As he moved through the living room, Klein felt a sudden spark of inspiration, sensing an invisible gaze sweeping over him from unseen sources. He feigned not noticing and entered the adjacent sitting room, surveying the surroundings before settling into a spot neither too close nor too far from the main seating area. At the very moment he passed through the doorway, all those glances vanished—disappeared entirely. If it weren't for the three layers of seals protecting the "ghostly spirits," he would likely have been noticed earlier... X先生 wasn't as bold or frantic as he seemed... Klein sat down, tugged at his hood, and let his face blend into the shadows. After about ten minutes, when the gathering members had mostly arrived, X先生, wearing his bronze mask, remained motionless at the door, then stepped silently inside and made his way toward the main seat. Dressed in a black classical robe and wearing a pointed wizard's hat, he moved with a composed grace that subtly caused everyone present to lower their heads without realizing it. Turning his body, settling slowly into a seated position, Mr. X surveyed the room and spoke in a low, steady tone, "Begin." Within four meters of each other... Caine didn't rush to act. He drew his gaze back, patiently observing the members of the gathering exchanging information about the extraordinary individuals for pounds, listening occasionally to Mr. X's intermittent responses. In his plan, the two primary challenges are clear. One of them involves X, a character with the occupation of an astrologer in the prelude sequence, and possibly the celestial saint who remains hidden in the background. When X begins to manipulate the "spiritual thread" corresponding to his own essence, he may experience an unsettling sense of danger, keenly perceiving any anomalies. Regarding X's spiritual intuition, Kline remains confident—when Miss Sharon first appeared as a "wandering spirit," she had not been able to detect Master Rosagho's manipulation of her own "spiritual thread" in advance. Yet, it is no surprise to Kline that a saint who is half-divine and half-human, or a high-ranking strongholder who has already attained divinity, possesses any exceptional qualities. It is equally unsurprising that his own inspiration is stirred by changes in others' "spiritual threads." Other "Master of Secret Figures" would likely be completely at a loss in this regard, but Caine was different—he had the identity of "The Fool" and the power of the mysterious space above the gray mist to draw upon. With the interference of the "Paper Man Angel," he could proactively eliminate potential threats in advance. The gathering proceeded smoothly without any anomalies, and in just a few seconds, Caine found himself only three seconds away from achieving initial control over Mr. X. Yet, this divine envoy of the Aurora Society remained completely unaware, deeply contemplating the successful conclusion of a transaction, lost in thought. At the crucial moment, Caine deliberately paused. He maintained his pace, then drew one hand from his long, hooded cloak and tucked it into the inner pocket. His fingers gently touched the iron cigarette box, sealed by a "Wall of Spirit." Caine then lightly moved his finger, softly tapping it, thus dissolving the "Wall of Spirit," allowing the box to gently swirl as a soft breeze within the pocket. He retracted his hand and waited several more seconds, until Mr. X's gaze shifted to the other side, before continuing to manipulate the "spirit thread." Two seconds, one second, zero seconds! Mr. X's thoughts suddenly stalled, as though poured with freshly mixed cement. There were enemies... danger... his thoughts turned slowly and soon settled upon a decision—he would alert his subordinates, summon aid from the one observing quietly in the shadows, and mount an effective resistance. At that moment, a coldness surged into his body, severing his control over his hands, feet, and mouth. "Señor of the Blood"—Senior! A spirit had taken possession of him! The "Master of Secret Figures" had several shortcomings in his manipulation of the "spirit thread," the most significant being that once the target entered a state of initial control, they immediately became aware of the phenomenon and gained the ability to respond in various ways. If it's a one-on-one situation with no one else around, Caine can naturally exploit the other person's increasingly pronounced "delay state" to effectively disrupt and interrupt their resistance. However, if the target has allies, the "Master of Secret Personas" finds it difficult to conceal their maneuvers—success requires either a favorable environment or assistance from fellow participants. In this regard, the "Spirit of Resentment," capable of embodying the target and forcibly directing their actions, is truly the ideal partner for the "Master of Secret Personas." That's precisely why Caine chose not to immediately enter the initial control phase—he deliberately released the "Spirit of Resentment" to create space. After passing the initial screening, the level of vigilance in the living room where the gathering takes place is likely to be relatively relaxed! Mr. X's eyes slightly widen, his thoughts gradually slowing down; the words he intended to call out are firmly locked in his throat, sealed tightly by his own mouth, and completely vanish without a trace. Yet the hands he had intended to lift moved slowly, reaching instead toward the porcelain tea cup beside him. This was entirely against his will—driven entirely by the cold, pervasive qi filling every corner of his body! The wailing spirit… the Master of Secret Doubles… no… like this, he would fade silently, unnoticed. X immediately controlled his spiritual essence, mentally sketching out intricate symbols and markings within his mind. He wished to open a "Traveler’s Gate"—a "Transit Gate"—around himself, allowing him to directly escape the influence of the Master of Secret Doubles. Compared to this, the threat posed by the spirit possessing him was far less dire. Yet within that sluggish, hesitant thought process, the ethereal symbols and markings appeared not fluidly, but one by one, with pauses and interruptions—lacking speed. Seizing this moment, under the guidance of the Master of Secret Doubles, Clain, the wailing spirit inhabiting X gently moved X’s head and adjusted his posture. This action immediately disrupted the subtle formation of the "Traveler's Gate"! Oh no... my... reaction... was too slow... I would be... interfered with by the restless spirits... using... using magical items... X's eyes slightly flushed, yet his attendants noticed nothing, nor did the one quietly observing from the side detect any anomaly. As for the gathering members engaged in conversation and trade, their tone softened and their volume lowered due to the change in X's posture. Though the living room was crowded with people, filled with extraordinary beings and his own allies, X felt an overwhelming sense of isolation and helplessness at that very moment. He didn't even know who had been targeting him or where they were seated! As one thought after another passed through him, X regained control of his spirit, guiding it to extend out from the golden ring on his left index finger, set with a ruby. Yet his process—from contemplation to decision, from decision to action—was far too prolonged, as though performing an elaborate slow-motion inner monologue. This gave Senyor, the "ghost of resentment," ample time. He lifted X's left hand, curled his fingers, and, as if thinking, gently tapped the side of X's forehead, where the bronze mask did not cover. Though the tapping was soft, the force behind it was substantial; under Klein's guidance, Senyor controlled it with precision, ensuring most of the impact penetrated X's head rather than radiating outward, thus masking the subtle movement. Tap! Tap! X's flowing, spiritual thoughts were suddenly disrupted, and for a brief moment, he lost his train of thought altogether. When he regained his composure, Senyor's manipulation had deepened—now causing X's thoughts to become disorganized and sluggish, making both thinking and decision-making increasingly difficult. Moreover, with the subtle, undetectable movements of the spectral spirit manifesting within his body causing constant interference, X, despite possessing numerous extraordinary abilities and a range of magical artifacts, inevitably slipped step by step toward the abyss of becoming a mere spectral figure. He watched helplessly as his own body moved in slow motion toward death, utterly powerless. Only then did he truly grasp the terrifying, insurmountable nature of the combination of "Master of Spectral Figures" and the "Spectral Spirit." The hunt unfolded silently and imperceptibly under the collective gaze of everyone present. As Clérence's control deepened, X's movements grew increasingly stiff and sluggish; yet, thanks to the spectral presence of Senior compensating for these flaws, observers remained completely unaware of any issues. In fact, X's actions no longer stemmed from the once-stiff, lifeless state of his own body, but rather from the spectral spirit Senior himself—so much so that even the expression of despair could no longer be conveyed. As various transactions unfolded—successful, unsuccessful, contentious, or merely discussed—five minutes passed swiftly, and Klein found himself only a final step away from killing Mr. X and turning him into his puppet. Yet he could not achieve this. For his "Master of Secret Doubles" elixir had not yet fully settled in his system, allowing him to control only one double at present. To transform Mr. X, he would have to sacrifice his "Spirit of Resentment," Senior. And once that sacrifice was made, the long-dead "General Above the Blood" would immediately manifest, drawing significant attention and causing considerable complications. Likewise, if Klein did not sacrifice the "Spirit of Resentment" double and instead chose to kill Mr. X directly when he had lost his resistance, he would need to account for the possibility of the Eclipsed Light Saints of the Polar Light Order remaining hidden and poised in the shadows. This, then, was the second major challenge within his plan. Gently and silently controlled X, stripping him of his ability to resist—given the combination of "Master of Secret Doubles" and "Fury of the Haunting," this was not difficult, nor was it hard to deliver the final blow. With X in this state, even with air bullets, Caine could easily finish him off. The real challenge lay in how to safely depart from here after performing such actions—something that demanded great patience. Time flowed steadily, though Caine's demeanor appeared calm on the surface, under steady pressure. He pretended not to notice or care about what had unfolded, remaining silent throughout. Finally, as the gathering drew to a close, X spoke softly and calmly, without any unusual tone—exactly as he had in the previous conclusion, as described by Hovis. One by one, the guests rose to leave, and Caine blended in seamlessly, going unnoticed. Meanwhile, he reached into his inner pocket, feeling his way to open "Lehmann's Travel Notes."