On a Saturday morning,克莱恩, dressed in pajamas, rubbed his head and turned over to get up. He had not slept well all night, as various female figures kept appearing and confusing him in his dreams, startling him awake and requiring several minutes to calm down before he could fall back asleep. Fortunately, his vulnerability lasted only six hours, and he could remain indoors without having to face the housemaids during the night.克莱恩 sighed and pulled the cord by the bed, and immediately Richard, standing outside, entered with the clothes his employer needed for the day. I don't know what Araldus had said, but Richard now seemed increasingly hesitant when facing me—perhaps he had been pointed out as someone who preferred a certain type of woman, which clashed with social expectations. When克莱恩 returned, he only caught the "mirror's" seemingly descriptive yet precisely poignant remarks about the butler Walter, and remained unaware of what had transpired earlier. He never resorted to "dream divination" to obtain the relevant information afterward, as he felt it unnecessary—given Richardson's nature, he never had the courage to act on his feelings, and thus never caused any additional disruption. After changing his clothes, Crain descended to the second floor and headed toward the dining room. Walter, as usual, stood at the door in his white gloves, waiting. Upon seeing Daven Tout coming, he stepped forward and bowed politely: "Good morning, sir. You have two private tutoring lessons today, and you're attending a dinner party at Mr. Portland Montague's home in the evening." Mr. Portland Montague lived at No. 100 Berkland Street. He was a full professor in the Department of Engineering at Beckland University, a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences of the Roon Kingdom, and had received the "Light of Mechanics" award for his discoveries of several alloy materials—placing him among the foremost scientists in the field, second only to Thulani von Hermosin. Moreover, his several alloy materials found widespread application in shipbuilding and steam engine development, and the patent royalties alone made him a millionaire worth几十 thousand pounds. Upon hearing Walter's words, Caine casually glanced at him and noticed that the butler's eyes were slightly darkened, with prominent under-eye circles—quite different from his usual appearance, as though he had not slept well all night. If not for the "Faceless Man" ability, Dowen Tan-Tzis would likely look just like this... Caine sympathized, said nothing further, gently nodded in response to Walter's greeting, and then entered the dining room. To be honest, he actually held the butler in high regard—facing a sorceress regularly, yet still finding himself unable to suppress fantasies, dreaming of intimate, passionate scenes at night, without being driven to seek closeness or seek pleasure. To be clear, a witch—especially one currently experiencing or having already gone through the "joy" phase—exerts a charm on male beings that far surpasses mere extraordinary effects. The very manner in which she moves and acts tends to gradually draw nearby men into a state of irresistible fascination and infatuation, much like progressing from the effects of cannabis consumption to a more refined stage, until they can no longer escape the witch's "joy." Only men naturally inclined toward same-sex attraction may effectively resist this. Of course, Caine suspects even such men might not be fully immune, as both psychological and hormonal factors are affected, leading to changes that would otherwise be unheard of. Moreover, a significant number of witches are originally men, which naturally diminishes the resistance. For this very reason, even though Caine himself is an extraordinary being at Sequence 5, he must remain constantly alert and tense when facing witches like Trist and Tracie, fearing that he might be enchanted at any moment. He's like this—let alone Walter, an ordinary man. This isn't something that can be simply willed into change! Although Trish has clearly toned down her charm following Prince Edsack's death or her own promotion, Walter is still just an ordinary person—well, even if he weren't, he'd be at most a Sequence 9 or Sequence 8. The fact that he can maintain his current state under these circumstances speaks volumes about his self-control, his loyalty to Prince Edsack, and his deep affection for his wife and daughter. Klein admired all this, then sat down. Today's breakfast was his favorite—Dix pie—the rich, oily texture prompting a steady flow of saliva. Aljer Wilson stood at the bow of the ship, gazing out at the distant waves, his outward composure steady and calm, while within him a surge of uncontainable excitement stirred. Ahead lay the "Chasm Vortex"—the region directly north of Sunya Island—named for its frequent, unannounced perilous whirlpools, a hazardous zone that no vessel dared enter. After completing his duties on Pasu Island, Aljer had steered the "Blue Avenger" steadily northward, circumnavigating Sunya Island and heading straight for this area. Along the way, they made only one port call for supplies, never wasting a single moment. As for the possibility of being questioned about their journey north, Aljer need not worry, for the Storm Church actively encouraged its captains to venture into the northern reaches of Sunya Sea and the Mists Sea, in order to gather intelligence from the Fasak Empire, the Intis Kingdom, the Eternal Sun Church, and the War God Church. Turning back to look at the hold, Algier walked to the edge of the deck, took out a talisman made of white tin, held it in his palm, and whispered the incantation: "Storm!" At once, a vivid blue flame surged upward, engulfing the talisman. Suddenly, Algier felt an inexplicable connection forming between himself and the fish beneath the ocean. For a moment, a spiritual communication had been established between them! The white tin talisman, one of the supplies Algier had obtained on Pasu Island, allowed him to grow close to marine life and engage in rudimentary spiritual exchanges for a certain period of time. However, during this exchange, Algier failed to gather the information he sought. He could only wait until the "Revenge of the Deep" approached the "Deep Vortex" more closely before attempting again. Time passed slowly, and after nearly a hundred failed attempts, Algier finally learned from a spindle-shaped creature the most common location where the Obunis sea monster frequented. "If I hadn't known beforehand that the target was near the 'Chasm Vortex,' I would have given up long ago—tracking down such information through investigation would have been extremely difficult," Aljer concluded, running his fingers over his clothing pocket. He had nearly used up all his marine-life affinity talismans, only five left. He'd need to replenish his supply upon return, or risk being discovered. He'd heard the resistance forces on the Rosted Islands had quite a few. Aljer thought this over as he steered the 'Azure Avenger' toward the location just learned. Over the course of an hour, the ship came to a halt, and Aljer produced a sealed metal canister. This was his second purchase of 130 pounds' worth of vampire anesthetic gas from 'The Moon'—he had no doubts about its effectiveness, having used one canister before. Since the "Spirit of Azure" is a ghost ship, only a few crew members are needed to watch it each night—typically just one, responsible for keeping the vessel steady and preventing it from intentionally causing trouble or heading toward hazardous waters. As captain, Algier could seamlessly position himself on duty tonight without drawing attention. Having prepared thoroughly, he went to the door of the sailors' quarters, removed the metal tube, opened the sealed container, and released the potion room by room, even ensuring the storage warehouse was not overlooked, so that no crew members would wake up in the middle of the night to play cards. After completing these tasks, Algier, who did not immediately proceed to prepare the potion, gathered his materials, donned the underwater suit made of shark skin, and leapt down from the starboard side of the ship—making no ripple in the water. Under the dim, gloomy underwater light, Algier’s eyes gradually turned deep blue, allowing him to see clearly around him. He breathed comfortably in the water, descending steadily, until he reached the pitch-black depths of the ocean. Then, he once again employed the sea creature affinity incantation to communicate with the oddly shaped fish around him. Guided by the kind fish, Algier discerned his direction, gliding forward while asking questions, and eventually reached a site resembling a submerged volcano. The fish creatures themselves were unaware that the Obunis sea monster resided there—they only knew that several of their kin and some deep-sea apex predators had vanished in the vicinity. Drawing upon his own extraordinary abilities, Algier gazed far into the distance and saw a massive, dark cavern rising from the volcano, from which thick, serpentine tendrils emerged—each as thick as the pythons found in the primeval forests of the Southern Continent—gently swaying. The enormous suckers, the textured skin, and the cavern itself, which was several times larger than the "Ghost of Blue Vengeance," stirred in Algier a profound sense of awe, causing him to hesitate and refrain from approaching. At least one Obunis sea monster was equivalent to a strong Sequence 5—indeed, it possessed an extremely formidable body. Hmm, no doubt a prime target. Aljer approached it cautiously, stopping at a safe distance, and after careful observation, cast the underwater creature-approach incantation once more. Then, he sent his spirit through the water, spreading it into the cavern, attempting to communicate with the concentrated, coiled spirit. Gradually, that massive spirit unfolded, and a cascade of disordered thoughts surged forth. It paused, then instantly erupted—like a volcano! "Roar!" Within the cavern, a dramatic vortex formed, and the surrounding water, debris, and even Aljer himself were suddenly sucked inward. Hostile! Aljer narrowed his eyes, his body instantly becoming slick, propelled by an unseen wind, and he swiftly reversed direction, fleeing. He consecutively employed several extraordinary abilities, finally breaking free from the vortex's influence and no longer daring to linger near the underwater volcano. He swiftly ascended, pulling distance between himself and the area. After several seconds, Algier exhaled bubbles, took a deep breath, and said: "That Obunis could resist the influence of the sea creatures' proximity charm... Does it detest things that carry a dominant presence?"