"Yes, about a month ago." Alan pushed his gold-framed glasses up on his nose, giving a confirming answer. A month ago? Wasn't that precisely when you'd been plagued by nightmares related to Will. Ongestin? Kline was both surprised and puzzled, though he kept his emotions concealed. In an instant, he recalled the two divinations he'd made: Will. Ongestin was in a dark room, with the sound of flowing water outside. Could that be a sign of amniotic fluid or blood? Kline felt a sudden jolt of realization. Now, looking at Alan, his gaze had grown complex. He suspected that Alan's wife might be carrying Will. Ongestin—symbolized as a mercury serpent! In esoteric symbolism, the mercury serpent coils upon itself, swallowing its own tail, suggesting a cycle of destiny... Was Will. Ongestin, in order to evade his enemies, deliberately initiating a new cycle in advance? Klein was making guesses based on the knowledge he currently had. Dr. Allen was completely unaware of the subtle anomalies he was carefully concealing, and smiled warmly, saying, "He'll certainly be a delightful child. When he's born, I'll host a banquet to celebrate his arrival, Sherlock—don't fail to attend." "Perhaps it's her," Klein replied with a smile. To be honest, he was curious, eager to see how the newborn Mercury Serpent was faring. Yet he also felt a sense of apprehension and concern, for the Mercury Serpent was the Sequence 1 of the "Monstrous" path—a path deeply tied to the contest for the divine throne—and no one could be certain that the journey ahead would unfold smoothly or bring lasting peace and happiness. To Dr. Allen, it was neither clear whether it was a matter of luck or misfortune... whether Willy O'Scatten was kind on one hand, and whether the other mercury serpent would come to light on the other... And at present, Willy O'Scatten wasn't doing much to inform the night watch—seeming rather cruel. I've always understood the wild exceptionalists... to simply observe quietly, to remain neutral, not to intervene or exploit, is often the best course. Perhaps I've misread the situation. Perhaps I've overthought it. Maybe Willy O'Scatten isn't, after all, the mercury serpent at all! Maybe Dr. Allen's wife is simply carrying a normal child! Klein flashed over several thoughts. "She? That's even better," Dr. Allen said, with genuine anticipation. Klein pondered and asked one more question: "Have you been having any nightmares lately?" "Occasionally, but they're all normal—no Willy O'Scatten, no Sherlock—thank you for your reassurance," Dr. Allen said sincerely. No, no, no—this is abnormal. As a keyboard virtuoso with only basic psychological knowledge, I know that it's entirely normal to occasionally dream about Will. O'Connell afterward—this is the standard reaction following a strong stimulus. Since he has caused you such significant disruption and left such a lasting impression, his presence will naturally seep into your dreams. Therefore, the correct pattern should be that you still occasionally dream about Will. O'Connell, though the dreams grow increasingly hazy, and sometimes you forget the details upon waking, only remembering that something of the sort happened. Klein feels even more certain about this. At that moment, he hears a low, wailing sound. He instinctively turns toward the hall's entrance, and sees the dimness in the air swept away by the fierce wind, clearing the thin, pale mist. The branches, stripped of leaves, sway gently, leaving a distinct trail of wind that stretches steadily toward the southeast. A few seconds later, everything returns to normal—calm and undisturbed as before. "The winter in Beckland rarely sees winds like this—I have no memory of such a thing," Allen remarked, gazing out the window. "This isn't normal wind... what's going on?"克莱恩 suppressed his curiosity, excused himself to the restroom for a routine divination, which yielded no clear insights. He set the matter aside for now, intending to head to the underground range to practice shooting. But at that moment, a waiter in a red uniform passed through the warm, spring-like hall and approached him respectfully. "Mr. Moriaty, your friend is looking for you," he said. "Who?"克莱恩 asked, slightly taken aback. "Mr. Ikonser Bernard," the red-uniformed waiter replied. The steward who's always been 'having his hair cut'... why has he suddenly come to see me? Is there something new?克莱恩 immediately made his way to the club's reception hall. Eikonser adjusted his hat, pushed up by his voluminous hair, and approached, lowering his voice. "The Enforcer has found Patrick Jason Beleia." "How did they find him?" Kline asked, half-surprised, half-curious. According to his divination, Jason Beleia had always been veiled in human form—his true appearance and essence were not as clearly defined as believed, making it nearly impossible to locate him so easily! Eikonser glanced around. "I'm not certain—I just received this news." He pointed to a white bird perched on the tree outside. The bird was leisurely preening its feathers with its beak. Before Kaine could ask further, Ikonser gave a broad outline of what had happened: "The Envoys found the trail and located Jason, but this demon anticipated the danger and, before the encirclement was fully sealed, forcibly killed two of the Envoys and escaped. This has deeply angered the高层 of the Storm Church. 'Songbearer' Es. Snack personally pursued him, and you must have seen the gale winds just now—that was his work. He is the Archbishop of the Becland diocese of the Storm Church and one of the Cardinal Bishops of the entire Storm Church." It sounds perfectly reasonable, yet it feels strangely odd... According to Mr. Esgen and my own hypothesis, this could also be interpreted as Jason, the 'Apostle of Desire,' deliberately drawing off the high-tier champions. Kaine carefully asked, "Is it confirmed that Jason. Beleia was discovered?" Ikonser's expression immediately grew serious, and he responded in an unusually odd tone, "I'll try." He gestured for Caine to follow him outside, and they boarded a spacious carriage parked by the roadside, which already contained two members of the "Heart of Mechanism." Ikonser took a deep breath and retrieved the ancient silver mirror engraved with strange patterns from a specially designed pocket on the inside of his clothing. After completing the preliminary preparations, he spoke with a serious, dark expression: "Respected Arodes, my question is: where is Patrick Jason Beleia currently?" The light around them momentarily distorted, as if the glow of lamps after a rainstorm, while within the mirror, a scene swiftly materialized: A river-going vessel with its sails set, Patrick Jason Beleia—his high-arched cheekbones, gray-blue eyes, and neatly combed hair—was pressing his duckbill hat firmly against his head, raising the collar of his coat to shield himself as he hurried into the cabin. "He's indeed fleeing from Bekerland! The 'Song of the Gods' seems to be heading toward the dock district," one female member of the "Heart of Mechanism" remarked with sudden clarity. But wasn't this exposure too straightforward? Caine remained deeply puzzled. Eikonser didn't pay any attention to these; all his focus was on the surface of the silver mirror. This time, there was only the option to answer questions—any error or lie would incur a dreadful punishment. Soon, the mirror surface outlined a series of vivid, blood-red words: "If your beloved man is covered in bumps, or sheds his skin, leaving only flesh, or transforms into a monster, yet can still communicate with you—would you still love him?" Such an awkward question... Wait, a man? Kline nearly turned his head, glancing at Eikonser. Eikonser exhaled slowly: "Yes, but I would personally kill him." "Very honest," the silver mirror surface then displayed a new sequence of words. ...This question-and-answer game is nothing short of a public execution, Kline longed to reach out and cover his face. He glanced at the other two members of the "Heart of Mechanism," noting their calm, untroubled expressions—either genuinely composed or simply pretending—and hesitated before saying, "I keep feeling it's too easy. Perhaps that isn't truly Jason Belia?" "But Jason Belia is pointing directly at him," said Ikonse, intending to draw the silver mirror back. As he sipped his wine and pondered, he said: "I'd like to invite Lord Holbe to visit us tomorrow to discuss raising factory workers' wages, improving their working hours, and revising the Poor Law—issues he has recently been vigorously advocating. He should be very interested, indeed. How has the Nightingale Church suddenly taken an interest in these matters? When I invite him, I'll first share with Lord Holbe the topics I'd like to discuss. The property qualification for elections is essential—our requirements must not be lowered, or otherwise the powerful figures who drive the labor force will secure even greater representation in the assembly. Also, I need to dampen the recent attacks on the ineffective constituencies..." At this moment, the carriage did not turn toward Queens, but continued straight ahead. As one of the kingdom's largest landholders after the King himself, Duke Nigen had several mistresses. However, in the more conservative realm of Roon, this was a point often exploited by political rivals, so even as a duke, he had to go to his mistresses discreetly—though this often brought him greater pleasure. Today, he was heading to his most beloved mistress in the past few years, a young woman just turning twenty. After drinking a potion made from mummified body powder, Duke Nigen gently touched the pendant at his neck—a deep blue conch, the size of his thumb. It was a magical item specially provided by the Storm Church following the last assassination attempt on Zilings. Whenever he blew upon it, the "Songbearer" Aes Snack of St. Wind Cathedral would instantly detect the signal and pinpoint his location. To protect himself, Duke Niggen even relocated several of his mistresses' residences to the Chawood district, close to St. Wind Cathedral. The carriage moved slowly and arrived at an exceptionally luxurious house. Upon entering, one could see a glass greenhouse within the garden, filled with fresh red roses.