Klein walked back and forth in the small range, reflecting on the Night Goddess Church's intentions regarding the "Seer" sequence: "They don't want the Watchers to choose this path, or to grow strong through it—so they've only issued Sequence 9, the 'Seer,' which has strong supporting functions. The captain also mentioned that the Hall might have follow-up formulations... " "No. In the confidential materials I've reviewed, they even fail to provide the names of the potions corresponding to Sequences 8 and 7, only describing the associated combat traits. In other words, they don't want the lower ranks to know that the higher echelons possess such information... " "Could every Watcher who chooses this path become an 'Avenger Spirit' of the Antigonous family? Is that precisely why the Church leadership has made such decisions—or is there another reason?" At first, Caine felt deep suspicion and vigilance toward the senior leadership of the Night Goddess's Church, seriously reconsidering whether to formally apply and openly become the "Jester": "If there were some hidden, dreadful secret at play, hadn't I just stepped right into the volcano myself? I'm not someone who can calmly endure rigorous scrutiny..." "Yet, the Tinggen branch has already submitted the 'Jester' application. As a member of the 'Seer' order, it seems entirely natural that, upon learning of this, they would hope for a promotion." Moreover, Sequence 8 still falls under the low sequences and shouldn't attract too much attention... The only issue is that I've fully mastered the potion in just one month and have submitted a special request. If the higher-ups become aware of and understand the "performance technique," they'll immediately grasp the key point. Of course, my reasoning is solid—after all, I know the "Soul-Channeler" Daili and am friends with the strict adherent of the creed, Elder Niel, the "Observer." Drawing inspiration from him and further refining the "performance technique" isn't particularly hard to comprehend. "Well, even Daili didn't gain the attention of the upper echelons until after three years in the rank of Sequence 7 'Sensitives,' showing signs of maturation—only then was she truly recognized as a future bishop and senior steward. In my current 'Clown' stage, I'm certainly not going to attract much attention unless I fully digest the potion within a few months and prove to them that I've truly mastered the art of performance." "So, applying for the 'Clown' potion isn't too risky—let's keep going with it. But after that, we'll have to be more careful. Honestly, we'll have to take it one step at a time. I'll go home and do another divination to make a final decision." Kaine settled his thoughts, drew out the revolver from his sleeve pouch, and carried out his regular shooting practice and maintenance routines. The quality of this gun, gifted by his classmate Welch, exceeded his expectations. With the maintenance techniques he'd learned from Dunn and Leonard, it's certain to last for a long time. "Actually, it doesn't matter much—all of these can be claimed as supplies." Klein glanced at the target, tucked away his revolver, and left the "Shooting Club." He took an unstaffed public horse car back to No. 2 Narcissus Street. As he approached, he noticed a young woman lingering at the door. She wore a blue dress adorned with elegant lace and a hat draped with fine gauze, a delicate mesh. She was Elizabeth, a classmate of Melissa, with a charming baby-faced appearance. Upon seeing Klein approach, she hurried toward him, removed her hat, and beamed with delight. After a brief pause, she smiled warmly and said, "Good afternoon, Mr. Moretti." "I'm certain you've just returned from Lamde town, aren't you?" "I'm sorry, I actually returned this morning," Klein replied with a smile. "No, I came back from Zothlan Street." "That's very genuine," he thought to himself, smiling internally. Elizabeth paused, then spoke with a touch of excitement and enthusiasm: "Well, I was wrong. I came to see you today and waited here, hoping to tell you that I haven't had a nightmare since last night—I haven't dreamed of that knight in full black armor at all! This perfectly matches your divination!" Of course, the restless spirit has been completely purified by the sealing object '3–0782'; even attempting to spirit-communicate with me in person has been impossible, let alone your dreams... Klein smiled gently and responded warmly: "I'm glad you've finally escaped this disturbance, and I'm pleased with my divination from yesterday." "Thank you so much—thank you again! Well, I must be off now. I have classes in the afternoon. Goodbye, Mr. Moretti. I'll make time to visit Melissa soon!" Elizabeth departed with a light step, boarding a nearby hired carriage. Watching the scenery slowly receding past the window of the carriage, a smile began to curl at the corner of her lips as she thought with satisfaction, "Melissa certainly doesn't know how impressive her brother really is..."... Hmm, it seems my explanation had absolutely no effect at all... Young women always trust their intuition and the facts they imagine for themselves... As克莱恩 watched Elizabeth get into the carriage, he shook his head and pulled out the key to open the door, making his way back to his own room. After a brief rest, he began to review and consolidate the events of the past week, including the unresolved matters from before. Once this routine task was completed, he burned the papers, then took out his silver watch and clicked it open to check the time. "Two thirty? Just wait fifteen more minutes..." Seeing there was still time, he decided to wear his most worn-out formal jacket and headed to the St. Cross Street bakery, where he bought a cup of sweet iced tea from Mrs. Wendy. Sipping his drink and returning leisurely, he sealed the bedroom with spiritual energy at 2:45, then walked backward four steps into the gray mist. In the quiet, ancient palace, Caine wrote down new divinatory phrases on the materialized parchment: "The 'Clown' potion should be obtained through the Night Watch organization." Setting down his pen, he unfastened the spirit pendulum wrapped around his wrist, held it steadily in his left hand, and allowed the yellow crystal pendant to hang just above the point where it would touch the parchment. After silently reciting the incantation seven times, his eyes deepened and the pendulum began to rotate gently, clockwise. The answer was affirmative—yes, it should be done—but the sequence following 'Clown' remained uncertain. It would indeed require serious development of my Tarot circle. Caine carefully reviewed the matter once again. Then, he gently pressed his hand toward the deep red star representing 'Sun'. He needed to summon the young man from the City of Silver in advance, to confirm whether he had disclosed any matters concerning the realm above the Gray Mists. If not, he would then provide the young man with a more favorable means of securing the gathering time.……In the room of the Berg family, City of Silver. Derek sat quietly and silently by the bedside, awaiting the summoning of "The Fool." To fulfill his commitment to remain as separate as possible from others, he had simply stayed indoors since his return, and the food in the room had long since been consumed. Enduring hunger, listening to the rumbling of his stomach, Derek felt as though he were a living corpse wandering through a dark, desolate plain—yet he remained silent and did not rise. At that moment, he saw deep red spreading throughout the void, instantly engulfing him. Before him once more appeared the world of gray-white, boundless, cold, and still—alongside the Fool seated at the head, veiled in dense mist. Klein was satisfied that the gathering had not been disturbed, and confirmed that no ominous signs had befallen him. "The Sun," he said with a smile, in the Giants' language. Dariq was once again struck by what had transpired, and bowed his head. "You are a faithful fool." This time, Klein switched to Rûn语, though he made the intention to have it translated into Giants' language within this mysterious space. Thus, in Dariq's ears, Klein spoke in Giants' language, and he asked with growing curiosity, "What is it?" "Well, after I've initially mastered the Giant language, the mysterious space above the gray mist now enables real-time translation between the languages—so I no longer have to worry about 'Justice' or 'The Hanged Man' not understanding 'The Sun's' words... Hmm. Why does my big boss have to be so tired? Kline gently pressed his temple with a hand, shook his head, and smiled. 'I permit you to recite my name. Remember these titles:' 'The Fool who belongs to no age, the sovereign of the mysterious realm above the gray mist, the King of Fortune, of yellow and black.' Deric's eyes widened, yet he couldn't shift his focus, silently repeating the titles over and over, before finally seeking confirmation from the Fool. 'Every time you return to the City of Silver, you'll need to perform a brief ritual to recite my name. For the gatherings that follow, I will notify you in advance. You needn't pay special attention to others, nor avoid them. Simply find a moment of private time—within one thousand heartbeats of receiving my notice.' This was the carefully considered solution Kline finally presented." This is essentially a response to a request. —— Concerned about the condition of the Silver City and wanting to save time, Caine simply skipped the other steps of the ritual, since it was being asked of him anyway. "A thousand heartbeats?" Deryck murmured, as if questioning it to himself. Caine then gave Deryck a general overview of the Tarot Circle and produced a silver pocket watch, clicking it open with a crisp sound. Deryck paused, instinctively gazing at the unusual object. As the three o'clock hour approached, Caine gently raised his hand toward the deep red stars symbolizing "Justice" and "Temperance." Deryck's eyes remained fixed, unblinking, as light erupted from both the opposite and adjacent sides, gradually forming two faint, shimmering figures. Audrey Hall surveyed the circle, then suddenly froze, and then heard the ever-steady voice of the Fool: "This is the new member, titled 'The Sun.' " "This one is Miss Justice, and this one is Mr. Temperance." A new member? Audrey was first startled, then filled with delight. She was genuinely enthusiastic about the growing strength of the Tarot Circle and felt a strong sense of ownership. Alje, the "Hanged Man," slightly frowned, expressing mild dissatisfaction at the sudden addition of a new member by the Fool. At least, they should have been informed in advance... though, admittedly, such a prominent figure as the Fool might not always consider their perspective. He thought to himself with a touch of resignation, and briefly greeted the "Justice" and "Sun." During this short interval, Audrey entered a "spectator" mode, carefully observing the new member, the "Sun." "He doesn't seem very old—those gestures suggest he's a bit nervous and reserved. Yet he remains consistently quiet, giving off a certain sense, yes, of being a lone wolf, a true lone wolf..." She mused, shifting her gaze toward the Fool seated at the head of the bronze long table. She happily remarked, "Sir Fool, I have once again gathered two more pages from the diary of Emperor Rossel."