Admiral Emilius Levet... a true half-god... upon hearing Bilt's explanation, two words instantly flashed into Caine's mind: "Sorry, good-bye!" Seeing General Gelmann Sparo subtly raise an eyebrow, Bilt quickly clarified: "This won't affect the mission's difficulty. 'Here, no one needs a half-god to demonstrate their prowess.'" He cleared his throat and offered a warm smile. "To make this mission less demanding, the Admiral has personally visited the Orlavi naval base over the past few days. This way, he no longer needs to remain at the main naval headquarters in the Central-Sunia Sea, the 'Generous City' of Bayam, thus avoiding Admiral Yen Cortman the Sea King, avoiding Governor George Nigan of the Rosted Islands, avoiding most of his familiar subordinates, avoiding his relatives who manage family enterprises there, and most importantly, avoiding his most intimate mistress. "That is to say, you don't need to meet the gaze of a half-god, nor face a multitude of trials. "Here, only three people are familiar with the Admiral: first, his secretary, Major Lurian, who belongs to MI9 and is responsible for overseeing the Admiral; he has undoubtedly used many names, though I'm not sure whether this is his true one. Second, the Admiral's mistress, a beautiful lady named Cynthia, whose ancestors are said to have been nobility, but who lost her title and was exiled here. Third, the Governor of Orlav, Oston Levet, who is the Admiral's youngest brother; their elder brother, the Earl of Levet, serves in the House of Lords." It does indeed sound quite manageable, and my divination results indicate little danger... Caine remained silent for a few seconds, then nodded gently. "I would like detailed information about Emile Levet." "We're all ready. Here's his photograph. Here's the description of his physical characteristics in concealed settings. Here's his distinctive accent. Here's his habitual vocabulary. Here's how he reacts and holds himself in different situations. Here's the detailed information about his interactions with people like Lurian, Cynthia, and Oston..." Billt felt a surge of delight and immediately produced the extensive materials originating from Admiral Emilius Levet. Cain first took the photograph and noticed a middle-aged man with black hair and blue eyes, carrying a somewhat serious and traditional demeanor, with noticeably more hair than the average man from Ruin. He gave a barely perceptible nod and then lifted his head. "I know there's a lot of material here, but I'm certain you'll be able to remember it all within the next couple of days—you must be exceptionally proficient in this area..." Billt had already unconsciously stepped back before he finished speaking, for what now stood before him was no longer General Germán Sparo, but Emilius Levet—exactly the same serious, subtly haughty demeanor, as if the man himself had stepped right out of the page. "By the storm gods, this is almost miraculous!" Billt studied him from head to toe, marveling aloud. "Just a bit taller—perhaps three centimeters—and a bit more robust in the legs—well, that's fine. We don't need to rush. General, you'll arrive with the Royal Navy's First Division of the Suonia Fleet tomorrow afternoon, inspecting the Oraavi Naval Base and hosting a dinner reception at the Governor's Mansion. I have an invitation—I'll take you in, so you can observe your general's mannerisms and his interactions with various guests." "As he spoke, he took the £500 cash that Sotos had retrieved from the safe and handed it to Caine. "Well done!" Caine held the bills in his hands, examined them carefully, and replied, "Well done!" ... Beckland, Williams Street. As a relatively unobtrusive member of the Red Glove, Leonard Mitchell stood against the exterior wall of a building, waiting for the initial questioning to conclude. He lifted his right foot, resting only on the tip of it, appearing quite relaxed. A while later, he spotted a teammate returning toward him, his expression complex—full of both excitement and doubt, anticipation and tension. "Townsend, any updates?" Leonard asked, smiling and stepping closer. "Yes," Townsend nodded, responding calmly, "both sides have accounted for everything. In their dreams, they can't lie." "Townsend, with his sparse hair, re-fastened his hat and said, 'The accounts are consistent—the underground remains of the Fourth Century Trewen dynasty lie beneath this street. The entrance has been preliminarily identified within that abandoned chapel. As for whether there are any other entrances, however, no one currently knows.' "If my judgment is correct, the ruins here should belong to the 'Tudor–Trenskost Joint Empire.' 'What?' Leonard was taken aback. A dynasty he had never heard of. The slightly weathered voice chuckled: 'How remarkably inexperienced you are! Following the first fall of the Solomon Empire, it was precisely the 'Tudor–Trenskost Joint Empire' that rose to take its place, ruling the entire northern continent through a system of two co-rulers.' 'Two co-rulers...' Leonard mused over the term. The slightly weathered voice smiled gently, then sighed: 'Inside the underground ruins, you should find a pair of inverted candelabras—one with forty-one on the left and forty on the right—two thrones that appear to belong to giants, and... well, perhaps it was here that Alistair Tudor became the 'Emperor of Blood.' Leonard furrowed his brow slightly, then relaxed, his expression light and easy. 'There must be countless secrets hidden within.' "Of course, but you're not yet qualified to understand," the slightly weathered voice murmured. Leonard gave a barely perceptible turn of his mouth. "The next step should be exploring the ruins," he said. The slightly weathered voice chuckled softly and fell silent. A minute later, Leonard watched the Archbishop of Saint Anthony and the Archbishop of the Steam Church, Horamik, conclude their conversation and turn back toward their respective paths. Then, Horamik ordered all members of the "Heart of Mechanism" to evacuate, leaving the night watch of the Goddess of Night to take over. What had happened? Leonard was filled with growing confusion at this sight. At that moment, the voices of all the night watch members resonated in unison from Saint Anthony's Archbishop: "The Red Gloves gather. The rest of the night watch depart the world of the mirror, provide reasons for evacuating the entire population, and promise them housing compensation. Once all the civilians have evacuated, the Red Gloves and I will together destroy the underground ruin that originated in the age of evil!" "No entry—destroy immediately!" "May the goddess protect us." That... was exactly what Leonard hadn't anticipated. ... 7:30 p.m., the Governor's Residence of Orlav. Cayne transformed into the appearance of Sotus, wearing a black tailcoat with a matching bow tie, following Bilt into the dining hall. The atmosphere within was warm, as if spring had arrived—massive crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, their countless candle lights shimmering, illuminating the entire space like daylight. To the right, a band member in a vest and bow tie played a lively melody; to the left, long tables were arranged, each bearing an array of delicacies: roasted chicken, seared foie gras, stewed lamb, Beckett-style roasted goose, and creamy cheese-baked Orlav giant lobster. Even from a distance, Cayne seemed to detect the fragrant aromas wafting from the dishes, and he prepared to walk over and take a plate to fill it. At this moment, Bilt adjusted his sleeve slightly, tilted his head, and lowered his voice: "Remember the etiquette of this kind of banquet. Our objective is to observe the Count's movements, so simply have a glass of wine—nothing more. There's Misty Champagne, Ormille red wine, and South Wilford red wine, all rare and distinguished selections you might not encounter elsewhere. You may sample a little, but don't drink excessively; we must remain alert and sufficiently awake. When drinking, try to merely appear to be doing so." "Emilios was of ordinary build, not particularly robust, with a slight droop at the corners of his mouth, revealing his actual age. His beard was short, and in his deep blue eyes there seemed to be an unyielding, indisputable dignity. His navy officer's uniform was impeccably straight, with a red sash running from his shoulders down to his chest, bearing a series of medals. On the cuffs of his sleeves, golden pins gleamed, harmonizing with the matching shoulder boards. The shoulder boards were divided into three sections, from inside out: a crown set with rubies, crossed staff and sword, and a star adorned with four diamonds." Klein entered a deeply focused state, using the abilities of the "Faceless One" to memorize the naval officer's specific details and his varying tones and attitudes when conversing with different people. During this process, he even only lightly sipped at the misty champagne, paying no attention to its flavor. Once he had gathered enough information, Kline exhaled, letting his mind stop racing. His energy had been drained, and he felt a growing hunger, so he placed his wine glass on the tray of the red-vested waiter and headed toward the long table to fetch food. At that moment, Bilt approached and said, "The General has given me a signal. We're going to meet him at the scheduled location." ...Kline withdrew his gaze from the grilled chicken and glanced at Bilt with quiet indifference. Bilt unexpectedly shivered, quickly turned around, and guided General Gorman Sparrow through the floor-to-ceiling windows into the garden. After walking for nearly a minute along the quiet path, he paused and pointed to Kline's face. "You can take on the General's appearance. Just pretend you're that wandering man who resembles him." Kline nodded gently and brushed his hands lightly across his face. — He was trying to conceal the unsightly growths, bumps, or pustules that might appear on his face when transforming. When he lowered his hands, Billt noticed a middle-aged man who bore a striking resemblance to Emile Levet. "Good," Billt said, taking a few steps forward and pushing open the slightly ajar door to the storage room. Emile Levet remained in his striking naval admiral's uniform, standing by the window with his back to the entrance, enjoying the view of the garden. At that moment, he turned slightly, directing his gaze toward the visitor who looked so much like himself. The indescribable aura of dignity and presence made Caine instinctively bow his head. Emile Levet's gaze didn't linger, and he moved slowly toward Billt, speaking with a calm, emotionless tone: "This isn't the wanderer you mentioned earlier. He is a remarkable one."