"On the 29th of October, the head of the Conclave, Chalatu, visited me once again, without mentioning any specific matter—merely chatting casually. I couldn't fathom his true intentions; it seemed as though he simply wished to strengthen communication and deepen mutual understanding. Having already met two high-ranking church sequence champions, I found Chalatu even more powerful and enigmatic than either of them. With that in mind, I didn't hold much hope and casually asked him what sequence he held. To my surprise, he answered me. 'I am a Sequence 2 'Miracle Master,' he said. Sequence 2? In the church's hierarchy, that's the angelic tier—nearly divine in stature! Indeed, more powerful than the 'Alchemists' and 'Mystic Scholars' I had previously encountered. Yet, my instinct tells me Chalatu hasn't told me everything. Sequence 2 might be his current position, or perhaps it's one he's about to ascend to. 'Miracle Master'? A master skilled in creating miracles?" The name of this potion evokes so many vivid images! "Ah, this is Sequence 2 for the 'Seer'—the wonder-worker who manipulates fate?" I asked Charathus further: is a wonder truly a wonder of fate? Does the path of the 'Seer' belong to the gradual process of understanding, mastering, and ultimately shaping fate? Charathus skipped the first question and explained that fate itself is only a part of the 'Seer's' path—indeed, not even its core. The true embodiment of fate, he said, lies in the path of the 'Monsters'! He cited several examples—potion names from the 'Monsters' sequence: Sequence 7, 'The Lucky One'; Sequence 5, 'The Winner'; Sequence 2, 'The Prophet'; and finally, the very apex, Sequence 1, 'The Mercury Serpent'—also known as 'The Serpent of Fate.' This is the first Sequence 1 I've ever encountered, and it perfectly resonates with me! "As far as I know, the 'Monsters' path should be under the control of the Vitalist school, which seems to also hold part of the 'Pharmacist' path's sequence. They advocate a tripartite division—between the world of absolute rationality, the world of spirit, and the world of matter—that's quite impressive. " "Chalatu told me that the Vitalists excel in astrology, pursuing a path that harmonizes the soul through medicines, music, light, wine, and aromatic essences, aiming to counteract unfavorable celestial influences and destinies. They view disasters and illnesses as arising from imbalances between humans and nature, as well as between individuals and their own inner spirits." "He added, with a significant tone of emphasis, that the Vitalists revere the Moon." "Why the Moon, rather than the more profound Night Goddess?" This journal entry spans two pages, clearly copied from both sides of the original. "Such a wealth of information..." Klein silently and genuinely remarked. This was also his first encounter with the names of the magisterial formulas at the Level 1 sequence. The "Mercury Serpent" and the "Destiny Serpent" truly evoke a deep sense of longing! And this is the first time I've become aware of a Sequence 2—the one corresponding to the "Oracle"—and I find the name "Miracle Worker" quite appealing, rich in meaning, and of high standing. Of course, compared to "Prophet," it feels a bit less impressive. Yet destiny is only part of the Oracle path, and even not its central theme. I must keep this in mind, continually reflecting upon myself to ensure I don't drift too much toward destiny, for such a drift might lead to a failure in my performance. Chalatu's words confirm this perspective—everything aligns well. Indeed, the "Monster" path is the true embodiment of destiny. The "Prophet" was always a Sequence 2—now that I think about it, I had actually known of one Sequence 2 before. While Klein's gaze remained fixed on the page, he was deeply contemplating the chain of his own sequences. Due to his digestive experiences with the potions of the "Seer" and the "Clown," and the evolution—from observing fate with reverence, to gradually gaining a sense of foresight, yet still feeling helpless before it—his understanding of the essence of his own exceptional path has increasingly converged with a deep engagement with fate. Without this journal entry, he might very well have taken this as the foundational premise for interpreting and embodying the subsequent sequences. As for whether Chalatou is lying, Kline can now be certain that the "Monster" path is unequivocally part of the Fate sequence—this aligns perfectly with the description he found in internal Night Watch materials and with the name of the potion he has long heard: "The Prophet." Given the existence of a Fate sequence, the path of the "Seer" is likely to differ from the other, resulting in some degree of overlap, which would contradict the distinct characteristics currently exhibited by the various sequences. Therefore, Klein tends to believe Chalatu's words, tending to see fate as merely part of the "seer's" path, even as something external to the subject itself. The value of these two pages of journal entries is incalculable to me today... "Alchemists" and "Mystics" should be high-tier within the "Universalists' path," and from Rosel's tone, they clearly do not belong to Sequence 2 or Sequence 1—thus, one at Sequence 4, the other at Sequence 3... it remains uncertain at this point who holds Sequence 4 and who Sequence 3. Klein regains his focus, flips through the journal, and continues reading. As for why the Life School only venerates the Moon and does not revere the Night Goddess, symbolized by the crimson moon, he lacks sufficient information to delve deeply into this matter. The third page of the journal chronicles Rosel's inner journey in inventing the practical steam engine—he is initially worried about being marginalized, then afraid his achievements will be seized by prominent figures, and throughout the text, a sense of persecution by others permeates. It wasn't surprising that the Emperor Roscel, whom he believed to be the central figure of his age, also felt so nervous and anxious... Caine shifted his lips slightly and flipped to the fourth page of his journal: "April 18th, Matilda is pregnant." "This was expected, as I had sensed a noticeable decline in my exceptional traits at the time." "Once conception succeeds, my own exceptional traits will follow a mysterious connection and transfer a portion to my child." "After that, I consulted with Archbishop Van Aesdin, who reassured me that this is a normal phenomenon—exceptional traits of Sequence 7 and below typically do not pass on to offspring, though not absolutely. Sequences 6 and 5 naturally transfer a portion, but not significantly, and this does not greatly affect my own strength. The child will be born with certain inherent exceptional abilities, approaching Sequence 9. However, as a consequence, his path will become fixed." "At higher sequences, the inheritance of exceptional traits becomes a matter that can be controlled—choosable, either to be passed on or not, or to be inherited in part—such as one-third, one-half, or fully." "That is to say, children of high-sequence strong individuals may be born naturally with exceptional traits, while the specific sequence of their own traits will be determined by either their father or mother." "Perhaps the divine descendants also follow this pattern..." After reading this journal entry, all that remained in Klein's mind were two phrases: "The Law of Unbroken Exceptional Traits" and "The Law of Conservation of Exceptional Traits." Are these indeed the survival rules governing the extraordinary beings? Then it makes sense why certain magical creatures only produce offspring near the end of their lives. It explains why post-partum lethality and heightened bloodlust—directed toward kin, even partners—occur: they are replenishing exceptional traits. Following this logic upward, where did the very first exceptional traits originate? Did they simply appear out of nowhere? Or were they created by the very Creator of all things?" Since the "Justice" lady has been promoted to "Mind Reader," Caine suppressed his urge to nod and continued flipping through. The fifth page of the journal contained Roser's complaints—about how no one appreciated his popular music, which he considered noisy—while he reflected on the shared pursuit of epic storytelling across different worlds and peoples, noting the widespread success of novels inspired by *The Count of Monte Cristo*, which had greatly contributed to the growth of the newspaper he founded. ...Great Emperor, what else have you not yet done? Caine smiled as he turned to the sixth and final page: "On November 10th, I held a secret audience at White Maple Palace with the renowned sea captain Savini Solomon. I hoped he would plunder my rivals' ships along the New Route, targeting the fleets of Fossac, Run, and Feneport." "And in return, I promised to help him advance to the higher ranks." "The name of the potion for the extraordinary path known as 'Black Emperor' is just as strange, decaying, chaotic, fallen, and disruptive—much like the path of the sorceress. Yet, to echo the theme of 'Black Emperor,' they have arbitrarily appended titles: Decaying Baron, Chaotic Mentor, Fallen Count, and Disruptive Prince." "To ensure Savigny truly earns his title in the future, I have decided to secretly bestow upon him the rank of Court Count." "Savigny has a son named Nast Solomon. My intuition tells me he will rule across the Five Seas." Nast Solomon... 'King of the Five Seas'? Nast, who claims descent from the House of Solomon? He was born even during the reign of Roscel! Kline was left utterly astonished. Since Roscel mentioned the term 'New Route,' Kline immediately pinpointed the corresponding year. The discovery of the New Route and the identification of the Southern Continent occurred in the year 1194, while Roscel was assassinated in 1198. Therefore, the journal entry in question must fall somewhere between these two dates. That is, between 151 and 155 years ago. If the "King of the Five Seas," Nastor, mentioned by Roscel is indeed Nastor of Solomon, then he is nearly 160 years old... Is this due to some other reason, or is it inherent to the higher sequence beings that they naturally gain extended lifespans? Klein mused thoughtfully. Gathering all his speculations, he allowed the journal to fade from his hands and turned to the others—Justice and the others: "You may now freely trade or exchange with one another." "The Fool" has nothing of substance to share with us today, Mr. Klein thought, slightly disappointed. His gaze shifted to the one across from him, "The Sun," and he asked, "Could I exchange with you for information about the dragons?" He remembered clearly that Mr. "Sun" had referred to the "Audience" path as the "Dragon" path, claiming it originated among the dragon lineage. "Certainly," replied Deric, who had remained silent until now, hesitating slightly. "I would like to obtain the Sequence 8 magic potion formula of the 'Praiser' path." He had originally intended to exchange this for an account of the world lived by "Justice" and "The Hangman," to avoid having to listen and understand everything over and over again; yet, as the digestion process neared completion, he ultimately prioritized his promotion.