In the dimly lit, sturdy room, Derek Berg, feigning unconsciousness, suddenly sat up. His "Galeaxe" had been taken and sent for inspection, and all pockets of his clothing had been emptied—nothing remained. Taking a deep breath, he calmly surveyed the surroundings. Two small sun-like glimmers suddenly flared in his eyes, bringing every detail of the room into sharp focus. The room contained only a table and two chairs, and a stone floor marked with unusual patterns. On the table lay a half-used candle—a standard fixture in every room of Silver City, as prolonged darkness could sometimes suddenly bring forth monsters. Without further hesitation, Derek sat down and picked up the candle. Then, he broke and pulled it into three pieces: one piece occupying three-quarters of the original length, and two smaller pieces sharing the remaining quarter. After Derek's adjustments, the wicks of the three candles became clearly visible. *Plip!* With a gentle搓 of his fingers, he created a golden flame that lit the three candles. The two at the top represented Mr. The Fool, while the remaining one symbolized Derek himself. Once prepared, Derek deviated from the usual procedure—instead of burning herb powder and then adding essential oils, he simply leaned back and softly recited the name of Mr. The Fool, quickly entering a meditative state. He repeated the recitation over and over, monotonous and rhythmic, as if continuously soothing himself. With the aid of meditation, Derek entered a peculiar state—mentally drowsy yet spiritually expansive. He felt both foggy and strangely alert, his consciousness gradually rising, drifting upward, and growing ever more elevated. This was precisely what was known as "induced somnambulism." Derek, having received permission from Mr. The Fool, could streamline some non-essential steps. ...Above the gray mist, within the majestic and ancient palace, the Fool,克莱恩, who was gently handling the "Eye of Pure Black," suddenly observed the deep red star symbolizing the small "Sun" swelling with light and coalescing into a humanoid spectral form, thereby slightly shifting the balance of the mysterious space. Seeing this, he breathed a sigh of relief, for it meant that the small "Sun" had successfully completed its more perilous initial tasks, now only needing to carry out its final "closure procedures." Without delay,克莱恩 set down the "Eye of Pure Black" and took up the "Black Emperor" card. Instantly, his level and stature elevated, causing the forces previously disturbed above the gray mist to bow and submit. Then, he grasped a paper figure, gave it a flick of his wrist, and hurled it toward the deep red star corresponding to the "Sun." The paper figure swiftly merged with the flowing power, expanding rapidly into a vast angel with twelve pairs—twenty-four—pairs of black wings. The "Angel" pierced through the deep red glow and overlapped with the ethereal image of the small "Sun." It burned silently, turning to ash within less than a second. At this point, Caine could no longer influence the situation in Silver City. As for whether his "Angel stand-in" could successfully assist the small "Sun" through the upcoming inquiries and examinations, he had no absolute confidence—only a quiet sigh in his heart: "I've done what I needed to do, exerted myself as much as I could. Now, I must simply wait for fate. I hope it turns out well..." Then he lifted them, crafting golden, clear flames in the palm of his hand. Ticking, ticking, the two candles melted swiftly, their "tears" falling continuously—some landing upon the remaining one, others gathering around it. As the wicks burned completely, only one candle remained on the table, slightly shorter but not noticeably so, as though merely having burned for a longer time. Clearing away the remaining traces, Dric extinguished the last dim candle. He sat up silently, gazing straight ahead, motionless for a long while. He worried that the "Council of Six" responded too slowly, allowing exploration team members to carry the "mushrooms" and "Dum fruits" and thus pollute more residents of Silver City; he feared that the "Chief" and others would discover additional clues elsewhere, thereby undermining his own preparations; he resented the "outsiders" hidden in the deep shadows, always bearing sharp malice—Amun included, and the "Fallen Creator" included; he felt guilty for having avoided this exploration himself, without reminding Dac and the others, who had thus become the polluted monsters; he grieved deeply at having personally eliminated a classmate whom he could truly call a friend.—Though Dric did not witness Dac's final fate, he believed that the transformation into that form had effectively amounted to death. Amidst complex and turbulent emotions, Dric had no clear sense of how long he had been waiting, and midway, he reignited the candle. Finally, he heard the sound of the seal being lifted and the door opening. Turning his head, he saw, under the dim candlelight, a woman with a long black braid flowing down to her bodice, stepping in. "Ms. Avelor," Derek murmured instinctively. Avelor was fair-faced, though her eyes had begun to show slight lines; she smiled and nodded in response, then settled lightly into the seat across from him. "Do you have something you'd like to say?" she asked softly. Derek instinctively lifted his gaze, only to find that the woman's eyes had changed—now they were pale golden vertical pupils. His thoughts instantly blurred, as though he had entered a state of dreamwalking. Avelor adjusted the candle flame, allowing the warm glow to fully illuminate the young man across from her. Her pale golden vertical pupils grew increasingly detached, as if she were an impassive observer. Suddenly, within those golden pupils, one after another, faint glimmers appeared, forming a spiral, weaving together into a maze. Amidst a haze of confusion, Darien felt himself drifting, suspended between endless darkness and countless vivid colors. At that moment, he suddenly became aware, sensing that his dreamlike state had been seamlessly replaced by something tangible. He saw the wavering, golden candlelight, and across from him, Elphora, her eyes a soft golden hue, sitting upright. From the corner's shadow emerged the white-haired "Senior" Elder, Colin Iliath. After a nod to him, Elphora gently asked Darien, "What have you been doing lately?" Darien remembered his instruction and maintained the same state: "I don't know. I've been quite foggy, as if still dreaming, only occasionally becoming fully awake..." As he spoke, two complex symbols in green ink emerged in Colin's eyes. Elphora then asked, "Do you know that you've had a conflict with Dac Regin?" "I only remember fighting him... I seem to have seen a man hanging on a cross, a man wearing a soft-crowned hat and crystal spectacles—yes, I've seen him in the dungeon. He spoke, smiling as he spoke." Derek recounted a story he had woven over time. Elvora glanced at the Chief and asked, "What did he say?" "I can't recall the exact words, only fragments—he smiled and said, 'The Fallen Creator, the True Creator, the Shepherd'." Derek nearly couldn't contain his excitement. He had risked so much to convey both the name 'Fallen Creator' and the suspicion surrounding the 'Shepherd' to the Chief! "The Fallen Creator... the True Creator... this aligns well with the scenes in the temple's lower murals." Colin nodded gently, frowning slightly. "The Shepherd..." "What happened after that?" Elvora's voice was exceptionally gentle. Derek answered somewhat confused: "After they collided, there was a lot of light—bright, intense light—and I woke up, coughing continuously..." The deep green symbols in Colin's eyes never faded, indicating that Eflo should ask for more specific details. Derek chose his words carefully, delivering the well-rehearsed parts from the script and passing over the off-script ones to Amun, stating he couldn't recall them. Finally, Eflo asked, "Where did you get your axe? And where did you learn your 'Sun Path' potion recipe?" "I bought the axe at the underground market—the man was face-covered, so I could only tell he was male. The 'Sun Path' potion recipe came from my parents, discovered during one of our explorations..." Derek spoke with complete confidence. These were long-standing疑points, and "The Hanged Man" had always anticipated their emergence, prompting Deric to rehearse his responses repeatedly. ——Although the underground market of Silver City was semi-public, some individuals still made efforts to conceal their identities for various reasons, which provided Deric with the most compelling explanation. Evelyn listened carefully and then turned to the "Hunter of Monsters," Colin, and said: "He did not lie; it was impossible for him to lie, as I drew upon the power of the 'Crown of Glory.'" Colin nodded in agreement: "Under these circumstances, he showed no signs of evil, corruption, or contamination." These were precisely the strengths of a "Hunter of Monsters." As a high-tier professional, the greatest strength of a "Hunter of Monsters" lies in their ability to conceal their actions and intentions, making it impossible for targets who can foresee threats to detect them. Thus, every "Hunter of Monsters" becomes a champion against the demons. After a moment's thought, Colin rose and left the room, addressing the shadow in the corner: "We'll release Dricke shortly, tentatively judging him clear of any issues. However, we'll continue monitoring him for a while longer—should Amun manage to create two duplicates, he might just produce a third." "Yes, Chief." The shadow responded with respectful deference. When Dricke finally "came to himself," the interrogation room was empty, leaving only the words that allowed him to depart freely. He exhaled quietly, taking steady steps toward the outside, his mind still occupied with the instructions from the "Hanged Man": "Do not relax, do not grow complacent—observation will undoubtedly continue for some time, or else your 'Chief' will fall short of the mark!" Hmm, lately, he hadn't even been able to utter the name of the " Fool" anymore... Dricke murmured this to himself, walking down the spiral staircase. As he walked, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure—Lovyra, the Elder of the Shepherds, dressed in a black robe adorned with purple patterns, with a graceful and elegant bearing. Lovyra’s pale gray eyes swept over Drik, and a gentle smile appeared on her face. The right hand, which had only four fingers, suddenly saw flesh pulsing at the wound site, rapidly growing a new index finger—slightly pale—taking shape. Lovaia lowered her head, gazing at her palm, and softly uttered a single word: "The Fool?"