The leader of the Celestial Sect is Foliet Ken, a man in his thirties with a slender face adorned by a brown beard and an unusual blue tattoo on his neck. When Lurian brought him before Caine, Foliet appeared profoundly weary, as though he had endured severe mental strain. "Sir, during the process of capture, he continuously traded his rationality for strength, until his spirit nearly collapsed," Lurian reported to General Emilius, regardless of whether the general could discern the specific nuances. He delivered the account verbatim. This was exactly what Caine had hoped for. He had previously worried that Foliet Ken might transform into a "madman," resisting mental pressure and refusing to answer his questions—thus forcing him to risk being suspected by withdrawing his subordinates and attempting to "channel" him. With a cold, steady gaze fixed upon Foliet Ken, Caine's left hand, shielded by the desk, gradually took on a golden hue. The "craving hunger" had shifted into the soul of the "Inquisitor!" And the "Inquisitor" was precisely the Sequence 7 within the "Arbitrator" path where General Emeryl stood. Two flashes of lightning instantly appeared within Caine's eyes, perfectly overlapping with the image of Fletch Ken. The "Spirit Piercing" was poised and ready! Yet Caine did not deploy this extraordinary ability directly, for it only reached Sequence 7 level—once demonstrated before Lurian, the golden secretary would immediately recognize his identity. Leveraging the spiritual pressure generated by "Spirit Piercing," Caine sat there as if truly the General Emeryl, speaking in a low, resonant tone: "Do you know Cyndia?" As he spoke, he raised his right hand, allowing the small black pendant—resembling a miniature rhinoceros horn—to slide gently from his palm, swaying in midair. "What is its function?" Fleetwood Ken shivered, as though his spirit were being pressed against by a sharp dagger, ready to be pierced at any moment. He lowered his head, stammering, "I know. Cynthia, Miss Cynthia, wished to introduce her parents' child—someone with exceptional abilities—to the Admiral, to you. She introduced him to me. Although the noble families of the Kingdom of Roon did not always welcome or even shun illegitimate children, it depended on the circumstances—children who inherited their father's remarkable traits and were born successfully would still receive due attention. Ancient families with deep secrets, such as the Levet family, placed even greater emphasis on such qualities. And Admiral Emirius, though outwardly stern and formal, was deeply emotional at heart; even an illegitimate child would surely be cherished and valued by him. This might very well be the true reason why Cyntha so desperately wished to have a child. Klein sighed quietly to himself. His doubts regarding Fletch Ken's response centered specifically on the actual function of the "lineage necklace" and whether the Celestial Order had intentionally misled Cyntha about it. Gently intensifying the pressure of the "spiritic piercing," Klein silently watched Fletch Ken's eyes until the latter could no longer bear it and lowered his head. "What other function does this necklace serve?" Klein shook the broken pendant once more in his hands. His tone was calm, as though he had already known all the secrets, and now his questions were merely seeking final confirmation. An indescribable pressure surged upon him, and Fleurte Ken, whose spirit had already been nearing collapse, could no longer bear it—he collapsed to the ground with a soft thud, shouting wildly, nearly frantic: "It can still contaminate you! As long as Cyntha consumes the powder ground from it and devoutly chants the name of the 'Tree of Desire,' any man who has relations with her and successfully bears children will be contaminated! It can, it can make you a believer in the 'Tree of Desire!' A devoted follower of His!" Now it all made sense... Klein instantly grasped the full context, and no longer harbored any doubts about the course of tonight's extraordinary events. The Celestial Order's objective is to leverage Cynthia's ordinary "Reproductive Pendant" to contaminate General Emirius, transforming this prominent military figure of the Kingdom of Runa into a devoted follower of the "Tree of Desire," thereby supporting the growth and development of their own order and even offering him protection. The success of this strategy hinges crucially on its subtlety and normalcy, with no direct connection to strength, assault, or fear. "So, Cynthia—rejected by me three times—has been gradually overwhelmed by the contaminating power of the powder from the 'Reproduction Necklace,' surpassing her threshold and finally establishing a connection with the 'Tree of Desire,' resulting in what appears to be a sudden transformation... "The monster that has emerged from her transformation actually poses insufficient threat to the true Admiral Emirius. Even I can easily resolve the situation using the 'Ninth Law' incantation, since this outcome is not what the Celestial Order desires. They only wish to subtly contaminate Admiral Emirius, not to confront or clash with a half-god." Kline silently glanced at his blonde secretary, Lurian. Lurian had now largely understood the situation and immediately lowered his head, speaking in a steady tone: "Excellency, this is our mistake. We have only monitored Miss Cynthia and the staff here, not extending our surveillance to their families, relatives, or friends." "I'm willing to accept any punishment you see fit, even if you send me to military court." How would the true marshal respond? Klein once again immersed himself in the role of Emeryl, feeling the recent burdens of pain, helplessness, sorrow, and anger he had endured. Maintaining his upright posture and speaking with serious demeanor, he said: "We'll discuss this matter later." The unspoken implication was, "See how you perform from here on." Lurian paused, seemingly unable to believe that the marshal had offered such a mild reprimand. Klein half-closed his eyes, his voice low and steady: "My father, the late Lord Leverett, once taught me a simple principle. 'Forgive your subordinates their first mistake.' 'Lurian, you, and the guardsmen,' he said, 'should be grateful for his mercy.' " Lurian's gaze flickered, and he silently drew a breath, no longer as composed, speaking with genuine sincerity: "Your grace and patience inspire my deepest admiration." "You shall be my sole allegiance beyond principles, deities, and the king." Your pride is indeed quite extraordinary... Cline didn't believe it at first, but said it calmly. "Earlier, you mentioned the second part: 'severely punish their second offense.'" Lurian nodded, unsurprised. Cline turned his gaze back to the fallen Foltre Ken, his expression unchanged, and asked, "Who directed you to act this way?" He had assumed that Foltre Ken's response would reflect our own initiative—after meeting Cynia, understanding her needs, and learning who her lover was, the Celestial Order had boldly conceived the idea of tainting Admiral Emirius. Fleet was rather nervously glancing left and right, speaking hesitantly: "Yes, yes, the 'Tree of Desire.' It—it directed us in our dreams. At first, I only intended to lend the 'Crown of Reproduction' to Cynthia, for her to wear; I had no intention of having her take the powder." The 'Tree of Desire' directing? That amounted to a kind of prophecy... Kline almost furrowed his brow. Although Emilius, the Marshal, was a major figure in the Royal Army of Run, one of the foremost rulers of the Central Sunian Sea, his status and influence were indeed significant, yet it still didn't warrant direct attention from a devils' deity... After all, I am no such deity—I simply cannot grasp their reasoning. Perhaps the pollution of Emilius is just the beginning of a larger plan... Well, it's not impossible that Fleet might be lying. I should verify this. Kline thought carefully, and asked seriously: "When exactly did you have that dream?" "Fleurette forced out a smile filled with fear and said, 'Yes, yes—February 4th. Last Friday evening. I remember clearly—I just liberated the spirit of a lady that evening.'" February 4th… Cline chewed on the date, momentarily unable to recall any special significance. After a silence of two seconds, he asked, "What is your relationship with the Rosicrucian School? What is the connection between 'The Mother Tree of Desire' and 'The Bound God'?" He didn't worry that Admiral Emery might already know about this, nor that Lurain, the golden secretary, had a certain level of familiarity, since this could simply be seen as a confirming inquiry. Fleurette, meanwhile, struggled to contain his fervor: "We are, in fact, a branch of the Rosicrucian School. My mentor is the Rosicrucian Saint Zatwen. 'The Bound God' is one of the incarnations of 'The Mother Tree of Desire.'" "The 'Mother Tree of Desire' is the true, sole deity—transcending both the Seven Gods and the 'True Creator'! 'Sir, you have been chosen as one of His favored servants!' Who hasn't been boastful at times? Perhaps we can interpret that the 'Mother Tree of Desire' is merely the veiled identity of the 'Bound God'? According to the malevolent spirit believed to be the 'Red Angel' Medici, as described within the underground ruins, the paths of 'Prisoner' and 'Demon' are interchangeable. Therefore, it is entirely natural for the Rosicrucian 'Bound God' to amplify the diverse desires of living beings—within their own ranks, there even exist distinct factions of 'Moderation' and 'Excess'. This aligns perfectly with what we're observing on-site. Caine thought for a moment, then turned to Lueran and said: 'You go out for a moment.' He intended to inquire about Fleur's past transgressions and assess whether she might serve as sustenance for the 'Crawling Hunger'. 'Yes, Sir,' Lueran replied without asking why, and swiftly stepped out of the study, closing the door behind him. With a soft click echoing through the room, the entire study suddenly fell silent, as if severed from the outside world. What an exceptional ability of the Baron of Decay—distorting the meaning of "closing the door" to seal off the study? Most thoughtful indeed... Klein paused for a few seconds, recalling a previous association, and then suddenly asked, "On Sunday, February 6th, in the evening, what did you do?" Fleet Ken blinked, momentarily taken aback, responding, "We followed the guidance of the Tree of Desires, using the Reproductive Necklace and a strand of hair provided by a devotee from a wandering mendicant, and performed a ritual to amplify the recipient's appetite." The very substitute for the general—the original wandering man—had indeed been killed by them! All for the purpose of preventing the general from leaving, thus luring him into the trap, to be involved with Cynia and thereby contaminated? Klein instantly connected all the dots. And my arrival offered another possibility—serendipitously disrupting this plan... serendipity... no! As the words related to "serendipity" flashed through his mind, Caine suddenly recalled that February 4th, the day the Desire Mother Tree granted Fleur Ken a dream vision, held a special significance. It was the very first day he had arrived on the island of Orlavi!