situation just now? Assume your team consists of me, Leonard, and Fley." Klein furrowed his brow and thought for over a dozen seconds, then said: "First, I'll use divination to confirm whether the ritual will take effect within a short timeframe. If the answer is negative, I'll begin monitoring from a distance—without approaching—then notify the police department, alert the nearby garrison units, and bring at least five artillery pieces to bear on the house, conducting a sustained bombardment that will completely flatten the altar and the area where Trish is hiding. Either she'll be crushed and killed inside, or she'll have to make a daring escape under fire, which will easily expose her. In the meantime, I'll personally assign each of you to secure key positions around the perimeter..." As he spoke, he grew increasingly enthusiastic, convinced that this approach was simple, effective, decisive, and exceptionally safe and reliable. Dunning, Leonard, and Fley all sat in stunned silence, none of them speaking for a long time. "Um, Captain," Klein said, noticing their reactions, "isn't this plan working well?" Dun remained silent for a few seconds, then said, "No, this approach is excellent—though it requires one additional condition: we must verify whether the violent disruption of the altar might lead to even more severe consequences... Ah, having served as night watchmen for so long, we often grow accustomed to relying on ourselves, on our extraordinary abilities, on our specialized weaponry, and we tend to keep ordinary people at arm's length from the extraordinary events..." Well, I've always been a staunch advocate of sustained firepower coverage...克莱恩 silently added to himself. Bansen rushes around all day, exhausted, yet still manages to study at home—what a determined person! I simply can't keep going; right now, all I want to do is lie down. Klein glanced at his brother, smiled, and raised a hand in silent greeting. Bansen chuckled, "Now I understand that a generous salary comes with its costs." "Everything in this world has a price—there's always a cost to every gain," Klein said, placing his walking stick on the shelf by the door. "Did the great King Rosel say something like that?" Melissa paused her pen and lifted her head. Tingen Technical College and University differs from public schools in that it only holds summer breaks for about two weeks, at the end of July or beginning of August, and resumes classes immediately once the hottest period passes. "Really? I didn't know that," Klein replied, his expression slightly stiff. He removed his hat and headed up the stairs, eager to reach Grey Mists and learn the whereabouts of Trist. Suddenly, he heard the rumbling of his stomach and felt a strong sense of hunger. "Ah, right— I haven't had dinner yet… But I left a note stating that the security company will provide work meals, so I don't need to be served leftovers. Honestly, Captain must have forgotten about this." Clain's expression shifted several times as he tried to feign fullness. At that moment, Melissa glanced at him and pointed toward the kitchen. "I left you a small lamb chop, a vegetable soup, and there are still several pieces of bread."