Once he recognized the leader in the mural, Kline instinctively began to suspect that it was part of his dream. But he quickly dismissed this idea, since Anderson was neither someone he knew nor someone who had left a lasting impression—most likely not part of the extension of his dream. Moreover, Anderson had explicitly stated that he had grown unlucky specifically after seeing the mural, indicating a strong connection between the two. Therefore, this must be part of his dream! Concentrating his mind and observing more closely, Kline quickly noticed several differences between the murals here and those he had seen in the abandoned temple of the True Creator: the background here was a sea blazing with golden flames, whereas the previous one depicted a barren, lifeless plain; the destination here was the deep within the sea, while in the earlier mural it was distant mountains, with a massive cross and a person hanging upside down at the peak; the fish in the feet of the Fate Angel Ulloius here were embedded in black silt, with their heads downward, whereas in the earlier version they formed a winding, cyclical river. Not the same mural—more like a record of different stages in a pilgrimage journey... Kline made a slight nod, forming a guess. In his mind, a scene had already taken shape: long ago, during some period of the Quaternary, Ulurus the Devourer led a devoted pilgrimage of faithful followers—or remnants of the true Progenitors—on a journey across the seas, pursued by numerous adversaries. For some reason, He abandoned the ships and, with the aid of the true Progenitors or through His own strength, parted the sea directly, guiding the faithful through this region into the "Land of Divine Abandonment," preserving the flame of organizations such as the "Red Rose of Redemption" and the "Luminous Conclave." In the "Land of Divine Abandonment," they traversed the barren plains, establishing temples along their pilgrimage route—exactly the kind of temples later discovered by the small "Sun" group. From the moment Wil昂赛汀, the Serpent of Mercury, was forced to restart the cycle and revert to embryonic form, the "One Who Swallows His Tail" should still be alive... Does this mean that He ultimately led those "Pilgrims" to their destination—the Sanctuary of the True Creator? Does this imply that the Sanctuary of the True Creator lies somewhere in the "Land Abandoned by the Gods"? At this thought, Caine suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of resonance: If my conjecture is correct, then no matter how the people of the "City of Silver" strive to save themselves or preserve their legacy, when the True Creator fully awakens or returns to a normal state, they will inevitably perish! When you are near the divine realm or sanctuary of a Chaos God, your very existence becomes independent of your personal efforts! It is much like the foam generated by a surging tide—once the wave passes, the foam vanishes. Human civilizations, human societies, under the gaze of the Chaos Gods, are thus as fragile as that foam. "No, we can't be this pessimistic. Just now, I was only speculating—perhaps it wasn't Ulorius who brought Willy Onsight, the leader of the Life School, into reincarnation. Maybe the 'True Creator' isn't as easily restored or awakened; perhaps the Divine One is still bearing the seals of the Seven Gods..." "So there's still hope for Silver City. If we act before the evil gods break free, we can establish a pathway from the 'God-Abandoned Lands' to the outside world and evacuate the city! That's likely why the Silver City's chief has decided to release the 'Shepherd' elder—they must make use of every available resource..." Klein forcibly pulled himself back from his thoughts. He then felt a growing concern, fearing that by arriving here, he had already fallen into the 'Fate Cycle' crafted by the 'Devourer of Tails'. At this moment, his instinct urged him to reverse four steps and enter above the gray mist, striving to recover memories that might have been erased, but ultimately, he held back this impulse, deciding instead to observe first: From the perspective of interpreting symbolic elements, there is no flowing river suggesting cycles—only black silt with fish embedded upright, symbolizing the absence of cyclical fate, only the entanglement of misfortune! This perfectly aligns with Anderson's words! "As the King of Angels, Uloirus undoubtedly possesses more than just one ability—'Cyclical Fate.' It makes perfect sense that different temples and frescoes showcase distinct powers. After all, this is a dream!" "Moreover, even if I did nothing at all and truly fell into a cycle, repeatedly going through the experience of conversing with the 'Star Above' until I decided to observe and see, the issue would still be resolved by next Monday. By then, the Tarot gathering would certainly have to be postponed, and Miss Justice and the others would surely express their puzzled inquiries—offering their requests—giving me the opportunity to recover my memories." With this thought, Klein gained confidence; the earlier anxiety and tension had either faded away or been quietly contained within him. He looked up ahead and noticed that the hall was deep, stretching out beyond sight, with light entering only through the entrance, casting a dim glow elsewhere. The further one went, the darker it became, with only faintly visible wooden doors on either side, their destinations unknown. Gazing at this deep and shadowy scene, Caine's desire to continue exploring dropped to its lowest: "We've already encountered murals left behind by the King of Angels. Who knows what might happen if we go deeper still and enter other rooms?" Fear of the unknown is an exceptionally ancient emotion; the most profound fear arises not when one knows danger is imminent, but when one knows danger exists yet cannot fathom its source. After a few seconds of self-reflection, Caine paused his forward movement. He then turned to Anderson, who was hewing at a massive log with an axe. "Why have you come here?" Anderson looked up at him, then chuckled. "I'm a treasure hunter. 'What do you mean by that?' you ask?" Caine replied casually. "Is there any treasure here?" Anderson continued to work on his supposed raft, his voice now low and steady. "Treasure is everywhere in this sea. All you need to do is secure it and survive to make it out." "That's true... but the issue is, half-gods are dangerous here, and half-gods are even more dangerous in this place. Kline glanced toward the deeper part of the hall. 'Do you know what's there?' Anderson followed his gaze and glanced over. 'Not really. At least a third of my companions set out toward that area and have never returned.' 'You mean in the real world, or in the dream world?' Kline asked thoughtfully. With a crisp sound, his axe shattered into two pieces, the fracture located toward the rear sending fragments spiraling and striking him directly. Fresh, gushing blood poured from his right chest and abdomen, flowing like a spring. Holding one wound with his left hand, he lifted his head to look at Caine, offering a bitter smile. "I've said this before—since I first saw that mural, I've been plagued by misfortune. Fortunately, this isn't too bad. At least they haven't ruined my ordinary, handsome face." How do those two adjectives go together? Caine watched Anderson swiftly retrieve the fragments, attend to his wounds, and take a medicinal draught, noting his steady demeanor and practiced movements—seeming entirely accustomed to it. Caine inserted one hand into his pocket, idly playing with the coins inside, and carefully asked, "When your companions went out to explore, did you and the remainder of the group stay behind to study the murals?" Anderson paused, refastened the medicinal vial to his belt, and wiped his mouth. "No." "I belong to the one-third who keep pushing forward." As he spoke, a gentle smile began to spread across his lips. Hmm—Caine's pupils contracted slightly, and he instinctively arched his back, lifting his left hand. At that moment, the brilliant sunlight surged forth, first dazzling white, then gradually fading, until it vanished entirely. Caine naturally opened his eyes and found that the outside world had returned to midday. He pulled out his gold-case pocket watch and checked it: "Only half an hour has passed—this night was surprisingly brief. Back then, Anderson seemed perfectly fine, yet now it's so unsettling!" After rolling out of bed, Caine suddenly remembered something—Willemonse, the "Serpent of Fate," hadn't yet responded! Since everyone's dreams had been drawn into that world, and they were no longer connected to the spirit realm, couldn't He have located them? Or had He sensed the presence of Ulorius, the "One Who Swallows the Tail," and decided not to approach? Or perhaps the sea itself is at fault? As the thought formed, Caine decided to verify it. As for how to verify, the method was simple: he would simply go back to sleep at noon. However, he didn't rush to do so, since he wasn't certain whether there was a taboo against sleeping during the day here. Wearing his baseball cap, Caine went to the captain's outer office and tapped gently on the door. After three firm knocks, he withdrew his hand and waited patiently. Not long after, Captain Galadriya opened the door. Her expression, once hazy from the dream, had now cleared, and she had put on her thick glasses again. "Can you sleep during the day?" Caine asked directly. Galadriya nodded. "Yes." Then, hesitating slightly, she added, "In the dream, you seemed quite active." Thinking about the dangers hidden within this sea and anticipating that he might need to demonstrate something in the future, Caine decided to proactively set the stage. He looked at Gardeleia, smiled politely, saying, "Yes. This is a gift from my Lord." My Lord... Gardeleia's gaze, partially obscured by her thick glasses, flickered noticeably. Her brow furrowed slightly, then smoothed out, and she said nothing further. After a moment's thought, Caine added, "Be cautious of His Dole." Gardeleia clearly understood his meaning and replied directly, "Don't worry—he has a seal that imposes a negative effect, limiting him to hearing only sounds coming from very close sources." A clever use of a negative effect indeed... Caine said no more, removed his hat, bowed, and turned to leave, returning to his room. He lay down again and fell asleep once more through meditation. In his dream world, he awoke to see the familiar dark plain and dimly lit spires. Phew, good—managed to make contact... Cline exhaled, making his way all the way to the inner tower, where he found the tarot cards scattered about, along with fresh handwriting: "There are many dangers, but the most perilous ones arise after nightfall, in the dreams. This doesn't mean the dreams vanish if you don't sleep—it means you must remember this: Do not explore that dream! Do not explore that dream! Due to space constraints here, I won't elaborate on the reasons—well, that's a joke. The reason lies in the fact that those dreams contain certain remnants left behind by the gods."