Hermes? That's a truly ancient powerhouse... Caine's brow furrowed slightly. As someone with a solid foundation in mysticism, he was well aware of the era in which the elderly gentleman who invented the ancient Hermes language had been most active. "That was the Second Age, when the giants ruled the land and dragons soared through the skies—indeed, predating even the war gods and the earth mother in human history. In other words, before the Tarot Circle even formed, the 'small Sun' of that time, who wasn't yet acquainted with the Seven Gods, but who likely heard the name Hermes—ah, I'll find a chance to confirm this with 'World' later. "This gentleman had personally witnessed humanity's early pioneers, through trial and error, gradually forging their path toward extraordinary powers. Drawing upon the giants' and dragons' languages as a foundation, he innovatively developed an entire system of a human-specific, transcendent language—likely having seen the very first 'Board of Desecration.' "He even lived through the reign of Emperor Roscel, and possibly until today! "What a living fossil of human esotericism!" Caine was struck by profound admiration, gaining a deeper sense of the "Dusk Hermit Order's" formidable stature. Even Hermes himself is one of its members! And yet, other secret societies—even within the Seven Divine Churches—often employ the ancient Hermes tongue during rituals and ceremonies. Truly, the "Dusk Hermit Order" is elite, refined, and sophisticated. Caine couldn't help but silently marvel at it. What he most envied wasn't merely that the Order boasted a legendary figure like Hermes, who has walked hand-in-hand with human history, but rather that it possessed the second "Board of Desecration." It was nothing short of a game-changer! Caine had only a fraction—just one-twenty-second—of the "Desecration Cards" among the Tarot Order, which made him feel deeply nostalgic. He shifted his focus back to the paper and continued reading the remainder of the journal entry: "My goodness!" The elderly man sitting beside me, seemingly ordinary and unremarkable, turned out to be Hermes—he has lived from the Dark Second Age all the way through to the Fifth Age of Decline! "This organization is absolutely right!" "I see my bright future—I can't express how thrilled I am with just three exclamation points!" "These distinguished figures, these immortals, simply believe in the long-standing view that twilight is drawing near? No, absolutely not—least of all me! "Among them, surely someone passionately believes in these ideals, genuinely hoping for the original Creator to awaken and for history to unfold precisely as planned toward that moment—I suspect, based on my understanding, that it's not an awakening, but a resurrection." "But such people won't exceed half. The rest are all driven by their own purposes—either like me, ambitious individuals, or undercover spies. Wait—there's a question that just came to me. After I accepted that secret invitation, I promptly attended the gathering without undergoing any review. Although the organizer mentioned that, due to my joining, the members had disagreements and had to vote, and only with a majority of more than two-thirds did I finally gain approval. Yet that's not the core issue. The real point is that they completely disregard whether I genuinely believe in the concept of twilight approaching, nor do they mind if I hold a variety of differing views. "This is truly possible, but when you think about it, it becomes rather unsettling. Also, once I mention the organization's name to anyone outside, even without explicit permission, I'm immediately noticed—indeed, they've given me several examples of former members who were removed. Even if I write it down, even if I use a newly invented language, it's no good! Let me think, let me think. The Sequence 2 on the 'Audience' path is the 'Perceiver,' and Sequence 1 is the 'Writer.' Who here possesses the corresponding traits? (Note 1) Ah, I now have a preliminary suspect—namely, the one who organizes the gatherings. Oh, and there's also the Sequence 0 on the 'Audience' path, whose name is: the 'Imaginer!'" "But I don't think anyone here has reached the rank of the True God; otherwise, there would be no need to remain behind the scenes. Of course, they might possess divine entities at the Sequence 0 level—such as the 'Uniqueness' of a certain path. Perhaps it is this entity that created the real dream connecting the eastern and western shores of the continent, and possesses the ability to respond instantly whenever its name is mentioned. 'At that time, I didn't dwell on these details much. Overcome by astonishment, I asked a few other questions—such as why the concept of 'authority' appears in descriptions of the gods. Mr. Hermes delivered a brilliant explanation.' Klein was frantic, wanting to cross back to the past, to squeeze Roscel's neck and force him to tell him Hermes's answer! Yet on the surface, he showed no emotional fluctuation, nor any excess bodily gestures. "So the Sequence 0 path known as 'The Imaginationist'—this aligns so well with 'The Dragon of Imagination.' I had expected it to be 'The Dragon'... 'The Imaginationist' feels more human, which means that after consuming the corresponding Sequence 0 potion, one does not necessarily transform into a dragon." "Sequence 1, 'The Writer'—just from the name of the potion, I already sense a resemblance to the characteristics of the quill from the 008 branch." "The 'Evening Hermit Society' gathers its members through a genuine dream that connects the eastern and western coasts of the continent? The description of the 'miracle' at the beginning of the diary startled me—it made me think they also possess the gray mist and the mysterious spaces above it." After calming himself, Klein realized that this page of the diary contained a wealth of valuable information. First, he learned that Hermes, this ancient sage, had lived at least up to the Roselle period, a century or so ago, and had been a member of that mysterious organization. Second, based on Roselle's enigmatic description of the organization's name, he firmly concluded that the organization was equivalent to the "Order of the Twilight Hermits." Third, he learned the names of the sequences—Sequence 0, Sequence 1, and Sequence 2—of the "Audience" path, though he might not use them immediately, they nonetheless enriched his own esoteric knowledge. Who knows—perhaps one day Miss Justice will raise a question about them... she has always been so inquisitive. Klein forced himself to forget the answers still missing, and turned to the final page of the diary. As he read, Miss Justice, Audrey, habitually observed the details, and keenly noticed that the "Emperor" card, which the "Fool" had placed over the weathered long table, had disappeared! Audrey's eyes sparkled as she tried to guess the reason. She leaned more toward the first possibility, since without the presence of the "Trickster" gentleman, His followers likely wouldn't have been able to disrupt the arrival ceremony of the "True Creator." Unfortunately, Father couldn't see the detailed records of the event, otherwise I would know who the "Trickster" gentleman's follower was. Hmm... he was of average height, a man, wearing the most popular double-breasted formal suit from Luon, and he was near the Red Rose Estate at the time. With these details, perhaps I could narrow down the identity. But this might anger the "Trickster" gentleman—He hasn't allowed me to reveal His follower's identity. Audrey, don't overthink it, don't be curious. Perhaps you'll meet him and recognize him someday. "Justice," Audrey withdrew her gaze. At that moment, Caine found himself wanting to smile at the final entry in the diary: "March 16th, my first evening at a noble ball in this world, in this country." "The ladies and noblewomen here are far better than I expected. In the novels I've read, medieval settings are often described with characters who never bathe, relying solely on perfume to mask their unpleasant body odors, frequently stepping on feces when they go out, and using facial treatments that could lead to heavy metal poisoning. But here, it's quite different—these women take great pride in bathing, wear enchanting fragrances, have smooth, fresh skin, are tightly cinched at the waist, and overall, their figures are quite pleasing. I managed to overcome my initial nervousness and had a delightful conversation with the young daughter of Count Delirio. We spoke about my ancestors' achievements and about our family's estate and current noble title. Then, she politely suggested we go have something to eat. At the time, I didn't pay much attention, thinking that building rapport with someone required a gradual approach. But when I went down to the garden for a walk, I discovered that she was engaged in a most intimate scene with the eldest son of Count Fleuris—right in an empty study! They had just met, hadn't they? Was it because I, Huang Tao Luo, wasn't handsome enough, or was it because my conversation lacked humor Fortunately, the ladies have all been very kind to me—I can feel their hidden enthusiasm, heh. Rousset had initially struggled to adapt to Indis's style. Historical records show that the Gustave family had declined over several generations, retaining only the baronial title and a modest amount of land and estates—until Rousset rose to prominence. It turns out even the Emperor has had his women taken away. Wait—I remember from one of Rousset's diary entries that he had become involved with the Countess of Fleur. Remarkable, truly remarkable. Klein glanced downward, reviewing the remaining two diary entries. They were rather unremarkable, merely records of Rousset's daily life at the manor—consistently focused on hunting, fond of fine cuisine, yearning for extraordinary powers and attractive maidservants. Klein leaned back slightly, letting the diaries fade from his hands, and smiled. "You may begin." "Justice," Audrey said immediately, turning her gaze toward "Sun" across the table, "have you broken free of that cycle?" "Sol" Driek nodded honestly first, then bowed respectfully to the head of the bronze long table: "Mr. The Great Fool, thank you so much for your guidance. It was your insight that helped me identify the key point—the 'Angel of Fate'—from the mural bearing the inscription of the 'Rose of Redemption,' enabling the chief to break the cycle of fate." What is an 'Angel of Fate'... I know nothing about it... I'm completely puzzled. The Fool, Caine, smiled in response: "Indeed." Note 1: Don't rush to mention 'Dragon of Idealism' and 'Dragon of Nightmare'—there's an important setting hidden there.