It seems the artisans have all been controlled by some cult or secret order—how then can they still be asking for help from the "Recluse"? They should simply reach out to the "World"! Who knows where the "Aether" is currently drifting at this very moment, how long it will take to arrive, while the "World" can instantly transport itself? Upon hearing the "Hanged Man's" prayer, Caine instinctively countered the request in his mind, believing it would delay matters and incur unnecessary losses. Yet he quickly composed himself, convinced that the "Hanged Man" was both cautious and experienced—so careful that he could not have made such a fundamental mistake. If the "Hanged Man" believed that seeking the "Recluse" was preferable to engaging the "World," there must surely be a sound reason for that. In other words, the Sir of the Pendulum judged the situation not yet urgent enough to require immediate action—he even wished to observe further, to gather more clues and refine the details. Moreover, since the Lady of the Hermit had proactively offered to assist, it suggested that she believed there was some overlap between her recent activities and the Sir of the Pendulum’s domain. Should anything truly go wrong, she could swiftly reach him—perhaps even with a kind of "teleportation" ability? Though that possibility seemed extremely low. Klein lightly tapped the edge of the weathered long table, feeling that he still ought to trust the Sir of the Pendulum’s experience. Of course, this also stemmed from the fact that the other party had not specified exactly what had been discovered or where the anomalies lay, leaving Klein unable to speculate or divinate the true nature of the matter. As his thoughts shifted, Klein projected the image of the Sir of the Pendulum’s prayer into the deep red star, symbolizing the Lady of the Hermit. He was waiting for a reply from the "Star Above the General," when suddenly he noticed the star representing the "Sun" beginning to contract and expand, and a layered cascade of prayers emanating from it. Has there been preliminary results from the exploration of the former Chief's mausoleum in Silver City? Cline speculatively extended his spiritual awareness outward. As he had anticipated, the smaller "Sun" provided a complete account of what the three senior elders of the "Six-Body Council" had witnessed upon opening the former Chief's mausoleum—specifically, encountering the spectral forms of their deceased relatives, crossing a surreal, pitch-black river teeming with countless strange creatures, facing the former Chief who had grown white feathers on his body in an incomplete mythic form, and the "Shepherd" Loviea, who had detached a shadow and attempted to strike at the ethereal tubes extending from the former Chief's body—only to be momentarily switched in fate by Colin Iliath using the "Steward of the Flow" sigil, thereby altering the outcome. The slender black tubes—feathered with pale, lightly oiled white plumes—this sounds familiar. Ah, yes! Isn't this precisely one of the key features I observed during my divination of the Azk copper whistle's anomaly? And the former Head had constructed the tomb because she wished to transition into the "Death" path, Sequence 3: "The Ferryman." While listening, Caine swiftly activated his mental faculties, weaving together all relevant associations, pondering what conclusions could be drawn. Soon, he formed a bold hypothesis: There is a clear connection between the anomaly of the former Head of Silver City and the spiritual order's artificial Death God initiative! Though this conclusion sounds incredible and hard to believe—since the Silver City lies in the "divine-abandoned" region, completely isolated from the outside world, accessible only through a connection between the "Kingdom of the Giants" and the "Divine War Ruins," and even the seven deities have been unable to reach it or penetrate its power—several striking similarities, combined with the observant Elder Loviara, the Shepherd, during this mission, have allowed Caine to rule out several alternative explanations, and he now seriously considers the possibility that these two seemingly unrelated events might actually point toward a common significance. From the vision he saw in divination and the experience of white downy hairs growing on his forearm when he first failed to summon the artificial Death God, he cross-verified each instance with the experiences of the three senior elders of the Silver City's "Six-Body Council." He began to suspect that the Lingsheng Sect's efforts might have achieved a stage of success: through a series of ritual offerings and transformations of their high-tier, powerful members, they were reversing the influence of the lingering Death Gods, gradually instilling a nascent sense of instinct into the more abstract, ethereal, and symbolic concept of "uniqueness"—a concept once merely a totem or an idea—now beginning to take on a tangible, living presence. As a result, this entity, still lacking wisdom and not yet fully an artificial Death God, began to assimilate with the entire ritual, actively reaching out and exerting influence upon extraordinary beings of lower sequence who had followed the same path. Once certain conditions are met, the entities hidden within the black mist extend ethereal black tubes that establish a connection with the target, drawing upon his power and transforming his body. This method may involve specific aspects of the Underworld or the realm of the Death Deities, enabling it to bypass the forces that isolate the "God-Abandoned Lands" and effectively engage with the beings within. Therefore, the shadow separated by the "Shepherd" Elder Loviya—originating from the "True Creator's" grace—was intended to follow the ethereal black tubes on the former Chief's body, reversing the contamination of the Deities' legacy? Perhaps the "Tree of Desire" originally assumed the role of replacing the "Bound God," claiming the corresponding authority... "Good news—the current leading mind of Silver City is remarkably alert. She anticipated the need to seek assistance from the hidden presence behind the small 'Sun,' and skillfully employed the 'Thief of Fate' sigil to undermine the 'True Maker's' plans... "Indeed, one of Silver City's two powerful seals seems particularly adept at purification, effectively neutralizing the shadow that threatens to poison the remnants of the Death God... "Hm, I, the 'Fool,' seem to be accumulating another entry in the 'True Maker's' ledger. Of course, Amun stands in the way—after all, that 'Clockwork Worm' was his contribution..." Through the account of the small 'Sun' and his own deductions, Caine began to grasp the underlying tensions within Silver City's current exploration mission. At the same time, he felt he had a初步 understanding of the mental state of the "shepherd" elder: For Loviça, the ethereal black tubes that connected her to the outside world were undoubtedly the key to the Silver City's escape from the "divine desert," so she was firmly convinced of her own actions, without any regrets—she only saw the Chief as the one who had undermined hope. It was not so terrible if someone did wrong, but truly dreadful when that person did so out of a sense of martyrdom, believing they were doing what was right... Klein couldn't help but silently remark this to himself. As for why the younger "Sun" knew so clearly about what had happened within the mausoleum, he could have deduced it just by thinking with his toes—he was certain it was the Chief, Colin Iliad, who had casually shared the information with him. At this point, the "Sun," Deryck, had just described how the three elders had recovered a remarkable seal object, one formed by the exceptional qualities of the former Chief fused with his own skull. "The former head came from the 'Giants' path, ranging from Sequence 9 'Warrior' down to Sequence 4 'Hunter,' while the 'Crossing Guide' potion he consumed corresponds to Sequence 3 of the 'Death' path. The unique combination of these two paths undoubtedly produces a more extraordinary and dynamic trait than either path alone. Added to the influence of the artificial Death, the final seal must be exceptionally strong—though I'd wager the negative effects are equally potent. 'Hmm,' he thought, recalling the ethereal, dark rivers and various strange creatures described earlier—these likely correspond to the Underworld, a scene reminiscent of what he witnessed in the Stormy Sea, and similar to the effects produced by Miss Sharon's magical artifact. As he casually mused, he heard the small 'Sun' conclude their discussion on exploration and shift to mention a creature known as the 'Transformer.' When 'Sun' Deryck finished speaking, even克莱恩 himself began to believe that the Transformers might very well be the very essence of strange and unsettling supernatural beings." He hurriedly pulled out a gold coin from among the clutter, quickly performed a divination, and confirmed his judgment. "With the current strength of the young 'Sun,' it's definitely impossible to make the journey to that city-state ruin for the hunt. They'll have to wait a bit longer—either until the Chief makes another plea to the 'Fool,' or until the young 'Sun' seeks assistance. After all, it's not an urgent matter; I haven't even located the Spirit Realm raiders yet." Klein nodded slightly, almost imperceptibly. "Star Above" Gathelya thanked the "Fool" gentleman, pushed her glasses up her nose, opened the windows of the captain's cabin, and called out to everyone: "Turn course—head for Bayam." After issuing the order, the pirate general smiled slightly, pleased to finally establish a long-term connection with a true "craftsman." Yet at that very moment, an unexpected question arose in her mind: If obtaining the "craftsman's" assistance was so straightforward, wouldn't Frank Lee—long deprived of the Sequence 5 potion recipes—now attempt to turn that exceptional "Druid" trait into an item, thereby accelerating some stalled experiments? That wasn't good at all... Gathelya unconsciously raised a hand, gently pressing her forehead. Due to the unusual changes in the turbulent sea weather earlier, the passenger ship he was on had chosen a longer, more winding, yet safer route, and docked that evening at a port named "Halman." Klein did not disembark; instead, he reserved a window seat in the upper dining room and began his dinner. While waiting for his meal, he casually glanced out the window, enjoying the local night view. Suddenly, he noticed a suspicious figure carrying luggage, preparing to board the ship. He found the figure suspicious because the man wore a black coat, a high-crowned hat that concealed his physical features, and a scarf wrapped tightly around his face, leaving only his eyes visible. Those eyes, however, were fixed on the ground, making it impossible to discern his exact appearance.