Ready… well, of course not. Caine smiled, pointing to the secret figure Enzo. "That glove still needs to be sealed." As he spoke, Enzo—whose skin had turned red and flaked—used his left hand, adorned with the rings of "Blood" and "Lühua," to remove the human skin glove covering his right palm. This was the "craving that moves." Normally, Caine would leave the "craving that moves" floating in the gray mist when not in use, since after its transformation, the original seal had failed and it now consumed one living person every day, or else it would feed directly on the wearer. However, considering Mr. Azk's letter and the likelihood of his upcoming visit, he had decided to keep the "craving that moves" in the real world unless under exceptional circumstances. After all, he had already envisioned the scene of Mr. Azk's arrival and didn't want to face this exchange: "Didn't you say the previous glove needed to be resealed?" "Yes, please wait—I'll be right back to the restroom." "Or, are you ready?" "No, please wait—I need to go to the restroom." Scenes and lines like this only make Caine feel awkward and strange, even without considering the possibility that Mr. Azeck might discover the secret of the gray mist—such moments would inevitably shift Caine's image in Mr. Azeck's mind in an unpredictable direction. Thus, after acquiring a new secret companion and completing his attempt at "seeing himself," Caine brought the "creeping hunger" back into the real world, making up for the meal he had missed earlier. This time, the wearer was changed from himself to the secret companion Enzo. In addition, to counteract the companion's daily impulse to consume people, Caine carried several ordinary mushrooms with him and kept the secret companion within a distance of less than five meters from himself. Upon hearing his words and observing the companion's movements, Mr. Azeck nodded and reached out to take the human skin glove. And while that, Klein reached into his coat pocket and tossed several mushrooms toward the trash can nearby. Pop! He gave a sharp finger snap, and the mushrooms ignited, rising in bright red flames—without affecting anything else in the surrounding area. This was the magician’s ability to command flames. Having finished these actions, seeing Mr. Azk’s gaze inevitably turning toward him, Klein cleared his throat and smiled dryly: "The earlier incident made the 'craving hunger' a bit afraid of mushrooms. I exploited this weakness to temper its usual impulses." In truth, this had little practical value, because carrying mushrooms to suppress the 'craving hunger' would cause the seal—already enduring hunger—to retaliate immediately once the mushrooms vanished. Unless there was another easily accessible 'food' source nearby, it would merely become an ally to the enemy. "Mushrooms..." Azk held the gloves, whose surface had begun to stain with blood, murmuring softly as the surrounding atmosphere suddenly deepened, even the sunlight outside being barred from entering. One by one, pale, sickly-green, intricate symbols and insignias materialized in mid-air, as though inscribed by intangible spirits, shadows, or ethereal beings. Interweaving and combining, they formed a mysterious, translucent double bronze door, seemingly linking to another world—deep, silent, and terrifying. This ethereal door gradually shrank, eventually settling upon "The Crawling Hunger," causing its blood-stained surface to fade swiftly, leaving paleness as its dominant hue. A few seconds later, the human skin gloves resumed their normal, thin appearance, yet even without the mushrooms' influence, they showed no signs of restlessness or agitation. "Just as before," Azk passed "The Crawling Hunger" to Caine. There's something truly comforting about having a powerful figure backing you up! Klein was moved and sincerely thanked, placing the "creeping hunger" upon his left palm. He then added thoughtfully: "Mr. Azk, during my journey across the Storm Sea, carrying the bronze whistle you gave me, I've repeatedly experienced the same dream. In the dream, I see a dark, cold mausoleum inverted and extending deep into the earth, filled with countless coffins. Inside each coffin, the deceased lie curled, their backs covered in dense clusters of white feathers. These feathers are lightly stained with yellowish oil. Deep within the mausoleum, a thick black mist envelops everything. In the dream, I and you are exploring this mausoleum, when suddenly something is disturbed—causing the black mist to exhale, stretching out slender, ethereal black tubes. Each time I reach this scene in my dream, I wake up startled. This experience bears a resemblance to the byproducts accompanying the artificial death god project of the Lingsheng Sect." Klein incorporated the content he had divined through the copper whistle into his dreams and delivered it in a detailed account to remind Mr. Azk, urging him not to be careless—after all, in a certain sense, "dream divination" is also just a dream, and Mr. Azk knew he was a remarkable one of the "diviner" path, so such experiences were not unusual. ——The only difference between insights gained through ordinary dreaming and those from "dream divination" lies in passivity versus active engagement. Mr. Azk listened quietly without interrupting Klein's narration, and finally nodded. "This likely has something to do with the remnants left by the Death God in the Stormy Sea. The artificial Death God initiative by the Order of the Spirit seems to have made tangible progress." Mr. Azk, indeed, is no ordinary man—being the Fourth Age's "High Officer of Death," he did not treat my dreams lightly... Klein raised his right hand, rubbed his face, and transformed into the likeness of Germain Spaulo. He then said, "Only one thing remains to be confirmed: that General of Hell, Ludewell, is not in danger, and that there are no half-deities from the Spiritual Order nearby." As for whether the merman cuff pin is still on the other ship, Kline did not raise the point, since he would periodically check on it himself. He believed Ludewell either had not yet discovered the magical item, or had discovered it but had deliberately chosen not to act—waiting instead for the wildly adventurous Germain Spargo to make a spontaneous visit and step into the trap. Azk said, "We can confirm this upon approaching the area." "Good," Kline immediately sent the secret figure Enzo to the hat rack, where he retrieved the golden-handled staff. Seeing that there was no further business, Azk extended his right hand and grasped Kline's shoulder. Kline, in turn, extended his right hand and grasped Enzo's shoulder. The colors of the surroundings once again shifted dramatically—red became richer, black deeper, blue more vivid—layering upon one another yet remaining distinct and separate. The two, now paired as a duo, began to traverse the spiritual realm, while the black-handled, gilded staff danced ahead, indicating precisely where and in which direction the fishman's sleeve pin that Klein had lost was located. Not long after, the staff came to a halt, hovering mid-air, and Azk halted his journey as well, though he remained within the spiritual realm. He seemed to be gazing into the distance, as if listening intently, and after a few seconds, said: "There's nothing amiss." Then, he led Klein, Klein leading his secret companion, "out" of the spiritual realm. Meanwhile, Klein recalled their earlier journey together, when they had sought clues to recover his memories—this time, their objective had been the ancient texts held by the sickly Tracie. At that moment, Azk also said, "No problem." Yet, there was "the Immortal Fairy" Katrinala on the other side... Well, you say it's not a problem—then it must be not a problem. While making these comments, Caine took in his surroundings. This was still a familiar setting: a massive ship dark and tinged with a deep green, its main sail a pale white painted with black iris, and the undead—wraiths, skeletons, ghosts, and spectral figures—maneuvering sails, patrolling, or practicing cannon fire—proving that this was the flagship of "The Lord of Hell," the *Black Iris*. What was different now was that the *Black Iris* now had several living extraordinary beings. Standing at the entrance of the cabin, gazing this way, was Captain Ludewell, "The Lord of Hell"—a slender man with a fine, sharp sword at his side, wearing a plain shirt, a sumptuous outer coat, and a white skull-triangle hat, his face veiled in a silver-white mask. Suddenly, the square, dark ring on Lutherville's right hand trembled slightly, with a flash of light. The pale flame in the proud pirate general's eyes wavered noticeably, eventually shrinking to a mere point. Then, Lutherville bent low, bowing before the crew—some stunned, others amazed, others indifferent—and faced Azk Egos, kneeling on the deck, kissing it. PS: I've been out traveling all day today, so the text is a bit brief. I'll update and revise later.