Klein stepped back from the heavy cabinet, only settling when he sensed no immediate threat. "That white bone statue is quite eerie—though not dangerous, it still sends a strange unease through me. Could it be—the so-called 'Primordial Witch'? One of the evil deities, alongside the 'Hidden Sage,' the 'Cosmic Umbral Face,' and the 'True Maker'?" As he recalled his earlier speculation about Lady Xuelin, the meaning of the bone statue suddenly became clear to him. While pondering this, a sudden sensation in his spirit stirred, bringing with it an unwelcome foreboding. Urgently, Klein flew to the intricately patterned window and looked out toward the road outside. There, under the glow of the gas-lit street lamps, a carriage moved swiftly and steadily toward the main entrance. Xuelin had returned, he realized, and now understood the source of his growing apprehension. Considering that Trish became a woman only after the Sequence 8 "Instigator," she likely belongs to Sequence 7, while Lady Sherron has been active in the upper echelons of Tingen's social circles for several years and is probably stronger than Trish. Klein didn't dare risk his advantage of the "Yahin Seal" and the "Azk Copper Horn," opting instead for a prudent retreat. The "Yahin Seal" has a limited supply—each use diminishes it—and retrieving the "Varied Solar Emblem" seal, which he needs to deceive again, won't happen soon. Unless it's a critical moment or there's no alternative, Klein didn't want to waste it, nor did he wish to face the challenge of explaining it later. He couldn't simply tell Dunne, "By coincidence, a kind-hearted strong one passed by and helped me out, right?" As for why he didn't use the "Azk Copper Horn," it was because Klein wasn't certain whether the summoned "messenger" possessed combat capability—what if the messenger was merely imposing in appearance, capable only of delivering messages? "Given just the things I discovered earlier, it would have been enough to warrant a full night watch team deployment. Why did I have to single out Lady Xuelin for a one-on-one fight? I could have simply overwhelmed her with a group assault!" Chen emphasized mentally, concluded his summoning, and in a flash returned to the gray mist, then enveloped himself in spiritual energy, descending into his physical body in the real world. He quickly extinguished and tucked away the candles, dismantled the spiritual wall, and stepped out of Lady Xuelin's bedroom, retracing his path—but now had no time to reset the door latch on the balcony. Sliding down the water pipe and emerging through the garden wall in the opposite direction from the main entrance, Chen remained concealed until he reached the adjacent neighborhood, then took the costly night coach to Zhotlan Street. ........ Lady Xuelin, dressed in her black gown yet even more graceful, walked slowly back up to the second floor, dismissed her maid, and opened the door to her bedroom. Her pure, dewy eyes suddenly congealed, reflecting strands nearly transparent, faintly visible—lacking any ethereal glow, much like the hair of a diseased human. Unless one was already aware of their existence or possessed particularly keen vision, few could perceive them. At that very moment, all the strands snapped and fell to the ground. Countess Snowlen narrowed her eyes and directed her gaze toward the heavy, iron-gray safe. "Dunne set down the newspaper, mulling over the phrase, and asked seriously, 'What did you find?' Kane didn't sit down; he leaned forward, placing both hands on the edge of the desk. 'I first saw a photograph of a young man, but he resembled Mrs. Xylen quite closely.' If she wore women's attire and had makeup, retouching, and digital enhancements, he thought, she'd be almost exactly like Mrs. Xylen today... Kane quietly muttered under his breath. 'Similar to the 'instigator,' Tris?' Dunne's gray eyes sparkled, suddenly enlightened. They had already suspected Tris might be a member of the magical order. 'Yes.' "Klein nodded thoughtfully, then added, "Later, using divination techniques, I discovered in a dream that there was a white bone statue hidden in the inner compartment of Lady Xuelin's safe. The statue depicts a beautiful woman, but her hair extends all the way down to her ankles—thick and strong, like venomous serpents—each strand crowned with eyes. It's quite eerie, Captain. Isn't this the image of the 'Primordial Witch'?" Due to insufficient confidentiality, he had access to only limited materials on the witchcraft orders. Dun recalled, his expression serious, and nodded firmly: "This is indeed the image of the 'Primordial Witch.' " "We must act immediately to secure Lady Xuelin." Klein immediately agreed: "Yes. If Lady Xuelin is a mid-tier extraordinary member of the witchcraft order, I don't think she would fail to notice anyone entering her bedroom." At that moment, he suddenly had a question, and asked out loud: "Captain, why do the seven orthodox gods lack specific forms and are instead represented only by symbolic signs, while the evil gods I've encountered so far—such as the 'True Maker' and the 'Primordial Witch'—have distinctly humanoid appearances? Is this one of the key distinctions between the good and evil gods?" Why is there such a difference? Klein silently added a question to himself, but wisely kept it unspoken. "This is indeed one of the key distinctions between the good and evil gods," Dune confirmed, then rose to walk toward the wardrobe. "We can't delay any longer—I'm worried that Lady Xyren might escape." Pausing at that point, Dune added: "Go fetch Coen Li. With the three of us, we can apply for a seal object. I suspect Lady Xyren may be beyond Sequence 7." "Captain, you're truly wise!" Klein replied without hesitation. "Very well." "Then, with a touch of curiosity, he asked, 'Captain, which sealing artifact would you like to use?' Duan recalled and pondered for about fifteen seconds before responding, '3—0217.' Since there weren't many sealing artifacts behind the Charnes Gate in Tinggen City, Klein soon remembered exactly what the captain had requested: 'Designation: 0217.' 'Name: The Seer's Mirror.' 'Risk Level: '3'—moderately risky, requiring careful handling; applications can only be made when at least three personnel are involved.' 'Confidentiality Level: Formal members of the Night Watch and above.' 'Sealing Method: Placed in complete darkness.' 'Description: The mirror's back is coated with mercury, and there are three small cracks on the front surface.' 'When the first investigators looked at this mirror, they saw a long-haired woman weeping within it. Then, they noticed that the woman gradually emerged from the mirror.' "Multiple experiments have shown that the image reflected by the mirror is often different—despite the same person viewing it repeatedly, they encounter varying phenomena, each with a distinct level of danger, all of which prioritize the mirror's viewer." "The most dangerous scenario is when one sees themselves." "If no one is viewing the mirror, under the presence of light, it automatically manifests a new image every three hours." "It does not possess the characteristics of life." "Appendix: This mirror originally belonged to a medium—a very ordinary mirror—until one day, the medium died mysteriously after simply gazing into it." Indeed, in the city of Tingen, behind the Charnes Gate, there are not many seal objects suitable for combat between extraordinary beings. "3–0217" is a solid choice... Klein didn't elaborate further and immediately rushed to the night-watchers' leisure room, calling out, "The Insomnius, Coen Li." — Tonight, Luo will be on duty at the Chani's Gate, while Leonard rests. Xigua. Tiao will patrol the Raphael cemetery and other sites. The new members won't arrive until Sunday, so Duan can only choose one between Frey and Coen Li. Since Lady Xuelin belongs to the Witch's order and has little connection with the undead, he opts for Coen Li. A few minutes later, Duan returns from underground, holding a mirror tightly wrapped in thick black cloth. Honestly, without prior knowledge, I simply couldn't tell it was a mirror—no part of it was exposed at all. Klein and the shorter Coen Li approach. "You'll be in charge of the sealed object '3–0217,'" Duan says, handing the mirror to Coen Li. Only now does Klein suddenly realize that he is a非凡者 of Sequence 8 with frontline combat capabilities, and that he can no longer remain in the background as a mere support. Phew, a bit nervous here... He ran a hand over the items in his coat pocket—the "Sleeping Sigil" and others—making sure everything was in order. "The only issue is, I didn't bring a walking stick for easier climbing. Oh well, I can borrow Coen-Li's. He's got a mirror in one hand and a gun in the other—more than enough." As his thoughts flowed, the three of them descended to the ground floor and took a rented carriage to Olsson Street. On the way, Coen-Li glanced at the seal in his palm, "3–0217," and remarked with a slightly tense expression, "This is the first time I've been involved in such a dangerous mission." Normally, Night Watchers don't use seals when handling extraordinary events. ——Previously, when they went to Mores Town to resolve supernatural incidents, they'd requested the "Varied Solar Emblem" as a precaution against rare, unforeseen emergencies, since the distance was so far that rescue would inevitably be too late. But this time, the target is almost certainly a mid-tier Extraordinary Being! "Don't worry," said Kline with a smile, "perhaps Mrs. Xuelin has To be honest, his anxiety wasn't any less than Cohen's. Dunning glanced at him with a weary expression and said, "We'll do our best not to lose Madame Xuelin." ... Twenty minutes later, the three night-watchmen arrived at Olsna Street and saw the garden and Madame Xuelin's house nestled in the darkness, quietly lying there as though nothing had happened. Kline removed the oracular pendulum from his left sleeve and quickly began his divination. "There's danger inside." "There's danger inside." ... After silently repeating the phrase seven times, he opened his eyes to see the yellow crystal pendant rotating clockwise at a moderate speed and amplitude. This indicated that there was indeed danger—moderate, neither high nor low.