Regarding Patrick Byrne's answer, Cline felt absolutely no surprise, simply nodding. "This is your sixth life?" As far as he knew, "The Immortal" died and rose again every sixty years, forgetting most of their past memories and gradually reconstructing them over time—much like beginning a new life. This was part of the Magisterium's inherent knowledge, and Patrick Byrne easily grasped the meaning behind his divine companion's words. After a moment's reflection, he said, "I'm not yet fifty; I've been an 'Immortal' for less than ten years." Cline then asked, "When did you first come to believe in our Lord?" Here, "Lord" referred to the Lord of the Underworld. Byrne recalled for a few seconds before responding, "It was right after I turned thirty." "Only at thirty did he enter the mysterious world and begin his extraordinary journey, becoming a sequence-4 half-god by the time he turned forty—such a pace isn't merely remarkable talent; it clearly points to him being a divinely favored one... Ah, indeed, during that ritual, both his spirit and body were affected by the 'uniqueness' of the 'Death God' path. While listening, Caine thought more deeply, solidifying his earlier hypothesis. Of course, compared to him rising from an ordinary person to a sequence-4 half-god in just one year, Patrick Bryan's advancement seems rather unimpressive. In fact, Caine didn't find this particularly noteworthy, since he truly was a divinely favored one—and even had several advantages beyond that. The only issue now was whether the rewards he was currently receiving from these gifts were sufficient. After a moment's reflection, Caine asked, 'What is your current public identity?' "I'm a merchant with two ready-made clothing factories in Bekkanland. On the surface, I'm a devoted follower of the Night Goddess and a supporter of the New Party..." Patrick Bryan introduced. "With the clues in hand, we will take corresponding actions, and once the materials are gathered, we will experiment with various awakening rituals to find the most effective one—I will be the one leading the actions and serving as the core element of the ritual." It still sounds rather proud...克莱恩又询问了其他细节，都得到了详尽的回应。 Finally, after a moment of reflection, he spoke seriously: "In accordance with the divine command, from this point forward, you shall follow my instructions." Patrick Bryan immediately rose and performed a formal bow: "Yes, Sir, the Companion."克莱恩 nodded slightly: "First, cease all rituals and stop gathering materials. The Divine has begun to awaken and is currently in a recovery phase—its quiet, delicate restoration must not be disturbed by the constant noise." In Klein's view, regardless of how the awakening rituals performed by Bryan and his team evolved, they ultimately pointed toward the artificial Death God—the very uniqueness of the "Death God" path—thereby deepening its activation and making it less favorable for the Goddess to gain further control. Whether or not Klein welcomed such developments, once the "Goddess of Night" had summoned Bryan, he was compelled to make this arrangement. Patrick Bryan had no reservations about Klein's explanation, as the Death God had indeed awakened, and the essence of "awakening" itself was inherently disruptive. The "immortal" paused thoughtfully and then asked proactively, "My Lord, what shall we do next?" Klein smiled in approval. "Continue seeking clues related to the remnants left behind by the Gods—this will accelerate their revival." "Having said that, Caine had intended to raise a second point, but worried that with so few similar leads, the members of the Spiritual Order might find themselves with little to do, thus creating unforeseen complications. So he added: 'Also, you and your subordinates must widely launch literacy and reading programs at the finished garment factory and in other areas of your operations—establish evening schools or study groups—to help the surrounding communities escape ignorance and barbarism.' To strengthen his appeal, Caine extended his right hand and placed it firmly against his chest, delivering a deeply reverent sermon: 'The Divine says that only by understanding one's faith can one truly believe. 'The Divine says that for those who are bewildered, one must first strengthen their bodies and sharpen their minds, for the kingdom He has promised shall know no ignorance or barbarism.' Patrick Byrne did not question the words of Dune Tholos, nor find it strange that these two statements were absent from the Spiritual Order's sacred texts, since he knew Dune Tholos was a favored servant of the divine, appointed by the gods as His representative!" He nodded sincerely, "I will heed the teachings of God. 'May every spirit live eternally in the Kingdom of God!' " As he spoke, he adopted the current prayer posture of the synthetic Death God faction within the spiritual monastic order—that is, raising both hands with thumbs facing each other, pressing them firmly to the center of his forehead. ——In the corresponding esoteric theory, this gesture symbolizes the core of the Underworld within each "Gatekeeper," representing the position of the Death God. At the same time, he had to ensure that neither Heter nor the other two saints would notice any signs before the goddess fully grasped the "uniqueness" of the "Death God" path, so as to prevent them from mounting a strong response. Brian remained unconcerned: "Yes, Your Grace!" After settling on these two most critical matters, Kline maintained his composure, felt a sense of relief, and then carefully added: "Thirdly, unless I personally summon you, you must not come to me on your own—routine communication shall be handled through messengers. You know, many beings in the Star Realm are reluctant to see the gods revive." Patrick Brian nodded firmly: "I understand. My messengers will call out: 'The spirit dwelling above, the most kindly being, Patrick Brian's covenant partner.'" Indeed, a half-divine from the Path of the Death God could not possibly lack a messenger... Typically, the sixth rank in this path would have one... Without hesitation, Caine spoke steadily and clearly: "Remember, my summoning phrase is 'The spirit wandering among the unreal, a friendly creature to be commanded, the messenger belonging exclusively to Germain Sparo.' Yes, whether receiving or sending a message, a gold coin must be paid to complete the agreement." Caine deliberately revealed the connection between Germain Sparo and Dauin Tanghès, primarily to observe the recipient's reaction. "Germain Sparo..." Patrick Bryan repeated the name, then seemed to suddenly realize, calling it with genuine surprise, "Your Grace, the Lord High Chancellor of the Death?" "Good news—though it's a byproduct of the ritual, the faith is fervent, yet at least possesses normal intelligence, capable of consciously gathering intelligence and analyzing problems... Cline exhaled in relief and smiled, responding, 'I'm not. He is my teacher.' Brian nodded thoughtfully, feeling he now had a clear grasp of the entire matter. Cline could sense his thoughts, yet chose not to address them, lifting his right leg and clasping his hands together on his knee, then asking, 'What do you know about the other branches of the Spiritual Order?' Patrick Bryan sat down again and said, "The most powerful branch within the Order of the Holy is the Royal Line, centered on the descendants of the divine. They have established several organizations... "Their current leader is a relatively distant descendant of the divine, named Siya Parank Egers. She might be an angel, or perhaps she holds the key to one of the divine's most important relics, and she calls herself 'The Pale Empress'... "In addition to her, the Royal Line includes five saints—some of whom are true half-gods, others supported by sealed artifacts... "Beyond the Royal Line, the other branches are considerably weaker. The main ones are the Sleepers and the Underworld faction. Together, they have only three individuals of saint-level strength..." After Bryan finished, Caine gave a barely perceptible nod and said, "That's all for today. Please reach out to me whenever anything arises." "Yes, Your Grace," Patrick Bryan stood, bowed, and stepped to the door. The door opened silently, and outside, figures swayed in the swirling, gusting wind. Once the scene had settled, Caine glanced at the now-closed wooden door, then walked to the window, pulled back the curtain, and looked out onto the street. There, several carriages had appeared at some point, each bearing two lanterns ahead. The lanterns emitted a pale, sickly green light, casting a hazy, blurred glow around them. Within this hazy scene, translucent figures—dressed in garments resembling formal attire—gathered on either side and in the foreground, appearing quite formal. When Patrick Bryan descended from the air and arrived at the scene, the figures simultaneously bowed and welcomed him, along with the spirit beside him, as they escorted the few carriages now barely visible into the distance. The pale, greenish light gradually faded, eventually dissolving into darkness as though they had never appeared at all. Klein drew back his gaze, and in quiet reflection, murmured to himself: "Though the divine oracle reaching Patrick Bryan was a well-considered decision made by the goddess from all angles, I still sense that the currents beneath Beckland—indeed, beneath the entire world—are growing stronger and more turbulent. 'They will soon rise up to create waves...' He thought this over, and without delay, decided to immediately contact the mage Trist, to verify that no unusual developments had occurred on her side."