Hearing Helmossuin's reply, Caine's lips could hardly contain a twitch, and he nearly stood frozen in place. "My enemies aren't even in Bayam... If you perish at the gate of 'The King of the Sea,' it wouldn't make much of a difference." He took a slow breath, pausing the topic he had just been discussing, and then asked, "Helmossuin, I mean, Mr. Shiraliyon—why did you notice me at all? And why did you come to see me specifically, even in your final moments?" This was also the point of confusion he had for 'The Mirror' Arodus and the messenger lady Renette Tini科尔, though he had never found the right opportunity to ask. Hermes remained silent for two seconds behind the door panel, then spoke with a smile. "Certain qualities of yours are not secret to a few special, high-ranking spiritual beings—once you've had close, personal contact with them, these traits become evident. After all, the gray mist symbolizing the great sovereign above the spiritual realm hovers above our heads. Some unique deities or extraordinary beings representing fate can detect these qualities to varying degrees, of course, provided they've had such close interaction." The gray mist... While the description of "golden light" was nearly identical to Arhodes' praise, it specifically highlighted the gray mist—an observation I had never before heard someone make directly in front of me! So, is that mysterious space a divine kingdom left behind by the great sovereign above the spiritual realm? What kind of Sequence-0 pathway is this? Deities who can perceive the gray mist aura around me include the "Tree of Desire"—thus, it is precisely to me that they have directed their attention. Klein's thoughts boiled over, bubbling with questions. He was about to speak when Hermosu continued: "In the prophecy of the 'Yellow Light,' the great Sovereign above the Spirit Realm is one of the variables of the End, but I'm not certain that you are exactly equal to Him. There are so many possibilities—His followers, His children, His chosen messengers—that could endow you with that quality. Yet this doesn't prevent me from expressing a friendly sentiment. 'By the way, do you know the Beckett Stock Exchange? You're like a newly listed railway company, showing promising potential. Naturally, some people will see potential in you and buy shares, while others will be more greedy, seeking to acquire the company outright or gain controlling stakes. The former is me; the latter is the 'Mother Tree of Desire,' representing many powerful beings from the Spirit Realm." "Ah, so it is... If it weren't for the fact that there's a traveler from the gray mist, King Roscel, still ahead of me, or if I hadn't made a divination in that mysterious realm, gaining a clear image of Earth and recalling more memories, I would have doubted whether I were indeed the reincarnation of the great sovereign above the spiritual realm. Looking at the overall experience, I feel much more like a chosen messenger—someone selected by the divine—than the great sovereign itself. Is the great sovereign above the spiritual realm equivalent to the Fu Sheng Wu Liang Tian Zun? Klein inevitably found himself filled with countless questions, his mind as chaotic as a yarn ball played with by a cat. Calming himself, he asked, "Is there any way to conceal that quality?" "Become a half-god," Helmossyin replied immediately, then coughed twice. "Would you mind if I died at your doorstep?" "...I would." Klein didn't want the half-gods—like the sea king Ayn Cortman and Admiral Robert Davis—to notice him. Helmusion crunched a bit of fruit and said, "Then I must leave immediately, or I'll miss it. 'When you become a half-god and gain the ability to explore the deeper realms of the spirit world, we'll meet again.'" Klein remained silent for a moment, then said, "Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Hieralion." Helmusion said nothing further, and with heavier steps moved toward the staircase. Listening to the steady sound of steps descending, Klein shifted his focus and suddenly formed a few clear conjectures about why Emperor Roser could detect the gray mist yet could not enter: "He restored the silver plaque that caused his journey to the other realm only after becoming a非凡者, while I attempted the transfer ritual again as a commoner. Moreover, Emperor Roser chose the 'Universalist' path, whereas I chose the 'Seer' path—clearly, the mysterious powers above the gray mist offer significant advantages to those who practice divination." "So, the prerequisite for autonomously entering the Gray Mists is ordinary individuals or extraordinary beings who have followed the 'Seer' path, and who have mastered the corresponding incantations, rituals, and symbols? The Emperor's experiments were too late and he chose the wrong path, thus he was unable to enter. 'Given that the 'Seers', 'Apprentices', and 'Thieves' belong to similar pathways, the latter two seem viable as well—might this be the deeper reason the Emperor expressed in his journal, lamenting that he should have chosen one of these three instead? These three pathways, aside from lacking Path 0, are free from top-down influence and include the key elements necessary for entering the Gray Mists?' As these thoughts swirled, Caine temporarily set aside this matter that had not yet been verified, and turned his attention to the reminder from 'Orange Light' Hilaryon: Be cautious of the 'Mother Tree of Desire'!" Due to the incident involving General Emirius, Caine remained highly vigilant regarding the "Tree of Desire," necessitating a change of identity and hiding under a false persona for two months. Subsequently, he became reluctant to engage with figures like the "General of Blood" and other members of the Rose School, fearing he might fall into a trap. For any potential, significant threat, the natural response of a typical human would be to address and resolve it—Caine shared this instinct. However, the challenge lay in his inability to act. The "Tree of Desire" is suspected to be a true God of Sequence 0, residing in the Stellar Realm; no matter how high Caine jumped, he could never reach or defeat it. Moreover, the Rose School, a well-established organization under its control, likely has angels stationed within it and possesses at least one 0-level seal artifact, otherwise it would have struggled to endure the persistent hostility from all churches and secret organizations throughout history. Even with the assistance of kinder figures such as Mr. Azk, Caine could not manage to dismantle the Rose School entirely—on the contrary, he might even face danger. For these reasons, Kline could only dodge, dodge, hoping to be promoted smoothly to Sequence 4 and become a half-god. "I've been careful about the Tree of Desire all along. Doesn't 'Orange Light' Mr. Hilaryon know that I once fell into this demon's trap on the island of Orlavi? Or is it that he's come specifically to remind me—perhaps signaling that something major is about to unfold soon?" "Ah... He was previously under the control of the 'General of Blood,' who is a member of the Rose School—so maybe he's learned something!" Kline suddenly realized he couldn't simply trust that the 'Faceless One's' changes would necessarily escape the Tree of Desire's watchful gaze. According to Mr. Hilaryon, the Tree could detect certain qualities within me even during close, personal contact—something the 'Faceless One's' extraordinary abilities couldn't fully conceal. So, has the Tree been patiently trying, through some ritual or object, to transmit this awareness to its followers? Is it now nearing success? Klein's brow slowly furrowed, and the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. This only strengthened his desire to return to Beckland. In that great city, even angels had to behave properly—much like a certain "serpent of fate." The followers of the "Tree of Desire," the powerful members of the Rose School, could no longer act with unchecked ambition; they would have to patiently wait for their opportunities. Huffing out a breath, Klein headed toward the Gray Mist to consult his fortune, seeking whether he faced any imminent life-threatening danger. This time, the answer was clear: no such danger. Yet Klein did not feel reassured. He remembered that the "Tree of Desire" could, to some extent, penetrate the Gray Mist barrier and interfere with divination. Indeed, long ago, his own spiritual sensitivity had previously prevented him from divining the "werewolf" extraordinary trait during a reading in the Gray Mist—because that very trait might have involved the "God of Binding," a figure suspected to be an embodiment of the "Tree of Desire." Either it's truly nothing—just my overthinking—or the danger is already very close, which is why the "Mother Tree of Desire" has intervened... Better to be cautious. Make preparations. Even if it turns out to be just a minor scare, it's far better than being caught by the Rosé School and taken by the "Mother Tree" to be used for some unknown purpose! Kline immediately returned to the real world, pulled out paper and pen, and quickly composed a letter, addressing it right at the beginning as "Dear Mr. Azkard." Finally, he added, "Does Mr. Hillary-ong's reminder imply that I might face a deadly threat from the Rose School in the near future?" After folding the paper and blowing a copper horn to summon the messenger, Klein still felt it wasn't safe enough, so he quickly pulled out his adventurer's harmonica and blew a note. Suddenly, Renette Tiniocer appeared before him, her golden hair and bright red eyes turning in unison: "No..." "The letter..." "This time, there's something I'd like to discuss with you," Klein smiled warmly, offering the gold coin he had received from Anderson. "This is the summoning fee." One of the four heads holding the coin bit into it firmly, while the two that had remained silent asked in turn: "What...?" "What matter...?" "I may indeed face certain dangers in the near future, and I'd like to invite you to assist me—would that be possible?" Klein made every effort to convey sincerity in his gaze. The four heads of Reniet Tynicol turned their eight eyes simultaneously: "We can..." "Pay..." "In gold..." "One thousand..." "...one thousand gold coins!" That equaled one thousand pounds! Kline opened his mouth, struggling to smile. "I don't have that much money right now." The four heads spoke in turn: "You..." "Can..." "Make payments..." "In installments..." "In installments." Kline was momentarily taken aback by the messenger's modern flair, pausing for two seconds before responding, "Alright." The four heads remained silent, then nodded together, vanishing from Kline's sight and returning to the spiritual realm.