The deep red faded away, and Darien Berg once again saw his bedroom, the pure crystal sphere. Crackle! The crystal sphere shattered from within outwards—some of its fragments dissolved into shimmering, ethereal light and drifted into the surrounding void, others cracked and fell to the ground with crisp sounds, each one sparkling and clear. Darien stood motionless, silent, watching the scene. In the reflection of the copper mirror beside him, he saw the bloodstains on his face scattered and blurred, and noticed a deep crimson glow spiraling inward on the back of his right hand, forming a circular pattern radiating lines. This strange symbol swiftly penetrated his forearm and vanished completely. Darien remained stunned for the duration of more than a dozen lightning flashes illuminating the sky, only finally regaining clarity from his dreamlike bewilderment. He glanced at the scattered fragments of the crystal sphere on the floor, then at the back of his right hand, his gaze growing steadily serious. Stepping out of the bedroom and into the living room, Darien opened the door and looked up at the sky above the city of silver. A lightning bolt streaked across, bestowing a silver glow upon all things. Then, amid the roaring thunder, the world plunged into darkness—complete, profound, and heavy, so deep and oppressive that it felt utterly despairing. Darien's hands clenched into fists; though no joy shone in his eyes, sorrow and pain lingered. Yet he was no longer lost. Penetrating the gray mist, cutting through the murmurs, he returned to his room and dismantled the spiritual barrier. Then, Caine took up the key, opened the door, and first visited the two rooms booked by Dunn, confirming that both the captain and Fley had not yet returned. He then descended to the ground floor and handed the key to the manager. The manager glanced at the wall clock on the side and gave him a thumbs-up. "Good work!" Hey, do you think I'm opening 'hourly rooms' just for show? Caine opened his mouth to explain, but ultimately decided to let the manager keep the misconception. He comforted himself with a sense of slight indignation: Well, that way, he won't mention my separate room to the captain in a long-winded way! After making a show of walking around again, Caine performed a quick divination, returned to the inn, and headed straight up to the second floor, where, as expected, he found Dunn and Fley discussing their findings in one of the rooms. "It's confirmed—the spectral presence has been appearing only over the past two to three months." Dunne glanced at the newcomer, Kline, and nodded to offer his conclusion. Kline immediately agreed: "My investigation has confirmed this as well..." He briefly summarized the key points of his earlier questions, concluding, "Hm, there's a town resident named Gray the Unreliable who claims his family possesses a portrait of the first Lord Ramd—saying it's an ancient oil painting from over a thousand years ago." "You didn't buy it, did you?" Dunne's gray eyes flashed, pausing momentarily before asking directly. Captain, do you really think I'm that easy to fool? Kline offered a dry smile. "Not at all. Though I'm merely a history student, I've taken some courses in archaeology and have a certain level of experience in this field—enough to make a preliminary judgment on authenticity. Hm, the figure in that painting bears a strong resemblance to my history professor, Mr. Azk." He delivered this crucial point with the casual, matter-of-fact tone of someone casually mentioning a detail. Dunne indeed paid no attention to this, rubbing his brow. "In towns with ancient ruins, there's always a variety of antiques. I just met a townsfolk selling silver wine goblets from the Barony of Lamde." "Someone offered me the family crest of the Lamde family, claiming it was unearthed from the castle," added Fley. Klein instinctively asked, "Did you buy it?" Fley looked at him, and he looked back at Fley—neither of them continued the conversation. "The next task is for either you or Fley, once recovered, to carry the seal '3–0782' to a quiet spot outside the town. Otherwise, half the inn staff will become mere devotees of the sun, always chanting praise to it. You first, or Fley?" Dunne gazed into Klein's eyes with his deep gray gaze. "I will," Klein slightly raised his hand, smiled. "It's not too late yet. I can return and sleep well. Is it every two hours, then?" "Yes, Fley, go with Caine to confirm the handover location." Dune turned to look at Fley, the "Body Gatherer"—during the interim of their separate investigations, he had already entrusted Fley with the seal object "3–0782." Otherwise, Fley would have long since been purified and transformed, beginning to praise the sun. As it stands, Fley currently has only three hours of strength remaining. "Understood." Fley withdrew the "Mutated Solar Holy Emblem" from the inner pocket of his black lightweight coat and extended it to Caine. Caine, deeply curious and attentive, took it with interest. The metal felt warm and smooth, as though hot water were flowing within. A gentle, radiant glow spread outward in ripples, carrying a pure, fresh scent. At the same time, Caine sensed that the dark golden emblem, bearing the sun symbol, continuously purified his spiritual essence, washing away impurities and leaving behind pure clarity. Indeed, seal objects have their very frustrating drawbacks—should one be slightly careless, someone might die, or even suffer a more tragic fate than death. Under his breath, he murmured this thought and fastened the seal object "3–0782" to the inside of his clothing. After checking the condition of his revolver, talismans, and staff, he walked out of the room with Fley, leaving the inn and heading straight toward the outskirts of Lamde Town. Along the sparse, quiet forest, they circled once, ensuring that no living person was within a few dozen meters. "If anyone approaches, drive them away," Fley said coldly and firmly. "I'll take over from you in two hours." "No problem," Caine replied with a smile. Watching Fley enter the town, he located the half-high stone he had previously chosen, removed the leaves beside it, and wiped the surface clean. Then, he gently touched the stone's top with his fingers, observing his fingertips under the warm, crimson moonlight. Once satisfied, Caine lifted his thin black wind coat and sat down with a decisive sigh. You don’t need to stand—just sit! He silently added to himself. After a few minutes of stillness, he glanced at the dim, quiet, and deeply eerie forest, and couldn’t help but rise, reaching into the hidden pockets on the inside of his garments to pull out various small metal bottles. He scattered herbal powders and essential oil sprays around the stones. Then, using Hermes incantation, he chanted a spell, drawing forth spiritual energy and sealing the area where he stood. The purpose of this simple rite was twofold: first, to avoid relying on the seer’s intuition for potential threats—such as ghostly or corpse attacks—and second, second, to drive away insects… a hundred times more effective than dew!克莱恩 sat back down, satisfied. After idly sitting for several minutes, he took interest in removing the seal, “3–0782,” and carefully examined the “variant solar sigil.” I wasn't sure whether I could trace its origin or uncover a unique source. Suddenly, a fascinating idea struck Caine, so he pulled out a sheet of paper and a water-absorbing steel pen, writing down the incantation: "The origin of the mutated Solar Saint Emblem in my hands." — As a competent and genuine seer, Caine had long prepared himself for spontaneous divination at any moment. He recited the incantation seven times, closed his eyes, and entered a meditative state, using this as a stepping point to begin his own dream. In the dream, he saw only pure light—nothing else. "Hmm, the Church must have tried other seers before, since the records lack a source, which means no effective results were achieved—just as I just experienced," Caine sighed, then thought, "I wonder what would happen if I eliminated the distractions?" The moment this thought arose, it immediately filled his mind, reaching the peak of his curiosity. After hesitating for more than ten minutes, he noticed the night was calm, the surroundings quiet, and with himself hidden deep within the small grove, unseen by anyone passing by. Thus, he stood up, stepped backward four paces within the spiritual wall, and re-entered the gray mist. It floats above the altar, with a man in a white classical robe standing before it. This man is only in silhouette, lifeless, and he slowly sinks downward, toward the altar. At this moment, the solar holy emblem he holds makes contact with the golden droplet, which quickly seeps into it. Upon witnessing this, Kline's dream fades swiftly, and he awakens. "It makes sense now—because of the fusion with that golden liquid, this emblem remains effective, uncontrollable. At least, since it was discovered until now, spanning several decades, its purification power has never waned... I wonder what that golden liquid is—some high-tier extraordinary material?" Kline strokes the materialized seal, "3–0782," and sinks into deep contemplation. After a few minutes of thought, he attempts, guided by the sensations from the dream, to reverse the process and extract the golden liquid from the materialized "variant solar holy emblem." It had already manifested itself before his eyes. Caine was stunned and astonished to see the seal no longer warm and pure, observing the single droplet of golden liquid floating gently above it, which elevated his appreciation of the mysterious space above the gray mist: This was truly magical, even just a separated, ephemeral object! "Origin of this golden liquid," he excitedly recorded a new divinatory sentence. PS: Fourth update, requesting monthly subscription! Yes, tomorrow I'll continue with additional updates—three installments. The first at 12:02 a.m., the second at 12:30 p.m., and the third at 7:00 p.m. Requesting monthly subscription!