A silver-white flash, branching like a tree limb, illuminated the early winter night. It didn't strike down but instead pierced the sky, casting the area around where Kline had stood as bright as day, every detail clearly visible. "Songbearer of the Gods," Es. Snack said, drawing his gaze away, his face grave. "The Rosary School? Not the 'Wraiths,' not true immortals..." A mature man with golden eyes glanced at Cardin's body. "The target's corpse was covered by Tarot cards. This has happened for the second time in the past two months." "When was the first instance?" asked Cardinal Snack, his voice steady. The well-dressed mature man cleared his throat. "When the True Creator attempted to manifest through a fraudster." "Then it wasn't the Rosary School," Cardinal Snack concluded with certainty. The organizations that worship false deities, though they rarely appreciate one another, do not actively seek to disrupt such matters—they instead adopt a passive, almost contented attitude, waiting for the other side to first complicate the situation. "I agree. Perhaps a newly emerged, secret organization, whose hallmark is spreading Tarot cards over their targets." The middle-aged man, mature and handsome, smiled. "The different arrangements of the cards seem to convey distinct meanings. This body has only two cards covering its face—one 'Judgment,' one 'Emperor.' 'Judgment' signifies motivation and purpose, while 'Emperor' appears to be the designation of the organization just mentioned—though of course, this might also be part of a ritual." Cardinal Snakes remained silent, surveying the room. "Let us see what has actually transpired here." It was only at this point that the first group of those sentenced to punishment arrived at Captain Kaping's villa. …… Above the gray mist, Klein had only used the paper man substitutes three times, and still far from reaching his limit. He was now employing divination to confirm Daisy’s safety on her way home. “Daisy will make it home safely,” he said, holding the pendulum in his left hand and silently reciting the words. After seven repetitions, Klein opened his eyes to see the yellow crystal pendant rotating slowly in a counterclockwise direction—though the movement was subtle and gradual. This indicated that Daisy’s journey home would encounter only minor obstacles, almost negligible. Having interpreted the message clearly, Klein set aside his final concerns. He then turned his attention to the two items placed before him, both radiating a strong spiritual luminescence. One was a translucent hexagonal prism of pale blue, occasionally streaked with flashes of light, as though lightning originating from the depths of consciousness—this was a remarkable trait inherited from Lady Kate. The other belonged to Parker, whose exceptional trait had failed to manifest during the earlier battle and had now condensed into a compact form, resembling a child’s clenched fist. This "punch" is composed of three colors—iron black and deep crimson intertwined with large expanses of silver white. Without hesitation, Caine immediately manifested paper and quill, preparing to use these two extraordinary traits to divinate the corresponding potion formula. Before he reached Sequence 7, the cumulative additional effects of his residual extraordinary traits had made it nearly impossible for him to use them for divination, even with the mysterious space eliminating distractions and moderately enhancing his divinatory abilities. Thus, prior to becoming a "Magician," Caine had relied solely on the ability of "spirit communion." Only after attaining the status of "Magician" did he begin to develop the capacity—though only with a probable success rate—to use his residual traits for divination. This time, however, he failed disgracefully. Nevertheless, he gained a certain insight: he now clearly identified the sequence names corresponding to the two extraordinary traits. "Park is Sequence 8 'Peacekeeper,' and Kaiti is Sequence 7 'Interviewer'... Isn't this the 'Arbitrator' path? This path is held by the royal family, the military, and a small number of older noble houses in Run, and they strictly control the release of formulas and extraordinary materials... Could it be that some of the girls kidnapped by Karpin are being sent to the estates of these noble families? "Yet they wouldn't need to dispatch four extraordinary individuals just to enjoy the benefits—this seems clearly imbalanced. Heralas is significantly stronger than Kaiti, perhaps a Sequence 6 on this path, and with the glove, she might even reach Sequence 5. Could there be some bloody, strange rituals involved, demanding that the targets remain hidden? "Beyond the royal court, the Castiglia family of Feneport also controls this extraordinary path and has integrated it into their military and intelligence networks. Another espionage case, once again involving unknown elements?" Klein attempted to divinate his several guesses once more, but again achieved a failure. He temporarily set the matter aside and instead lightly tapped the edge of the bronze long table, murmuring to himself: "As long as there's a formula and the appropriate supporting materials, these two exceptional traits can respectively enable someone to become a Sequence 8 'Peacekeeper' and a Sequence 7 'Interviewer'... It seems that 'Magician' Miss Xu is missing the materials needed for a 'Peacekeeper'. Next time, I'll use the 'World' connection to sell Parker's materials to Miss Xu, so I can accumulate the necessary supplies for my subsequent 'Faceless' Sequence projects. But always going through the 'World' feels a bit unsuitable. This time, I deliberately left the Tarot cards behind—'Justice' Miss will surely think it was done by one of my patrons. Then, I'll have 'The Fool' Mr. handle the sale for her." Klein quickly finalized the plan and allowed the exceptional traits of the 'Peacekeeper' and 'Interviewer' to drift to the corners, where they settled among the clutter. "I don't know what they call Sequence 6 and Sequence 5 in the 'Arbitrator' path—there's a sense of order and law about them... 'Judges'? "Klein pulled himself back from his thoughts, half-closed his eyes, and carefully assessed his current state. He once again felt a surge of vitality, the potion stirring, and his digestion accelerating. This time, he trusted instinctively that he had distilled the majority of the "Magician's Rules"—the finer details could be refined or omitted, and neither would significantly impede the pace of his digestion. He materialized a round-bodied steel pen and vellum, and with a memory-like precision, wrote: "The Magician's Rules: 1. Never perform without preparation; 2. Challenge the impossible, even if the final outcome is merely illusory." Klein believed these were the two most essential principles of the "Magician's Rules"—mastering them meant grasping the essence. The rest were merely elaborations and refinements. "3. Make more proactive performances; "4. Try to earn the audience's applause; "5. Maintain the audience's focus."... Setting down the dark red round-bodied steel pen, Caine reviewed the entire list and assessed to himself: "A blend of daily performances combined with three to four active 'performances' should be enough to fully absorb the 'Magician's' potion by New Year's. If I add one more performance that pushes the boundaries of the impossible, the progress will accelerate even further—this pace is about what I hope to achieve." It was still two months until January 1, 1350. After completing all this, Caine rubbed his temple and prepared to return to the real world. Once he had arranged the 'Black Emperor' cards, the biological toxin bottles, and other items, he suddenly chuckled, self-mocking: "Challenging the impossible—doesn't that just mean walking straight into the abyss?" As the sound echoed, Caine's figure dissolved into the gray mist. In the budget hotel in the Beckland Bridge district, he suddenly opened his eyes and saw the candlelight from his summoning ritual. Quickly attending to his affairs, Caine donned the thicker worker's jacket he had just purchased for four sulers and walked to the window. Holding the sweet iced tea he had bought earlier, he gazed at the blurred reflection of himself in the window glass, and smiled genuinely, murmuring softly, "To health." As soon as he spoke, he lightly tapped the glass with the cup, then raised his chin and finished the drink in one go. Then, he strolled leisurely out of the hotel. The gas streetlamps nearby were now fully lit, and the pedestrians and carriages moved busily, completely unaware of the explosion at the junction between the Joewood district and the western district. Caine wandered around the area of the "Brave Ones" pub, and at 7:58, knocked on the door of the remarkable gathering hosted by the elderly man known as the "Eye of Wisdom." He donned his iron mask and long cloak with hood, appearing ordinary and unremarkable. ……… Meanwhile, every evening, she would regularly check for various contact signals at different locations, and suddenly noticed a new mark she had never seen before. It belonged to the gathering organized by Mr. A, where the man in the golden mask had sold her the "Sheriff's" recipe under someone else's name. It was a signal for an urgent meeting! "They had always been avoiding me, and I had been pretending not to notice—how did it suddenly happen?" After thinking it over, she decided to go see him. ——The man in the golden mask had promised her tasks that would allow her to accumulate funds, which she could then exchange for special materials at his place. So, she changed her location and recorded the time and place of the meeting. Half an hour later, in a quiet yet well-connected alley, after having quietly observed for some time, she stepped out of her hiding spot and walked toward the man in the golden mask. The man still wore a black tailcoat, and with his light brown eyes scanning over her head, he said: "You have a task for me." "Difficulty and reward?" Hu asked with familiarity. The man pushed his golden-masked visage slightly. "There's no great danger, but there could be significant risk—entirely up to you. The initial reward is thirty pounds. If you secure useful information, I might even grant you a rare material corresponding to the rank of 'Magistrate'." "What task?" Hu frowned slightly. The man with the golden mask grew more serious. "Through your network, find out who has recently inquired about Captain Cappin." "Cappin? The trafficker?" Hu asked in surprise. The man with the golden mask nodded. "Yes." "I'm rejecting this task—I detest him!" Hu replied immediately. The man on the other side exhaled. "Not to serve Cappin. "He's already dead." "Dead?" Hu was momentarily stunned. "He died at his own home, covered in Tarot cards—two on his face: one of 'Judgment,' one of 'Emperor.' By the way, keep an eye out for any recent incidents involving Tarot cards that haven't been reported to the police." The man wearing a golden mask added.