Plagiarizing manuscripts—no, creative manuscripts—should surely be considered valuable books... Could this be the "Card of Contempt"? Klein's mind stirred; he lightly tapped his teeth and quietly activated his spiritual vision. Yet he found no anomalies. As he glanced at the other bookmarks, he received the same response each time. Indeed, if such a thing were so easily detectable, then why would I have come all this way to suspect it? Klein deactivated his spiritual vision and systematically eliminated possibilities, drawing on the details he had gleaned from Roscel's journal and the emperor's evident personality. In his judgment, since Roscel had specifically mentioned that bookmarks bearing the "Card of Contempt" were particularly valuable, the bookmark could not be ordinary—otherwise, it would fail to meet that strong sense of refined taste. By setting such a high standard, using many valuable pieces of knowledge to underscore an otherwise unremarkable bookmark, Roscel would subtly mock the recipient. Therefore, books that are valuable but not particularly outstanding can be overlooked—thus, as he glanced around, carefully observing, he barely heard the guide's explanations. "Overall, it seems only the creative manuscript meets the criteria within the entire 'library' space. The rest hold only average value. Given Roscel's personality, he certainly wouldn't select them. After all, Roscel is the kind of person who'd say, 'I'll keep the secret right in the most prominent place, yet you never seem to notice it.' " While thinking this, Klein gave the emperor a slightly dismissive, "mhm-mhm-mhm" expression. Of course, he couldn't yet be certain that the bookmark was a disguised 'Sacred亵渎'—since Roscel clearly possesses highly valuable works in the field of mysticism, and the Church of Steam and Mechanics would certainly never exhibit those! Well, we must first confirm whether it's indeed the "Card of Profanation," and then decide whether to take any action. Unfortunately, the date of January 20th cannot be ruled out—no one knows exactly which day each bookmark was inserted into the books. Klein murmured this to himself, then turned to the讲解员 who had paused, smiled, and asked, "Are there any books displayed on the shelves that have items inserted into them, like a note from a noble lady to Roscel?" Only one bookmark needed to be verified throughout the entire exhibition hall—the difficulty had dropped dramatically… He mentally added a note of delight. While the guide was introducing the book that "Roscel was most fond of reading," Klein once again glanced around, observing the overall layout of the hall. To recreate the room as it was a century ago, there were no gas lamps along the walls. Lighting came primarily from the projecting bay windows several meters away, framed by iron grilles, and from the large crystal chandeliers suspended from the ceiling. The bronze lamp stand on the desk remained unlit, serving merely as a decorative feature. Klein looked out through the bay window and saw the dry, withered grass lawn and a straight, dark iron lamp pole beyond. He noted the position and then redirected his gaze to the book being described by the female guide, while simultaneously evaluating the feasibility of his book theft plan. "First, according to Rousel's meaning, neither the major churches nor the ancient royal families—each of which holds a position of royal lineage—wishes to see him spreading the 'defiling cards,' disrupting the stable order that has endured for over a thousand years." "Therefore, if I were the archbishop in charge of handling this matter, I would immediately set fire to all of Rousel's remaining belongings. If the 'defiling cards' could thus be completely destroyed, the outcome would perfectly align with the divine intention. Should the cards prove resistant to destruction, then after the fire, their inherent anomaly would inevitably become evident." "Since Rousel's belongings remain intact, it follows that he must have employed some means to ensure that everyone—both the laypeople and the divine beings—believes he has dispatched all the 'defiling cards,' leaving not a single one behind." "Of course, it's possible that certain churches or ancient families might attempt to leverage the 'Card of Profanation' to secure a particular extraordinary path they themselves need—but this possibility is likely quite small, since it would give Roscel a chance to form alliances and consolidate a united front, making it unnecessary to resort to spreading the 'Card of Profanation' and disrupting the established order." "In that case, his journal would reflect both confidence and corresponding concerns—certainly not merely pessimistic, relying solely on that ancient, secretive organization." "Moreover, over the past hundred and more years, the Church of the Steam and Mechanical Gods, which has preserved these relics, has conducted numerous supplementary searches—so it's highly unlikely that anyone still believes the 'Card of Profanation' is hidden here." "Therefore, the security level for this exhibition will not be particularly high." "Moreover, a crucial point is that the entire Bekland has been stirred into a state of restlessness and anxiety by the serial killer known as the 'Demon.' The extraordinary figures from the three major churches are conducting city-wide searches and investigations, so the number of personnel the 'Mechanical Heart' team can assign to this less significant exhibition will undoubtedly be very limited." "Indeed, the most valuable item to protect here is Lord Roscel's journal. Many wild extraordinary beings hold the Emperor in high regard, believing that the 'innovative symbols' inscribed within reveal profound mysteries—thus, they possess both the motive and the capability to steal it. Therefore, the focus of the guards will undoubtedly be on that exhibition hall." "Go back to the Gray Mists to consult the oracles and verify my assessment." "Still, we must first confirm whether it's the 'Sacred Violation' card—otherwise, we risk significant effort and exposure, only to have the journal stolen and replaced with a mere bookmark. Then I'd rather simply return to my tomb! Now, how shall we verify this?" This couldn’t wait until I made my next infiltration—and right now, there simply wasn’t the opportunity… I’d have to find someone else to help. It had to be done with great care! Kline followed the guide intently, listening with clear attention. "The Magician," she was, a novice, capable of passing through walls and doors—akin to someone holding the Universal Key—she was a solid choice. Yet she was only at Sequence 9, and the infiltration required for this mission would be too risky for her. Miss Hoo? No, she wasn’t suited for this at all. Could she enlist a thief? Not really—there were extraordinary beings on guard, and the thief would likely be caught on the spot, exposing the very fact that someone was after the Rosel Bookmarks. Miss Sharren? She had the strength and the condition to handle this kind of mission, but the problem was—the "Tarnished Cards" were divine artifacts capable of turning most extraordinary beings against one another. I still haven’t full confidence in her yet. Kline pondered, evaluating the potential allies at her disposal. Gradually, he zeroed in on a target: "Miss Justice!" She came from a distinguished noble family. Could it be possible that, under the pretense of being interested, she could leverage her wealth and influence to touch that bookmark? Indeed, the opportunity seems substantial, and this method would go unnoticed—highly advantageous for my subsequent stealthy infiltration and theft. The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. As for verifying this approach, since the "Card of Desecration" resists divination and prophecy, he could only currently conceive of one solution: attempt to damage the bookmark itself. ——Doesn't the resistance to divination and prophecy mean that if one applies similar methods to an object harboring the "Card of Desecration," the outcome will be failure or disruption? In that case, wouldn't that be equivalent to admitting defeat without a fight? The true meaning is that even if one successfully secures the "Card of Desecration," divination performed upon it will yield results as if it were a mere ordinary object—results as if it were simply disguised as such. I'm just guessing what kind of "activation password" the Emperor has set. I can only resort to this simple and straightforward method to verify—if the "Card of Desecration" can indeed be destroyed, then perhaps I simply haven't yet shared a connection with it… Hmm. Given the Emperor's preferences, maybe I could try a specific incantation. He once joked in his journal, saying, "Would you like my treasure? Then come to the end of the Misty Sea to find it," and the "Card of Desecration" itself is a treasure! Should the incantation be the ancient Hermes word corresponding to "one piece"? No—that would mean nothing could ever be obtained, unless a second traveler appears, which contradicts the Emperor's intention to create disorder and disrupt established order. So, perhaps the Hermes or ancient Hermes word corresponding to "pirate king"? Klein gradually solidified his idea and began paying closer attention to the layout of the exhibition hall. Under the guidance of the female guide, they left the restored study and entered another exhibition hall. Once everything had concluded and they were free to move about, Caine, slightly embarrassed, asked, "Excuse me, could you tell me where the restrooms are? Are they on the upper floor?" "No, the upper floor is the office area. Just follow this corridor straight ahead, then turn left, and you'll see them," the female guide politely indicated the direction. Taking this opportunity, Caine familiarized himself with the location of the restrooms in relation to the major exhibition halls and began to form a rough mental layout of the overall arrangement. At noon, he simply departed from the Royal Museum and returned to No. 15 Minsk Street. Caine had originally intended to address the Lady Justice directly in the tone of the Fool, informing her that his "follower" needed assistance, but upon reflection, he decided this would somewhat undermine the image of the Fool. As a deeply enigmatic figure, one must appear composed and detached—not constantly pleading on behalf of the "followers," at least not repeatedly voicing such requests... After a moment of thought, Klein swiftly devised a solution. He decided to transmit directly to the "Lady Justice" the visual and auditory images of the "followers" seeking assistance. Throughout this process, the "Cardinal of the Fool" remained utterly silent! Relief washing over him, Klein exhaled, drew the curtains, rubbed his cheeks, and then began to address himself: "The Fool who belongs to no age; The mysterious sovereign above the gray mist; The King of Good Fortune, in yellow and black. I seek a certain form of aid; I ask that someone assist me in reaching the bookmark tucked between the pages of Roscel's creative manuscript; I request that they make a subtle, barely perceptible damage to it, and inform me of any reaction—during which I may silently recite the corresponding Hermes or Ancient Hermes words for 'Admiral of the Seas.'" "Regardless of who offers assistance, even if no response is given, I am willing to pay 500 pounds as compensation, to be deducted from the outstanding 5,000 pounds." "Should there be a response, I will offer more." ... After completing all this, Kline waited a moment before entering the gray mist and saw the luminous screen displaying his appeals. Once the divination indicated that the matter of stealing bookmark from the royal museum at night posed a moderate risk—neither high nor low—he extracted the appeal information, reinforced and expanded the mosaic, slightly altered his voice to create a more distorted tone, and then projected it into the ethereal star symbolizing the 'Lady Justice'.