Mr. Door… the way they've named things is quite like mine, isn't it? I don't know what this unfortunate fellow's real name is—trapped deep within the storm, lost in darkness—what sequence he belongs to, or whether, indeed, as Emperor Roscel's expectations, he is one of the demonic deities. Klein murmured a half-resentful, half-self-deprecating chuckle, equally intrigued by certain aspects of the Fourth Age's history: "I'm familiar with the famed 'Four Emperors' conflict of the Fourth Age, but my knowledge of the specific details and key figures comes only from the traditions passed down by various churches—for instance, the 'Black Emperor' of the Solomon Empire." "Until today, Mr. Door has finally clarified my confusion, revealing to me who the remaining three emperors are—the half-mad 'Blood Emperor' of the Toudo dynasty, the 'Night Emperor' of the Trenzost Empire, and the 'Underworld Emperor' of the southern continent, commonly known as Death himself." "According to Mr. Door's account, within this war that transformed the global landscape, the Black Emperor, the Blood Emperor, and the Night Emperor all fell, and the Underworld Emperor reaped the greatest benefits." "Mr. Door then added with a thoughtful tone, after more than a century of assimilation, the Death God went mad—but also grew stronger—thereby uniting with the Primordial Maiden to bring about a 'Pale Catastrophe' across the Northern Continent. Of course, this was not something he personally witnessed or experienced, but rather information he gathered each month as he drew closer to the real world." "The Death God went mad—but also grew stronger!" "Could deities themselves go mad?" "What a startling statement!" "Yet this confirms my own speculation—that prior to the Fifth Age, deities frequently descended upon the real world, directly influencing the affairs of both the Northern and Southern Continents, even possibly taking on the very role of the Death God himself." "I asked the 'Gate' gentleman whether he had participated in the 'Five Emperors' War, and if so, what role he played. Also, what stance did the Seven Deities take during that conflict, and what contributions did they make?" "The 'Gate' gentleman didn't answer my questions directly. Instead, he mused, 'The number of top-tier strongholds from the Fourth Era is far greater than I anticipated.' "He also mentioned two laws: the Law of Eternal Exceptional Properties, and the Law of Conservation of Exceptional Properties within Close Sequences. These align with certain knowledge I obtained from the most secret and ancient organization, and match several observations I've made. Indeed, these laws yield many fascinating conclusions, transforming the explanations of numerous phenomena—sometimes into something both awe-inspiring and deeply unsettling. For instance, within the same path, if higher sequences increase, lower sequences tend to decrease, and vice versa." "...The extraordinary characteristics are inherently fixed in number—neither increasing nor decreasing. Does this not point to a truly sovereign Creator, a fully knowing and omnipotent God, from whom all things originate?" This was the longest entry in Roscel's journal that Klein had ever read, occupying an entire two-page spread. It had originally been written on both sides of the page, but through repeated transcriptions, it had become two separate pages. "The information content is truly substantial..." Klein murmured silently. As a typical history graduate, he had always assumed that the Solomon Empire, the Tudor Dynasty, and the Tronsthorst Empire existed in a sequential, alternative succession pattern, with periods of restoration in between. Yet the 'Four Kings' conflict described by the 'Gate' gentleman clearly revealed that all three dynasties had coexisted simultaneously. If this were indeed true, it would fundamentally overturn much of the current scholarly research on the Fourth Period. Klein suddenly remembered the original owner—he had a deep interest in archaeology and the exploration of Quaternary history. Today, I've finally helped fulfill one of his long-held wishes... Whether or not the Death God had become a true deity during the "War of the Four Emperors" remains unclear, according to the "Gate" gentleman's account. We can only assume that, through the benefits gained in the War of the Four Emperors, the current "Underworld Emperor" has surpassed his limitations and ascended to deity status, though at the cost of going mad. A deity going mad—what a terrifying concept! Simply imagining the details sends shivers down one's spine. It's no wonder that the renowned Emperor Roscel is compelled to describe this event in dramatic, even chilling terms. Could it be that the very notion of a "demon deity" refers to a once-orthodox deity who has gone mad? Might one day, the entire world be left with nothing but such demon deities? Gasp—does this not signal the arrival of an irreversible apocalypse? With a smile, Klein concealed the growing weight of his emotions, feeling that the future he had imagined was painted in shades of gray. At the same time, he raised his evaluation of the "Black Emperor," "Blood Emperor," and "Night Emperor," considering them to be top-tier强者 already approaching divine status. "Perhaps they are indeed Sequence 1—entities standing at the pinnacle of a single path. Under this logic, the 'Black Emperor' living several hundred or even thousands of years is no longer surprising. This also resolves the original owner's earlier confusion: he had derived a conclusion conflicting with his mentor's view, based on the Antigonus family's records, that the 'Black Emperor' was actually a shared title held by every emperor of the Solomon Empire. Perhaps, the 'Black Emperor' has always been that very same figure. Of course, it's not impossible that there have been several changes—perhaps even a few rotations—but within this path, the Sequence 1 title has consistently been known as the 'Black Emperor'? "I don't know which figure from the Fourth Epoch the 'Gate' gentleman was—Rosalind the Great didn't elaborate on his mistaken experiments or fortunate coincidences, making it impossible for me to even begin a conversation with him." "The Law of Perpetual Properties, the Law of Conservation of Characteristics within similar sequences—these resonate with the Captain's experience, perhaps even the very terms he uses have been passed down from Rosalind the Great." "Based on the two laws described by the 'Gate' gentleman, one can indeed derive many intriguing hypotheses: given so many relics and such a large number of high-sequence powerful beings, the seven great churches should have very few low-sequence extraordinary individuals. Yet this contradicts reality. The only plausible explanation is divine grace bestowed upon them." "For instance, was the fall of the Kingdom of Night due to the Law of Conservation of Characteristics—was it a case of being burdened by its own treasures? Or did their very existence significantly weaken the strength of the 'Night' path, threatening the position of the goddess?" "For instance, theoretically, certain sealed objects could also serve as the primary ingredients of potions—indeed, they might even be equivalent to potions—provided that any latent risks or frenzied tendencies are pre-emptively eliminated." "...It's no wonder that some unearthed documents refer to the Fourth Age as the 'Age of the Gods.' There are indeed numerous records of divine incarnations during this era." "What exactly caused the gods to cease their descents, and why has their prophetic communication nearly ceased?" "Were it not for ritual magic yielding responses, many extraordinary beings might have begun to doubt the very existence of the gods..." Kaine thought deeply, feeling as though he had delved a little deeper into the mysteries of the arcane and the extraordinary world. He quickly flipped through the next four pages of his journal, only to find that they no longer involved 'Mr. Door,' and felt a sense of disappointment. The 'Clown's' ability effectively masked his emotions, and the gray mist further obscured his presence, so even the 'Justice' lady, Audrey, who had been quietly observing him, failed to detect any irregularities. Calmed his scattered thoughts, Caine turned to the third page of his journal: "September 10th. I've been putting up with it for a while, but finally couldn't hold back my complaints." "Did I really go with the 'Generalist' path because my brain went mushy?" "Of course, this does allow me to leverage my greatest strengths and gain the Church's recognition. But the issue is that several of the earlier sequences in this path lack practical, action-oriented extraordinary abilities—relying mostly on magical artifacts to make up the difference. It's overly dependent on external resources." "For instance, the Sequence 9 'Generalist' possesses only exceptionalized abilities in memory, learning, and practice; Sequence 8 'Archaeologist' gains a robust physique and corresponding ancient knowledge, capable only marginally of applying ritual magic; Sequence 7 'Appraiser' excels at swiftly identifying magical items, allowing them to maximize safety during use; Sequence 6 'Craftsman' can produce mechanical wonders and moderately exceptional items, though beyond that, their level of ritual magic improves—hence its modern designation as 'Mechanical Specialist.' In comparison, the Sequence 7 'Wizard' and Sequence 6 'Scroll Professor' under the 'Revealer' path are particularly compelling. If the Church possesses a complete sequence, and if no Hidden Sage exists, this would be ideal." "However, at last, I've received some good news—after my promotion, I'll gain my own practical, exceptional ability, ranked Sequence 5: 'Stellarist'!" "The modern name is rather intimidating—'Astronomer'...?" "Will I ultimately become a brilliant, all-around, yet wildly eccentric scientist?" "Good heavens, I barely cleared the second-tier university admission line in my college entrance exams!" It must be said that Emperor Roscel has a peculiar, humorous talent. Even the usually subdued Caine has found himself subtly twitching at the corners of his mouth, as if wishing to light a candle for this elder colleague. "Study hard, strive every day"—indeed, a timeless truth. He muttered it, and committed to memory the defining traits of the mainstream exceptionalists of the Church of the Gods of Steam and Mechanics: They inherently lack practical exceptional abilities but excel at crafting and utilizing objects. Turning the third page, which contained only one journal entry, Kline continued reading: "June 2nd: The kingdom repeatedly creates unrest, ignites conflicts, yet fails to decisively defeat the Fyresk Empire, the Roon Kingdom, and the Feneport Kingdom, compelled to accumulate heavy debts and teetering on the brink of economic collapse." "From what I've observed, the people, merchants, and soldiers are deeply dissatisfied—only a spark is needed to ignite widespread rebellion! This is my opportunity." "But I must remain cautious. The Thorsun family has witnessed the Fourth Age and is an ancient lineage, likely harboring powerful individuals of high sequence. I need to secure the Church's support and establish a solid understanding with the Eternal Sun Church." "I cannot step forward immediately. Instead, I will let the rebels disrupt the existing order, then conclude the situation as a protector—Rosalie Gustav, the执政官. I like that title." PS: Monday request for a vote and monthly pass. Two chapters have been sent today; none will follow tonight.