Leonard? For a brief moment, Caine almost thought he had misseen him. But the blur caused by the light wasn't severe, and with his familiarity of the man, he quickly confirmed his earlier judgment. In the span of a single breath, Leonard vanished, the light dispersed, and the valley returned to its quiet winter stillness—Caine's dreamlike vision shattered. He opened his eyes and placed the insignia he had received from Larnus upon the bronze table. "Is it truly Leonard, or is it Leonard disguised as the Faceless One?" Caine paused, then tossed a coin. His intuition, carried through this medium, affirmed it: Leonard Mitchell, a teammate of the Night Watch team in Tingel! "Is he a 'investigator' sent by the goddess's church for that gathering, or a vengeful agent who, secretly, has been pursuing his own opportunities?" Caine mused aloud, struggling to make a clear determination. And without any prior information, his divination offered no guidance. After a moment of silence, Crane chuckled to himself, drawing a crimson moon on his chest: "Wishing him good fortune, may the goddess protect him." No longer dwelling on this matter, Crane decided to learn more about the gathering before deciding whether or not to participate in the future, and whether or not to send an anonymous note to Leonard Mitchell. With the team assembled, he glanced around and said gently, "Starting from Icanser, please go through the investigation updates in order." Icanser Bernard combed his hair as he flipped through thick files, delivering a concise report: "Your Grace, our focus has been on Sherlock Moriarty. Through thorough investigation and supported by exceptional measures, we have confirmed that he was passively drawn into this matter. Prior to this, there was no evidence indicating he was aware of the Prince of Edsack's issues. 'He was a friend of the late Talim Dumont, and had carried out several commissions entrusted by the Prince—these were entirely legitimate, though perhaps with some minor overstatement of expenses.'" As he reached this point, Icanser suddenly felt a little uneasy, since Sherlock Moriarty was also a source for the 'Heart of Mechanism,' and it was possible that the expenses he had reported here were likewise somewhat exaggerated. Regardless of everything, his informer work has been highly effective and outstanding, more than sufficient to offset many issues, and moreover, he has not been with us for very long—his most financially significant engagement was still a shared-revenue arrangement... Ikonser exhaled slowly and continued reporting: "Our assessment is that he is entirely innocent, with no hidden motives. He accurately perceived the danger at the Red Rose Estate, though this was a classic case of correct reasoning based on a mistaken judgment. What he truly feared was the royal faction's pressure, which caused him to remain passive and underperform, failing to conduct any substantive or in-depth investigations—a point he has already reported to us. "Unfortunately, he could not avoid this incident entirely, yet he has been fortunate enough that the descendant of the Death God, whom he mentioned, was on surveillance near the Red Rose Estate and promptly rescued him from the brink of being crushed by the meteorite. The scene evidence indicates this was an exceptionally severe attack, likely connected to the '0–08' incident. Klein mentioned in his letter the presence of Ins. Zangweil and the "0–08." As for whether he knew the former archbishop and the "0"-level seal, no one cared, since he was with Azk. Egers at the time and likely learned about them from him—this was the intuitive assumption of everyone. Regarding the "0"-level and "1"-level seal objects, the Seven Orthodox Churches have consistently shared general updates, maintaining shared numbering and avoiding duplication. “…yet we haven’t fully grasped the situation—there are still three matters that remain unclear. First, as shown in ‘2—111,’ after Sherlock Moriaty entered the forest, he didn’t immediately retreat; instead, he stayed put, seemingly praying to someone unseen. Second, when did he first meet Azk Egers? Third, how did he escape from that underground ruin? Given his capabilities, such an escape should have been impossible—during this process, he even disrupted the降临 ritual of the Polar Circle. That’s the summary I’ve drawn,” concluded Ikonser. “2—111” refers to the magical mirror known as Arodes. Hormik listened quietly and then chuckled softly to himself: “Overstating the expenses…” He cleared his throat and continued: “Regardless, Sherlock Moriaty is a hero of Becland. Had he not acted promptly to stop the crisis, had he felt fear at that moment and chosen to flee—most of us would not be here today.” "Moreover, he has shown faith in the divine and has been friendly toward us—so long as he doesn't face major issues, minor flaws or hidden secrets, we can simply treat them as unimportant." "Your Grace, that is precisely our intention," said Ikon, exhaling in relief. "I suspect that his prayers in the forest, including the ritual of blowing the bronze horn, are methods of communication with Azk Egs, though the effectiveness and speed vary. Under such a dire situation, the only thing he could do was save himself—this we have inferred from the subsequent developments." "Besides self-rescue, he could also compose a will," remarked another of the 'Mechanical Heart' stewards, before moving on to report on his assigned section. "…We still haven't located the underground sanctuary as described by Sherlock Moriarty, even with the aid of '2–111'. As for the movements of the royal high-tier champions that day, we currently lack the means to track them." "...It can be confirmed that the Night Church received the earliest intelligence, through a special channel of the Count Holbein—specific details remain unclear." "...The Aurora's influence in Beckland has been largely eliminated through our combined efforts with the Watchers and the Sentinels, though I suspect they still harbor hidden strength..." "...When the incident occurred, Sherlock Moriarty mentioned that Trish was en route to Beckland; since then, she has been seen no more. According to Sherlock Moriarty, she was a key figure and was subsequently renamed Trishkik." "...We cannot determine how the Night Church captured the 'Despair Witch' and the housekeeper, Finck; the divination reveals that they are alive, yet no longer free." ...One after another, the stewards and captains reported their findings, and Horamik remained half-closed-eyed, as though pondering something. After a quiet moment lasting several seconds, he opened his eyes and spoke steadily, without haste or rush: "Seek out Trishchik thoroughly—search every possibility, should she still be alive. Compile all questions for which the divinations have failed to yield clear answers and bring them to me. The Church has saints who excel at this, though they may not necessarily be as effective as '2–111'. The monitoring and investigation of high-ranking royal figures can be deferred to the 'table'—there's no need to worry, as they have always known we are doing this, and it serves as a clear warning as well. Continue the thorough inspection of the underground ruins and inform both the Church of Night and the Church of Storms. Ikonser, go directly to '2–111' and ask: how did Sherlock Moriarty escape the ruins, and when did he first meet Azk Egers?" He glanced at the Archbishop, then at his colleagues, and with a firm bite of his teeth, said: "Yes, Your Grace." He sorrowfully believed that his legend was about to spread from the several dedicated "Mechanical Hearts" squads to the entire network of extraordinary steam clergy across Bekland. With a practiced ease, he began: "Respected Arodés, my question is—when did Sherlock Moriarty first meet Azk Eges?" Suddenly, ripples of water shimmered across the silver mirrors on either side, swiftly coalescing into a clear image: Sherlock Moriarty standing in a room, observing an old mouse with a rotting abdomen crawling up the wall and through the cracks, while behind him stood old Kole and the owner of the modest inn. "During the course of Azk Eges' reward mission, which was issued by MI9 and stemmed from a fortuitous clash, they first met," Ikonsé interpreted the scene. Then, he offered a corresponding response and held his breath, waiting for Arodés to pose the question that would pierce through his very soul. No surprise—what he saw were the vivid red words: "Do you know the feeling of striving tirelessly to please someone, only to be left behind?" This question, though, wasn't sharp enough—it didn't match Arodes' usual style... Ikonser suddenly felt the blood-red words on the mirror lacked their customary intensity, seemed weak, lifeless. He didn't pause to ponder why, and immediately responded, "I know!" "Well done—you've answered correctly," the silver mirror now displayed new words, pale in tone. Under the arrangements of Captain Elan Cag, the selected sturdy seamen and crew stood in a single line at the gangway entrance, some even deliberately displaying their official revolvers, rifles, and swords. This gave the arriving passengers greater reassurance, easing their fears for the nine-day journey ahead. Klein stood below, looked up, and stepped onto the suspended ladder amid the rolling blue sea. The journey had begun... as he took each step, he silently murmured a thought.