In the hall where the stone pillar had broken, a group of night-watchmen in black coats and silk hats appeared around the remains of the altar. At the head of the group was Saint Anthony Stevenson, the Archbishop of the Becland diocese of the Church of the Night Goddess. "It's been disturbed?" he murmured, then continued without pause, heading directly toward the stone door leading inward. A dense darkness rose, and the stone door opened silently. Saint Anthony led a portion of the night-watchmen inside, moving deeper into the hall. Along the way, they found neither a single guard nor any valuable items—here, it seemed as though the space had been thoroughly cleared by force. At last, they reached the deepest chamber, yet beyond the walls and columns, there was nothing at all. The pale blue light gate that had appeared when Caine had stepped out had vanished completely. Suddenly, the lanterns held by several night-watchmen lost their glow, and darkness fell over the room. When everything had returned to normal, they found that the walls surrounding them had somehow dissolved, yet there was no hidden door or tunnel behind them—only solid earth and stone, or the corridor they had come through. Saint Anthony remained silent for several seconds before speaking: "Try divination. Search the surroundings." ........ Ah! Caine wandered through the rocky cliffs and forests without any paths, sadly realizing that he truly was ill. The lingering effects of his extraordinary abilities, combined with being completely soaked during the winter, had left him humbly afflicted with a cold. Yet he dared not stop to gather dry branches, light a fire, warm his clothes, or dry out his bills, for he feared being discovered by the extraordinary beings of the Church. Even though he has already secured a semi-official status at the "Heart of Mechanism" through Stanton Eshing's endorsement, he will inevitably undergo rigorous investigation for the two highest-tier cases involving the awakening of the "Primordial Witch" and the arrival of the "True Creator"—for instance, rotating through tea tastings at the "Heart of Mechanism," the Substitute Penitent, and the Night Watch, both actively and passively recounting the full sequence of events. Among these, there are two major vulnerabilities. First, he has acquaintances within the night-watch cadre. Although the appearance of the great detective Sherlock Moriati differs somewhat from that of the deceased Klein Moretti, photographs make the distinction nearly impossible—yet face-to-face, he still lacks confidence. Second, due to their shared pathways, the Night Goddess Church has historically been unfriendly toward the personages and entities associated with Death. Indeed, during the pale age at the close of the Fourth Age, Death himself fell victim to the siege of the Seven Gods. Meanwhile, the powerful descendant of Death whom Sherlock Moriati summoned at a critical moment is a fact that cannot be easily erased. "The high-ranking strength I just encountered may have been rushing to attend to the matters of Ins Zangwei and '0–08,' and thus overlooked me, a relatively minor ally. Yet I cannot afford to be complacent—despite this, I must still move forward!" "Well, if I get the chance, I'll write a letter to 'The Heart of Mechanism,' explaining the second reason why I have to temporarily leave Beckland. That way, we might still have the opportunity for future collaboration—of course, I'll first need to quietly observe whether 'The Heart of Mechanism' harbors a strong animosity toward the descendants of the God of Death... I wonder how Mr. Azkirk is doing these days... 'Hah, perhaps in the official announcement, Sherlock Moriaty is said to have perished in a meteor shower, thus fulfilling the dignity of his name and title...' At that moment, every color before him grew rich and vibrant, as if painted with oil by the gods. The sensation faded swiftly, and克莱恩 found himself far from his original position, now seeing Azk Egers—his skin warm copper, features gentle—standing beside him. "Mr. Azk, are you unharmed?" he couldn't help but exhale a deep relief. "Yes," Azk replied calmly, then smiled, "though for a 'deathless one,' this isn't much of a matter." 克莱恩 settled easier and asked next, "What about Ins. Zangwei and '0–08'?" "Ins. Zangwei is still alive and continues to oversee that '0'-level seal." Azk said as they walked. 克莱恩 struggled to keep up, and sighed with a touch of regret, "It's truly a pity." "Needn't worry," Azk reassured him, "he's sustained a serious injury." "Azk stated seriously, "More importantly, we now know that he's been secretly collaborating with the royal family. So you needn't worry about losing him later on. That way, you can focus on strengthening yourself, while I can begin by revisiting a few places where I've already recalled memories—trying to awaken more. Heh, you're fortunate. I've been quietly observing the military intelligence office and the royal family's personnel, aiming to track down the movements of Inz. Zangwei. Among these, the Red Rose Manor has been a key focus. That's why I've often lingered near there. Otherwise, I wouldn't have arrived so quickly to save you." Speaking of this, Caine suddenly felt a bit embarrassed: "Mr. Azk, don't you wonder why I haven't died yet?" "I've myself been revived after being laid in a coffin—this is one of the memories I've regained," Azk replied with a carefree smile. "And although such events are rare among others, they're not entirely unheard of in my fragmented memories." "Often comes back to life after being buried... often? Suddenly,克莱恩 realizes that the concerns he has been harboring seem trivial when viewed through the eyes of true masters. No wonder they're the 'Immortals' of the 'Death God' path... Heh, Mr. Azk, previously mentioned that he had stayed in this sequence for a long time—implying he had already advanced significantly. Thinking it over,克莱恩 asked with a touch of concern: 'Mr. Azk, will Ins. Zangwei recognize me as克莱恩. Moretti?' He fears retaliation from the latter against Bensen and Melissa. 'He probably won't,' Azk recalled, 'at most, he'll think we've known each other for a long time, or that you're simply one of my people—by police terms, one of my informants.' 'But the "0"-level seal might detect it,' he added. 'Though you needn't worry about that.' 'Why?'克莱恩 asked. Azk knew suddenly what he had remembered, his expression becoming oddly peculiar—seeming at once both amused and startled: "The 'Level 0' sealed object will always strive to erase its host. This is its fundamental nature, unchanging. Therefore, I don't believe it would actively reveal information that could be detrimental to Inns Zanggwei during such a critical moment, unless there was something unavoidable, something it couldn't explain." Seeing Mr. Azk speak with such conviction and clarity, Kline exhaled, and his cold symptoms seemed to ease slightly. Azk added: "You should stay away from Beckland for the near future. Inns Zanggwei may use the 'Level 0' sealed object to retaliate against you, leveraging your false identity. As long as you remain outside Beckland, there will be no issue—the influence of that 'Level 0' sealed object will not extend beyond a major city." "As I expected, there are limitations... Otherwise, Vinzent Zangweil could easily retreat to some small town in the Southern Continent, calmly arranging the fates of all his targets, completely undisturbed by anyone seeking him. Kline carefully asked: "Would it be alright if I stayed in Beckland for just one day—or half a day—at most? Under the condition that I've changed my identity and appearance." After saying this, he rubbed his face and instantly reverted back to his original appearance from Tinggen. Azk's eyebrows slightly lifted, and he nodded: "That should be fine." He glanced back toward the distant spot where the view had faded: "It seems I've been noticed by a powerful presence from the Night's Church. You'd better stay away from me, if possible, to avoid being affected. After all, they're particularly interested in any extraordinary traits related to Death." "Yes, I'm planning to sail out, taking time to digest the potions and searching for mermaids—this is a condition required for my promotion," Kline explained his plan. Azk turned his head slightly: "Mermaids?" Can a mermaid become a deathly one? I can certainly find at least four. "Should be—well, perhaps not..." Kline brushed his forehead. His instinct told him it definitely wouldn't work, but he still intended to consult the Gray Mists for confirmation. Azk didn't mention the deathly mermaid anymore, and instead said: "Any matter, communicate via messenger." Messenger... Kline suddenly felt awkward and ashamed: "It—well, it died during my battle against Mr. A. It saved my life." Azk glanced at him and shook his head with a smile. "Don't worry. As long as it isn't slain by a celestial-level strength or through a special method, and as long as the Underworld endures, it will slowly regenerate there. And before that, there have been, there have been—well, I can't even count how many such messengers there have been." A whole army of messengers, so strong and so immense? Kline opened his mouth, but couldn't speak. His sense of shame somewhat dissipated, and he asked curiously, "Mr. Azk, where exactly is the Underworld, or Hell?" "Actually, the Underworld is a specially designated place established by the ancient God of Death within the Spirit Realm," Azk did not hesitate to explain. The ancient God of Death? That must be the primordial deity, Gracelya, the founder of the Phoenix. So the Underworld belongs to the Spirit Realm—thus explaining why the foundational structure of esoteric studies is 'the Physical World—Spirit Realm—Celestial Realm,' without including the Underworld or the Abyss. Just as Caine was about to ask further questions, he suddenly remembered something and quickly added, "Mr. Azk, I have obtained a 'Card of Profanation' crafted by Emperor Rosel, which contains secrets of high sequence. I believe it will help you awaken further revelations. However, you will need to wait a while—currently, it is hidden in Beckland." "Klein didn't mention the reward, fearing that doing so might reveal the secret of the Tarot Circle, the mysterious space above the fog, and the lady 'Justice.' So he could only express his gratitude to Mr. Azk in a more indirect way. Azk glanced at him with a slight sense of surprise, but ultimately said nothing, merely nodding gently: 'Once you've retrieved it, have the courier deliver it to me. I'll study it and return it to you immediately, or you may simply copy the relevant sections for me.' He paused, as though remembering something, then produced from his pocket a thin glove—so delicate it seemed made of human skin—and handed it to Klein. 'The memories I needed have now been awakened, and I no longer require it. Heh, it was a relic belonging to that naval admiral. I've placed certain seals upon it so that it doesn't grow hungry during ordinary use, but each time it's used, it must be fed with a human's flesh and soul. Otherwise, it will consume you.' ... 'A creeping hunger'? Inherited from the legacy of a certain 'shepherd'? Klein immediately recalled what the glove represented.