There was no reason for Kline to refuse the request of the "Star Above." After a moment's thought, he said, "Seven hundred pounds." "Fair," Gardelica agreed, making no counteroffer. The typical price for the extraordinary property of Sequence 8 is usually between six and seven hundred pounds. However, when urgent cases arise, premiums are common—after all, such an item might only appear once in a gathering of extraordinary abilities over a long period. Kline did not finalize the transaction immediately. With a composed expression, he lifted the box slightly and said, "I'll deliver it to you tomorrow." He did not carry the "Fighter" extraordinary trait with him, having mostly abandoned his valuable possessions to the Gray Mist. Gardelica's response to Germain Spalro was entirely expected. She nodded. "No problem." She had encountered similar situations many times—this often meant that alongside the "Fighter"’s exceptional traits, there were certain items known only to the inner circle. Therefore, Germaine Sparrow could not open her carry-on suitcase in front of others and complete the transaction on the spot. A passionate adventurer always holds a few secrets! Galdrya paused for a moment, then added, "Your room will not have any arrangements for surveillance." She had already directly observed everything relevant. "That’s fine," Klein said, curling a faint smile at the corners of his mouth, his expression calm and detached. His original plan had been to reveal items such as the Azk copper whistle and the paper crane made by Will. O’Santin during the ritual or when entering the gray mist, to counteract the mystical sense of observation, and then use the method of the bathroom to avoid physical surveillance. Of course, he didn't worry that the "Star Above" would go too far—this wasn't because he thought the other would be afraid of the wildly adventurous Germain Spalro, but because he believed that Gareldya didn't need to. She had a more gentle, more subtle way of observing. For instance, he invited a "spectator" to pass by a remarkable individual... Caine removed his hat, bowed, and then followed the "Toxin Specialist" Frank Lee to his own room. Watching him move with steady, unhurried grace, Gareldya turned and entered the captain's quarters, taking her heavy spectacles and placing them on her nose. ... Becland, South District of the Bridge, Church of the Harvest. To ordinary people, the bishop Utrofski—already of near-giant stature—set down the holy text he was holding, surveyed the prayer hall with a satisfied smile, and remarked, "More and more faithful are joining us." "Is that so?" asked Emlyn White, the brown-robed priest, who wiped the candlestand without even lifting his eyes. After the great smog event in Beckland, the number of followers of the Mother Goddess indeed grew significantly. Previously, having three or four people come to pray during ordinary weekday hours—outside weekends and evenings—was already a miracle; now it's common to have nearly ten. Father Utravsky glanced down at the busy vampire priest and chuckled, "Anyone with sight can see that. Your contribution has been substantial. Without your initial efforts in formulating remedies to treat the epidemic, and your subsequent sincere teaching of medicinal knowledge to those eager to learn, our faith would have struggled to gain acceptance among the people in this region." Emlyn held a cloth, straightened her posture, and lifted her chin. "I was merely playing my part." Wait—what is 'our faith'? Who is 'we' and who is 'you'? His face twitched slightly, then he smiled and said, "Speaking of blind people, I recall a joke I heard recently—according to it, there's a severe shortage of blind people in Beckland, since they're widely regarded as the ideal candidates to serve as referees." The Father glanced past the joke, his voice warm and kind. "Regardless of your motivations, you've made an outstanding contribution to the spread of the Mother Goddess's faith. And this also proves that you possess a truly kind heart." Hmph! I said exactly the same thing back then—why don't you believe me? Emlin looked up at the Father's imposing stature, then quietly turned back. After finishing his duties at the church, he changed into his regular attire, donned a silk hat to shield himself from the sun, and walked down to the Rose Street. He glanced discreetly left and right, noting no signs of surveillance. "The Leonard known as the 'Red Glove' hasn't appeared since then... I thought once I exposed his secrets and acquired the 'Seed' gloves, he'd continue to investigate me quietly in the background." Emlyn White gave a barely perceptible shake of his head, filled with growing confusion. Initially, he had planned to weave the 'Hanged Man' theory into the investigation of the 'Red Glove,' disrupting the High House's surveillance, while simultaneously leveraging the Earth Mother Church through Father Utrovsky, the devoted follower, to achieve a perfect balance. Yet the situation unfolded far differently than he had anticipated—Leonard Mitchell seemed to have left Béklând swiftly. By the end of February, during an outing, Emlyn took a detour to No. 7 on Pinstreet and found the house completely vacant. No longer concerned about this matter, he walked to the end of the street and boarded a hired carriage, heading directly to the villa of the O'Drake family. After being guided to the study on the first floor, Emlin noticed several young vampires who had recently come of age, including one who had already been elevated to the rank of Baron. Was he not summoned individually? He paused at the now-closed door, addressing the host, Casimir Odrada, with a calm tone: "My Lord Baron, wasn't it Master Nibais who summoned me?" He used the title "My Lord Baron" with a simple, matter-of-fact tone, as though simply calling upon the man's name—since he himself was a Baron of the vampire line, though not yet publicly recognized. Casimir, a well-dressed middle-aged gentleman, smiled warmly. "You are all outstanding representatives of the younger generation of vampires," he said. "My grandfather has entrusted me with giving you a series of trials." "What kind of trials?" asked Rous Batthyány, another Baron of the bloodline who had recently inherited his estate. Cassim sipped from a deep red blood infused with wine and surveyed the room, saying, "Perhaps you're unaware that the 'Fate Serpent' of the Life School has been missing for some time." Amidst the stunned, mutual disbelief of Emlyn White and the other vampires, Cassim continued, "But I believe you all understand that the Life School is, at best, a loosely united organization—formed under the immense pressure of the seven great churches in the Fifth Age, when rational, transcendent beings who believed in fate and saw themselves as absolute rationalists came together with devotees of the primordial moon who sought to explore the essence of life and spirit. "Because of the presence of the 'Fate Serpent,' internal tensions had remained manageable, and the worship of the primordial moon had remained symbolic, gradually deepening and solidifying through the transmission of teachings and the exchange of formulas, one step at a time. "Alas, with the disappearance of the 'Fated Serpent,' this progress was interrupted. The devotees of the Primordial Moon swiftly became fervent, splitting sharply from the faction representing fate, and fierce conflicts erupted. The Rosary School exploited this situation, inflicting significant harm upon them." Seeing that Emlyn White, Rus Batthyány, and others among the vampires remained puzzled, Cassim moved to the point: "The worshippers of the Primordial Moon are our eternal adversaries—they have been hunting us, preparing potions, gathering strength! Now, we must not miss this opportunity. Here is a list detailing several followers of the Primordial Moon. Whoever locates their whereabouts and eliminates them shall be the victor of this trial. My grandfather, as well as each of the elders, will not hesitate to bestow rewards. Should all of you achieve partial success, recognition will be based on the number of individuals secured." "Of course, these are all carefully selected—within your current capabilities. The rest will be tracked by each of you." When Emlyn White heard the first part, though he harbored contempt and disdain for the so-called "artificial" vampires, he showed no intention of getting involved. He found it too troublesome, exhausting, and noisy—preferring simply to stay at home, conversing with his mannequins. Only when he realized this was a contest between the parties, and sensed the quiet glances of the vampire elders like Rusztály Bátory upon him, did Emlyn suddenly straighten his posture and lift his chin, saying, "No problem." His deep crimson eyes slowly swept over the other beings in the room. The flagship of the "Star Admiral" had already separated from the other vessels and was now sailing independently. After an indeterminate period, two whaling ships appeared ahead. As soon as they spotted the "Star and Eye" flag of the "Future," they immediately reacted with alarm. They swiftly adjusted their positions, aligning their sides toward the "Future," and readied their cannons. At the same time, their whaling guns—firing spears and harpoons with explosives—turned to face the same direction. The tall, golden-haired fishermen from the Galgas Islands either held harpoons, gripped spears, stood, or crouched, displaying an unusually vigilant posture. Kline noticed several women whose statures were comparable to that of the Green Giants—clearly imposing and formidable. The "Future" paid no heed to their welcome, simply passed by on its own, continuing its course deeper into the whaling route. After some further sailing, Kline observed that several pirate ships had now appeared ahead, encircling the route's edge, seemingly engaged in some activity. The "Future" boldly closed the distance, and the pirate ships instantly scattered like birds after being shot, retreating swiftly toward the horizon. Noticing that the "Future" was slowing down, Cline turned and left the room with a slight sense of curiosity. As he approached the captain's quarters, he spotted Gardeleia, "Star Above," stepping out. The woman wore thick spectacles that obscured the mysterious depth of her deep violet eyes. She glanced at Cline and said simply, "We've discovered a supposed Pleistocene relic down at the ocean floor. We're planning to make a stop and take a look." Ocean floor? A Pleistocene relic? Cline suddenly remembered the rumor he'd heard at the "Lodar" tavern. So the news had already spread? I always thought it would take longer to hear about it... he murmured to himself, now feeling a growing sense of clarity.