The Queen of Trials and Fear... isn't that the goddess herself? Indeed, trials encompass fate, and as part of destiny, the goddess naturally holds the authority to respond. Wyl. Onsaiten's suggestion indicates that, in His eyes, I have always seemed like a favored one of the night, though I myself have been entirely unaware—just as with the last time He explained how to obtain the high-tier potion recipe through the "Seer" path. Following the events at the Saint Samuel Church, He must have become even more certain of this. Caine was first startled, then suddenly enlightened. He murmured to himself, "If I am making a plea to the goddess, then no matter which symbolic signs I choose, the final result should inevitably lean toward the domain of misfortune." "That's common sense!" the small infant wrapped in silver silk cried out. With this confirmation, Caine felt more assured. He then smiled and asked, "By the way, do you still call yourself Wyl. Onsaiten?" He was curious whether the name would change after the child's birth. "If you'd like, you can continue to think that way, though my full name is now Will Kris." The baby responded indifferently. She merely glanced, then quickly closed her eyes, even though she was already wearing her heavy glasses. At that moment, it seemed as though countless ethereal, mysterious circular wheels were spinning within her mind, linking together to form a magnificent silver serpent stretching from head to tail. This caused her to repeatedly replay the same thought, continuously thanking the "Knight of the Fool" twelve times before she could return to normal. "Indeed, it is the mythical blood of a being from the 'Fate' domain—its dignity surpasses that of ordinary angels..." Gardelie joyfully concluded the ritual, reaching for the vessel she had prepared in advance, and carefully transferred the drop of silver blood into it. Having learned certain "monstrous" details from the "Mysterious Queen," and having gained knowledge of the existence of the "Fate Angel" Ulorius from the "Knight of the Fool," she quickly formed a reasonable conjecture about the owner of this blood: "It might very well be the one from the School of Life, or perhaps another Sequence 1 Angel... Regardless, the Knight of the Fool can summon at least two Angels in the material world, and with that indeterminate 'Ancient Evil' entity, the forces loyal to him are already strong enough to rival the Church of the Divine Beings—especially when considering the relative weaknesses in the realm of seals. Even the Order of the Dawn of Elements and the Order of Moes could not match this level of strength. "Indeed, a true revival of an ancient deity." With growing reverence, Gauthier took a breath and turned her attention to her own affairs. Her additional preparations were progressing smoothly; should nothing unforeseen occur, she would be able to attempt her promotion to Sequence 4 and attain divinity within another month. ……… The sky above was dark and heavy, with silver lightning streaking across it from time to time, illuminating the desolate plain and the dry, winding rivers. At the center of the plain, where the rivers curved around half a circle, a dark silhouette emerged, layered and indistinct—clearly the form of a city devoid of life. After days of travel, the expedition party led by Colin Iliath, the chief of the "Six Councilors" and a "Dragon Hunter," finally reached their destination: the city of Nos. The party was small—only five members in total. Besides Colin, the team included four others: Elder Loviya, the "Shepherd"; two "Guardians" of Sequence 5, Riga and Gunauren; and the "Notary" of Sequence 6, Deric Berg. As a whole, their combined strength was no less than, and in fact surpassed, that of a full-sized expedition team. According to Colin Iliad, this is because the monsters of Noth City are numerous and highly dangerous, especially the "Transformers," who excel at disguise and thrive on trust—thus, a smaller exploration team is preferable to a larger one. With a smaller team, the required strength and capabilities must undoubtedly be greater. Glancing ahead at the city veiled in a faint mist, where even lightning struggles to pierce through, the "Dragon Slayer" Colin removed his two straight swords from his back, calmly and methodically applying a silver-gray ointment to one and pouring a golden liquid into the other. He then firmly planted both swords before him, reaching into a hidden compartment of his belt, withdrawing three small metal bottles, removing their stoppers, and drinking the contents in a steady, rhythmic gulp. Meanwhile, Rige and Gunauren also began their pre-battle preparations. Dric Berg, holding his hammer in one hand and his arms open, spoke solemnly in the deep tones of the Giant language: "The gods say, it shall work!" In the quiet stillness, Colin Iliad and the others suddenly felt that the potion they had just consumed, the dawn they had just created, and the ointment they had just applied—all had grown stronger. Immediately, a warm glow radiated outward, spreading around the entire exploration party and infusing them with courage and strength. Once Deric had enhanced his agility with the "Sacred Oath," Colin glanced at Loviya, who held her leather lantern and watched silently, then turned to the taller young man standing several meters away and said, "Use your ability to illuminate the streets ahead." After speaking, he looked around and added, "Once you enter the city of Nos, you must never separate from one another. I've already introduced you to the more active monsters from the depths of darkness over the past few days—by now, you should know that any separation will be exploited by the 'Transformers.' "Guna-Luon is a woman warrior with a delicate appearance and a height of two meters and forty-five centimeters. Upon hearing this, she mused, "So perhaps we could leverage this advantage and turn the tables to hunt the 'Transformers'?" "We absolutely should not do that," insisted Colin Iliat, whose hair was white and disheveled. "The danger is simply too great, and we risk either accidentally killing our allies or becoming permanently lost within the city of Noth." "Ah, so it is... Deric took down the chief's introduction, stepped forward, and extended his arms. A pure, brilliant sunlight suddenly burst forth from him, illuminating the crumbling or decaying buildings, the gray-white stone streets, and the quiet, still outskirts of the city. Along the streets, figures appeared to Deric and his companions—some dressed in linen-like robes, others in animal hides, moving busily back and forth. As the sunlight fell upon them, they all turned silently, simultaneously, their heads aligned, gazing toward the Silver City exploration team. As devoted followers of the "Lord of the Storm" and crew members of the "Azure Avenger," the sailors were naturally bold—especially when they imagined that perhaps gold and other valuable items might still be buried within the collapsed buildings. With no fear at all, they immediately disembarked upon arrival and began searching in groups of two or three. He then noticed a relatively blank area among the scattered logs and stones, the ground surface blackened, bearing two distinct blood-red shadows—as if two people had been crushed to paste right there, alive. Though the event had occurred so long ago, those blood-red shadows remained vivid, as though still pulsing with life. Aljer's temple twitched, and he suddenly felt he could almost imagine the eerie scene of Port Banx before its destruction. As his gaze swept across, he caught, in the shadowed corner where moonlight barely reached, a simple drawing etched onto the broken wall. The image was crude, uncolored, depicting a monstrous being clad in armor, with an octopus head, wielding a trident. It was encircled by lightning, its feet resting on waves, and behind it, a cloak woven from bird feathers! Aljer's pupils dilated instantly, and a storm of emotion surged within him. He recognized what the monster in the painting represented, because "The Sun" had previously revealed it: this was the "Rosa Redemptoris" distorting the image of "The Storm Lord!" The very presence of this painting meant that members of the "Rosa Redemptoris" had indeed come to Banxi Port—after the building collapse—otherwise the mural could not have remained so largely undamaged, especially with a wall of exceptional ruin stretching across it. "This must be the trace 'The World' sent me to Banxi Port to find... Is he pursuing the 'Rosa Redemptoris,' this hidden organization?" Aljé murmured silently, lifting his right hand. Originally intending to destroy the painting outright, he changed his mind and withdrew his arm, walking steadily past the ruins of the original Banxi Port telegraph office, as if nothing had happened.