Dunne sighed, "At the time, I truly did want to sideline you, because the work I was involved in touched upon a secret shared between the Church and the Watchers. But Cohen Li's death has left my mind in disarray, and I could only come up with a rather clumsy excuse to give you a chance to return and see things for yourself." "What secret?" asked Kline with a sense of ease. He had almost forgotten about the possible presence of suspected divine offspring or mythic beings outside. Dunne carefully chose his words, "In the realm of the mysterious, there may exist a law—though I haven't read many books, I do know what a law means." "This law is known as the Law of Perpetual Exceptional Properties." "Exceptional properties never perish or diminish; they merely transfer from one vessel to another." Kline's eyes widened instantly, then settled with a look of sudden clarity and thoughtful reflection. "For instance, when an exceptional being loses control, would they leave behind seals, magical artifacts, or primary ingredients for potions?" "Yes." "Dun nodded firmly," "It's not just the extraordinary ones going out of control... even ordinary extraordinary ones leave behind the same thing after death." "Same thing...," Kline chewed on Dun's description, beginning to grasp what the captain had been doing at the time. As his thoughts turned, he suddenly remembered something—the blood orb, about the size of a thumb, floating mid-air beside the body of the tailor-clad clown, a faint blue hue to it. When Fley explained it, he had said that extraordinary beings always exhibited some strange changes after death. Dun's deep gray eyes continued, "But unlike the out-of-control extraordinary ones, the ordinary ones who die leave behind something that's not just materials or objects—it's rather like a potion, corresponding to their sequence, though lacking certain auxiliary ingredients." "Like a potion... like a potion!" Kline's eyes narrowed, and a lightning bolt seemed to strike through his mind, illuminating an endless darkness. He suddenly understood many things—why extraordinary pathways wouldn't fade even when materials were exhausted. Beyond substituting materials, one could simply rely on the remains of extraordinary beings! This should also be one of the reasons why higher-tier sequences now only provide finished potions. Another reason is to prevent the recipes from leaking through divination and spirit communication techniques... Thoughts cascaded through Caine's mind. Dunne glanced at the door of the night-watchers' lounge, and in a low, steady voice explained: "Several years ago—how many exactly, I can't recall now—when I wasn't yet the captain of the night-watchers' team, I stumbled upon this issue. After discussing it with Dely, who had only recently become an extraordinary being, I immediately reported it to the Hall. The Hall asked me to keep it confidential and offered me two options. That's why I'm explaining this, rather than Dely—whichever of us is exposed, we're both responsible." "The first option is to simply act as if we don't know—just like most Night Watch captains and stewards—and have the Sanctum handle the usual post-death arrangements for the extraordinary ones. The second option is to give me a special, simple rite, along with corresponding techniques, enabling me to directly consume the items that have gathered due to my inherent traits within a certain time limit. Indeed, this only applies to my own path, specifically to extraordinary beings of the same or lower sequence. This would enhance my extraordinary traits and strengthen my overall power. Regarding dream-related abilities, I now match or even exceed those of a sequence 6—this is precisely why I feel confident in confronting Lady Xuelun. Ah, so there's actually something like that... Klein exhaled slowly. Finally, he understood why he had been struggling so hard to find a reasonable explanation before—his lack of foundational knowledge. Even his imagination couldn't bridge the gap." Well, this aligns perfectly with what's known as the "Law of Invariant Characteristics"... Perhaps, with such continuous accumulation, we might eventually reach a point of qualitative transformation? Klein's thoughts drifted freely. Dunn glanced at him and offered a wry smile. "I've chosen the second path of development—not specifically to grow stronger. If I truly wish to grow strong, the best and most direct route is to quickly absorb the magic potions and advance in rank." "Indeed," Klein sincerely agreed. "By gathering characteristics of the same pathway, either of equal or lower sequence, we may strengthen ourselves, yet at the same time, might we not increase the risk of instability?" Dunn shook his head seriously. "Not at all. This is simply a matter of what remains typical among ordinary extraordinary beings. It's not instability. In fact, after gaining a deeper understanding of the 'Role-Playing Method,' I've revisited this issue and found that it actually makes the absorption process more difficult." "Then, why continue?" Klein asked, genuinely surprised. Dunne reached into his coat pocket with his right hand, trying to feel for his pipe, but realized he had left it in the office. With a self-mocking shake of his head, he said, "I've already said this—I'm not here to become stronger simply because of their relics." Pausing then, his gaze slightly blurred as it fell upon the ethereal blue glow of the gas lamps across the room, he spoke softly, "They were all my companions... We've shared so many experiences, faced monsters in the dark and mad cultists together. Some saved me, and I saved many of them. We walked through quiet nights, fought in places unseen by the public, stood against dangers, and always stood shoulder to shoulder, guarding each other's backs." "I will miss them dearly. I remember little Ite, how she broke down in tears right there, trembling with fear after her first dangerous mission. I remember Adelaide—oh, he was Rosan's father—how he once used his arms to shield me from a terrible curse. I remember Dauyn, a girl with a warmth like morning light, always quietly recording the events of everyone around her. I remember Coenli, though short in stature, who was remarkably versatile—she could play the seven-stringed lyre, sing, tell stories—she was more like a poet than Leonard. I will miss them dearly. With a slight upward curve to his lips, he continued: "In my dreams, they're still with me. Adelaide loves reading and is always tucked away in the sunroom, poring over books. He always sends me to manage Rosan, urging her to mature—so much that Rosan constantly complains that I'm becoming more like her father, and she's always afraid of me. Ite is always restless, eager to go hunting in the forest every day. Dauin stands by her window, watching us chat. The newly joined Cohen-Li has crafted a seven-string guitar and plays it, singing and strumming all by himself there... I simply can't bear to let them go." "Captain..." Klein murmured instinctively, his eyes momentarily blurring. He reached up, brushing away a tear, silently cursing under his breath, "For heaven's sake, Captain—you're just pretending to cry!" But now I finally understand why your 'acting' skills have been progressing so slowly... Klein sighed quietly, without a sound. "Unfortunately, Neil passed away unexpectedly. Otherwise, he would have brought us so much joy." Duan withdrew his gaze, gently pressing his fingers together at the area between his eyes. After a few seconds, he lifted his head, offering a bitter smile. "This has been a selfish decision." "I didn't know what Adelaide, Cohen-Li, or the others truly wanted, so I made the decision for them out of self-interest." "I truly am a selfish person." "No..." Laine shook his head vigorously. ........ In the lounge area of the reception hall, Leonard watched Meiguois plucking handful after handful of hair, his expression growing increasingly stiff. Meiguois, slightly agitated, kept lifting her cup to drink, her face slightly distorted as she looked at Leonard. "I don't know why, but suddenly I feel rather unwell." Leonard was about to respond when he suddenly saw Meghios lifting her hand to her face, swiftly pulling off a long strip of flesh, blood-streaked and glistening. "My face feels itchy," Meghios said, smiling awkwardly, her lips cracked all the way to her cheekbones, revealing a gleam of white teeth and fresh red gums. Xxx! Leonard silently cursed, stunned by how quickly the situation was deteriorating. He moved his lips, listened intently, then his face turned pale with shock. With a strained smile, he addressed Meghios, who continued to clutch her face and pull off patches of flesh: "I'll go to the restroom." "Good... uh... well..." Meghios' tone became somewhat wavering. She touched her abdomen. "My... child... seems a bit unsettled..." Leonard said nothing further, quickened his pace, and approached the partition. After entering the corridor, he cast a deep gaze at the saint's ashes held by Dunn-Smith, sighed with resignation. Then, his expression grew resolute: "Captain, we're running out of time—we must act immediately to address Meghoulis and the child in her womb. Otherwise, the entire Tinggen city will suffer massive losses. Evacuating the surrounding population won't be enough; I know you've already sent such a telegraph." Dunn frowned, his tone unusually serious: "Are you certain the situation has deteriorated to this extent?" "Yes," Leonard replied with conviction. "Within no more than three minutes, Meghoulis will undergo transformation, and her child will be born prematurely." As he spoke, he glanced at the thick vein wrapped around Cline's hand and said solemnly, "The seal '2–105'? Use it for me—I can make it work more effectively." "Agreed." Klein handed over the "Vessel Stealer" without hesitation—this had been precisely what he had planned to do. At that moment, Dene Smith adjusted his collar, smoothed his black lightweight coat, and spoke firmly: "I'll take Saint Serenela's ashes out first. You wait ten seconds, and remember—silently count to ten before stepping forward to fight. Regardless of my condition, you must not waste a moment. Aim your strongest attack directly at Meghios and the infant in her womb." With that, he turned and, holding the ashes, walked steadily toward the partition. "Captain..." Klein called out, his voice dry. "Captain," Leonard echoed, his tone low and steady. Dunne paused, turned back, and spoke gently with a warm, resonant voice: "Don't worry about me. I'm not alone—Adelaide, Dower, little Ite, and Coenli are fighting beside me. No matter what dangers we face." He paused, his gray eyes kindly fixed on both Cline and Leonard. "And don't be tense—we are protecting the city of Tinggen." A slight smile lifted at the corner of his mouth, unchanged from his usual expression. With that, he continued forward without hesitation, his gaze fixed outward, his steps steady as he passed through the partition, only his black knee-length coat gently swaying behind him. "Captain!" Cline and Leonard called out simultaneously, their eyes welling with tears, yet Dunne showed not the slightest delay. We are a group of ordinary people, constantly battling danger and madness—but we are also protectors.