In the historical scholarship of the northern continent, the Quaternary period is widely regarded as shrouded in thick fog, obscuring its true character. Records of this era are marked by numerous gaps and ambiguities, and the archaeological finds—tombs, ancient cities, and documents—are scarce, making it difficult to establish solid corroboration. Yet this does not mean that research in this field has been entirely absent; rather, the scarcity indicates that there are still some remnants and materials available. Originally, Klein was a passionate enthusiast of Quaternary history, having read countless papers and books. Today, he still recalls many details: whether it was the Kingdom of Solomon, the Tudor Dynasty, or the Empire of Trenzostor, the architectural styles shared a striking similarity—unconventional, asymmetrical, and particularly fond of black. Among the most representative features is the arrangement of candle holders hanging from the ceiling and the incised, slashing patterns etched onto black walls. Precisely for this reason, when Klein raised his lantern and saw the metal cylindrical rods extending from the ceiling down to the floor, and the candlestands embedded at their bases, his first impression was that this underground structure dated from the Fourth Period—an ancient era shrouded in thick mist, one that had left many historians and archaeologists longing and regretful. "Several papers have noted that the number of candlestands varies from building to building. Although the three great empires valued asymmetry, they seemed to have strict and detailed regulations in all aspects. The highest standard accessible to ordinary citizens—three on the left and two on the right—was inferred from the architectural layout and the remains of the buildings." Klein lifted his arm, raising the lantern higher, and as he walked slowly forward, he counted the candlestands on both sides. The hall was wider than he had anticipated; it took him at least a hundred meters before he spotted the platform rising half a meter above the ground, and the thick wall marking the end of the space. "Forty-one inverted candlestands on the left, forty on the right—well, that's quite extravagant. To which social stratum does this belong? To the great nobility? Heavens, the Antigonus and Charathus families are all fourth-century nobility—families renowned not only for their noble status but also for their exceptional power and strength. The other major noble houses should be no less distinguished." Kline held up his lantern, moving forward and spotting the staircase beside the semi-high platform, its surface marked with deep, incised grooves resembling the work of chisels and axes. Truly a fourth-century remnant? As his thoughts flickered, guided by keen vision and the lantern's light, he observed two massive, iron-black seats elevated half a meter above the ground, ancient seats that looked down upon the seats below. Two of them! Two? Why two? According to the layout, the seats should belong to the holder of the highest power and authority at this location—yet there were two? Two parallel noble houses? Two counts, two dukes, two princes? Klein gradually began to feel his historical knowledge was no longer sufficient. He clearly remembered that numerous papers had mentioned strict hierarchical divisions within the three great realms—the Solomonic, the Tudor, and the Tronsthorpe—where social strata were well-defined and impermeable. From this theory, it followed that within a single realm, there should not be co-equal leaders. "Strange..." Klein murmured, speaking to the bodyguard girl. "What's strange?" A suddenly ethereal voice echoed from behind him, particularly unsettling in the dark, vast, and silent ancient hall. Klein drew a brief smile, conveying to her his observations of the architectural features, the relevant historical knowledge, and his points of confusion, concluding with: "The ventilation here is excellent—perhaps there are other entrances as well." The bodyguard girl, half-blended into the darkness, listened silently and then gazed at Klein intently. "Why do you know so much?" she asked. "Because I'm a college student majoring in history..." thought Kline, smiling. "If I hadn't chosen to become a detective, perhaps I would have become a conscientious young historian." The bodyguard didn't respond or vanish; instead, she gracefully ascended the semi-high platform ahead. Kline carried his lantern and followed closely, noticing that the platform was vast—nearly forty meters wide and about ten meters tall. "The grand scale and monumental style of the architecture are also one of the hallmarks of the Fourth Period," he remarked casually, carefully approaching the two massive, iron-black seats and lifting his lantern to examine them closely. "It seems designed for giants three to four meters tall... there are badge-like patterns on the backrest—here, a black crown; there, a hand holding a staff. I'm not sure what they symbolize..." Kline murmured to himself, with no expectation that the bodyguard would respond. Yet the lady who was floating slightly off the ground suddenly spoke: "This is the emblem of the Tordoff family." "Oh?" Kline looked in surprise, realizing the young bodyguard was referring to the hand holding the staff. The Tordoff family? Was this a relic of the Fourth Dynasty of Tordoff? Was this the palace of some royal member of the dynasty? Kline furrowed his brows. "Do you recognize any other emblem?" Indeed, it was being placed on equal footing with a member of the Tordoff family! The bodyguard shook her head, remaining silent. Seeing this, Kline had to temporarily set aside his plans to study it further and instead said: "After both the Tordoff and the Trenzost families established their empires, they maintained the original styles inherited from the Solomonic Empire—such as the inverted candlestand and the slash-like seal, among others. This doesn't align with what one would expect. If I were emperor, even if I had to preserve many traditions, I would surely make certain changes to mark my own distinct identity." "Does this mean there's an underlying, unchanging connection among the three empires?" he speculated—Solomon, Tudor, and Trentostar families all wielded the "Black Emperor," the "Advocate" path, a style that required performance! The bodyguard girl remained silent for several seconds, then uttered a few words: "Only an emperor can be called an emperor." Was this confirmation of my thoughts? Klein didn't press further. Holding his lantern, he circled the two massive, iron-black chairs without finding anything additional. "Let's look further ahead," he suggested. As soon as he finished speaking, the bodyguard girl had already drifted toward the far end of the semi-high platform, the surrounding cold and icy atmosphere unchanged. After walking several meters, Klein, using the light from his lantern, spotted seven tall, heavy black stone doors along the base of the hall, arranged sequentially—two on the left, one in the center, and four on the right—perfectly aligning with the fourth age's pursuit of asymmetry. Klein handed the staff to the woman holding the lantern, tossed a coin casually, and murmured softly, "We should start from the left." Clang! The copper coin rolled down and landed in his palm, showing heads. "We'll go to the left," Klein said, stepping forward. The attendant silently followed, only pausing to remark softly as they neared the leftmost door, "It's the same from the right." That is to say, the choice of starting point makes no difference... Klein gave a slight upward curve to his lips, raised the lantern, and examined the symbols and patterns on the door: deep black as background, adorned with brilliant accents, surrounding a crimson circle half-hidden. This... Klein's pupils suddenly contracted. This was the Emblem of Darkness! The symbol of the Night Goddess! Had the Church of the Goddess supported the Tudor dynasty during the Fourth Age? He thought to himself, placing his hand on the stone door. Clack! Under a stiff, heavy friction, the black stone door slowly yielded and opened backward. The glow of the lantern gradually unfolded before Caine's eyes, revealing the scene within: first, an open space several meters long and wide, paved with deep black stone, followed by a platform nearly a meter high. Caine walked carefully forward, raising the lantern to illuminate the objects upon the platform. A few seconds later, the fiery light outlined a towering statue—about four to five meters tall—almost filling the far end of the room. It was a lady whose face was slightly blurred yet exceptionally graceful, resting on her right hand atop the platform, dressed in a layered yet uncluttered black classical gown. Radiating lines emanated from beneath her head, forming a circular pattern. Scattered across her gown were sparkling points of luminous brilliance—individual, clear, and radiant gem fragments. At first glance, Caine felt as though he were seeing the night sky, with the stars scattered throughout. Against this backdrop, the circular pattern beneath the lady's head appeared like a full moon. This… Caine’s thoughts seemed frozen, yet within them, a conjecture was violently colliding, eager to burst forth. “Night Goddess?” The guard’s tone carried an uncommon sense of wonder. Regardless of symbolic meaning or actual appearance, this was clearly a statue of the goddess! Caine’s long-held speculation finally took shape and resonated loudly within his mind. He remembered once asking Captain Dunning Smith about a distinction between the evil and the good gods—specifically, that the former bore forms resembling wise beings, while the latter were represented only by symbolic emblems. Now, here, in this ancient and eerie underground structure, he stood before a statue resembling the Night Goddess—fully human in form! What did this signify? Simply contemplating it sent a shiver through Caine. Could it be that the goddess had once been an evil god? Not… perhaps another night-domain demon… but the dark holy emblem at the door is exactly the same as now… Or is it that the presence of an intelligent being form isn’t the criterion distinguishing divine beings from demonic ones? The captain, after all, lacks the depth of insight to perceive this accurately. Maybe even the people of the Tord family have deliberately defiled the goddess! Hmm—perhaps they’re setting up some strange ritual for this very purpose! A cascade of thoughts surged through Caine’s mind, leaving him both puzzled, anxious, and tense, while also stirring in him an indescribable, unnameable sense of strangeness. “We should check the next few doors as well,” Caine said, taking a breath after surveying the room, and then speaking up. He wasn’t sure what each of the remaining six doors might represent—whether they too were equally strange and odd. He pondered this with growing seriousness. The bodyguard gently nodded. ps: On the last day of July, don’t forget to use your monthly passes.