Isn't that moving way too fast? I just had an idea... Caine gazed at the rippling sea, momentarily unable to regain his composure. In the flicker of his thoughts, he suddenly formed a hunch: "The second-in-command of the 'Immortal King' Agarith, Gilshias—the 'Slayer'—is suspected to be a 'Demon,' even a 'Divine Apostate,' possessing the extraordinary ability to sense threats early and pinpoint their origins. So, might the 'Immortal King' himself be a Sequence 4 Half-Deity through the 'Demon' path? Therefore, once the crew of the 'Futura' had both the strength and the clear intention to genuinely endanger him, did he immediately sense the threat in advance, discover the presence of the 'Mysterious Queen,' and decisively choose to retreat?" "Hmm. This shows that the 'Mysterious Queen' also had the impulse to intervene—otherwise, merely with my intent, the 'Immortal King' would have just chuckled and launched a furious counterattack." "Oh, what a splendid ability the 'Demon' pathway possesses! It's simply impossible to set traps and bury the 'Immortal King'—or his first, second, or third officers—using this." Kaine sighed, turning his gaze toward Anderson Hude, who stood beside him. Klein turned and entered the corridor, returning to his room. As he pushed open the wooden door, he saw a familiar silhouette standing by the window—athletic in build, dressed in an oddly out-of-place manner—none other than the "Mysterious Queen" Bernadette. Madam, didn't your father ever teach you? Don't just waltz into someone's room, especially a stranger's, particularly a man's? As a well-bred lady of noble birth, you should have waited at the door and politely asked whether you might enter... Oh, the Emperor of the heavens, haven't you recalled any educational texts? Klein silently muttered a few comments and then closed the door without speaking. Before he could open his mouth, Bernadette spoke to him without turning around: "The events that have transpired have confirmed one idea of mine." "What idea?" Klein suppressed his curiosity and asked calmly, with a composed expression. Bernadette did not turn, gazing out at the horizon: "The legend of Agaritou's 'Spring of Immortality' is, in fact, a fabrication." "If there truly exists an 'Elixir of Youth,' it would be no more than one of the primary ingredients of the 'Immortal Women,' or perhaps it would emerge from their very bodies. Therefore, any man who claims to have drunk from the 'Elixir of Youth' is simply lying." She didn't explain what the 'Immortal Women' were—she seemed certain that Germaine Sparrow would know, or at least that he could find out later. "The Elixir of Youth"... "The Immortal Women"... such a fitting correspondence. So, were the bloodied messages found on that sailboat near the ruins intended to reveal that the 'Elixir of Youth' was, in fact, a hoax? Did King Agharit, the 'Immortal King,' repeatedly issue news of the 'Elixir of Youth' to lure adventurers and pirates into perilous waters, only to sacrifice their lives himself or to carry out massacres in the process? A powerful demonic style... That's why "The Slayer" Gilithias warned me not to get involved. Caine thought for a few seconds, deliberately adopting a contemplative tone: "A deception..." "Mystic Queen" Bernadette nodded, her voice soft. "This might be part of the ritual required for Agarit's advancement in Sequence 4, or perhaps simply a way to digest the Sequence 4 elixirs." She paused, as though silently exhaling, before continuing: "Because the Sequence 4 of the path he belongs to is called 'Devil.'" "Devil?" It sounds so cunning... The way the treasure deception harms people perfectly embodies the 'Devil's' style. Caine suddenly understood. At that moment, "Mystic Queen" turned her body, her gaze, visible through the fine black veil, fixed directly upon Germain Sparo. It's my turn to provide the information now? Klein paused for two seconds: "Based on a limited analysis of the diaries, the Great Emperor Rosel faced an extremely severe crisis in his later years, which prompted him to consider acts of madness." He was remarkably open about this, as the diaries he currently had did not reveal exactly what the Emperor intended to do, what challenges he encountered, or what specific mad actions he undertook. Thus, by sharing this information, he was subtly suggesting to Bernadette that, in order to uncover the truth, she should hand over the Emperor's key-period diaries to "The General of the Stars," Gardeleia. "The Enigmatic Queen" Bernadette remained silent for several seconds. As the overcast sky shifted and sunlight streamed in, the queen, who had long ruled across five seas, suddenly seemed to dissolve—like a stack of soap bubbles—breaking apart and vanishing. The light refracted through the bubbles, casting a variety of colors and creating a dreamlike, fairy-tale atmosphere within the room. If there hadn't been the "hidden sages," the "Seeker of Secrets" path would have been truly fascinating... Caine sighed, simultaneously pressing the first joint of his index finger with the tip of his left thumb. He activated the concealed vision brought by the "Line of the Ethereal Body," but found no additional fine black threads within the room. This confirmed that the "Mysterious Queen" Bernadette had indeed left! Exhaling silently, Caine swiftly deactivated the vision. As he prepared to lie down and rest, he suddenly heard light footsteps approaching. Tap, tap, tap—the knock came at his door. "Who?" Caine sat up. "Me," came the voice of the "Star Above," Gathelya. Caine approached curiously, opened the door, and said nothing. He simply looked at her with a composed, neutral gaze—his eyes spoke volumes. Cadryla pushed her heavy glasses up her nose and said, "Once you emerge from that sea region, you won't return to where you entered. This place is less than 100 nautical miles from the island of Toskate. It would take about three days to reach Naps. Where would you like to go back to?" Could entering and exiting be at different locations? Kline was slightly astonished and asked for confirmation: "So, can we enter that sea region from here?" "No—once you do, you'll fall directly into the invisible, bottomless fissure that cuts through the ocean. According to the divination results, anyone who makes this journey truly dies," Cadryla explained briefly. Ah, that makes sense. Kline thought for a moment and said, "I'll go to Toskate Island." He hadn't chosen Naps because it was already close to the next Tarot gathering; he didn't want to spend considerable time on this task aboard the 'Future.' Moreover, Toskait Island is the easternmost colony of the Kingdom of Run, with the common currency being pence, soules, and gold pounds—so Cline no longer needs to worry about exchange rates. "Very well," Gauthelira agreed without hesitation. Watching her turn and walk toward the captain's quarters, Cline gave a slight shake of his head, murmuring to himself, "If you had come earlier, you would have encountered the 'Mysterious Queen.' " ... In the evening, the *Future* arrived at the port of Toskait Island and docked forcibly at the wharf. Cline dressed in the manner of a Run noble, carrying his leather suitcase, and stepped onto the deck, producing the final payments from the pockets of his coat and handing them over to Gauthelira, the "Star Above." After deducting the 700 pounds attributed to her exceptional "Fighter" trait, the total amounted to 1,300 pounds. Thus, Cline's remaining cash fortune stood at 8,436 pounds and 5 gold coins. Gauthelira received the sum in silence, opened her mouth as though to speak, but ultimately "Shall you stay here, or go elsewhere?" she turned to look at Anderson Hude. Thinking of Germán Sparo's imminent departure, of the pirate ship, of her own numerous encounters with pirates, Anderson immediately brightened: "Right here." "You can settle the ship fare," Gathelira didn't let him off easy, despite the fact that he had to borrow even his clean clothes from the pirates. "Thank you," Anderson couldn't hide his sense of relief, reaching up to remove a plain button from the middle of his shirt. With a touch of reluctance, he offered it: "This is my only remaining find from that region—taken from the body of a Ruin military explorer. I don't know its original name, so I've named it based on its abilities and the sequence six designation—well, 'The Judge'. Its drawback isn't particularly severe; it simply makes the wearer prone to offending people or monsters, perhaps even drawing the attention of one of the half-gods by accident." "Isn't that even a bit strong? If I were 'The Star's Grand Commander,' I'd definitely choose your sword..." Caine muttered, watching Gauthier accept the ship expenses paid by Anderson Hood. He paid no attention to others, simply carried his suitcase, left the "Future," and boarded the dock of Toscana Island. Thump! Anderson Hood leapt directly off the deck edge and landed beside him. "Why don't we have a drink? To celebrate finally escaping that cursed sea!" the hunter invited warmly and with evident enthusiasm. Caine glanced at him, silently conveying his refusal—desiring to keep as far away as possible from this unfortunate, perpetually challenging man. "Alright," Anderson said, glancing around, clearing his throat. "Could I borrow a bit of money? You know, all my harvest and cash sank in that sea." "With that, he smiled: 'Don't worry, I'll return it to you tomorrow. At Toskate's bars and brothels, there are plenty of pirates too—I plan to ask them for some support.' How about no bounty? They'll just extort money; those with a bounty? They'll simply cash it out. In his mind, Kline gave a quiet sigh, then produced a five-sol paper note and handed it to Anderson. 'Only five sols?' Anderson stared at him with half-opened mouth. 'That should cover your drinks, meals, and hotel stay,' Kline replied calmly. 'And this is cash—one pound.' 'One pound?' Anderson rubbed his eyes, sighed helplessly, 'Alright, one pound. I'll return you one pound tomorrow.' PS: I'm updating first and revising later. Also, why do you think this series is coming to an end? It won't even conclude this month. I've structured this with a simple, button-like approach—continuously placing buttons throughout the early chapters. Once the protagonist becomes a 'Master of Secret Miracles' and returns, the process of tightening those buttons will begin. There are still many more buttons yet to be fastened."