Seeing that the crew of the *Golden Dream* was gathering their strength to target Anderson, Caine took a step forward and turned to Daniz, saying, "Take me to the captain's quarters." "…Yes, yes," Daniz replied, withdrawing his glare from Anderson to Hood. First save the captain, first save the captain... he kept reminding himself mentally. First, a small boat was lowered, then a gangplank extended, allowing Caine to step onto the deck without needing to rely on his spellwork—simple and effortless. Anderson walked steadily behind and to Caine's side, completely ignoring the intense, almost predatory glances from the *Golden Dream*'s crew, smiling calmly as he moved about, as if returning home. His mental resilience was absolutely top-tier… Well, even if he offended a half-god, had to apologize publicly, accepted the commission, and then could still smile, make light of it, and enjoy his meal… Klein murmured a few appreciative thoughts to himself and walked toward Yodsen and the others. "Good day, Mr. Sparro. I'm the second-in-command of this ship, Bruce Wols." A man wearing single-lens glasses, standing nearly 1.8 meters tall, bowed politely. The "Gourmet," with a reward of 6,200 pounds—this pirate crew's pay scale was clearly lower than that of the "Star Admiral" crew, confirming that these were part-time pirates, treasure hunters by trade… Klein expressed his appreciation with the characteristic courtesy and phrasing of Germain Sparro: "Good day, I've heard of you." "...Ah, that's truly my honor. I'm just a treasure hunter who dreamed of becoming a craftsman, yet ended up forging a path as a gourmet." "Brooks Wols self-deprecatingly remarked, pointing to a man beside him, 'Our second mate, the 'Singer' Olphers.' A reward of 5,500 pounds... The extraordinary figures aboard the *Golden Dream*—their nicknames are quite odd. If I hadn't known beforehand that they were underlings of the pirate admiral, I'd have thought this was a seaside touring group, singing, dining, hosting bonfires, and seeking legendary treasures—simply breathtakingly lovely. Klein turned his gaze toward Olphers and gave a casual nod. Anderson chuckled beside him, either praising or criticizing—after all, he had half-Inters blood. Born in Segal, he later studied in Lemburg, presumably at a church school, where he was a classmate of the "Iceberg Admiral" Edwena... Mr. Orvus was certainly one of the "Sun" path, though likely not from the "Eternal Sun" Church; judging by his bounty, he was probably a Sequence 6 "Notary"... Ah, almost forgot—had to inform the young "Sun" that his recipe was ready; didn't know what he'd trade this time. Before Brother Bruel Wolfs could introduce himself as the "Gastronome," Caine turned to the "Bowtie" Yodsen, the "Bucket" Daniels, and the others, saying: "We've met." "Let's not waste time." "Understood," said Bruel Wolfs, exhaled, and stroked his short beard, stepping forward toward the cabin. Hadn't Germán Sparo's reputation for being wildly enthusiastic already been well-known aboard, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to be so polite. At this moment, Anderson deliberately stepped back a few paces, walking side by side with Daniz, Olvers, and the others. He glanced casually to either side, completely unconcerned by the determined glares from Daniz and the others that seemed intent on swallowing him whole. With a murmured chuckle, he said, "You should be wary of me, not the other way around." "Exactly. We haven't been wary of you—we've simply been aiming to squeeze you in, haven't we? Right into that cannon's barrel!" Daniz showed no fear of being up against the strongest hunter, after all, since this was the *Golden Dream*, a ship brimming with pirates, many of whom were exceptional—some even of Sequence 7 or 6. Anderson smiled gently, saying, "Someone like me actually isn't a real threat. Think about it—your captain surely detests me, resents me, and probably doesn't speak to me at all. Isn't that the very ideal situation?" “…,” Daniz opened his mouth, but couldn’t say anything, as he suddenly felt that the dogshit remark made a great deal of sense. The eyes with which Orvus, Yodsen, and the others now regarded Anderson softened instinctively. Anderson cleared his throat, looked straight ahead, and spoke with a slightly wavering tone: “You should really be on guard against Germán Sparrow.” “Why?” Daniz asked immediately. Though he was a madman and certainly needed to be watched, he wasn’t yet an enemy—Daniz silently added to himself. Anderson smiled and said: “I’m assuming—assuming—that if Germán succeeds in finding your captain and rescuing her, will your captain develop some goodwill toward him?” And he had a striking appearance, with a cool, elegant grace, strong实力, reaching the rank of Pirate Admiral, and an especially mysterious background—quite befitting... How... could that be? Danyz had intended to object, but suddenly found himself unable to speak, the more he thought about it, the more it seemed impossible. The expressions of Orves and the others gradually faded, and in their gaze toward the back of Germain Sparrow, a subtle sense of caution and alertness emerged. The challenge had been resolved! Anderson smiled gently and followed into the cabin. Upon entering the captain's quarters, Caine was first struck by the bookshelves that encircled nearly the entire room, filled with a diverse collection of books. Typically, a captain's quarters would feature a wine cabinet—he murmured this silently to himself and proceeded directly to the desk located by the window. According to Daniz's account, Edwenna, the "Commander of the Ice Mountain," went missing while conducting research. Therefore, Klein's objective is to search for traces of that research, gathering sufficient information so that he can make another journey to the Gray Mists for divination. At present, the desk is cluttered with various items: white sheets of paper, a round-bodied steel pen, a bulging ink bottle, a copper small knife, and several books that are not neatly stacked. At the center of the desk stands a codex bound in leather, its deep brown surface inscribed in ancient Foskian with words such as "Journey of Grolsir." Isn't this one of Edwenna's personal collections? Its origins are mysterious, seemingly linked to the dragon race and the "City of Miracles," Livihsid—perhaps Edwenna was studying it before she vanished. Klein gazes at the codex, instinctively forming a hypothesis. Germán Spáro was examining the ancient volume, and Daniz managed a weak smile. "It's in good condition—we've already checked it over." Is that true? I have serious doubts about your attention to detail... since it has clearly been handled before, and no abnormalities are apparent. After briefly confirming with his spiritual intuition that Daniz wasn't lying, Klein reached out and casually asked, "Have any of you read *The Travels of Grozsel*?" Daniz shook his head, and so did Bro. Wols, Olfrs, and Yodsen. Their expressions seemed to say: We're already swamped with daily studies—we simply don't want to read any more books during our breaks! With his fingertips gliding over the warm, brownish vellum, Klein carefully turned the pages one by one. Soon, he encountered a section that was stuck and wouldn't open. With a glance at the text above, he paused. "Hmm... that's not right!" He suddenly narrowed his eyes and quickly flipped back two pages. He remembered clearly—he had last seen Grolde, the giant, and his team preparing to directly challenge the frost giant dragon, the "King of the North"—and then nothing after that. Now, there were an entire two additional pages! That meant the bound section had thinned out, and the book had opened up two extra pages. A break of a thousand years, now being resumed? Was this the result of Edwenna, the "Commander of the Ice Mountain's" research? Had this very thing caused her to vanish? While murmuring complaints, Klein furrowed his brows and began reading the newly added content. Building on this idea, Caine quickly identified several issues: "The Magic Mirror," Arodus, had stated that successive owners of the *Traveler's Journal* had often vanished. The journal itself contained beings from the Dark Age—also known as the Second Age—such as giants and elves, as well as monks and nobles from the Third and Fourth Ages, and even soldiers from the Fifth Age. The sense of chronological coherence was profoundly disordered! If these individuals were indeed the missing owners of the *Traveler's Journal*, then the puzzle made sense: they belonged to different eras, yet they had all been absorbed by the book and become part of the narrative. The more Caine thought about it, the more he realized that his initial hypothesis, though seemingly absurd, held substantial promise. In the world of mysticism, such a phenomenon was far from impossible. Let me confirm one thing...and actually, what exactly did Edwena and those former owners do that caused the books to be "swallowed" by them? What should I do now to free them? Kline withdrew his gaze, pondering for a few seconds. He then quickly looked up at Daniz and the others, saying, "Prepare candles and other items—I need to appeal to the hidden presence for answers." That hidden presence, of course, is myself...Kline quietly mocked himself in his mind. Indeed, professional. Indeed, mad. "Gastronome" Bru. Wols and the others hesitated to speak further, swiftly providing the requested items, then withdrew from the captain's cabin. They were absolutely unwilling to witness such a perilous ritual unless specifically requested by Germaine Sparrow. Inside the cabin, Kline locked the door and closed the windows, swiftly setting up the ritual, lifting the *Grosel's Travels* into the gray mist. After placing the ancient book at the very head of the bronze long table, he sat down, manifested paper and ink, and swiftly wrote a divinatory phrase: "Edwenna is the story in this book."