On a Monday evening, at 160 Berkland Street. Kline arranged the ritual, then summoned himself, preparing to investigate the secrets hidden within the underground. As he responded to the gray mist, he hesitated—whether to carry the "Black Emperor" or the "Despot" card—much like choosing what to wear before leaving home. Given that Berkland was a region where the Church of the Storm held strong influence, and fearing the arrival of a high-sequence, irritable elder, Kline ultimately decided to carry the "Black Emperor" card, wearing a crown, black armor, and a cloak. In addition to this "Card of Desecration," he also carried the "Crawling Hunger," the "Azk Copper Horn," the "Senior Gold Coin," and the "Theft Path" magical item—the "Broken Finger"—provided by Gardeleia three hours earlier, along with ordinary explosives. Of course, Kline did not bring the entire crate of explosives; for a spirit, it was simply too heavy. He only took five, delivering them to the "Soul of Enmity," Senyor, for containment. As for the left-hand revolver, he left it in the room—to temper his impulse to engage in combat. His objective was clear: once a problem arose, he would immediately withdraw, avoiding prolonged stays to minimize risk. The sharper the tool, the more confident one became, the more inclined to delve deeper and solve issues independently. This is Beckland—best not to create too much disturbance here. As for what lies hidden in the underground passages, I cannot foresee it, only sense that danger looms. Klein glanced at the wall clock in the room, confirming that there were still at least one and a half hours until Hayouer’s usual activity time. His figure then vanished suddenly, passing through the glass of the balcony and soaring onto the street, entering the underground passages. In the damp, cluttered environment, Klein produced a Ruin coin and summoned Senior, the spectral figure dressed in a dark red coat and an old triangular hat, to appear before him. Then, he handed his secret companion a pair of forceps crafted from two polished finger bones. During this brief period of carrying him along, he nearly couldn't resist the impulse to steal the manhole cover. Senyor held onto the "broken finger," walking ahead, while the "Black Emperor" appearance of Caine faded into the background, trailing behind and distancing himself from the secret figure by at least fifty meters. This separation completely shielded him from the "thief's" influence, and since Senyor himself was fundamentally a deceased being, he had no intention of stealing anything either. He had absolutely no intentions at all! Turning into the appropriate side passage and passing through the concealed secret door, the "spirit of resentment" Senyor appeared within the cave that was half-natural and half-artificial. Unlike his previous visit, the positions of the oil-bag-wrapped iron spades and other tools had shifted, and the hidden passage sloping diagonally downward on the right had deepened. This clearly indicated where Hai Rour's current focus lay. Immediately afterward, Caine, who had not taken the side path, leaned against the wall of the sewer, facing away from the target area, and guided his spectral figure step by step into the hidden passage on the right. Soon, "the Specter" Senior reached the end. At that moment, Caine suddenly noticed a subtle, inexplicable tremor in the gray-white forceps held by the spectral figure, as though drawn by an unknown entity located not far away. That entity was deep and serene, like a calm sea, its precise state difficult to discern. It possessed the qualities of life, more akin to a spirit—this was all Caine could determine. He immediately instructed Senior to use the "mirror leap" to return to the semi-natural, semi-artificial cavern, back to the iron shovel that had not yet been corroded, and ceased any attempt to penetrate the passage and delve deeper into the underground. Then, Senior, now dressed in a dark red coat, reappeared and arranged the five ordinary explosive charges he carried within his body at different locations. Every "ghostly wail" is a demolition expert! After completing all this, Senyor materialized on the surface of the coin held by Cline. As Cline inserted the coin into his body, he raised his right hand, ready to snap his fingers and instantly detonate the five charges! His plan was simple: a well-timed explosion would destroy Hayour's efforts and traces, draw the Watchers in, and resolve the issue completely. That way, no matter what lay hidden deep within the concealed passage, he would be safe! In Bekland, knowing how to skillfully "alert" rather than charging in recklessly proved far more effective and secure—especially since Cline couldn't yet confirm whether this matter involved a half-god! I really am a good citizen, he thought, chuckling to himself, and was about to snap his fingers to ignite the charges. Suddenly, however, he shook his head slightly from side to side, then lowered his arm, as if nothing had happened at all. Klein, being cautious, immediately ended the summoning and returned to the realm of gray mist, then reentered the real world and resumed his physical form. As he was busy transporting items such as the "creeping hunger" and the "Senior Gold Coins" from that mysterious space above the mist, a subtle furrow formed between his brows. After carefully reviewing the entire course of his exploration tonight, Klein was startled to realize that he had seemingly lost a brief segment of memory. He couldn't recall whether he had detonated the five ordinary explosives! Turning his head to sense the surroundings and confirming that the entire street was quiet, Klein began to believe he hadn't performed that finger snap. "Is this the extraordinary ability of a 'Dream Thief'?" It was considerably stronger than Moberg's... If not for the gray mist acting as a buffer, and if not for my habit of reflecting on events afterward, I might never have even noticed that the very idea of triggering the explosives had been stolen... The other side may have tapped their fingers, but lacked the ability to control the flames in coordination, so no issues arose. "Klein thought seriously, preparing to try again. Likewise, to avoid detection by the reverse tracing, he continued using the ritual of summoning himself and responding to himself. Carrying the "Black Emperor" card, Klein exited the 160th street on the opposite side of Berkland Street, deliberately taking a detour through two additional streets before reaching the sewer entrance. This time, he did not approach the side street, but instead, at a point not far from the entrance, leveraging the extended range of his flame manipulation, sensed the explosives and raised his right hand. He raised it, then lowered it, swiftly concluding the summoning ritual and returning to the gray mist, to avoid being attacked by some unknown entity. He didn't feel particularly eager to return to the real world; instead, he settled into the chair of "The Fool" and reviewed what had just transpired. Did I forget to detonate the explosives again?... If I hadn't forced myself to recall, I wouldn't even have thought of that question. Truly impressive—the one who guided Hayur to dig through the underground passages must be a half-god. Why didn't he simply "inhabit" Hayur directly? Perhaps he was sealed somewhere within the underground, only able to project a limited amount of power, thus using dreams to summon Hayur's assistance? Was it he who caused the unusual response in Hayur's severed finger, due to the extraordinary properties of the aggregation law? Now, he seems unable to control these manifestations. Klein thoughtfully tapped the weathered edge of the long table. With these thoughts now forming, he realized his originally planned course of action might no longer be feasible. Once he entered the range where he could manipulate fire to trigger explosives, his corresponding thoughts would inevitably be stolen away—even if he could recall them later, he couldn’t forcibly compensate. Considering that Hayouer’s dreams were already affected at home, Celine suspected the reach of that ability might extend beyond the basement entrance. If he discovered that the "Robin Hood" Black Emperor was connected to D’Aubigny Tholos, then even while sleeping in his bedroom, he would lose those very thoughts and memories. Yet, he couldn’t penetrate the gray mist to lock me down—ah, did he truly think it would be that easy to prevent me from "reporting" the matter? Celine thought carefully, then cautiously summoned a paper figure, exerting a slight force to shift the mysterious space above the gray mist, leveraging the still-intact ritual to manifest an angel and create deliberate interference. After completing this, he carried the "Black Emperor" card and used the "Gate of Summoning" to enter his own bedroom. Klein's current plan is to head down another street, find a random household, borrow some paper and a pen, write out the details—such as "At the end of the side passage sixth to the left from the sixth intersection on Berkland Street, there lies a hidden tunnel, possibly used by the 'Thefters' as a route to the half-gods"—and then, presenting himself as the "Black Emperor," affix the note prominently at the entrance of Saint Samuel's Church to widely disseminate the message! Of course, he will politely knock on the door, ensuring the church's bishops notice, so that ordinary parishioners don't see it first. Sometimes, the most basic methods prove most effective! As Klein prepares to leave the 160th street on Berkland Street from the other side, he suddenly feels the ground tremble, followed by a deep, resonant rumble emanating from within. Has it exploded? Has the explosive charge detonated? Who triggered it? Klein stands motionless, stunned. It definitely wasn't him—because the delay was impossible, and previously, no one else had been present in the sewer. Even if someone had been there, they would surely have lost the idea of detonating "Unless a half-god happens to show up, which would be quite lucky—how likely is that? There's another possibility: perhaps the half-god who passed through the 'thief' himself orchestrated this. He had been steadily stealing my ideas, hindering my control over the flames, all in order to buy time and create space for a smooth transition. Now, finally completing his plan, he triggered the explosives to erase the evidence. This makes logical sense, because he must have realized that a powerful force with no traceable origin—once truly determined to 'report'—cannot be stopped. The most effective strategy would be to shed his own identity, much like a gecko shedding its tail to survive. Yet, if he can successfully relocate, why guide Hairel to dig through the hidden passages? Such a move would surely be costly and damaging to him." Klein considered several possibilities, though he couldn't verify them. He was certain, however, that the underground explosion had already drawn attention. So, he promptly left behind items such as 'the creeping hunger,' concluded the summoning, and returned to the gray mist above. Returning to the real world, he halted the ritual, tidied up the altar, erased the corresponding traces, and lay down on the bed. ........... 39 Berkland Street, the home of Senator Mahert. Undisturbed by sleep, Helyor was startled by the tremors beneath and the deep, resonant rumbling. She went to the balcony, opened the curtains, and gazed down toward the sewer entrance, but saw no obvious anomalies. After observing for a while, she grew uncertain and decided to cancel her evening plans, settling instead to rest. At that moment, she suddenly heard a series of soft squeaks, quickly turning to look at the corner of the balcony. There, a gray mouse, its fur soaked with water, had appeared without her noticing.