"The True Maker"? The murmurs filling this sea came from "The True Maker"? Hearing the "Mysterious Queen's" answer, Caine was both astonished and deeply relieved. He was relieved because, as the "Mysterious Queen" had said, if she hadn't boarded the ship, even with various hearing-sealing enchantments in place, Hes Dool would have found it difficult to avoid a transformation. For mid- and lower-sequence members of other paths, not directly hearing the murmurs of "The True Maker" might only bring feelings of depression or agitation, occasional nightmares, and no significant harm—yet for the "Rose Bishop," whose very sequence 0 is "The True Maker," he has always been immersed in the murmurs of this malevolent deity. Even though he himself is deaf, he would inevitably face problems eventually. Once His Darker goes mad or loses control, given the unique nature of this sea region, the other crew members will indeed find it difficult to escape unscathed. However, Caine believes that as long as they can withstand the initial assault, gain the opportunity to pray to the "Fool," and respond with the Sea God's Staff atop the gray mist, the problem can be resolved. What strikes him as particularly surprising is the complete contradiction between the owner of the murmuring and his own expectations—he had originally assumed this sea region was the battlefield between the ancient gods of the Second Age and the Creator venerated by the Silver City, suspecting that the attendant deities, or corresponding angels, might also have participated. Yet, it appears this assumption is fundamentally flawed, since the "True Creator" first emerged during the great catastrophes of the Third Age! It's not inconceivable that the murmuring might have been a later addition... Caine does not make hasty judgments. He watches the "Mysterious Queen" pass by, gently running her fingers over the sculptures on the handrail, and slowly descending. The woman has a tall, well-proportioned silhouette, with a balanced figure—her rich brown hair simply flowing over her shoulders. This immediately strikes克莱恩 as familiar. After recalling the details surrounding the "Mysterious Queen" incident, he finally remembers the source of this recognition: during a visit to the Rosel Memorial Exhibition in search of the "Card of Desecration," he had once seen a similar silhouette. At that time, the figure's attire had seemed rather unusual—wearing a youthful yellow cake dress, yet adorned with a rather formal black soft hat. "She must be the 'Mystic Queen'—she had also visited the Rossel Memorial Exhibition in advance... She was looking at the foundational education textbooks that the Emperor developed for his children, the chess set and building blocks he invented. She was certain that I had taken the 'Black Emperor' card." "The Emperor's eldest daughter, Bernadette, founded 'Elemental Dawn' to oppose the 'Moses Monastery.' From the diary entries, it's clear that this lady deeply values the principle of 'acting freely, yet without causing harm.' Based on these two points, it's highly likely that she is a semi-divine figure who reached the 'Observer' path." "The fourth rank in the 'Observer' sequence is the 'Mystic Scholar'—the 'Mystic Queen.' Of course, the reputation of the 'Mystic Queen' has spread across the seas for well over a century. She is certainly no longer at rank four. Indeed, after Gauthier left the position of 'Mystic Queen,' she joined the 'Moses Monastery.' " "The Queen has been particularly concerned about whether she can interpret Rossel's diary." With these scattered pieces of information weaving together, Caine suddenly had a This might explain the somewhat earthy yet peculiar nature of the queen's attire—deeply influenced by the emperor's tastes, yet unable to fully break free from the prevailing trends of her time, she has thus forged a unique, unusual personal style. As for whether it's beautiful or not—that's another matter entirely. A striking person dressed in a sack can still be beautiful and fashionable. Klein silently muttered these thoughts to himself, maintaining a composed and reserved demeanor, calmly following the "Mysterious Queen" down the ornate staircase. The Queen spoke in a soft, emotionally neutral tone: "This is my speculation, as it resembles Fasak's Dusk Colossus. And throughout the Fourth Age, there has been a longstanding tradition that the War God was one of the ancient giants who survived the Great Cataclysm." "The Path of the War God" is indeed "The Path of the Giants." In his heart, Caine acknowledged the Queen's speculation. At that moment, he recalled a passage from the mythological records provided by the smaller "Sun"—describing the "Hall of the Giants" as being "always in the dusk"—a detail that perfectly matched the remarkable feature of the spectacle on the opposite mountain peak. From the earlier revelation of the "True Creator" to now the "Hall of the Giants," the Queen had shared two exceptionally valuable pieces of information. She was clearly showing goodwill—toward me, no, toward the figure behind me... though, honestly, there was only myself behind me. Caine responded calmly: "The true 'Hall of the Giants' lies in the 'Land Abandoned by the Gods.'" He spoke of the matter with an air of casual indifference, in order to highlight his own worth and underscore the dignity of the one behind him. "The Mysterious Queen" paused, her right hand resting on the ornately sculpted handrail, half-turning to face Germán Sparo, and said calmly, "It is said that the path to the 'Land Abandoned by the Gods' lies hidden within the opposite mountain range, concealed in the projection of the 'Hall of the Giant King.' So the little 'Sun' team began exploring the town this afternoon? But didn't little Jack say they appeared by the seaside? There are separate switches—both in the 'Hall of the Giant King' and in its projection—that must be activated in advance to connect the two bodies of water? Here lies the murmured discourse of the 'True Creator,' veiled with the secrets of the 'Land Abandoned by the Gods,' bearing the residual powers of night, sun, storm, earth, and the audience's passage—this seems to align perfectly with the Great Cataclysm! After the great upheaval, "the abandoned land" was severed from the outside world, and the savior deities—the eternal sun, the master of storms, the mother goddess of the earth—appeared, the true Creator emerged... yet the idealized manifestation conveyed through the "audience" pathway failed to align. Klein made his own deductions based on the current information at hand. "A member of the Order of the Immortals came here seeking traces of the former Death God— one of the essential elements of the artificial Death God— but in his delirious murmurs, he lost control, now forever wandering within an underwater ruin, transforming every daring adventurer who enters into living corpses under his dominion." The "Mysterious Queen" explained calmly. Had the Death Gods participated in the divine wars erupting here? That explained why the "General of Hell" frequently ventured into these waters... Clary suddenly understood. As for the artificial Death God, he was not surprised— he had heard about it from the "Immortal Magician" Catriona Pelleth, and he believed the Order of the Immortals still had a long way to go. At that moment, the "Mysterious Queen" had just finished ascending the staircase and glanced back at him. Then she turned toward the corridor and entered the building. Clary surveyed the space and noticed there were no further staircases— it appeared this was the lowest level. The "Mysterious Queen" halted before a black wooden door adorned with strange patterns, her hand resting on the handle. "I've always suspected that the dreams within are the very essence sustaining this place—the residual power of night merely provides the possibility for such development," she said, then turned the handle and opened the door. The black door slowly receded, revealing not the room as Klein had imagined, but a vast expanse of sea. The sea, bathed in brilliant sunlight, shimmered with broad, rich golden hues. As the door opened, Klein felt a powerful, almost unimaginable surge of energy seep through, causing the entire building to visibly tremble—dust from above, stone bricks from the walls, began to fall. Somewhere in the distance, he sensed a growing sense that the dream itself might be breaking apart. At that moment, the "Mysterious Queen" pulled her right hand back, closing the black wooden door firmly once more, restoring calm and stillness. "Even I," she said, "dare not enter here." "The distinguished figure from the mysterious world spoke thus. "There are still some dreams lingering from the gods here," said Caine calmly, as though he had already sensed someone behind him, fully aware of the situation. The 'Mystic Queen' turned to gaze at Garmen Sparrow's face, her blue eyes sweeping over him: "This sea, this black monastery—there are countless secrets hidden within. I may have only grasped a fraction of them." She remained silent, simply watching Garmen Sparrow, as if waiting for something. It felt so intense... Caine thought for a moment, then cautiously asked, "Do you know the incantation to open the 'Black Emperor' card?" The 'Mystic Queen' paused for a few seconds, then shook her head. Caine looked steadily into her eyes and said, "Bernadette." The entire corridor fell utterly still, as if even the breath of the room had ceased. The 'Mystic Queen' moved her lips slightly, then closed them again. Her deep blue eyes momentarily lost focus, then quickly regained their profound depth. The "Mysterious Queen" turned slowly, moving toward the entrance of the black staircase, her voice remaining steady: "The dream is ending." Klain watched her silhouette ascend one step at a time along the black staircase, until the brilliant light completely engulfed the scene.