Klein's reply caused Dely to chuckle softly. The semi-transparent face, with only her mouth visible, said, "Even if you drew inspiration from the seer's maxim and refined your ideas through my experiences and performance, the fact that you clearly grasped the concept of 'acting' and formulated your own 'Seer's Creed' within just one month demonstrates your exceptional intelligence and broad-mindedness." Klein chose not to dwell on this topic that made him feel uneasy, but instead asked, "Madam, does the Church hierarchy know about this—this so-called 'method of acting'?" "Undoubtedly, they are very well aware of it. I've reviewed the Church's historical records, searching for other instances of swift promotions that defied established patterns. I found that such night-watchers and bishops are not rare at all, and I'm certainly not the most exceptional among them. As for their outcomes…" Here, Dely paused deliberately, her tone seeming somewhat grave. "What were their fates?" Klein's heart tightened, and he asked aloud. Could it be that the Church of the Night Goddess regarded the "Method of Performance" as a temptation from the demonic deities? The translucent face, devoid of eyes, nose, and ears, suddenly smiled. "Their outcomes have been quite favorable—except for those who lost control or were sacrificed during extraordinary events. The rest have all risen to the rank of Archbishop or Senior Prelate, with no shortage of individuals achieving promotion to higher sequences. Indeed, in the Church of the Goddess, those of Sequence 4 and Sequence 3 are collectively known as the Saints, while those of Sequence 2 and Sequence 1 are the Earthly Angels. Of course, every Angel once held the rank of Saint." "The semi-transparent face, with only its mouth visible, expressed a slight sense of bewilderment: 'I don't know why, but they told me that once I become a metropolitan bishop or an advanced priest, I would understand these secrets. Today, I've come to you hoping that, before you submit your special application, you could clearly explain the art of acting to Dunne.' Klein didn't foolishly ask why the other hadn't done it himself, but instead pondered: 'Once noticed by the Church, one must make a commitment, enter into a vow—not to reveal the art of acting to anyone else?' 'Yes. Before the goddess's sacred relics, swearing by His name creates a binding obligation. Believe me, you absolutely wouldn't want to know the consequences of breaking such a vow. Right now, I can only speak with someone like you—someone who also possesses the art of acting. Your very state, as you answered, already told me the answer, which is why I dared to mention that very term.' Daili let out a long, thoughtful sigh from that strange face." She paused and added, "At first, I only vaguely grasped the essence of the performance, which allowed me to quickly absorb the potion. Yes, in the church hierarchy, describing mastery of the potion as 'digestion' is indeed very apt. To be honest, before I made my vow and was formally introduced to the 'performance method,' I didn't have a clear understanding of it—thus, I couldn't accurately remind Dunning and the others." "I had almost given up, only to meet you—a person who, even before submitting her special request, clearly recognized the peculiarities of the 'performance method.' No, a true talent." Indeed, that's how you see me, madam... Kline's嘴角 twitched slightly, and he solemnly promised, "I had originally planned to use the special request to remind the captain about the existence of the 'performance method.' Now, with your explanation, I have no further concerns." "Excellent—you are truly a kind young man." Daili's tone carried a clear sense of ease. Madam, you seem only a few years older than me... Klein noted this in his mind. Before he could speak, the translucent, eerie face continued: "If you have any questions or need any assistance, simply write to me. I'll wait—ah, I'll wait until I become a bishop or a senior steward, and once I understand why the Church has kept the secret of the 'Method of Performance' hidden, I'll let you know how significant this matter is." Klein was immediately energized and asked without hesitation: "Madam, may I have your address?" To him, every helper was a valuable asset, and this was especially a strong 'seer'! Facing Klein's unwavering eagerness, Dail remained silent for a few seconds, then smiled lightly: "Our correspondence should not go through the post office, nor through ordinary letters—this would be far too insecure." "I'll teach you a relatively simple ritual magic that can summon a unique spirit—mine—so that you write a letter to it, and it will deliver it accurately to me. It's not as fast as telegraph messages, but faster than a steam train. If you complete it by noon, I'll receive it by that evening in Beckland." Cayne listened intently, nodding slightly. "A very practical ritual magic." Daili chuckled lightly. "The hallmark of this kind of ritual magic is to appeal to oneself, drawing strength from one's own spiritual essence—no need to go through deities, making it quite discreet. The only drawback is that its power is often modest." “…First, you select herbs and essential oils appropriate to the domain—this is no different from a standard ritual magic practice—but the candle only needs to symbolize its own presence. Then comes the incantation, which consists of three parts. The first is ‘I,’ spoken in low tones in ancient Hermes, giant, dragon, or elf language. The second is ‘I summon by my name,’ which can be rendered in Hermes language. The third is a specific description of the entity being summoned—for instance, the one you will use later: a spirit wandering in the realm of illusion, an upper-world being driven by forces, a messenger uniquely entrusted to Daili Simonne.” What does ‘upper world’ mean? In esoteric traditions, this typically refers to the spiritual realm. While carefully memorizing the sequence, Kline also analyzed the structure of the ritual. In this regard, he could be considered a competent expert. … The advantage of this ritual magic is that it bypasses the deities entirely, relying solely on one's own power, thus achieving diverse magical effects without being constrained by the domains of the gods. The drawback is that it depends entirely on the caster's strength—those who are weak remain weak, and those who are strong remain strong. Klein felt he had acquired a new insight, a kind of mysteries currently beyond the reach of his current sequence. Dail reiterated the point several times, emphasizing seriously: "Remember, do not casually alter the specific description of the summoned entity; doing so easily invites dreadful monsters." "Understood," Klein nodded sincerely. Meanwhile, he suddenly recalled something: If the description of the summoned being were changed to "a fool of a time unbound, a mysterious sovereign above the gray mist, the king of fortune in yellow and black," what would be summoned? Would there be no effect at all, or would the gray mist suddenly descend, or would he need to respond in that mysterious realm? Will this help me tap into the powers above the Gray Mists more effectively? Might it trigger some dreadful chain reaction? Even克莱恩, who had just met his end on the "Mutated Solar Sigil," still felt a lingering sense of apprehension. Ultimately, he followed his heart's desire and decided to first seek a divination from the realm above the Gray Mists before deciding whether to proceed. "He'd heard from Dunning that Dailie moved from Sequence 9, 'The Body Keeper,' to Sequence 8, 'The Grave Digger,' in one year, and then from 'The Grave Digger' to Sequence 7, 'The Seer,' in another year. And since she became a Supernatural only five years ago, that means she's held the rank of 'The Seer' for nearly three years now." "Yes, that's precisely why I came to the Beckland parish." The translucent, eerie face responded calmly. "My current title is 'Spirit Mentor,' though I prefer to be called 'The Seer.' Well, this little one is tired now—I must be going. Under these circumstances, I won't even offer you the blessing of the Goddess." "Wishing you a good night's rest," said Kline, placing a hand to his chest and bowing with a smile. "No, I won't have a good night's sleep tonight. I have to rush back to Bakersfield. It's not a pleasant experience—much like having a relationship with someone I don't particularly like..." Daili's voice grew softer, and the semi-transparent face, devoid of eyes and nose, slowly retreated back into the wall, leaving no trace behind. The gas lamp brightened suddenly, and all the dim green hues vanished. Klein, who had been maintaining his spiritual sight, stared in quiet astonishment at this transformation, only coming to his senses after a long while. "Telepaths—no, spirit guides—what a remarkable feat! They've managed to create 'messengers' within their mysterious domains. I wonder what special qualities my Sequence 7 and Sequence 6 will possess..." He murmured these thoughts silently, then swiftly dismantled the spiritual wall and extinguished the gas lamp in the bedroom, settling quietly onto the darkened bed. He had no intention of going to the Gray Mists tonight. He needed to remain vigilant for Daili's sudden return, and he'd be sure to quote Dunning-Smith's classic line, "Oh, I forgot one thing." By then, even if he wanted to kill someone to silence them, he wouldn't be able to! ………… The next morning, Caine arrived at the Black Thorns Security Company five minutes early. "Good morning, Caine! A new administrative staff member has joined!" Rosan greeted him with a bright smile. Caine genuinely felt happy for her. "Congratulations, Rosan, the goddess has heard your prayer," he said. "My skin condition is returning!" Rosan nodded enthusiastically, her eyes shining. After a brief exchange of greetings, Caine walked over to the partition and knocked on the door of the captain's office. "Please come in," a warm, resonant voice responded. Caine pushed the door open and noticed that the captain immediately sat up straighter, his gray eyes deepening into a more intense gaze, as if ready for something to happen. "Ah," he cleared his throat, settled himself into his hat and cane, "Captain, I'd like to report something." "What is it?" the captain asked, clasping his hands together and speaking in a steady tone.