What? Cline was momentarily stunned by Rosan's question, pausing to recall with a slightly bewildered air: "When I visited the old Neil's house last month, I noticed a piano in the living room. He told me that his late wife had been particularly fond of music..." As he spoke, Cline suddenly felt a chill run through him, an unexpected unease taking hold. Rosan furrowed her elegant brows, speaking with some uncertainty: "Perhaps I'm mistaken... No, actually, during the first half of the year, I frequently visited the old Neil's house with Mrs. Oliviana and others. At that time, there was no piano in the living room—I clearly remember asking him why he had remained single, and his answer was that he hadn't met anyone he felt ready to marry." There was no piano back then... still discussing his reasons for staying single... Cline's body went taut, and he asked in a steady voice, "Rosan, how long has it been since you last visited the old Neil's house?" "Since Cohen-Lit became a night watcher, and Violet chose to leave here, no longer working in an administrative capacity, I've either been staying up late or catching up on sleep—there's simply no time to visit people's homes... Well, since early June." Rosan seemed a bit puzzled by the question and could only answer honestly. Klain listened, his heart gradually sinking, as though he had already sensed something. He quickly pulled out a half-penny coin from his pocket, holding it between his thumb and middle finger. Taking a deep breath, he carefully composed the incantation. "Old Neil's current condition is off." "Old Neil's current condition is off." ... Silently repeating these words, his eyes swiftly darkened, and he entered a meditative state. Clang! With a flick of his thumb, the bronze coin soared into the air, spinning and rolling continuously. Plump! It settled precisely onto the palm of Klain, which was open and spread. This time, the portrait of George III faced upward. And the portrait indicating correctness signifies affirmation. This means that Old Neil's current condition is indeed wrong! Klein clutched the coin and suddenly recalled, during his early days as a newly promoted mage, how swiftly he had mastered the ability of spiritual vision—seeing behind Old Neil a pair of nearly translucent, unusually cold, eyelid-less, and eerie, ethereal eyes. At the time, he had explained this phenomenon as a residual effect of a ritual magic. Ah, and I also noticed a near-invisible figure in the dim corner by the door—its aura matching perfectly with the surrounding pale, dimmed environment. Moreover, after fully absorbing the "Seer's" potion and subtly adjusting the spiritual vision trigger to a light tooth-tap, when I casually glanced at Old Neil, he suddenly began to cough violently—coughing with such intensity it seemed to tear his chest. Scenes from that moment now flashed vividly in Klein's mind, deepening the gravity of his expression. Rosan glanced at him, her eyes filled with both fear and apprehension, and asked hesitantly, "Will Old Neil lose control?" No, although he is rather petty and thrifty, always wanting to claim expenses, he is actually a good man—rarely truly angry, never losing control...” “I’m not certain, but I believe Captain Neil is only approaching the point of losing control.” Klein comforted Rosan with that, then quickly crossed the partition and pushed open the door to the captain’s office. Dennis Smith was sipping his coffee when the sudden intruder startled him, nearly choking on it. “What’s happened?” he asked, neither blaming Klein nor showing any less seriousness. Klein responded plainly and without reservation: “Captain, my reading indicates that something is amiss with Neil’s current condition.” “Last month, Neil told me his late wife enjoyed music. But today, Rosan says he has remained single all along.” "And on the very day I became an extraordinary being, I saw two ethereal, eerie eyes watching everything behind Old Neil, and translucent figures at the door peering in. He told me this was a residual effect of the ritual magic." "I felt something was off, so I tried a divination." Dunne listened intently, then stood up abruptly, walking toward the wardrobe, while asking with curiosity, "Why didn't you simply divinate whether Old Neil was losing control?" "Over the past month, Old Neil has behaved exactly like a typical extraordinary being. In fact, he even teamed up with me to help Swain eliminate a失控 substitute punisher. I've used my spiritual vision to observe his aura several times, and each time I've found him relatively healthy—just showing signs of aging. Therefore, I believe he is only approaching the threshold of losing control, with clear early symptoms that still offer room for recovery." Klein delivered his viewpoint in a single, flowing stream. Dunne donned a black hat, fastened on a knee-length coat, and gave a gentle nod. "Very well reasoned—now let's go see old Neil. We'll try to avoid upsetting him." "Then, we'll attempt to stabilize him, using ritual magic to control his condition and slow his deterioration." Control... The word struck Chen suddenly. "Captain, may we use the sealant item '3–0611'?" He had been thinking constantly about how to handle Neil, striving to save him, yet remained overwhelmed—nervous, anxious, and deeply concerned—until Dunne Smith's words clarified his thoughts. Then it came to him: there was a sealant item that could be of use. "Designation: 0611." "Name: Silken Stillness." "Risk Level: '3'—moderately risky, requiring careful use. It can only be activated with the participation of three or more individuals." "Confidentiality Level: Formal members of the Night Watch and above." "Sealing Method: No direct contact with living organisms." "Description: A simple accessory composed of many deeply black, long strands of hair." "As long as there is no protected contact with it, all living organisms will lose all desires and emotions—including but not limited to hunger, anger, sadness, pain, envy, admiration, hatred, joy, satisfaction, and greed." "It has been confirmed that affected organisms will lose even the desire to come into contact with 0611, remaining quietly in place until the end of their lives." "If an external force separates the affected organism from 0611, the organism will gradually recover; however, experimental data indicates that this recovery occurs only if the duration of contact does not exceed two hours." "Once the contact duration exceeds two hours, the affected organism will remain permanently silent." "The highest level of experimental subjects is Sequence 5." "Contact can be avoided through methods such as wearing gloves." "These strands lack the vitality of living tissue; they show no tendency to escape their seal." "Appendix: These strands emerged during a failed promotion event, and are the remnants of a night watch captain who did not successfully advance to Sequence 6." Hearing Caine's words, Dune nodded with a deep, thoughtful gaze: "Excellent suggestion—I almost forgot about '3—0611.' You go to the recreation room to find Luo Yao; I'll retrieve the seal items after reaching the Charnes Gate, then return to complete the request." That's exactly how it should be—no time to be wasted! Caine didn't hesitate and immediately proceeded to the Night Watch recreation room, summoning the usually expressionless "Night Watcher" Luo Yao. "What is the assignment?" Luo Yao asked calmly, his black hair flowing like silk. Caine exhaled, responding with a slightly weighty tone: "Visit Old Neil." "Visit Old Neil... He?" Lo Yao's eyes widened, forming a sudden, unfavorable suspicion. "Not yet certain," Kline nodded slightly. Lo Yao remained silent, and both of them fell into quiet together—the air around them seemed to gradually thicken, as if something were slowly gathering and becoming heavier. A few minutes passed before Dune finally returned from beneath the earth. He wore black gloves and held a tangled mass of dark hair. Compared to the "mutated solar sigil," the "quiet hair" showed no obvious outward anomaly; if it fell on the street, it would easily go unnoticed. After summoning the coachman, Cezar, the group of four set off toward the old Neil's home. The wheels rolled over the muddy road recently soaked by rain, and within the carriage, silence settled even deeper than at midnight. It wasn't until much later that Dunning sighed and spoke: "When Neil was younger, he had a fiancée who suddenly fell ill with a serious condition that proved untreatable. Despite the risk of exposing extraordinary secrets, Neil attempted to save her using ritual magic, but ultimately failed. At that time, Neil was only just beginning to learn the intricacies of mysticism. According to records, the night watchmen were deeply concerned that Neil might lose his composure as a result, but fortunately, he managed to regain his calm and showed no signs of distress." May this too be nothing but a temporary scare... Cain quietly drew a crimson moon on his chest and whispered a prayer: "May the goddess protect him." Dunning and Luo Yao followed suit, making the same gesture: "May the goddess protect him." ... The sky gradually brightened, the dark clouds fully dissolving, and the night watchmen's carriage came to rest in front of Neil's standalone house. After Cizer had driven the carriage to a distance, Dunn composed himself, holding his staff in one hand and the seal "3—0611" in the other, his gray eyes deep and steady, making his way toward the main door. Caine adjusted his half-high silk hat slightly and, alongside Lo Yao, followed the队长 through the garden filled with roses and golden mint. Upon reaching the door, Caine stepped forward and pulled the cord that connected to the bell inside. Tink, tink, tink! The clear, pleasant chime rang out, breaking the stillness of the room. Tink, tink, tink! Tink, tink, tink! Caine pulled the cord several times in succession, then politely stepped back, without attempting further. The three night-watchmen waited patiently for several minutes, but never heard the sound of someone approaching to open the door. "Perhaps," Caine offered a smile, "Old Neil has gone to see the doctor and is not at home." Before he had finished speaking, a gentle melody suddenly rose from within the room—a beautiful piano composition, like the serene lake draped in a light mist beneath the moonlight. Duan's expression instantly grew serious and solemn, and Caine's heart sank to the depths. He was about to make a divination when he suddenly noticed a steady flow of water seeping from the gap beneath the main door. At first, the water was clear and pure, then it turned a deep, rich crimson—so vivid and intense that it seemed like blood.