Above the gray mist, Caine reached out and summoned the "Poseidon's Staff" from among the clutter, scanning the countless glowing points swirling around the sealed artifact. Each point represented a prayer from a devotee—radiant, holy, and ethereal! Soon, Caine performed an initial mental filtering, focusing specifically on prayers originating from the sea rather than from the island itself. After isolating the "Staff" above the gray mist, he could no longer directly use this sacred artifact to sense or act upon the surrounding oceanic environment. Effective operations now required him to rely on the visual prayers of the devotees as a foundation, expanding outward from that point by five nautical miles to influence the corresponding marine life. Caine's spiritual presence spread, touching one of the glowing points, and he witnessed a daily prayer performed by the indigenous people aboard a fishing vessel as it approached port in the late afternoon. As Caine's mental focus shifted, the viewpoint of the scene rapidly ascended, drawing in more and more layers of cloud and the dim, undulating waves of the sea. "There were already signs of a storm brewing just a few hours ago, weren't there? Indeed, when we first went out, the atmosphere felt quite oppressive... That's precisely why Elan said Captain Conner, known as 'Mad Captain,' must have anchored his ship somewhere in the shadow of one of the nearby islands—seeking shelter from the storm." Kline lightly tapped the edge of the weathered long table, murmuring to himself. With this deduction, his subsequent search for the missing person would be much easier, as he no longer needed to cover the vast expanse of the ocean—he could simply focus on the waters around these islands. A thought formed, and at the tip of Kline's "Poseidon's Staff," a sapphire-blue gem suddenly glowed brightly. Over the stretch of sea where no fishing vessels remained, the deep blue-to-black waves, illuminated by the crimson moonlight, surged with noticeable amplitude. Then, without a sound, the water rose upward, and the surface subtly revealed a pair of exaggerated eyes gazing upward toward the sky, beneath which a vast shadow outline emerged. At the same time, various species of sea fish rose to the surface, drifting in different directions. They caught the gently falling radiance, swirled once, and then sank again, heading toward different parts of the sea. A few seconds later, the waters within a five-mile radius returned to their original state—deep blue, nearly black waves rising one after another, steadily building toward the final surge. Hm... this is quite a drain... Caine raised his left hand and rubbed his temple. He hadn't merely summoned marine life—he had imbued them with a certain supernatural grace, enabling them to detect ships near the islands and then convey the scenes they saw through prayers. While this was not particularly difficult for the "Sea God's Staff," it placed a significant burden on Caine himself, demanding considerable energy. Then, Caine selected prayer bearers from around different islands in the archipelago and issued the same commands to the marine life in the corresponding regions. After completing all this, he didn't even bother returning the "God of the Sea's Staff" to the cluttered pile—he simply went back to the real world, removed his coat, and collapsed onto the bed. At the peak of his spiritual depletion, he had expected to fall into unconsciousness. Instead, his head felt hollow and aching, making it impossible for him to open his eyes or enter a dream state. Klein could clearly feel his skin reacting like an allergic response, with countless raised bumps appearing, and beneath them, an uncountable number of tiny flesh buds. Indeed, as the "Hangman" had predicted, if his spiritual energy remained dry for two consecutive days, he would inevitably experience hallucinations and signs of loss of control. He had only reached the limit once, and hadn't sustained it for long—his body was already showing abnormalities. Of course, this was also because he had only recently been promoted and still hadn't fully assimilated his new status, compounded by the excess magic potions he had taken from earlier sequences. Klein gradually regained his thoughts, attempting to meditate on the layered spheres of light, to calm both his body and spirit. After a slight improvement in his condition, he finally fell into a deep sleep, waking only until midnight. At that time, the wind outside was fierce, and the rain poured down heavily, finally bringing the long-anticipated storm into full force. This was not an uncommon occurrence in Byam, and beyond this, the night remained remarkably calm. Klein went to the bathroom to attend to his personal hygiene, washed his hands, and then walked four steps backward, re-entering the gray mist. He picked up the "Rod of the Sea God," which had been placed at the head of the bronze long table, and began reviewing the "scenes" transmitted by the marine life. Among these scenes, ships were visible at various ports, docks, and beneath the shadows of different islands. Although Klein had never met the "Mad Captain" Konnas Viktor, he had previously studied the captain's distinctive traits and the various emblems of his pirate crew, so he felt confident in distinguishing them. One scene after another flashed before him, and he carefully examined the details of each vessel. A few minutes later, a visible joy sparkled in his eyes as he swiftly enlarged and zoomed in on one of the scenes! He had found the likely vessel! It was moored in the sheltered bay of West Mym, the westernmost island of the Rosted Archipelago, behind towering stone cliffs, with undulating waves below. Though its sails and flags were now furled, white skeletal heads wearing single-eye masks were displayed on both sides of the hull—exactly the emblem of the Mad Captain's Pirate Fleet! Without hesitation, Caine removed the orrery from his left wrist cuff and used divination to confirm. The result filled him with delight—the vessel belonged to Konnas Viktor! And this "Mad Captain" had only one such ship. "It's no wonder most seafaring adventurers know of the 'Mad Captain's' connections with the kingdom's human traffickers and slave merchants. Yet the Storm Church's investigation into the disappearance of populations in the colonies has made no mention of him. After all, a man with a bounty of just 3,300 pounds and a pirate fleet consisting of only one ship—how could he possibly handle such a large-scale trade in human lives?... What should come next?" Kline first silently remarked, then began to consider how to proceed. His initial thought was to summon the vast deep-sea creatures, board vessels resembling "whale ships," and head straight for Westmym Island during the approaching storm, then infiltrate under cover, using the "Master of Secret Doubles"’s abilities to quietly take control of the 'Mad Captain,' Konnath Victor. But after careful reflection, he found this approach too bold and impetuous. Dealing with other pirates not at the rank of admiral is manageable, but since "Mad Captain" Conner Victor has become involved in such a severe event—the great smog crisis in Beckett—his seemingly ordinary demeanor must be considered a façade. His true identity must be taken into account, and there's a strong likelihood that significant secrets lie aboard his ship. Therefore, there's a good chance that traps capable of defeating even an admiral-level pirate are in place. Should they proceed prematurely, even with Crane fully equipped, survival is not guaranteed. Previously, he once again manifested his scroll and quill, writing the divination statement: "The confrontation with Konnus Victor will be dangerous." Holding the silver chain of the spirit pendulum, Caine calmed his mind and began his divination with focused concentration. Soon, he opened his eyes to see the yellow crystal pendant rotating swiftly and vigorously in a clockwise direction—indicating that the confrontation with Konnus Victor will indeed be extremely dangerous! "Indeed, as I anticipated—thankfully, I did not rush ahead impulsively..." Caine picked up the "Poseidon's Staff," deciding to implement the plan he had just conceived. That plan was to, during the period of heavy rain providing cover, leverage the image of prayer just witnessed, and directly strike Konnus Victor's fleet with the "Poseidon's Staff" from a distance, thereby startling him and forcing him to reveal his secrets. Once he had gathered sufficient information, he would launch the assault before either the "Ocean King" Ayn Koutman sensed any abnormal fluctuations or reached his destination. If Konnath Victor不幸ends up in the hands of the "Sea King," Klein won't be disappointed, for after uncovering the truth behind the Beckland smog crisis, he'll also need to find a way to pass the intelligence on to the three major churches. Should the "Mad Captain" successfully escape, Klein will leverage the secrets uncovered through his surprise reconnaissance to formulate a follow-up attack strategy! He exhaled slowly, gazing at the ship swaying steadily amidst the deep, dark waves, and raised the "Sea God's Staff" in his hands. At the tip of the staff, the sapphire-blue gem encircling the circumference sequentially burst into bright light. PS: A bit stuck on wording, the text is relatively short, and I haven't yet corrected any typos.