The light streaming through the glass illuminated the guardhouse outside the armory. Neil, having finished reading the newspaper and sipped his coffee, looked up at Cline and said, "How are you feeling now? Have you calmed down? Or would you like a glass of wine, an advance salary, or a day off to yourself?" At this moment, Cline, having fully absorbed the "Seer's" potion, was attempting to use meditation to adjust the "switch" of his spiritual vision, making it less conspicuous. He no longer needed to stimulate specific points to activate his vision, allowing him to achieve his goal more subtly—such as quickly pressing the joints of his middle finger twice with his thumb, or lightly tapping his left teeth twice in succession. Considering that at times he had to hold a gun and a staff simultaneously while still relying on his spiritual vision, Cline ultimately chose the light tapping of his teeth—left for open, right for closed. He kept subtly hinting, then, after making the changes, opened his eyes and smiled, saying, "I've simply been too focused on the actions of the captain and his team—I didn't need to calm my emotions." At the same time, he gently tapped his left teeth twice, trying to activate his spiritual sight in order to get accustomed to the method as quickly as possible. Huff, huff, huff! Old Neil suddenly started coughing violently, turning red as a boiled lobster. "What's wrong?" Kline paused, concerned. He carefully examined Old Neil's aura and noticed that while his health indicators were still normal, they were somewhat weakened due to his age. After coughing for another dozen seconds, Old Neil finally steadied himself, reached for his coffee, and sipped slowly, saying, "Everyone makes mistakes—well, I just got choked on my own saliva a moment ago... Shall we begin today's occult lesson?" "Good," Kline responded, tapping his right teeth almost silently twice. It took him one to two weeks sooner than expected to fully absorb the "Seer" potion, leaving him both delighted and troubled. The delight was self-evident—freeing himself from potential instability, securing a promotion, and gaining access to further extraordinary abilities were enough to excite anyone. The concern, however, stemmed from the disruption to his carefully laid plans. Given that he would remain with the Tingen Night Watch team for an extended period, he believed a quiet transition into the role of "Clown" would not be ideal. Such a shift would constantly weigh on him with the fear of exposure, making him hesitant to deploy his abilities during collaborative missions and thus placing himself at greater risk. His plan was to emulate Dailie, the "Spiritualist," and formally submit a special request to the higher echelons, using his accumulated merits to secure rewards in the form of recipes and extraordinary materials, thereby becoming a Sequence 8 Night Watch member in a straightforward, official manner. Yet there is a fundamental difference between mastering potions over a month and mastering them over a year. Caine can withstand a certain level of attention from the Hall and is willing to be a key development target, but he absolutely does not want to draw the upper echelons' heightened suspicion. He must find a compelling reason to justify his current state. His original plan was to seize upon the period when the "Seer" potion had not yet been fully digested, gradually building rapport with the队长 by making subtle preparations—such as noting that each visit to the Seer's Club leaves him feeling spiritually vibrant, casually describing the "Seer's Code" he has distilled from repeated consultations, and pre-emptively stating that he has recently experienced only sporadic instances of hearing voices or seeing phenomena that shouldn't be there. In this way, the senior Night Watch leadership would perceive him as unconsciously emulating Dailie during his duties—and doing so more thoroughly. This would shift their focus toward summarizing patterns and exploring the "Method of Performance," greatly reducing skepticism about Kline and limiting themselves to routine reviews. Hmm, it would also serve as a subtle reminder to the captain, helping him recognize the "Method of Performance." Kline silently added this to his thoughts—he believed Captain Dunn Smith was an excellent leader, with only a slightly weaker memory being a notable shortcoming. Therefore, he hoped to minimize the captain's potential lapses and strengthen him further. Of course, Kline could also choose to wait a year before submitting a special request, which would entail no risk at all. However, the series of coincidences and the recurring dreams featuring the red chimney compelled him to accelerate his own development. "Over the next two weeks, I'll make three to four preliminary visits to the captain, then formally submit my request. Meanwhile, I'll also visit the underground trading market to see if there are any corresponding extraordinary materials available—though they're likely to be quite expensive." Kline quickly made up his mind and refocused his attention on the Mysticism course. Time slipped by, inch by inch, and the beautiful lunch hour gradually arrived. Neil sipped his coffee, gathered up the scattered items on the table, and smiled. "Your mystical studies are coming to an end," he said, "and from your recent attempt, I believe you're now capable of crafting your own sigils." "That's exactly what I've planned for the coming days," Caine breathed with satisfaction. Unlike the amulets he had previously given to his brother Bensen and sister Melisa, which merely offered protection, these sigils required a ritual to be inscribed and possessed certain special abilities, making them particularly effective in intense combat situations. Still, even the lower-grade sigils were not infallible— their spiritual potency gradually waned over time, necessitating a renewal every two weeks. Moreover, they required specific incantations to be activated and could not be used instantly at will. Moreover, the incantations that the night watchkeepers can master are limited to the domain of the Night Goddess. Currently, Cline can only produce three: first, the "Soporific Incantation," which has the effect of calming and inducing sleep—similar to the chants that Dunning Smith and Leonard Mitchell use to soothe and lull people to rest; second, the "Lamentation Incantation," which calms spirits, shadows, zombies, and water ghosts, and to a certain extent, also addresses vengeful ghosts and malevolent entities; and third, the "Dream-Weaving Incantation," which enables the caster to enter the dreams of the target. These effects overlap with the abilities of the "Never-Sleepers" sequence—specifically, the "Midnight Poet" and "Nightmare"—so Dunning and Leonard and others rarely use incantations. Instead, the "Burial Keepers" Fley and the "Never-Sleepers" Loi and Coen Li carry one or two at a time, though they remain largely unused over the long term and frequently need to recharge them with the elder Neil. At that moment, Old Neil glanced at Caine and smiled. "I remember you've been practicing so frequently this month that you've already used up your material allocation. Are you planning to go to the underground trading market?" Caine was momentarily taken aback, then nodded with a touch of concern. "Yes." He was well aware of the prices for the materials—he only hoped to succeed on the first try and not waste any. With the responsibility of delivering lunch to the underground now settled, Caine put on his coat, hat, and held his staff, then returned to the Black Thorns Security Company on the second floor. As he passed by the recreation room, he saw Leonard and the others had already returned and were having dinner. *Ding-ding-ding!* He knocked on the captain's office door. "Please come in," came Duan's warm voice. Caine pushed the door open and removed his hat. "Captain, have you managed to catch the 'instigator,' Trish?" "Dunne pressed his temple, shook his head with a slightly weary expression: 'We didn't find her at Tinggen, but according to the telegram from Beckland, a passenger saw her in the first-class carriage of the earliest train. Unfortunately, she got off midway.' 'Indeed a pity,' Cline sighed, already mentally prepared. 'Divination isn't infallible...' Dunne glanced at him with his gray eyes: 'You needn't be discouraged. Sequence 7 extraordinary beings aren't that easy to capture. At least, we've disrupted Trish's evil ritual, saved at least forty innocent lives, and now we have a clear understanding of her current condition—she can no longer act as freely as before.' 'If she attempts anything similar again, she'll inevitably be noticed, uncovered, and reported. Eventually, she'll be found and apprehended—either by us Night Watchers, or by the Substitute Penitents, or the Mechanical Heart. More likely, she'll be killed.' 'Let's hope so. May the goddess watch over us.' Klein drew a crimson moon on his chest. Then, pausing thoughtfully, he said: "Captain, I haven't heard any sounds I shouldn't have, nor seen any sights I shouldn't have, for over a week—this even though I've been meditating regularly and using my spiritual vision frequently." "Hmm?" Duan frowned slightly, showing curiosity. Klein immediately added: "I feel that I'm nearing full mastery of the 'Seer's' potion, and this may be linked to my frequent visits to the Seer's Club to assist others with their readings." "Why do you think that?" Duan shifted his posture, expressing bewilderment. Caine answered deliberately, not smoothly: "Every time I visit the Clairvoyance Club, I feel the spirit growing more vibrant. And every time I perform a reading for someone, my body, mind, and spirit feel lighter and more at ease. I've developed a set of principles—well, a set of 'Clairvoyant Guidelines'—and I adhere to them strictly, much like the Seers' principle of 'do what you will, but do no harm.' Indeed, it was this very phrase that inspired me to craft a similar creed for clairvoyants." "I believe this might be an effective way to help extraordinary individuals master potions more quickly and reduce instances of loss of control, much like Miss Dail, who has been consistently practicing as a 'Seer.'." Dunne had produced his pipe at some point and was now lightly inhaling from the tip, as though he had completely forgotten about Caine. After a few minutes of deep contemplation, he finally spoke: "A quite good hypothesis, an interesting attempt..." Caine's purpose had been merely to make a brief point and set the stage, so he didn't elaborate further. Instead, he offered a mix of half-joking and precaution: "Perhaps I will become the fastest member in the history of the Night Watch to master the Sequence 9 potions." "May the goddess protect you," Dunne replied with a light, unconcerned smile, then returned to his thoughts. Seeing this, Caine rose to bid farewell and left the captain's office. As he helped close the door, he suddenly realized another challenge—how to play the role of the 'clown'! Would they actually make me join a circus? And there wasn't even a permanent circus in Tinggen—only touring ones... Caine's expression immediately turned serious. Being a seer still carries some prestige—even when encountered by acquaintances, one can hold one's head high. To become a clown, on the other hand, would be utterly undignified! Perhaps, perhaps there's another way to perform. When the sacred stone first emerged, there was no circus, no clown... Well, there's still a couple of weeks before one can be promoted. So, no need to rush on this issue just yet. Caine, evading it, made his way toward the reception area, toward Rosan, Mrs. Oliviana, Bright, and the others, toward his own lunch with his old friend Neil.