When he first saw the massive black-sailed ship, Caine's initial reaction was one of fear and caution, suspecting that the half-god Nast, the King of the Five Seas, had come specifically after him. But he quickly dismissed this notion, because aside from using the "Black Emperor" card in the Spirit Realm, he had scarcely allowed that card to manifest in the physical world since setting sail. The only times it had appeared were in response to summoning, and each time, it had swiftly entered the Spirit Realm. Given the gray mist's shielding ability and the "Black Emperor" card's inherent resistance to divination and prophecy, Nast could not—and should not—have targeted him! Caine calmed himself, rose to his feet, and walked to the window beside Daniz, together gazing at the black-sailed ship, an anomaly in the usual course of maritime travel. The great vessel moved slowly closer through the broad shadows, its deck scenes gradually coming into focus: the sailors were either cleaning the deck or leaning against the railways chatting, showing no signs of drawing swords or firing guns, entirely devoid of any intent to seize or plunder. Near the ship's hold, there stood a weathered stone bench several meters high, upon which a giant man sat. Before he could even fully take in the appearance of the "King of the Five Seas," Nastor, Daniz found himself instinctively lowering his head, his body stiff and trembling, as though ready to crawl. Kaine too felt an indescribable aura of dignity and awe. Instead of forcing himself to remain upright or holding his head high, he continued to gaze steadily at Nastor—this likely would draw the latter's attention and bring unwelcome complications. A man full of secrets: when to bow, and when to hold firm? Kaine then shifted his gaze to the carpet laid out across the deck. He didn't know how long it had been, but eventually he noticed the sunlight returning, the shadows vanishing. He lifted his head, and now there was no longer the towering black sailboat in sight—only gentle breezes, calm waves, and a vast, open sky and sea. "How did he suddenly arrive here? Didn't he just say he was still in the Mist Sea a while ago?" Daniz furrowed his brows, murmuring in quiet wonder. The "Black Emperor" could navigate the spiritual realm and arrive from the Mist Sea within a few days—this was entirely normal. This might well be one of the reasons why Nast was chosen as the foremost of the Four Kings. Klein mumbled a few thoughts to himself. He believed that Nast had been drawn to the "Black Emperor" card, though he likely only had a vague sense of the general area. Klein shifted his gaze, sat back down, as if nothing had happened at all. The straight distance from Bayam to Dritinuus wasn't particularly long, but the safe route meandered and looped, and the passenger ship didn't enter the harbor until dusk. Then, Klein changed his appearance, used a false identity to purchase two tickets for the latest departure, and set out again before nightfall, arriving in Gragges at dawn's first light. Danyz did not enter the city, but instead took Klein on a detour to a private harbor, where they boarded a modest fishing boat and sailed out toward the open sea. After nearly two hours, a sailboat several tens of meters long appeared in Kline's line of sight—clean, well-maintained, and reflecting a golden hue under the sunlight. Compared to similar vessels, it stood out remarkably, featuring a main cannon aligned along its central axis. The cannon's barrel bore intricate symbols and patterns, glowing with a subtle yet pure light. "That is the Purification Cannon," Daniz introduced with pride. "It can only be used ten times before requiring a ritual performed by six 'Luminous Priests' to replenish its spiritual essence at the shrine of the divine." Could such consecrated symbols, repeatedly enlarged and transformed, eventually lose their spiritual vitality over time? Was the power behind the 'Ice Mountain' admiral's forces the 'Eternal Radiant Sun' Church? Or could they cultivate such 'Luminous Priests'? Kline maintained a composed exterior, yet his thoughts stirred with quiet doubt. When he first saw the "Golden Dream" in Daniz's dream, he didn't find the main guns particularly remarkable—after all, dreams don't always conform to ordinary sense. Perhaps Daniz had seen ironclads before and thus formed a deep impression of the main guns, which then manifested in the dream. What surprised Klein, however, was that the "Golden Dream" actually possessed a level of esoteric knowledge so profound that ordinary powers simply couldn't manage. Soon, the "Golden Dream" lowered a small boat and swiftly approached the fishing vessel. Daniz spread and then clenched his fingers, leaping down with a strong motion and landing smoothly on the boat, causing barely any disturbance. He blew a whistle and shook hands with the pirate helmsman, regaining the sense of commanding the open seas. Yet this excitement didn't last long—he suddenly felt a weight settle behind him, as though someone had joined him. ……Oh, he'd completely forgotten about this madman. Daniz smoothed his expression and sat down. Klein examined the pirates, steadied his hat, sat down calmly, and said nothing. Soon afterward, he stepped onto the deck of the *Golden Dream*, where he spotted Edwena Edwards, the *Ice Mountain* captain, standing quietly by the side of the ship. The pirate general was nearly unchanged from the last time he had seen her in a dream—her hairstyle and makeup remained the same—only now she had exchanged her dress for a dark, long skirt and leather boots, adding a new sense of vigor and strength to her intelligent, graceful presence. This time, she truly embodied a pirate rather than a teacher. Klein gave a gentle nod and politely smiled, "Good morning, Captain." "Good morning, Mr. Gelmann," she replied with a smile. She then turned and walked to a spot where fishing nets were drying, gesturing for the other pirates to step back and attend to her own tasks. Fishing nets... Indeed, this pirate crew more closely resembled treasure hunters. Was this all part of their effort to improve the quality of their meals? Klein remained silent, saying nothing, while Daniz naturally sought out a few of his closest companions to drink and chat. Of course, he did not relax his vigilance; he periodically glanced this way, fearing a clash between the captain and Germaine Sparrow, and was always ready to summon his companions to intervene. This time, Klein did not wait for Edwena to initiate the conversation or make his intentions clear. After a pause, he asked promptly, "What do you know about Tracie?" He intended to finish asking his own questions before listening to Edwena's intentions, so as not to find himself unable to commit, have to decline, and then feel awkward asking again. "Tracie?" Edwena's eyes flickered. "She's a witch—a Sequence 5 'Witch of Suffering'." Witch? Klein nearly choked, feeling as though he and the witch were destined to meet again and again—first Trois, the "Witch," then Lady Sherron, the "Witch of Joy," then Trois-Chik, who had become the "Witch of Joy," and the high witch who could only be heard, and now here came Tricia, the "Witch of Sorrow." Edwena remained unaware of his inner stirrings and continued: "She is different from ordinary witches—she has her own ideals and aspirations. Within the order, she stands out as an outlier. Yet she still serves the organization, handling matters such as population transfers or sales." Different from ordinary witches? Was it about maintaining self-awareness and choosing to champion female pleasure? Klein suddenly recalled Ilean, the redhead. Yet he couldn't yet be certain, for not all witches were women who had transformed from men—there were truly female witches who aspired to become assassins. After asking a few more specific questions, Klein paused thoughtfully: "We encountered Nastor and his ship, the 'Black Emperor,' on our journey." "Over the past month, a series of events involving you, Senhor, Tracie, and Nast have been unfolding in this sea region—this is quite unusual." Four of the seven generals and kings have recently become entangled with the Rosstead Sea area within a short span of time. Adding to that is the newly joined Tarot member, the 'General Above the Stars,' Gautherika, making the occurrence statistically even more exceptional. Of course, Cline has some speculations and intends to see whether the 'General of the Ice' can offer something truly fresh. Edwena listened quietly without speaking, then took a corner of the fishing net and held it up before her. From her clothing pocket and the inner fold of her belt, she removed items such as a cylindrical steel pen, a bronze holy dagger, and a small metal bottle, placing them horizontally across the spread net. They remained perfectly still, showing no movement or interaction. At that moment, Edwena bent down, picked up a stone used to press the net, and allowed it to fall vertically to the center of the spread net. The fishing net instantly sank inward, drawing the surrounding area tighter, and the pens, the holy daggers, the small bottles rolled toward the center, gathering together with the stones. "Probably something like this—some unknown entity appears at the corresponding point on this web of fate, drawing us toward this location," Edwenna explained simply. This is exactly like a practical model of the law of aggregation of exceptional properties... Klein nodded thoughtfully. He felt both enlightened and still puzzled. The former because Edwenna's explanation aligned closely with his own intuition, while the latter because this model couldn't account for all the issues. Nastar, the "Lord of the Five Seas," appearing was my reason... and the case of Tricia, the "One Suffering from Illness," can be explained to some extent, since I've had contact with Tristichik... But I can't find a reason for the "Lord of the Ice Mountains" or the "Lord of the Blood"—perhaps this is simply coincidence? And the latter is indeed prompted by the former... Caine drew back his gaze and inquired about a few other matters. Only then did he speak: "Captain, what is it you'd like me to do?" Edwenna looked at him steadily. "Your identification shows you hail from Beckett. As far as I know, that information isn't entirely accurate—there is no particularly renowned bounty hunter named Germain Spauld in Beckett." Strong backing, and a well-established network there in Beckett—already they've uncovered inconsistencies in my credentials so swiftly... Caine remained calm, smiling gently. "Everyone has secrets." Edwenna paused for a few seconds, choosing not to press further, and then said, "Not long before Cavithwa died, you made a sacrifice to it." Caine slightly inclined his head, his gaze sweeping over Daniz, who was drinking his beer. *Cough!* *Cough!* Daniz grew visibly uneasy and startled, splattering himself with beer. Klein withdrew his gaze, neither acknowledging nor denying, simply looking at Admiral "The Ice Mountain" Edwena. Edwena continued speaking with her expression unchanged: "The Sea God has still been responding to his devotees since the death of Cavitua." PS: I had planned to steadily update until I got home, but today I've come down with a stomach cold and have a slight fever—only managed to draw on my stored drafts. I'll take the day off half-day tomorrow, and only the evening chapter could be written with any ease, thanks to a few stored drafts. Also, I'm still seeking a monthly pass—on the final day, I've actually managed to squeeze in an extra one!