Most of the houses in Gularin are built along the winding roads, with broader, more open areas serving as squares or marketplaces. Kline carried his luggage and, guided by the intuitive sense of a seer, chose a direction at random and began walking, searching for the more lively taverns along the way. There weren't many carriages on the road, and it was only after a while that he spotted a few rental ones. The most popular mode of transportation in Dong Bailang is the "coffin," a tradition rooted in the veneration of the god of death. People believe that coffins bring peace and tranquility, so Kline often sees groups of people carrying black coffins passing by—lighter than usual, with lids that appear almost like easily openable doors. Carried by two, four, eight, or pulled by horses or single-horned goats... such customs were a bit eerie in the evening, yes, and even during the day, the whole city seemed solemn and shadowed. While appreciating the roadside scenery, Caine stepped into a square. On the left stood the church of "The Lord of Storms," and on the right, restaurants and taverns. As he paused, a four-person bear carried coffin was just lowered at the roadside. When the lid was lifted, the passenger inside stood up and stepped out—dressed in a white shirt and black coat, a gentleman of the northern continent. His formal attire remained draped over his arm until he stepped out of the coffin, when it was then fully worn. Then, Caine watched this man walk directly toward the church of "The Lord of Storms" and enter. It was truly a strange incongruity... Didn't the Storm Church always favor changing local customs and pushing the Roon model? Why then, in Eastern Bayland, were they not doing so? Since the Path of the Death God and the Path of Night are of similar kinds, the Storm Church hopes to preserve certain folk traditions from the Death God's domain in order to counter the Night Church's expansion? Kline nodded thoughtfully, then turned toward the row of buildings on the right, preparing to enter one of the taverns. Only now, with this firsthand experience, did he begin to understand why historical texts described the ancient clothing styles of the Baylan Empire the way they did. A love for pants, a preference for light, flowing fabrics—beautiful with pleats—doesn't that simply make sense for someone who wants to go out and lie in a coffin? Kline smiled, shook his head, and pushed open the heavy wooden door of the tavern, weaving through a crowd of drunk patrons toward the bar area. At that moment, the two military "trackers," fearing exposure, had stepped away from D'Orn Thantès and had just reached the door. Seizing this brief opening, Kline suddenly turned, gliding through the crowd like a fish, and rushed toward the back entrance of the tavern. — Though he didn't know the Duttan language, he could read the signs drawn out and understood where the restrooms were and where customers were expected to stay. After rounding the area behind the main entrance that was out of sight, Klein shook his shoulders and quickly shed his coat, folding it over his arm. Then he grasped his gold-embossed cane, raised his palm to cover his face, slowed his pace, and turned once more toward the bar entrance. When he had moved nearly ten meters from where he had removed his coat, he let go of his right hand pressed against his face, and his entire appearance had completely transformed. The silvering at his temples, his deep-set eyes, and his refined demeanor vanished, replaced by the familiar features of a Roon, common throughout the northern continent. Carrying his luggage and holding his cane, Klein walked steadily toward the two military "trackers," glancing left and right as he searched for Doun Tanatses, passing by them and leaving the bar. Whether tracking or being tracked—this was the "Faceless Man's" forte! Back at the square, Caine turned into a narrow alley sloping upward, intending to look for a hotel elsewhere. As he walked along a quiet, sparsely populated road, he suddenly heard a woman's frightened cry. The sound lasted only a brief moment before cutting off abruptly. Though he didn't understand what she was saying, Caine could feel the intensity of her fear, panic, and distress. He stepped aside, entering a narrower path with fewer pedestrians. Within ten seconds, he spotted a local man in his thirties—slightly brown-skinned with gentle features—pressing down on a young girl, no more than thirteen or fourteen years old, and violently assaulting her. Caine glanced at them, slowed his pace, and stopped beneath the shade nearby. By then, the girl's face had twisted with extreme terror, yet no matter how hard she struggled, she could not free herself, and only ended up being struck harder. She was weeping and sniffling, her mouth stuffed with clothing and rags, able to utter only a series of soft, wailing sounds. At that moment, she was startled to notice that the strange creature's attempt to remove her clothes had slowed down. "..." With no time to ponder what was happening, she instinctively turned her gaze toward the offender, only to see the creature's eyes widen, its facial muscles slowly contracting, unable to form a coherent expression. Then, as if caught in a series of spasms, it continued the motion it had begun, yet each time it was easily deflected. The little girl instinctively pushed the creature aside, and to her surprise, the effect was immediate—she felt instantly lighter and quickly rose to her feet, eager to escape. But her legs refused to hold her steady, and after taking only a few steps, she tripped over a stone, nearly falling to the ground. At that moment, she heard footsteps approaching behind her, which only deepened her anxiety and made her hands and feet even more restless. Then, the footsteps ceased. The little girl instinctively turned around and saw the man—once a villain—standing stiffly two meters away, his joints stiff as if rusted, performing all sorts of odd movements. "What's happening..." she felt as though she were dreaming. The brown-skinned local man struggled for a while, then finally settled down, smiling, and in the Ditan language said, "Whenever you meet someone like me again, remember to head for the nearest church—or a place with many people." The little girl blinked, suddenly giving out a loud scream, and turned to run off. By instinct, she chose the direction of the church on the square. When peace returned to this quiet corner, the brown-skinned local man turned his head toward the shaded areas nearby and watched as Caine stepped out from there. "A new secret figure," he remarked. "Not very strong, not very agile, lacking any special abilities, and rather unattractive—only fluent in Ditan. Truly, nothing remarkable about him." "Klein quickly assessed him in his mind," he thought, "If he weren't doing evil things, and if I weren't struggling with the local language, I'd simply bury him right there." He couldn't help but compare him to the previous secret figure, Senior, the "Spirit of Blood": "Senior is a 'spirit of resentment'—he can perform 'mirror jumps,' hide in the gleam of gold coins, and remain unseen. He has the haunting cry of spirits and the ability to take over a body, making him a perfect match for a master of secret figures. Most importantly, he speaks the Dau language too. "Now, this secret figure, compared to him, is like one penny to forty-two thousand pounds in gold. "I don't even know his name. He only applies his abilities, senses surface thoughts, but can't access deeper memories—unless encountering someone or something familiar, when the spirit undergoes a subtle transformation and reveals more information. Let's call him Afu—no, Ove." Klein rubbed his temple, sighed, and, before the little girl drew the clergy, took leave of the area with his new companion, Off. Not long after, he found a hotel in the bustling yet underdeveloped district of Gularin, using the secret companion as a translator—surprisingly, he didn’t need to present any identification, even though he had already transformed his appearance into that of a typical local along the way. "The administrative management here is even more fragmented than that of the coastal colonies," Klein remarked as he settled his luggage and tossed most of his cash into the gray mist, keeping only fifty pounds for daily expenses. Meanwhile, having crossed the turbulent sea and thus no longer at risk of triggering disturbances, he retrieved his bronze whistle and iron cigarette box from the mysterious space above the mist, to help Mr. Azk locate him upon his arrival. With all these tasks completed, Klein, who had already enjoyed dinner aboard the steamer, now found himself free and decided to make good use of the time to seek out his second secret companion. As for how to find it, since he knew little about the city of Gullian, Caine decided to leverage his talent as a seer and use esoteric methods! With Oph, he stepped out of the inn, bent a branch from a Dunningsmann tree, and held it as a divination staff, then meditated and whispered softly: "Where is the new secret figure?" In the quiet atmosphere, a number of indifferent eyes seemed to transcend the veil between illusion and reality, all gazing intently at the staff. The branch then fell, pointing toward a specific direction. After walking a little way and performing a divination at each turn, Caine, following the revelations, eventually reached a steep staircase after several twists and turns. This staircase connected several levels of the city's roads, visible only when looked up to, and was currently empty. "The divination clearly indicates we're here—yet no one is present? Since the divination was performed not above the gray mist, the result must not be accurate." Yet, no matter how hard I try, I remain the Master of Secret Figures in Sequence 5, and my divination abilities are absolutely among the top tier below higher sequences...” Kline furrowed his brows, scanning the room, but found no one in sight. He thought for a moment, then walked toward the stairs, sitting in the shadow at the very bottom corner with a lack of confidence and growing boredom, simply waiting. After a few minutes, he stood up again and invited the Secret Figure, Ove, to take his former seat. Then, Kline stepped back, hiding himself in a concealed spot nearly two hundred meters away. "Although all the intelligence indicates that he is not a half-god, I've still requested a '1' seal item for precaution, and the Lady of the Goddess's Eye is ready to provide assistance at a moment's notice. Additionally, most of the residents in this district are locals, so we must be prepared for the possibility that they too may be members of the Spiritual Order."