The sunlight above was intense, the sea shimmering with golden hues. Beyond these, in Klein’s eyes, countless phantom black lines emerged—stretching out from the mermaid nearby, from himself, and from various points across the surrounding sea. Fine and intricate, dense and interwoven, they branched out according to specific body parts, extending endlessly toward the far reaches of the void. This strikingly dense and surreal scene was not unfamiliar to Klein. Each time he had drawn upon the power of the "Eye of Total Blackness" and relied on it for an extended period to shape the "World" as a constructed persona, he had witnessed something very much like this. This was the very source of the "Master of Secret Personages'" extraordinary abilities! Knowledge gained from the magic potions informed Klein that these phantom black lines were known as "Spirit Lines." By manipulating them, one could directly influence the target’s mental, stellar, cognitive, and etheric bodies. Then, through the bridge of the "etheric body," one could control the target’s physical form. Therefore, the extraordinary abilities of the "Master of Secret Doubles" all revolve around the "Spiritual Thread." First, by leveraging the "Spiritual Thread"—a presence inherent in every living being—the Master can identify hidden targets, countering the invisibility magic of the "Witch" and the shadow-based concealment of the "Hermit." While Klein remains uncertain whether there exists a method to fully obscure the "Spiritual Thread" itself. Second, the Master can manipulate the target as if controlling puppets, causing mental sluggishness, physical stiffness, and delayed, jerky movements—an active form of control that is difficult to resist, requiring only the strength of the target's own spiritual essence to break free. For a "Master of Secret Doubles" already at Sequence 5 level, this is nearly insurmountable among beings below the divine realm. Third, over time, as mastery deepens, the Master can fully transform the target into a puppet, enabling them to operate from the background at a distance, directing the target into battle. In this state, the puppet retains the ability to utilize the target's original extraordinary abilities. "This is truly strange, mysterious, and terrifying—quite the hallmark of the unseen mastermind. It's no wonder Rosagho calls manipulation along the 'spirit thread' one of the most difficult abilities to counter, especially below high sequence. However, this takes time. Mastery isn't achieved instantly; it must be built step by step, deepening until final completion. To achieve initial control, I currently estimate around 20 seconds at my present state. As the potion is gradually absorbed, the time will noticeably decrease. Once the 'Master of Secret Dummies' has fully digested it, it might come down to just five seconds—during which, the target will hardly notice, though those with a certain prophetic ability might perceive it. Once the 'spirit thread' of the target is initially secured, the target will immediately experience mental sluggishness, sluggish movements, and bodily stiffness, gradually progressing toward the state of a puppet or automaton. If the 'Master of Secret Dummies' has a companion, they can easily eliminate the target who has been forcibly controlled during this process. Indeed, if the enemy's spiritual strength isn't exceptionally high, the 'Master of Secret Dummies' will have sufficient reserves to even attend to other tasks—such as drawing their weapon "If the process of control is not interrupted by an external force, within five minutes the target will become my puppet—effectively, in a sense, truly deceased, and nothing will be reversible thereafter. Once the potion is fully absorbed and transformed, the time required to convert a puppet will undoubtedly shorten significantly. Currently, I can control a maximum of one puppet; beyond that, I cannot yet determine, but it is certain that this number will increase, likely not exceeding three. This depends not only on time but also on distance. At present, I can only perceive the 'spirit lines' within a 100-meter radius, and to manipulate them, I must enter within five meters of each target. While manipulating a puppet, the distance between my body and the puppet remains temporarily capped at 100 meters; this limit is expected to expand in the future." "Hey, the puppet not only retains its own exceptional abilities but can also normally use magical items and seals, drawing from its own spirit rather than mine—though, of course, the act of manipulating it itself is quite spirit-consuming. This ability is perfect for me. When faced with extremely dangerous situations where I must go investigate, I can send the puppet in. While losing it would be quite painful, it's far better than my own death on the spot. Haha. Before Rosaggo, the so-called 'Master of Secret Puppets,' came to confront me, he must have taken other actions that depleted his puppetry resources—otherwise, he wouldn't have lost his puppet. I'm sure he hasn't fully absorbed the 'Master of Secret Puppets' potion either, so he couldn't have initially stabilized me while waiting for the door to open. He was forced to enter the face-to-face negotiation phase. Overall, no surprise—this truly is a standout ability for a Sequence 5 exceptional trait!" Moreover, the capabilities of the earlier sequences have strengthened by 50%, if not even more... "I'm genuinely looking forward to it—hard to imagine what kind of transformation the Sequence 4, with so many unusual abilities woven in, will undergo. Honestly, I'm not even sure what its name is anymore..." After completing his assessment of his own condition, Kline paused reflectively. Drawing on his earlier experience setting the methods to open and close the "vision," he now applied similar constraints to his ability to perceive the "lines of spirits," ensuring he wouldn't see things he shouldn't. He pressed his thumb against the first joint of his index finger twice to activate it, then repeated the motion to deactivate it—his right hand could do the same. Gathering his thoughts, he turned his gaze toward the front, where the remaining several mermaids had now turned to face him, their bright, watery blue eyes curiously studying him. Given that, without their song and without that simple ritual, he would have lost control entirely and become something like the sealed entity "2–049," Kline offered them a warm, friendly smile. The mermaids, influenced by the power of the incantations, also gently parted their lips, revealing slightly shy smiles. As their lips—ranging from pale purple to deep red—opened, Caine saw their teeth: sharp as wolf's fangs, one after another, white and gleaming, dripping with thick, viscous liquid. Caine was momentarily stunned, finding this even more unsettling than the true monsters. He had already mentally prepared himself to view the mermaids as those from the sewer, believing that no matter how wild or terrifying their forms might be, he could endure them. Yet the situation had exceeded his expectations. Though the mermaids appeared clearly beautiful and alluring, with a unique grace in their tails, their teeth were so fierce and so repulsive—the contrast was so striking—that Caine found it hard to look at them directly, nearly shifting his gaze. He waved his hand, quickly drawing forth the incantation of the "God of the Sea" domain, summoning a strong wind once more, and pushed the small boat back toward the "Future." On the way, Caine involuntarily reflected on the sensation he had just experienced: "So the mermaid's song is a kind of harmony, a kind of balance. Otherwise, the vast majority of 'Faceless Ones' would be unable to resist the degradation of their 'spirit threads' by the 'Master of Secrets''s potion, leading directly to loss of control. Indeed, lucky exceptions like the sea serpent Cavi-tuwa are outside the scope of this discussion—perhaps precisely because they lack the ritual support, they remain relatively weak. In theory, any sound or extraordinary ability with a similar effect could substitute for the mermaid's song. However, those who have not personally experienced it simply cannot discern the subtle differences. Therefore, those strong figures not following the 'Seer' path rarely offer truly effective guidance." As his thoughts flowed, the small boat returned to the vicinity of the "Future." Caine easily climbed aboard using the rope. Anderson Hude stood by the ship's side, chuckling: "I see now that your quest for the mermaid was driven by the necessity of the ritual, not by the desire to obtain any specific materials." "That's clear," Caine replied briefly. Anderson shrugged, "Not at all. Anyone would naturally assume the mermaid is the material you need, since she doesn't match the requirements of a Sequence 4 ritual. But who would have thought that Admiral-level adventurer Germaine Sparrow holds only a Sequence 6?" What did "only" mean? Caine resisted the urge to manipulate Anderson's "spirit thread." He ignored the strongest hunter, who carried a constant tone of challenge, and entered the cabin, heading back to his room. As he approached the captain's quarters, the door creaked open before him. "Star General" Gardeleia, not wearing her heavy spectacles, gazed deeply into Germaine Sparrow's eyes with a rich, flowing purple hue. "Congratulations on your promotion." "Earlier, in my dreams, did I perhaps say something?" "You know very well," Caine replied evenly. Cadryla paused for two seconds. "Did you ask about my relationship with the 'Mysterious Queen'?" As she spoke, she couldn't help but glance around. Had her rather abrupt question led the 'Mysterious Queen' to have already boarded the 'Future'? It truly takes care to converse with intelligent people... Klein nodded, then moved past her toward his room. The corridor remained quiet. It wasn't until he opened the door and stepped inside that Cadryla's voice echoed from the captain's cabin, resonating throughout the ship. "Return voyage." Inside the room, Klein waited several minutes before re-entering the bathroom to reestablish the ritual, gently pushing the increasingly restless "craving hunger," growing more agitated without food, into the gray mist. After completing this, he didn't immediately leave. Instead, he raised his hand, and the iron-black, distorted "Seed" gloves floating on the floor rose, settling before him. After a moment's study, Caine placed the "Seed" into a metal cigarette box and set it among the clutter. Though the expensive gloves had become useless, Caine always believed that waste could still hold value. Next, he slowly shed the now-quiet "thirsty hunger," placing it as well among the scattered items. Huff... Caine took a moment to steady himself, then left the palace-like giant's dwelling and made his way deeper into the mysterious space above the gray mist. During his previous exploration, he had discovered a luminous "stairway" resembling a heavenly realm, suspecting that the number of levels might be related to his own sequence. So, upon his recent promotion, he had immediately gone to verify. After walking a while, Caine finally saw the pure, radiant stairway composed entirely of light—now one level higher than before, totaling five steps. Indeed... Caine sighed with quiet satisfaction. Then he ascended the stairway, as if prepared for giants, reaching the summit. At that moment, he was only a short distance away from the gray mist hovering in the air, as if just one more set of steps would allow him to climb onto it. Subconsciously, Cain raised his head and gazed toward that area, catching a faint glimpse of something.