Folding the letter, Caine pulled out the bronze whistle, brought it to his lips, and blew a strong breath. Without a sound, he watched as ethereal, hazy bones one by one were launched from the desk, forming a great creature—still nearly four meters tall, still glowing faintly, still pushing its head through the roof, unchanged from before. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the letter upward, and the bone-monster caught it firmly. Then he blew again, and watched as the "messenger" dissolved into shimmering bones, falling like rain onto the desk surface, vanishing into it. After completing these actions, Caine felt more at ease, yet he did not stop trying. He shifted his chair back, stood up, and walked four steps counterclockwise, stepping into the gray mist. Before him rose the majestic palace and the ancient, weathered long table, as if they had remained unchanged for countless millennia. Klein sat in the high-backed chair belonging to "The Fool," silently unfastening the pendulum concealed within the cuff of his left sleeve, and then materialized a yellow-brown vellum scroll and a round-bodied steel pen. He would now make a divination for the captain's condition tonight! After a moment's reflection, Klein wrote down his first divinatory statement: "Denis Smith's anomaly will place me in danger." — In the art of mysticism, divinations concerning one's own safety are the most resistant to external interference, as they stem from a spiritual instinct. In other words, unless subjected to particularly strong disruptions, Klein can reliably achieve accurate results in such divinations. This is precisely why, even knowing that Lady Sherron possesses the ability to interfere with divinations, he still chose to make a divination for potential risks in his current mission—he was well aware that Lady Sherron's influence was not strong enough to affect these kinds of divinations. Now, in order to ascertain the captain Denis Smith's condition, he decided to eliminate all possible interference and perform the divination upon the gray mist. With his left hand holding the pendulum, Caine chanted the divination formula seven times, then closed his eyes and entered a meditative state. After stabilizing for a few seconds, he opened his eyes, and the depth of his gaze had returned to normal. He looked at the yellow crystal pendant, his heart gradually sinking as the pendulum began to swing clockwise—strongly and steadily. This indicated a positive answer. This meant that Dunning Smith’s anomaly would put him in danger! And the danger was significant! Closing his eyes again, Caine “wiped” away the previous text and wrote a new divination formula: “The cause of Dunning Smith’s anomaly.” He placed the yellow crystal pendant back, leaned back against the chair, and, while silently reciting the formula, entered a dream state through meditation. In that hazy, ethereal world, he saw nothing, discovered nothing—only grayness, after grayness. "This indicates insufficient information—divination has failed..." Kline opened his eyes toward the vellum paper on the bronze long table, murmuring bitterly and helplessly. Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion, realizing it was the cumulative result of intense combat, repeated rituals, and multiple divinations. Enveloping himself in spirit, Kline sank into a gray mist and returned to the real world. Throughout the night, he had several nightmares—each ending with Cohen Li vomiting out his internal organs, or Dunne Smith's mouth surrounded by dark red blood.…… The next morning, before his shift was scheduled to begin at the Charnes Gate, Kline arrived early at Black Thorns Security. At this time, the clerical staff, including Rosan and Mrs. Oliviana, had not yet started work. Kline passed through the partitions and looked through the open door, spotting Dunne Smith in the captain's office. Dun removed his coat, wearing only a white shirt and a black vest. He sat at his chair, holding a cup of coffee, gazing steadily at the wall ahead. His hair was slightly dry, his gray eyes dimmed with a quiet luster, and the firm lines of his face revealed clear signs of wear. Even for a captain who had faced such events many times before, losing two teammates in quick succession was hard to bear... A pang of emotion struck Kline's heart, and suddenly, the image of the broken mirror returned—along with the image of Dun half-bent over, his face streaked with dark blood. Kline clenched his teeth, turned his head slightly, and looked toward the side. After a few seconds, he composed himself, and reached out to knock on the captain's office door. Dun, DUN, DUN. Dun set down his coffee cup, and his gray eyes deepened once more. He inhaled quietly and said, "I've already reported the situation to the Hall. They've provided an initial response." "The Church will compensate Cohen黎's family with £3,000, and the police department will provide an additional £1,000 in condolence... Together, that amounts to £4,000—wealth that most middle-class families would find impossible to accumulate over a lifetime... Cohen黎 earned £7 per week, £364 annually, and with bonuses and extra income, his total reached at least £380. Therefore, £4,000 equates to roughly ten years of his earnings. This sum would generate at least £200 per year in returns, offering a modest but necessary compensation for the financial impact of Cohen黎's death on his family. While money cannot replace emotion or the personal bond with Cohen黎, it is currently the most effective available remedy. Klein considered many thoughts, but ultimately settled on a single sigh: 'That's all we can do.' The Church of the Night Goddess has shown exceptional generosity in this matter. Dunning adjusted his collar and spoke quietly: 'You go down to the depths and replace Lo-Yao.' 'Understood." Klein nodded slightly. He turned and walked toward the door, hearing the captain's almost self-reflective addition: "We'll be sending Coen Li home later..." Sending Coen Li home... What reactions would his parents, his siblings, his fiancée have? Klein's heart tightened, and he felt a quiet relief that he didn't have to face that kind of sorrow. He knew it was avoidance, yet he was genuinely afraid to see his parents' eyes filled with overwhelming grief and his fiancée's expression drained of life, afraid to witness their hidden expressions of resentment, afraid to hear the steady stream of sobs. He quickened his pace and reached the door of Charnis, silently completing the handover to Luo Yao. He sat in the watchroom, occasionally pulling out his silver pocket watch, watching time pass one moment at a time. Then, after an indeterminate length of time, a faint, layered sound suddenly echoed in his ears. He glanced at the back of his hand, where four black spots stood out, understanding that it was Justice, The Empress, or The Sun reaching out to him. But he couldn’t respond in time—only endured until the prompt ended, waited for another plea, and finally made it home the next morning. As soon as he pulled out his keys and opened the door, Crane saw Bella wiping the dining table, while his sister Melissa and brother Bensen each stepped down the stairs in their respective outerwear. "You weren’t at Mass last week, were you?" Crane asked, slightly puzzled. Bensen smiled. "I can understand the memory of someone who hasn’t slept all night." "Ah?" Crane looked even more confused. "Today is the first day of ticket sales for *The Count’s Return*," Melissa explained. Crane tapped his forehead and casually removed his hat. "I’ve been so busy lately, I completely forgot about it." Especially these past three days, he added, sighing. Melissa looked at him concerned and said, "Your breakfast is in the kitchen. Have it and then go to bed soon. We're planning to go out, so we'll take the opportunity to attend Mass at Saint Seraphina Church." "Alright," said Kline, waving goodbye to his brother and sister, having a simple breakfast before returning to his room. With preparations complete, he stepped backward four paces into the gray mist, and observed that the deep red stars corresponding to "Justice" and "The Hanged Man" were shimmering and pulsing in a dreamlike expansion and contraction. Extending his right hand and spreading his spiritual awareness, Kline saw a blurred image form before him, and heard the voice of the "Justice" lady pleading: "... I beg of you to listen. Because of the matter involving Zinglars, my father has summoned a remarkable one to protect me, and there are unseen surveillance measures I'm unaware of. It has been difficult for me to find an opportunity to approach you, so I would like to request leave for the gathering next week. I believe these concerns will soon fade away." Klein unconsciously glanced at the blurry image, seeing the mist swirling around, the massive bathtub appearing to ripple with waves, and the "Justice" lady wrapped in a towel. He turned his gaze back and resumed listening to the "Hangings'" plea. While their description differed from that of "Justice," they too were requesting the same thing—leave due to the lingering effects of the Zilings event. Klein gave a slight nod, responding to each plea: "I understand." Then, he sent a mental message to the deep red star corresponding to "The Sun": "The upcoming gathering is temporarily canceled." Suddenly, he blinked and saw the thick mist, the ancient palace resembling a giant's dwelling, and the "Fool" seated deep within the gray haze. "The gathering is temporarily canceled." The voice still echoed, yet by the time it faded, everything before him had returned to normal. He was no surprise at this marvel, for each time before a gathering, the Fool would always remind him thus. Subconsciously, he raised his gaze toward the woman before him, Loivya, a member of the Six-Body Council of Silver City, the "Shepherd." This formidable figure constantly shifted between smiles and sternness, telling each young recruit that they would now join the patrol teams to clear the nearby dark monsters—something that was no longer mere training. Loivya the Elder showed no signs of anomaly... her condition was growing increasingly strange. Was it because an evil spirit of equal strength to a high-tier warrior dwelled within the soul she had nurtured as a shepherd? His thoughts drifted in that direction. ……… Caine returned to his bedroom, lay down on the bed, and soon fell asleep, dreaming of the events that had occurred lately. Suddenly, he felt himself being shaken gently, awakening with a start. Opening his eyes, Caine saw a massive hand made of white bone. The hand paused, set the letter it was holding down on the bed, then vanished. Mr. Azk’s reply… Caine suddenly became aware of it and picked up the letter.