In the northern reaches of the Kingdom of Roon, the September breeze, though pleasant, carried a hint of coolness, and as it swept through the cemetery, a sense of chill deepened. Caine was startled by the wind, snapping back to awareness with a wry smile. "This journey must still hold some secrets," he murmured. "But it seems as though after no more than two or three such crossings, I'll no longer be able to 'revive' myself. I wonder—if I were minced into paste—would my usually dormant healing ability still prove useful?" "The best brother... the best brother... the best colleague..." Klein gazed at the inscription on the tombstone, silently reciting it, his heart suddenly swelling with a poignant ache—something he now sensed was very much like Melissa and Bensen's grief. This might even be harder to bear than witnessing the captain's death. He sighed, turned away, and crouched down, carefully closing the coffin lid once more. Though his thoughts remained somewhat scattered, Klein knew he had to act swiftly and ensure no one noticed. Rising from the dead wasn't something ordinary people could casually manage! If the night watchmen, the penance bearers, or the Mechanical Heart found out, Klein was certain his fate would be dire. Of course, if this were Earth, and he were taking the "lawyer" or "fraud" potion, he could easily present himself as a blessed one, a redeemed soul. But in this world, there were true gods—gods who responded to true rituals! Filled the soil once more, laid the stone slab securely, and clapped his hands, Kline rose to his feet. The scene now seemed utterly ordinary—he was simply a gentleman arriving late at night to pay his respects to a friend—except that the man depicted in the photograph on the tombstone bore an exact resemblance to him. During the process, his inspiration had sensed the presence of the "Azkian copper whistle," and had unearthed it, wiping it clean. Yet Kline did not intend to summon his messenger immediately. Instead, he resolved to first ascertain the current situation. Raising his left hand, he noticed the yellow crystal pendant still wrapped around his wrist. "After all, this must be a burial gift," he chuckled to himself, unfastening the pendulum and gazing around, his expression growing increasingly solemn. "…Captain Dune should also be buried here, too…" He adjusted the pendulum in two different directions before finally pinpointing the location of Dune's grave. Walking by the light of the moon, after several minutes, Klein spotted the black-and-white photograph of the captain: his expression gentle, his hairline higher than usual, the gray hue of his eyes subtly visible, hardly different from his usual demeanor. Beneath the photograph were the name, date of birth, date of death, and epitaph: "True guardian;" "Most trusted companion;" "Ever the captain." Klein stared, his vision unexpectedly blurred once again, as if returning to that day, when he saw the captain turn his head slightly and squeeze his left eye, his voice rich and warm, his tone relaxed: "We saved Tinggen." Captain... Klein silently called out. He stood there like a statue for several minutes, then suddenly smiled. "Captain, your mental state that day must have been quite poor. You even said that Old Neil wouldn't have lost control if it weren't for you—'he was the one who glimpsed the secrets, you were the one who brought nightmares,' and you simply couldn't absorb his extraordinary traits. Hmm... you never asked me what my strongest offensive capabilities were. Were you trusting me, or had you simply forgotten about this matter? But I'm sure you had some idea. I only mentioned one seal, saying it was for Leonard. You must have been able to figure that out just by thinking about it—there must be other, more powerful offensive abilities I possess." "Stammering on like this, Cline paused, shook his head, and sighed, 'I don't know what I am anymore. Maybe I'm just a malevolent spirit who crawled out of hell, seeking vengeance...' As he spoke, he suddenly found himself unable to continue, tears tracing paths down his face. Finally, he choked out, 'Captain... we really miss you too!' Feeling the cold, biting wind brush past him, Cline wiped his eyes and sniffed. After settling into silence, he moved close to a sheltered spot, stepped backward four paces, and entered the gray mist. He needed to use divination to uncover who had killed him that day, to reveal the true mastermind behind all these events. Since he had already appeared before me, I'm certain I can glean some information through divination. Cline pressed his lips together, gazing at the majestic palace and the ancient, weathered table, which remained unchanged. He settled into the seat belonging to "The Fool," materializing before him a brownish leather sheet and a round-bodied steel pen. Since his outer body was in a state of minimal protection, Caine didn't hesitate; after a brief thought, he inscribed the divinatory phrase: "Those who will kill me." He recited it seven times, then leaned back against the chair's backrest, entering a meditative state and drifting into dream. As a seer, he quickly confirmed why he felt so familiar—because he had seen the suspect's photo and description in the wanted notices! This murderer is Isang Zangwei! The former Grand High Priest of the Night Goddess Church, who had defected with the sealed artifact "0–08," and a "Guardian" who had failed in his promotion! "It's him!" A cascade of images flashed through Caine's mind, ultimately settling on the moment the suspect picked up Saint Serenella's ashes. Tap, tap, tap. He lightly tapped the edge of the bronze long table, feeling as though he had pieced together many things now: "The captain mentioned that exceptionally ordinary deaths still leave behind exceptional traits—these traits accumulate, much like a potion without any auxiliary ingredients." "So, as long as one knows the corresponding auxiliary ingredients, one can achieve promotion through the 'legacy items'—though one cannot consume them beyond one's current rank, or else the effects would easily spiral out of control or lead to madness." "Yes... To ascend to a higher-tier strong contender, a special ritual is required—this is mentioned in the incomplete formula of the 'Unshadowed Ones.' Subsequent advancements might also require such rituals." "Inz. Zangwei is a Tier 5 'Gatekeeper' from the 'Death' path. He aims to become a high-tier strong contender and eventually a half-god. Given the current realities of tier exchanges, he has three options: either remain a Tier 4 on the 'Death' path, or advance to Tier 4 on the 'Ever-Waking' path, or reach Tier 4 as a 'Hunter' on the 'War God' path." "Saint Serenela is a Saint, not a Tier 4, but a Tier 3. Her ashes correspond to one of the magic potions for these two tiers. As the former Grand Archbishop, Inz. Zangwei undoubtedly knows precisely which one and what auxiliary materials are needed." "He has been planning these matters—what is his true objective? To secure Saint Serenela's ashes in order to advance to Tier 4 on the 'Ever-Waking' path?" "Hmm, the skull of a descendant of the Death God—perhaps that's exactly the material required for a special ritual, since the original path was that of the Death God." "So it seems he's been targeting the队长 more than me... Indeed, the mastermind behind all this." With this realization, Caine wrote down the corresponding divinatory phrases, took the pendulum, and held the yellow crystal pendant so that it gently rested upon the surface of the paper, nearly touching it. After silently reciting the words, he opened his eyes and observed the yellow crystal pendant rotating clockwise. This indicated that the initial information was sufficient—the divination had succeeded! It confirmed that Ins. Zangwei indeed orchestrated all these events specifically to secure Saint Serenela's ashes and advance to Sequence 4. Caine then lightly tapped the edge of the table, reflecting on another matter: "Zangwei is merely a Sequence 5 'Gatekeeper.' By himself, he couldn't have arranged so many coincidences, compelling Meghios to visit the night-watch team at precisely the right moments." "So, it's the power of the sealant '0–08'?" "It looks like a simple quill pen... its function is that whatever it writes will inevitably come true?" "No, it must be more complex than that... otherwise, Inz. Zangewell could simply write, 'The ashes of Saint Celine grow wings and fly into Inz. Zangewell's hands,' and then just sit at home waiting for it to happen." "There must be certain limitations involved." "'0–08' probably doesn't have direct offensive capabilities; otherwise, Inz. Zangewell would have already stormed through the Charnes Gate in Tinggen City by now." "This item, situated at the very highest level among all the sealants, enables people to act in accordance with its description—unconsciously—thus explaining all those coincidences?" "If that's truly the case, the '0–08' is indeed terrifying—arranging even Meigohs, who carries the offspring of a malevolent deity... It's no wonder that '0'-level sealings are so dangerous, receiving the highest level of priority, strictest confidentiality, and being completely inaccessible: not to be inquired about, not to be discussed, not to be described, not to be observed." Kieran paused his gentle tapping of the table edge, making a divination based on his earlier speculation, but unfortunately, the information was incomplete, and the attempt fell short. As several minutes had passed, he decided to return to the present world promptly and thus stopped further contemplation, writing down the penultimate divinatory statement: "The city where Ins. Zangwei currently resides." Due to the existence of the sealing entity '0–08' and since Ins. Zangwei is expected to have become a half-god, Kieran could not directly determine the precise location of his counterpart and had to broaden the scope, making only a vague inquiry. Of course, without this mysterious space above the gray mist filtering out disturbances, even a vague "query" would have certainly led to a failed divination, leaving him without an answer. Leaning back in his high-backed chair, Caine silently recited the divination incantation seven times, and once again entered his dream, stepping into that hazy world. Suddenly, the hazy world cracked open, revealing a broad, rushing river, slightly turbid, flowing steadily. Upon the river stood a magnificent bridge, with docks stretching one after another along both banks, bustling with cargo and workers. On the northeast shore, there stood a series of buildings, most of which reflected the current architectural style of the Ruin Kingdom—polygonal gabled roofs, projecting windows, and street-facing facades without external porches. In addition, several Gothic-style buildings were also present. The streets were lively, with people moving in and out, and carriages arriving one after another, occasionally revealing strange machinery. The more eastward one goes, the more chimneys appear, the thicker the smoke; the further west one travels, the higher the terrain rises, with one cluster of houses after another—gray-blue, off-white, or pale yellow—spiraling upward, surrounding the magnificent palace and crowning a striking Gothic bell tower. Ding! The chime resonates, and Caine stirs, now knowing exactly which city he had just witnessed. "Land of Hope," "The City of a Thousand Cities"—Bekland! ps: Surprised—after I added that paragraph in the afternoon, such a long section simply vanished. Well, mainly, I wanted to see if you could guess the abilities and limitations of "0-08." Once the first volume concludes, I'll reveal some of the details, based on what you've inferred from the earlier content. How many of you can guess correctly?