! Kline was startled and instinctively leaned to the side, no longer leaving his back exposed to the terrified, trembling Leo-Master inside the storage room. He could no longer be certain that the "prisoner" in the linen robe was unharmed. At this moment, the knight clad in black full armor, bearing the same face as Leo-Master, had his eyes blazing crimson, raising the long, deep-hued straight sword high in both hands. He took a single step forward and launched a slashing blow so swift that Kline's eyes nearly failed to catch it. Subconsciously, Kline, who was also facing the knight, raised his "Sea God's Staff," causing the azure-blue gem at its tip to glow brightly. Whoosh! A tangible hurricane materialized, forming layer upon layer around Kline, shielding him within the calm eye of the storm. Crackle! The black streak of light struck, shattering the successive layers of wind, which burst outward in all directions, shaking the entire hall. Thunder! Beneath the dark, massive sword, the gale erupted with a thunderous roar, transforming into shockwaves that submerged the area, lifting and hurling the stacked furnishings into the air. The intense impact clearly disturbed the dream itself; Caine's spirit suddenly wavered, and he involuntarily rolled twice. Thump! He tumbled from his bed in his room onto the deck, opening his eyes. That "Saint of Black" truly was formidable... or perhaps, I had never truly wielded the "Poseidon's Staff" in the real world, so its full power could not be fully realized within the dream... Wait! It's still night! Caine suddenly noticed a crucial point: At this moment, the sunlight of noon was not streaming through the windows! His awakening had stemmed from the fierce struggle within the dream, not from any natural shift in time! Therefore, he must immediately and urgently fall asleep again—otherwise, he might vanish entirely during this dark night, leaving no one to find him. In an instant, Caine pushed himself off the ground with his right hand, leapt upward, and landed smoothly on his bed. Then, he visualized a cascade of overlapping luminous spheres, quickly entering a dream state. During this transition, his gaze swept across the window, and he vaguely perceived the night outside to be deep, cool, serene, and utterly ordinary—free of any strange or unsettling presence. At the same time, he sensed a hazy mist spreading over the sea in the distance, within which stood an ancient, pointed church, entirely black, without a bell tower. Black crows circled and hovered at its peak, as if mourning or commemorating something. Surrounding the church were various buildings—simple two-story homes, modest wooden cottages, a bakery with a sign, and a gray-white mill powered by a waterwheel. People walked through the streets and alleys, their forms indistinct and blurred, their identities hard to discern. Was this a mirage? Was the source of danger during the night? Were all the missing ones stripped of their minds and carried there? Kline woke up clear-minded within his dream, instinctively flashing through the questions he had accumulated. Then, he forcefully calmed his thoughts and retrieved the "Rod of the Sea God" from the "Special Region of the Spirit Realm!" He remembered that when he had first woken from the dream, he had been engaged in fierce combat with the "Saint of Black." A slightly dimmed golden light poured into his eyes, and everything became clear. What now lay before his gaze were no longer the tall knight clad in black full armor, nor the Leomaster in his linen tunic, but a row of floor-to-ceiling windows facing the setting sun. The windows were exceptionally clean, radiating an incomparable purity under the sunlight. Beside them stood long wooden tables and brown-backed chairs. A little farther off, rows of bookshelves stretched out, filled with a variety of books. A library? The Great Archive? Every time he entered this dream world, he would end up in a different location within a certain range? Careful and cautious, Caine scanned left and right, confirming that the area was currently safe—there were no "Saints of Black" or any strange, bizarre evil creatures present. Holding the "God of the Sea's Staff," he stepped forward and positioned himself by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the surroundings. What first caught his eye was the grand complex covering the opposite mountain range—the massive palace, the imposing spires, and the towering walls—all frozen in the golden hues of dusk, creating a profoundly striking visual impact. Even though he had seen this scene many times before, Caine still held his breath, quietly marveling at this miraculous view for several seconds. Then he shifted his gaze toward the cliff side, where he spotted the tall stone walls of the black monastery and the withered trees beside the massive rocks. However, due to partial obstructions, he could not determine whether the "Starborne Commander" Gautherica remained in her original position. Indeed, within a certain range, no one had left this area... So, have I entered the Black Monastery? Klein thoughtfully drew back his gaze and stepped steadily toward the bookshelves. He didn't have the time right now to ponder the nature of the "Saint of Black" and Leo Mastre from his earlier dream, as he needed to first establish his current situation. Upon approaching the shelves, Klein noticed that the books displayed there each bore distinct titles—not the blurry, indistinct ones typical of ordinary dreams. *The Spirit of Life*, *The Book of Spells*, *The Bloom Within*, *The Inner and Outer Cosmos and the True Starry Sky*—these were all works of esoteric studies. Klein approached cautiously and withdrew *The Book of Spells* from the shelf. After swiftly flipping through it, he found that he was familiar with most of its content, though a few sections introduced concepts he had never encountered before. It was clear, then, that this was not merely a reflection of his dream—was it perhaps the work of the "Hermit" lady? Did the knowledge she had been constantly fed throughout her pursuit materialize in the library of the black monastery? Kline had no desire to explore further. He returned to the spot by the floor-to-ceiling window, settled into a seat, and carefully turned the pages of The Book of Incantations under the soft glow of the evening light. In your dreams, you can even learn! He muttered to himself, pulling out paper and pen to jot down notes. As he became deeply immersed in the moment, the light suddenly brightened, flooding his vision with a brilliant white radiance. Kline naturally opened his eyes, now warmed by the sunlight streaming in from outside. "I'd only just turned a few pages, planning to quickly skim through and then recall the content using the method of dream divination..." Kline sighed, sitting up with a sense of regret, feeling he had missed a golden opportunity to learn—since he wasn't sure whether he'd randomly encounter the library of the black monastery again. He combed his hair, put on his hat, and descended to the deck, observing the surroundings while reflecting on the previous dream: "That prison is likely part of the Black Monastery—yes, probably the underground section. In other words, the 'Black Saint' and Leo Mastor are somewhere nearby, within a ruin or ancient site. That's why 'Mercury Serpent' Wil. Aunscetin advised me not to explore those areas—the places are truly perilous! How could the 'Black Saint' and Leo Mastor be so identical? That dream feels strange. And that full-length mirror—so mysterious and eerie—managed to replicate a full image of Germán Spalro...!" As he reached this point, Caine began searching his memory for similar instances, comparing and contrasting them to solidify his reasoning. This, he realized, was simply relying on experience. Soon, he had an association—recall how, in Beckland, he had used the "heart-phantom candles" to eliminate "himself" from the past, a split personality! Could Leo Mastre himself be the "Black Saint" of the Aurora Society? For some reason, had he undergone a personality split, with his good self and evil self separating? Was that deep, closed-off dark prison a reflection of his inner dream world? Yes—the full-length mirror! Leo Mastre had said that if it were destroyed, he too would vanish. And when I looked into the mirror, the entity of Germain Sparo inside it indeed took on a tangible form, distinctly more sinister! "It's no wonder that after I dispatched that mirror-bound Germaine Spalro, I experienced a sense akin to the贤者's time—turns out, it was due to clearing away certain negative thoughts and malevolent intentions within myself. 'Ah, that full-length mirror might not necessarily take the form of a mirror in the real world. This sea area clearly bears exceptional traces of 'Idealists,' manifesting numerous monsters that, though not physically real, are deadly. This aligns perfectly with the 'Audience' path—therefore, it's entirely logical that there exist ruins capable of causing moral separation and personality fragmentation. 'Heh,' said Kline. 'Liomaest, the Black Saint, is a senior figure in the Aurora Society. He must have been quite evil originally, but this ruin—or this object—activated the opposite aspect within him—the latent benevolence buried deep inside—causing a split in his personality, which has now trapped him somewhere nearby.' Kline felt he had finally grasped the full truth, and there was a subtle sense of regret lingering." Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to reach the same place a second time. Otherwise, relying on the "Rod of the Sea God" and Leo Mastre's good nature, he truly could have defeated his evil aspect—the "Saint of Black"—and the damage sustained in that dream world would have carried over into reality. In that case, there would have emerged a deeply understanding, benevolent saint of the "Aurora Order," well-positioned to effectively challenge this heretical organization. Klein silently exhaled, half-turning his body to face Anderson Hood, who had just stepped out of the cabin. "Where did you go in your dreams? I didn't see you at all," the "Premier Hunter" asked casually. Klein frowned internally and replied, "Why should I have been seen by you?" Anderson paused, puzzled, "When you leave a dream, shouldn't you return to the same place?" ...Is there some other factor at play—something unique to me? Klein realized the situation was more complex than he had initially thought. He said thoughtfully, "I entered the dream somewhere else." "Strange..." Anderson furrowed his brow, clearly puzzled. Without waiting for Caine to speak, he added with contemplation, "There's another odd thing." "What is it?" Caine asked in kind. Anderson glanced around, "The last time I pretended to be rowing a boat in that hall, I heard the sound of a door opening and footsteps moving outward, but when I looked up, I saw nothing at all. "I originally thought it was someone from this ship, but now I'm not so sure." PS: It's the last few days of February—any recommendations for monthly passes? Thanks!