Bekkan, Joewood district. Folshe, who had just been dozing off, suddenly awoke from her dream, seeing an endless expanse of gray-white mist and the "Moon" gentleman bowing low in prayer. Clear words came from him: "In the central part of Drelle Forest, southeast of Bekkan, there stands an abandoned castle. At least two ancient spirits of malice haunt it, and there are other souls beyond—there's a possibility that some extraordinary beings reside there as well. Coordinates are—" Finally, news from the official record-keeper! A message worth 300 pounds... Folshe was thrilled, immediately expressing her gratitude to the "Fool" and asking him to convey her thanks to the "Moon," promising to pay the fee shortly thereafter. After settling this matter, she turned over and rose, descending to the first floor, intending to pour herself a glass of wine, and at the same time, to reflect on when she might explore the abandoned castle and what preparations she would need to make. "The travel journal of Lymanno has recently been difficult to rent out... Hugh will have to bring it too. The abandoned castle is filled with spirits—quite dangerous. We need to consider the synergy of the magical elements. If there are deficiencies or if they aren't specifically tailored, then we'll need to pay the 'World' gentleman, the 'Hanged Man' gentleman, and the 'Sun' gentleman to document their respective extraordinary abilities." Though Forsyth has not had extensive hands-on experience, she has been active in several circles of the extraordinary beings for years, and later joined the Tarot Circle. Through repeated exposure and observation, she has naturally come to understand what preparations should be made before embarking on an adventure. As for the option of directly assigning the 'World' gentleman to handle the task, she has long since considered it unnecessary, believing that even with all her accumulated gains and savings, the compensation offered would still fall short. Of course, if her tentative explorations proved that the abandoned castle was indeed extremely hazardous—a place beyond the reach of an extraordinary being of her caliber—then she would be willing to shoulder the debt, for only by living could hope and the future be preserved. In theory, she should not have reached this point; "Leimann's Travel Notes" still held two divine-level extraordinary abilities left by the "World" gentleman, which she could use first and then work on supplementing later. The only issue was that these two divine-level abilities might not be well-suited to counter the spirits of resentment and the souls of the departed. Vorths sipped from her凛冬黑兰德, and various thoughts began to take shape. At that very moment, she heard the sound of a key being inserted into the lock, and instinctively turned her gaze toward the door. The door swung open suddenly, and Xiu entered, carrying two paper bags filled with a rich, fragrant aroma. "Dixie pies?" Vorths asked aloud first, then furrowed her brows in puzzlement, "You've had so many commissions recently—how come you're back so early?" "Don't throw away one of the Dixie pie bags just yet—I've been passing by, haven't had lunch, and was just planning to take a break." Before Fothering could ask any further, she volunteered, "I've earned enough merit! I'll be able to exchange for the 'Inquisitor' potion recipe soon!" Though her ongoing assignment to monitor Viscount Stafford, the Court's Master of the Guard, hadn't yet yielded tangible progress, such tasks were routine and allowed for merit accumulation—submitting a solid weekly report earned her a corresponding reward. With the completion of several other assignments at varying levels, Hest had now earned the right to claim the 'Inquisitor' potion recipe. "Finally..." Fothering genuinely thrilled for her friend, then lifted her wine glass. "Shall we raise a glass to celebrate?" At the same time, she thought of her own matters: this was truly wonderful—after becoming part of Sequence 7, Horst should undergo a noticeable transformation, and her chances of successfully exploring the castle would now be much stronger! Horst glanced at the clear liquid in her glass and shook her head repeatedly: "I don't like drinking it!" She furrowed her brows, adding, "And I actually dislike its taste." Before Folshe could speak, she suddenly remembered something and stood up, heading straight for the door: "I just noticed that the mailbox was overflowing with items—have you opened it today at all?" "Not yet," Folshe replied, pretending to be very busy and rushing to finish her draft. Horst, being highly proactive, paid no attention to her explanation and had already opened the door, beginning to sort through the mailbox. After a few seconds, she returned to the room with a pile of newspapers and several letters, reading the names of the recipients as she went: "All of them are addressed to you!" Two letters from the publishers—one an invitation for a surgical exchange, the other from Prince’s Port.” Prince’s Port… Fores thought of it, set down her glass, and caught the letter that Hugh had thrown to her. In front of her friends, she appeared composed as she opened all the letters, only to find one was indeed from her own teacher, Dorian Gray Abraham: “…Prince Caldrón is a particularly unique place deep within the spiritual realm. I cannot confirm its origins, only that it is extremely dangerous—there have been half-gods who entered and have never returned. When you provide the specific spiritual coordinates to a member of the gathering, you should remind him of this.” Was the “World” gentleman aiming at such a perilous spiritual city? Fores stared at the letter in her hands, her eyes slightly widening. ………… The “Red Glove” team, now arrived at the next East Baylant city, joined forces with the local night-watch and took over one of their offices. "Everyone take a break for the afternoon and start moving at dawn," Sostre pulled out his watch, checked the time. This mission aimed to strike a hidden outpost of the Spirit Order, uncover more documents on the artificial Death Gods initiative, and expose another group of enemies concealed within Beckland. As for the intelligence gathered from Ulyka, it had already been transmitted back to Beckland via telegraph—no further action was needed on their part, since Beckland wasn't solely served by their "Red Glove" unit; its local nightwatchers were numerous and formidable. While Leonard and Daili and the others began to head to various spots for rest, a nightwatcher of partial Eastern Béland descent entered with a piece of paper. "There's a new telegram from Beckland," he said. Sostre took the paper, unfolded it, and after a few seconds of reading, his expression grew serious. "Germán Sparo has reappeared. The divination confirms it—definitely himself." "Germán Sparo... Leonard wasn't surprised, as he had already learned from Daven Thaddeus that his former colleague, Klein Moretti, was still alive. He asked curiously, "What has Germán Sparo done now?" — Though they weren't particularly familiar with the "Faceless Man" or the "Master of Secrets," the very term "Secret Figure" immediately conveyed to them that the fate of Ludewil, the "Lord of Hell," might have been even more tragic than death. How powerful was he? Did he have to enter the Charnel Gate of Saint Samuel's Church for the sake of a half-divine ritual? Leonard gradually grew silent, no longer asking questions. At that moment, Sostre spoke up: "According to the crew members who escaped from the 'Black Iris,' there was no battle at all. Germán Sparo arrived on board with another man. As soon as Ludewil saw him, he abandoned resistance, knelt on the deck, and called himself 'The Death Magistrate.' Then, he allowed Germán Sparo to transform him into a Secret Figure." "The Death Magistrate..." Leonard instinctively turned his head, looking toward Daili Simonni. In his estimation, the Sequence 5 representative from the "Coroner's Path" should be well aware of what the "Officer of the Dead" signifies. Dailie gave a soft "hmm" and shook her head: "I only know that in the past, the Byran Empire was ruled by the bloodline of the God of Death, known as the 'Officer of the Dead.' " "Yet the head of the Royal House of the Spirit Monastery has never claimed the title of 'Officer of the Dead,' " remarked another "Red Glove," Cindy, with a note of curiosity. This information was more publicly accessible within the Watchers' ranks, and those at Sequence 7 or above, or members of the "Red Glove" circle, had access to it. As for the artificial God of Death faction, no one there ever claimed the title of 'Officer of the Dead.' "Who knows? Perhaps the Spirit Monastery has splintered and diversified further, giving rise to a new branch of 'Officer of the Dead.' " Dailie responded casually at first, then paused thoughtfully. "Germán Sparrow's background is mysterious, and his purpose in entering the Charnis Gate remains unknown The Order of the Spirits has always been the primary target of the Night Church's campaigns, and their rivalry is deeply entrenched. This remark immediately struck Leonard Mitchell, as he knew that Germán Sparrow was actually Klein Moretti, and that Klein had joined a secret organization symbolized by the Tarot cards, one that venerates the "Magician"—an organization with at most a cooperative relationship to the Order of the Spirits. "Several factions within the Spirits' Order currently lack a 'Death Magistrate'... 'Lord of Hell,' Ludewil, is nearly certainly a key arm of the Spirits' Order; defeating him would effectively mean defeating the Order itself." "Dawn Tantez once remarked that members of this secret organization come from diverse backgrounds with varied intentions... Klein's motivation is vengeance—might one of the others have the intention of systematically targeting the Spirits' Order, gradually integrating them, and thereby reviving or reconstituting the God of Death under their own leadership?" "Since there exists a fourth-age immortal creature named Doun Tangtse, it's quite reasonable that another ancient 'Death Magistrate' from the secret organization also exists—perhaps his corresponding Tarot card is the 'Death!' Thoughts flashing rapidly, Leonard felt he had grasped the truth. Then, he recalled several additional details: Doun Tangtse is an immortal survivor from the fourth age; he has deep knowledge of the Southern Continent; and he recently left Becland, now missing without a trace! Leonard was startled, seizing the opportunity when his teammates were discussing, lifted his teacup, covered his mouth, and whispered softly: 'Old man, could Doun Tangtse be the 'Death Magistrate'?' Palis Soloyasde, his voice slightly weathered yet warm with a smile, replied: 'No. The 'Death Magistrate' of the Baylang Empire is both a title of office and the name of the second rank in the 'Death' path sequence at that time.' "Sequence 2... There's also an angel of Sequence 2 within that secret organization... Leonard's eyes narrowed slightly and murmured again, "Why are you certain that Daven Tantris isn't the 'Death High Official'? Because he isn't an angel?" Palis burst into laughter at once, "No, the reason is simple—you've seen the actual portrait of the true 'Death High Official.' When your Night Watchers investigated the 'Welch suicide case,' you may even have had direct contact with him. He's Professor Azk Eggs from the History Department at Hoy University." Azk Eggs... Leonard was momentarily stunned, then it all clicked into place. He finally understood why Caine Moretti could die and come back to life, why he could withstand curses without any issue, and why he could join that secret organization symbolized by the Tarot cards—without appearing particularly extraordinary in everyday life! The reason was simply that there was a hidden member of the organization behind him, corresponding to the Tarot card: 'Death'!"