Klein unfolded the letter with eager anticipation, reading Azk's reply: "…The scenario you described reminded me of several possibilities—particularly vampires and beings of other kinds. Natural vampires had already been nearing extinction before the dragons and giants withdrew from history; after that, they were only occasionally encountered. The vampires we typically discuss in folk traditions are more akin to extraordinary beings. I recall that one of the sequences in a certain path has a potion named simply 'Vampire.' If your superior is already half-crazed, he likely ingested this very potion. When two different paths' potions are mixed, half-crazed is an inevitable outcome. Indeed, I vaguely remember that the 'Night' path—what you call the 'Watchers' path—can interchange with the 'Death' path and the 'Giants' path at higher sequences. However, this does not extend to the path containing the 'Vampires.'" "Of course, it's not out of the question that your superior might have deliberately accepted this arrangement. After all, vampires possess long lifespans, exceptional physical health, and outstanding appearances—benefits that are hard to overlook. A semi-crazed state, while less ideal, is certainly acceptable in comparison. I was quite surprised to learn such valuable insights from Mr. Azk. The 'Death' path, which is essentially the 'Burial Attendant' path, can be exchanged with the 'Night Watchman' path at higher sequences—this secret I discovered in Roscel's journal. I never expected, however, that these two paths could also be exchanged with the 'Giants' path starting at sequence 4 and beyond. The 'Giants' path is the one currently held by the Silver City, now known as the 'War God' path. I've long suspected that King Olmire, the Giant King, might have been an ancient war god. Indeed, Roscel's imperial journal describes a longstanding rivalry between the Church of the Night Goddess and the Church of the War God. Could this rivalry stem precisely from their ability to exchange sequences at higher levels?" Given this assumption, the mutual hostility among the three oldest churches—the Church of the Storm Sovereign, the Church of the Eternal Radiant Sun, and the Church of the Gods of Knowledge and Wisdom—can be reasonably explained, as their respective paths—the "Seafarer," "Hymn-Singer," and "Reader"—are capable of interchanging at higher sequences! Indeed, during the late era of the previous age, the "Age of Pale Light," the primary forces behind the fall of Death were likely the Night Goddess and the War God... The team leader is normally in good spirits, aside from occasional memory lapses; there's no sign of partial madness, so the possibility of having consumed the "Vampire" potion can be ruled out! Mr. Azk has recently recalled many memories—could it be that the "creeping hunger" has truly affected him? Klein nodded gently and continued reading: "‘Non-human’ is not the name of a specific race, but rather a description applied to many similar beings. In their normal state, they are indistinguishable from humans. Yet within them lies a persistent, distorted, repressed instinct—desires that remain latent until triggered by certain circumstances or specific stimuli. Upon such triggers, these desires surge forth, transforming them into monsters who then indulge freely in bloodlust and violence." "Once the turmoil subsides, they return to their normal state. With each such episode, they grow more detached and unyielding, until ultimately, their very souls are completely warped." "The most common example I can recall—indeed, the only one that comes to mind—is the werewolf. In ordinary times, they are no different from humans and remain undetectable by most extraordinary abilities. However, during the full moon, their inner distortions intensify, and their bodies undergo noticeable changes." "Your superior might very well be a latent ‘non-human’—the deaths of your teammates have awakened his innate nature." "All of the above are my personal speculations, as my memory is incomplete and I cannot guarantee that there aren't other possibilities—perhaps the precursors of your own observations could also explain the situation." "Whether one has consumed the 'vampire' potion or is inherently of a 'different kind' proves insufficient; of course, there have been past speculations that the 'different kinds' were originally ordinary humans who later became monsters due to a strange curse or contamination from demons or divine entities under specific circumstances." "As for whether the precursors of loss of control can be treated, I am not certain. I recommend you directly report this matter to your superior's superior, hoping that everything still has time to be salvaged." Setting down the letter, Caine gazed seriously at the desk, pondering for a long time. He had to admit that while the existence of 'different kinds' was plausible, the factor of precursors to loss of control could not be ruled out. "We can only wait for Miss Dailie's feedback... The letter I sent last night should have reached her this morning. If she replies promptly, I would have seen it either last night or this morning. But it's nearly noon now. Is the young messenger too hesitant to approach the Charnes Gate? Or has Miss Dailie been delayed by other matters?" Kline shook his head, feeling still exhausted, and leaned into meditation, forcing himself to fall asleep once more. In the hazy world, he suddenly became aware that he was dreaming. Then he saw Dennis Smith appearing before him in a black lightweight overcoat. By normal dreaming reactions, Kline slowly summoned, "Good morning... Captain..." Dennis gently nodded. "During his investigation into the Larnuus case, Leonard has uncovered a lead that requires your assistance. The seer sent by the Hall has been delayed due to a steam train malfunction and will arrive tomorrow morning." "Good...," Klein replied in a hesitant tone. Duan paused and added, "You don't need to return to Zothlan Street—just go straight to House 62 in Hauls Street. Leonard will be waiting there for you." "Thank you," he said as he spoke, and instantly, Klein's dream began to fragment, his eyes opening naturally. Hauls Street... wasn't that the neighborhood where my classmate Welch and the previous member of the Aurora Circle lived? Recently, things have been so busy—so many events, one after another—like something significant is being built up beneath the surface... Klein thought to himself, slowly rising from his seat. He went to the bathroom to freshen up, then changed into his white shirt, brown vest, and black lightweight coat, took his half-high silk hat, and descended to the living room. It was still before eleven o'clock; Bensen and Melissa had not yet returned. Klein told the housemaid, Bella, that he didn't need to worry about his lunch. Next, he boarded a street carriage and arrived at the Hauls district, where he spotted the "Midnight Poet," Leonard Mitchell, with a disheveled yet elegant appearance at the door of No. 62. In the now-cooler September weather, Leonard was still dressed in a thin white shirt and a beige long pants. With a glance of his green eyes, he remarked, "This is likely the house where Larnus has been renting under a different name." "How did you find out?" asked Caine with mild curiosity. Leonard pointed to his own head. "Since you received leads from Hude Egen, suspecting that Larnus might be connected to the member of the Aurora Circle—namely, the merchant Seris Aripis—I had to shift my approach. After no breakthroughs in my regular investigations, I decided to focus on the Aurora Circle line." "Earlier reports indicated that Seris had frequent interactions with several residents in the Hauls district. I've personally reviewed each one, and I've found some inconsistencies." "What kind of inconsistencies?" "Klein nodded slightly. Leonard raised an eyebrow, "It's obvious—the tenants here rarely appear. After Hinas Vancent's death, he claimed he was going to do business on the southern continent and has never returned. His records are genuine; the police have found nothing amiss." "This can only be a coincidence," Klein frowned. "Of course, it's just a coincidence. But when I asked residents around the neighborhood to compare the photo of Larnuus, one elderly man felt that he resembled the tenant at unit 62, except for the glasses." Leonard pulled out a black-and-white photograph from his pants pocket. How could he have thought of this earlier... Klein muttered under his breath, following Leonard into unit 62 of the Hauls district, and began to perform a divination to check for hidden compartments or secret rooms as requested. And the result was affirmative. "There are hidden compartments or secret rooms in this house." Klein wrote down the revised divination statement, sat down on the sofa, and closed his eyes, silently reciting the words. After seven repetitions, he entered a dream, his vision blurred. In the hazy world, Klein saw oak bookshelves, rows of books, a book being removed from the shelf, and the wooden surface beside it suddenly opening to reveal a hidden compartment. The scene faded quickly, and Klein opened his eyes, saying to Leonard, "In the study." He fastened the yellow crystal pendant and followed Leonard into the study, where he saw the oak bookshelf he had dreamed of. "Remove that book—the hidden compartment is concealed behind it," Klein pointed to the book closest to the edge. "Here it is... I searched every room in the house thoroughly, but found nothing, so I had to return to Zothlan Street for assistance," Leonard muttered as he walked over and removed the book Klein indicated. After a moment of searching, he finally located the mechanism and opened the compartment with a crisp snap. Inside lay a letter. A letter? Had Lan'uris hidden a letter here? Klein was deeply astonished. Having consulted his oracle to determine whether the letter concealed any hazardous items, he received a negative response. Then Leonard reached out, picked up the letter, and opened the envelope—without any address or recipient written on it. He extracted the paper and shook it slightly to lay it flat. Klein stepped closer, intently observing, and read the opening paragraphs: “Hah! Hah! Congratulations! Congratulations on finally finding this letter!” “This shows that you are not entirely foolish, not entirely slow of perception—you are worthy to participate in the game I have designed, a game of life and death.” “The child laborers who keep dying, the factory workers who rarely survive ten years due to harsh conditions, the women who risk serious illness yet receive only meager wages—I have seen in every factory a multitude of grievances, a weight of discontent that dims and oppresses the surrounding atmosphere. This is the worst of times, and the best of times. Our game will begin precisely within this context.” "Stupid ones, get ready—here comes my hint!" PS: Requesting a monthly subscription for the second chapter! Also, I'm recommending my friend's book, *Nine Divine Personages*—it's quite lengthy, and he's promised to treat me to dinner.