Klein had just cleared his thoughts when Ailran caught up with them, smiling and saying, "I've located the targets and completed the investigation. I'll take you back to the inn first. I'll bring the payment in two days, and for today, please avoid going out." Klein maintained the composed demeanor befitting Germain Spalro, merely giving a gentle nod without speaking. On the way back to the "Blue Wind" inn, Danyz clearly had thoughts of curiosity or admiration to express, but with Ailran, a military officer, standing beside him, he could only shift the conversation, engaging with interest in which pirates would be apprehended during today's city-wide sweep. To him, those pirates didn't count as friends unless they belonged to the "Golden Dream" ship—they were simply not worth pitying. Once inside the inn room and after seeing Ailran leave, he remarked as he closed the door, "The Book of the Catastrophe... the ancient elven ruins... what a fascinating matter. But how have the elves ended up resembling demons?" "Just flipping through their books, that woman went mad—she lost control!" What image do you have in mind for a sprite? A creature active in forests and seas, skilled in cooking, and fond of nature? Hm, according to the little "Sun," the eight ancient gods before the Great Cataclysm were all notoriously harsh, cruel, and evil—this included the King of Sprites, Sunyassolem. And the sprites who worshipped him and made him their ruler probably didn't fare much better. See, for instance, the members of the "Aurora Circle"... The surviving extraordinary races from the Age of Darkness are hardly associated with the conventional idea of 'good.' Klein answered mentally in his mind. Of course, he did not rule out the possibility that after the ancient gods' demise, creatures such as dragons, giants, elves, and bloodline beings might gradually overcome the negative impacts and eventually become more normal—though this would only apply to the lower and mid-tier beings, not to the semi-divine strongholds. The higher-tier elven who had preserved the *Book of the Catastrophe* clearly fell into this latter category. Suddenly, Caine realized something: Danyz understood Elvish! He had recognized the name of the vellum manuscript as *The Book of the Catastrophe*. The education provided to the crew by the "Ice Mountain" captain has reached such a level—not only making the ancient Fussak language widely accessible, but also teaching the elven language capable of harnessing natural forces... Perhaps even the Giant language and the ancient Hermes language are included in the curriculum of the *Golden Dream*. Indeed, these are well-informed, dream-driven pirates. Yet, Captain, aren't you a bit too focused on one area? Daniz falls short in many aspects. After all, as treasure hunters, the most crucial skill for pirates is mastering ancient languages. Klein ignored Daniz's remark and turned his gaze toward the window. At this moment, the sky remained somewhat overcast, as if rain were due at any moment, creating an atmosphere of inevitable weight and pressure. Klein nodded slightly, almost imperceptibly, feeling a sense of relief. "With Latisiya found and the ancient elven ruins on Seimim Island now known, the Storm Church and the royal military should soon be able to leverage the connection between those ruins and the hidden sanctuary of Cavitua to locate this increasingly erratic 'Sea God,' or perhaps even accelerate its collapse. "In that case, only the most fervent and devout followers of the 'Sea God' would perish—everyone else would be largely unharmed..." Originally, Klein had intended to use the ethereal positioning method, entering the sanctuary after Cavitua's demise and before the official extraordinary agents discovered it, to seize the treasures there. However, this plan had seemingly faltered just as it began, now appearing to be on the brink of failure due to the emergence of the Book of the Catastrophe. Hm… not really much. Things that only existed in imagination, never truly belonged to him—now that they no longer did, they simply ceased to exist. He didn’t even know what he might have gained. This resolution was, in fact, the most fitting. Klein withdrew his gaze from observing the weather, his mood calm and relaxed, though with an unavoidable sense of quiet disappointment. That day, he and Daniz, following Elran’s suggestion, stayed indoors at the inn, making no further outings. Meanwhile, in Bayam, sporadic gunfire and explosions rang out intermittently, only subsiding completely as night fell. ………… The next morning, Klein woke up on time to find layered clouds pressing down from the sky, the day still overcast. This indicated that the conflict between the Storm Church’s Cardinal, the High Prelate Aen. Cortman, and the "Sea God" Cavituwa was still ongoing. Feeling a twinge of discomfort in his abdomen, he prepared to take a newspaper to the bathroom. He glanced at Daniz, who was casually sipping white bread while lounging in his armchair, reading the newspaper leisurely, and then abandoned his plan. Sitting on the toilet while reading the newspaper didn't fit Germán Sparo's persona! Though it would be dull, he couldn't afford to be relaxed—ah, another instance where his true self diverged from his assumed identity in behavioral choices. Klein silently made these observations and walked into the bathroom. He removed his pants, sat on the toilet, and stared blankly at the pale wall ahead, as if trying to read words inscribed upon it. At that moment, inspiration struck. He quickly tapped his teeth, activating his clairvoyance. Two thick, towering white bones appeared before him—precisely the legs of the messenger. The messenger stood there, its head having emerged through the ceiling, yet the dark flames within its eye sockets remained visible. It slightly bowed its head, gazing down at Klein seated on the toilet. Klein looked up, stunned, his mind racing with all sorts of inexplicable thoughts: Should I behave like ladies, hastily covering myself, or should I stand tall and fearless? Before he made a decision, the messenger dropped the letter and instantly dissolved into white bones, falling like a rain of bones, vanishing into the floor. Klein stood there, dazed, holding the reply from Mr. Azk, only coming to his senses after a while. The messenger is becoming increasingly impolite! Didn't see me using the restroom, did he? Didn't even knock or slide the letter through the gap beneath the door! Klein muttered under his breath, both annoyed and amused. Upon further reflection, he realized it might be difficult for the messenger—nearly four meters tall—to slide a letter through the gap beneath the door, having to crouch down to reach it. The scene is still quite funny to think about... Hmm, next time I write, I'll add a bit more content to have Mr. Azketh properly instruct the messenger, so it learns some manners. Klein unfolded the letter and began reading Azketh's reply: "…Based on what I can recall, I can offer two approaches. The first requires certain prerequisites: your unique personal items, or someone else's, must be located at the shrine of the Sea God, Cavitova. With this, we can use divination to easily pinpoint them. The second prerequisite is that you can enter the spiritual realm—on this point, I have sufficient expertise, and the following three methods are commonly used. The second approach involves the 'Sacred Rite,' in which we appeal to 'The Red Light,' El Moria, who embodies power and will, and to some extent, holds knowledge concerning spiritual beings and locations. "Ah, so 'The Red Light' is El Moria," Klein thought. "The principle of the Sacred Rite is to adjust one's own state, relax the body and mind, and gradually align oneself with the object of one's request, until a partial overlap is achieved, thereby gaining the corresponding knowledge. This alignment and overlap As for the first option, it also lacked a realistic chance of success—Klein had no personal items stored at the sanctuary of the Sea God, Cavi Tuwa. "Unless we can leverage the Resistance to send something to Cavi Tuwa, or locate the original owner of an item once sacrificed by a devoted follower of the Sea God—someone truly unique—something to send to Cavi Tuwa..." As he pondered this, an idea suddenly struck him. He immediately regained his focus, carefully reconsidered the matter several times, and concluded that there was now a reasonable likelihood of success. After finishing his business, Klein washed his hands and promptly stepped backward four paces, arriving atop the gray mist, where he performed a divination based on his intended course of action. The result was a warning of moderate risk—something that could be managed with proper preparation. Upon completing this, he returned to the living room and approached the armchair. Daniz sat up abruptly, offering a dry smile and asking, "Is there something wrong?" "Do you know the prayer associated with the Sea God?" Klein asked, his tone steady and unchanging. Danez spread his hands and suddenly let out a sharp breath. "For heaven's sake," he muttered, wincing at his injured arm, then smiled. "I've seen several rebel ceremonies—ah, specifically, 'the Beloved of the Sea and the Spirit Realm, Protector of the Rosethorn Isles, Ruler of Underwater Creatures, Master of Tsunamis and Gales, the Great Cawitua.' Yes, and it actually worked twice when recited in Elvish." The Beloved of the Sea and the Spirit Realm... such a humble posture... quite different from my own title... of course, I composed it myself, modeled after the seven True Gods. Klein nodded gently. "Do you know of any empty warehouses, any abandoned houses?" "Of course! Every sea pirate has a few." Danez replied without hesitation. Klein immediately turned and walked toward the wardrobe. "Take me there." Where to? Danez was puzzled, yet dared not ask. ... In a dirty, run-down warehouse in the dock district. Danzig watched as Germán Sparo produced three candles and several metal bottles, and finally couldn't contain his curiosity, asking, "What do you intend to do?" Klein didn't turn around, responding calmly, "A sacrifice." "To whom?" Danzig asked with genuine interest. Klein arranged the altar and produced an iron cigarette box, speaking in a composed tone, "To Cavituwa." His plan was simply to deliver something to the "Sea God," Cavituwa! As soon as Cavituwa accepted it, he would use divination methods to locate the god's current whereabouts. As for whether Cavituwa would accept, Klein had certainly considered this—believing it was plausible, since Cavituwa was currently near death, wildly erratic, and largely irrational, acting only on instinct, and possibly having a strong craving for the gray mist. So, Caine decided to offer a wrought-iron cigarette box that was often placed atop the gray mist, to see if Kavatuwa would accept it. If it refused, he wouldn't lose anything—just treat it as if it had never happened. Offering a sacrifice to the "Sea God," Kavatuwa? At that very moment, Daniz found his mind struggling, completely unable to grasp Germain Sparo's reasoning. "Are you mad? How could Kavatuwa possibly accept your offering? Even if it did, what would that mean? It's nearly dying! And that would be dangerous!" Daniz asked aloud. Immediately, he added mentally: No, Germain Sparo wasn't mad—he had always been mad. Caine glanced at him and simply said: "In this regard, I'm an expert." An expert in the field of sacrifice rituals! Caine wasn't modest about it.