"Thorin said the history of the House of Thrain stretches over two millennia—longer than the Craft-Deities' Church—and that they have witnessed every alliance and conflict, every age of light and darkness, enduring right up to the present day. Except for the Augustan House of Ruin, the Einhorn House of Fyrsak, and the Castia House of Feneport, all the other powerful houses that once stood alongside them—such as the Antigonid and the Charadu families—have either become mere dust in history or faded into the shadows of the sewers, living in hiding, never seen in the light." "He said, to have me serve as his subordinate, as a steward of the ancient and noble House of Thrain, was a great favor." "At that moment, I just wanted to kick his ancestors to the eighth generation." "Yet it's surprising that the House of Thrain has a history spanning over two millennia. The Fourth Age, known as the Age of the Gods, sees not only the current seven deities, but also the Death God, the Primordial Witch, the Cosmic Shadow, and the True Maker, all still active in the real world, frequently performing miracles. It's no easy feat for the House of Thrain to have endured thus far and maintained such high status." "The length of their history has granted them far more than mere pride—they must harbor numerous secrets, perhaps even some profoundly terrifying seals." "This truly is a colossal presence standing tall upon the earth, one that commands awe and cannot be met without hesitation." Now, with this in mind, Caine had several thoughts: Rurser must have undergone a fierce, terrifying struggle to finally overthrow the Soren family's rule and assume the position of magister and protector. Even if the Soren family didn't possess any zero-tier seal objects, they certainly wouldn't lack first-tier ones, and there might well have been high-tier sequence强者 present. Even with the full backing of the Church of the Gods of Steam and Machinery, the outcome might not have been favorable. Could it be that the Soren family had already begun to decline and weaken prior to this, and the unrest in Inthys was merely an outward manifestation of that internal decay? What had they endured during that period? Had their seal objects been lost? Had their high-tier sequence强者 perished? Had that drawn the attention of one after another ambitious contender? Indeed, from this journal entry, it seemed clear that the Augustan family of Roon would be familiar with both Antigonus and Charathus, and they likely had corresponding records within their own archives. "Sol" mentioned that the Silver City endured for over two thousand five hundred years during the "Deep Dark Age," which, according to my initial assessment, precisely corresponds to the number of years since the great catastrophe. The Solon family, claiming a history exceeding two thousand years, only emerged around two centuries ago—perhaps they will be able to trace their origins back to before the great catastrophe. I'll deliberately bring up the Solon family at an appropriate moment and observe "Sol's" reaction. If "Sol" remains utterly puzzled, it will indirectly indicate that the Solon family rose to prominence after the great catastrophe, possibly gaining substantial advantages from it, enabling them to become the noble houses of the Fourth Age and the royal dynasty of the Fifth Age. Well, even if "Sol" is unaware, it doesn't fully prove the point—perhaps he simply hasn't studied history thoroughly. Kline turned to the third page and found that the entries there were likely written during the early years of Rosel's tenure as Governor of the Intis Republic. From a few entries on this page, it becomes evident that Rousseau's enactment and promulgation of a new Civil Code, his encouragement of invention, his protection of trade, and his fostering of the Industrial Revolution—was not merely driven by his personal penchant for playing Napoleon and his ambition to reshape the world. Rather, through these actions, he was reconciling himself with the Eternity of the Sun Church. As the Eternity of the Sun is also the God of Contracts and the Patron of Commerce, a more refined, contemporary Civil Code and a flourishing trade economy align perfectly with the Church's needs. "From these entries, it appears that Rousseau's relationship with the Eternity of the Sun Church is gradually thawing and improving. His bold move to declare himself Emperor and adopt the title of Caesar after a decade or so likely secured the endorsement of both major churches; otherwise, such a step would have been exceedingly risky. So, what exactly was the reason for his assassination?" Klein, slightly puzzled, directed his gaze toward the fourth page. "On the 11th of August, Florent again boasts like a fool. "He said he was the most promising in his generation to achieve a high sequence, because he resembled his曾曾祖父 so much." "What's the connection here? I've looked up, down, left, right—still can't see any talent in this guy." "Moreover, is talent particularly important in the realm of the extraordinary? Well, a deep grasp of the essence of performance is a core talent—but not essential. As long as one understands the art of performance, doesn't misinterpret the message, and avoids actions that could easily lead to instability, there's a good chance of fully mastering the potion, which simply takes more time. It's certainly possible, over a lifetime, to become a high sequence strong one." "The main obstacles to achieving high sequence lie in the difficulty of obtaining exceptional materials and the complexity of the corresponding rituals. Of course, one must admit that those born with innate extraordinary gifts have more time to prepare." "Was Florent's曾曾祖父 a high sequence strong one? Does resembling him imply talent?" It was clear that when writing this journal entry, Roscel was still quite inexperienced and didn't yet grasp the two fundamental principles—universality of properties and conservation. Klein gave a barely perceptible nod. With his current understanding, he could now discern the deeper implication in Florent Sorel's words: the exceptional properties left behind by high-tier beings carried an imprint of their own spirit, which explained, in part, why magic potions crafted from such properties often caused users to lose control. Those who resembled the original bearers most could effectively mitigate this negative impact, significantly increasing their chances of successful ascension—thus earning the designation of having "talent." The phenomenon of "sacred objects" recognizing their hosts likely fell into the same category. This is quite similar to the method of role-playing, though it hasn't gained widespread adoption... Once promoted, one still has to embody the name of the potion, fully internalizing its characteristics. Caine glanced thoughtfully at the two journal entries following this page and noticed that Emperor Rosel loved the open lifestyle of Intis, yet remained concerned that his future wife would also be equally open. "They have preserved and passed down secrets spanning thousands to tens of thousands of years, believing that dusk is inevitable and that the end of days cannot be avoided." "They believe in the original Creator, asserting that He does not truly die; rather, when dusk arrives and the final culmination unfolds, He will awaken from His slumber, reunite all things with Himself, and establish a new world and a new history." "The entire organization's actions are rooted in these beliefs—clearly, they hold a strong antagonism toward the 'True Creator,' consistently employing terms that depict Him as fallen and evil." "They hold the second tablet of profanation and possess twenty-two divine paths, yet they stipulate that members select only a few of these paths, with the exception of those who are already extraordinary at the time of joining." "What secrets lie within these few paths?" "I will record this down and return to analyze them later. These paths are: 'The Singer,' 'The Seafarer,' 'The Reader,' and 'The Observer.'" "Ha! I'll have to change my habitual way of referring to the sequence pathways—this kind of terminology sounds quite outdated within that ancient organization." This aligns well with what I've deduced from our adversarial relationship and Mr. A's requests: the pathways of "The Praisers," "The Mariners," "The Readers," and "The Seekers" are quite interchangeable among Sequence 4. Is "The Manipulators" the high-sequence counterpart of "The Observers"? Why do so many secret organizations—like the Sorceress Orders and this very ancient one—so consistently proclaim the inevitability of the End Times, yet fail to preach this message themselves? Is it merely a matter of indoctrination, or is there truly a phenomenon known as the "Dusk"? Klein has many thoughts on this, yet remains uncertain due to insufficient documentation. Meanwhile, he can't help but mutter under his breath: "Rosalie, could you at least write out the name of that organization?" Holding steady his expression and bodily movements, Caine turned the sparse sheet and glanced at the final page: "January first—this marks the beginning of a new year, and I've just completed my very first 'Card of Desecration.' I will conceal the twenty-two ultimate secrets enshrined in the divine paths within these distinct 'Cards of Desecration,' distributing them across various locations. Should things go awry, these will become my children's greatest stronghold. Ha! I'll shatter every order you desire and spread the divine mysteries far and wide! These 'Cards of Desecration' will possess properties that counter divination and prophecy—only those destined to find them will receive them. I've always had a habit of exacting revenge: when I'm in debt, I demand repayment; when I'm in conflict, I settle the score. After my death, I care not if the floods rise to the heavens—though I must admit, that phrase isn't mine. In short, I wish for the structure of the mysterious world to grow ever more chaotic!" "I need to think about how to name the upcoming set of 'Cards of Desecration.' There are twenty-two divine paths and twenty-two major Tarot cards—perfectly corresponding. However, some of the names don't meet the requirements, so I'll have to make certain adjustments to align with the original magical formulas." "That ancient organization is my last and most crucial support. I'm not sure whether they'll back me, or in what way." "I still remember the profound impact of my first encounter with the Desecration Stones." "Indeed, the extraordinary path is truly the 'Path of the Gods,' and the 'Desecration Stones' are genuinely defiling the divine." "Beyond each path's Sequence 1, there is also a Sequence 0! With corresponding magical recipes and rituals!" "Each path can have only one Sequence 0!" "And Sequence 0 is the sequence where the true gods reside!" "For instance, Sequence 0—the 'Sun'!"