As soon as Caine handed his cane and hat to his personal servant, Enyuni, upon entering the "Eastbourne Retired Officers' Club," he spotted Colonel Calvin of the Ruin Ministry of Defense standing in the hall, dressed in full army uniform, holding a glass of red wine. The officer with the broad, donkey-like face smiled warmly and raised his glass toward Daven Tancé. "Long time no see." "Indeed, it has been some time," Caine replied with a smile, and walked over. Calvin then extended his right hand. "Congratulations—this time, you've done very well. Everyone is pleased." "I'm equally satisfied," Caine said, expressing his contentment in the typical Ruin manner, and shook hands with him. Calvin withdrew his hand and glanced at the Member of Parliament, Mahet, standing beside Daven Tancé, then sighed and smiled. "When you first introduced Daven to me, I didn't quite believe in your judgment. Now I understand why you've become a Member of Parliament." "Everyone who has known Daven can easily conclude that he is an expert in this field." Senator Mahert accepted the colonel's praise with the reserved understatement typical of Luon. Calvin turned his gaze back, sipped his red wine, and smiled at Daven Tangtse, casually asking, "How much did you make this time?" "Don't worry," he added, "I'm not doing this to negotiate a lower price later—I'm simply curious." "Gold worth twenty thousand pounds," replied Kline, giving a moderate figure. In reality, he had earned twenty-five thousand pounds, but after paying the courier lady ten thousand pounds in fees, he ended up with only fifteen thousand. The colonel nodded. "That's good. If you need the bars turned into coins, I can introduce you to people at the Royal Mint." "How about it?" he asked, shifting to the next topic. "Have you noticed anything unusual on your estate in Mezayes?" Kline didn't hesitate, simply responding, "Yes!" "There's a place called the Resurrection Square there, which was struck by lightning." "I know that." Colonel Calvin responded, his expression slightly serious. "But you probably don't know the lightning you're seeing right now was actually manufactured by the one standing before you." Klein chuckled and added, "Also, Mézangelle appears to be maintaining a fragile balance among several powers, but in reality, he has quietly aligned himself with one of them—though I'm not sure which yet." He hadn't intended to betray the Church of Knowledge and Wisdom, only to share a few subtle details to gain the trust of the Roon military. "The only thing we can be certain of is that it's not us," Colonel Calvin nodded solemnly. "It's probably not the Indis either," Klein added, eliminating one of their incorrect assumptions. Colonel Calvin nodded. "That's good news. Most of the powers surrounding Mezencyes are supported by the Intis people. If he wants to expand, he'll have to go through them—then perhaps we'll be able to sell some weapons again." He raised his glass. "May the storm be with us, and may everyone prosper." As followers of the goddess of night, Kline and Senator Mahet could only smile and offer no direct response. After sipping more wine, Calvin pointed toward the second floor. "Dawn, I've come to see you today to have you play poker with a distinguished guest." "Who exactly?" Kline asked with genuine interest. Calvin looked more serious, his smile subtle. "General Emeryl. He's been reactivated and is now leading the Ministry of Defense." "Admiral Emirius... that younger brother stripped of his governorship, his mistress devastated by the 'Tree of Desire,' and himself losing his position as supreme naval commander of the Ionian Sea? I've worked alongside him, even impersonating him for a time. Indeed, for a half-god, as long as one doesn't go too far and is willing to endure, one always recovers from a low point. Klein recalled the events that unfolded on Orlavi Island, feeling a deep sense of reflection. Regarding Admiral Emirius Levieth, he still harbored a sense of regret, even though most of the incidents at the time had actually been unrelated to him—his mistress's transformation, however, had stemmed from the 'Tree of Desire' seeking to control him. On the second floor, they stopped in front of a pair of dark red double doors. Calvin glanced at Doun Thantès: "Your task today is to lose money." Lose money? Caine studied Calvin carefully, his lips gradually curling into a smile. "I'll do my best." The nearby Member of Parliament, Mahet, chuckled in agreement. "Actually, you don't need to be overly deliberate. General Émilien is an excellent player—no matter how hard you try to win, you'll find it nearly impossible. Heh, I lose every time. Honestly, I just hope today's losses aren't too heavy, or else I won't dare go home." Caine nodded thoughtfully. "I only brought 200 pounds in cash. Won't that be enough?" "Definitely not," Calvin smiled warmly. "I've already exchanged 1,000 pounds in chips for you. Just remember to return them when you come back." The senior attorneys from Rouen earn, on the surface, no more than a thousand pounds a year—what a bunch of corrupts you are! Caine studied Calvin once again. The colonel remained oblivious, raising his hand to lightly tap the door. After a moment's wait, the double doors creaked open and revealed the interior. It was a spacious hall, carpeted with thick, soft rugs, with only a few pieces of furniture, giving it a sense of openness. At the center stood a card table large enough for a dozen players, surrounded by elegant, high-back chairs. Along the edges, there were golden-embossed furnishings, marble statues, side tables with books and newspapers, and a set of upholstered sofas. At first glance, Caine spotted Emirius Levet seated at the very front—this admiral had changed little since before. His black hair was neatly combed, his blue eyes deep and solemn, his mouth slightly downturned, clean-shaven, with a rigid, formal bearing. He wore deep-blue attire with shoulder boards, every detail meticulously attended to, reflecting a consistently serious demeanor. Turning his gaze, Caine then spotted another familiar face: He had dense, well-ordered black eyebrows, a short, firm crop of the same color, deep blue-black eyes, a high, mountain-like nose, a broad beard spreading across his jawline, a sharply defined, elongated face with a cool, rugged contour—exuding the essence of a seasoned, hard-edged man. This was Colonel Qunus Colg, Deputy Director of the Nine Department! One of Caine’s key objectives upon returning to Beckland—this man had long served as an intermediary between the magical orders and certain royal factions in the trade of human captives, and had been a key contributor to the city’s prolonged smog crisis. The major deputy director had broad, sturdy shoulders, his white shirt and black vest pulled taut by the strength of his frame, fully immersed in a game of Texas Hold'em. There were two, no, three half-gods at this table—how could the game possibly go on? Interesting... Caine settled into a seat and began observing the others at the table. During this time, a server brought over a stack of chips totaling 1,000 pounds. In the early hands, Caine examined his cards carefully before discarding them outright, displaying remarkable caution—adding chips or calling only when he held strong hands. In contrast, Admiral Emery's style was entirely the opposite: neither conservative nor passive, he called on nearly every hand and frequently raised his bets, showing a consistently aggressive approach. In any hand involving him, few ever reach the final showdown stage. Most players simply cannot endure the pressure and the inherent dignity of the captain, and after one or two rounds, they gradually fold. Some attempt to exploit Emile Levitt's bluffs, only to be met with the captain's four nines—facing that, their faces pale as if condemned by a judge. Qunnas Colg exhibits a different style. He occasionally loses a hand, but his losses are modest and don't significantly impact his overall position. After such a loss, he often successfully clears out the chips of his previous winner, compelling the opponent to buy in fresh chips. Why bother? When playing against exceptional players or ordinary participants of mid-to-lower rank, why resort to skill-based deception? If others can't see it, then I surely can't be unaware. One was the aura of pressure from the "Arbitrator" path, the other the "bribery" from the "Corrupt Baron"... Klein glanced at his hand, which held only the Five of Hearts and the Nine of Diamonds, and gave a barely perceptible shake of his head. He paused to seriously consider: if he wished to cheat, what abilities from the "Seer" path could assist him? "Could I transform all my opponents into secret figures? That way, I could win as much as I wanted, secure a sure victory—yet it would lack practical value, not even suitable for planning a deathly poker tournament... " "Unfortunately, there aren't many mosquitoes here; otherwise, I could control their 'spirit threads,' make them into secret figures, and have them peek at others' hands... " "The 'Faceless' can only transform himself, not the cards... " "The 'Magician's' illusions? They'd work well against ordinary players or lower-tier extraordinary beings, but here there are two half-gods... " "Could I use the 'Jester's' card-handling ability to swap cards?" It was useless—the dealing and shuffling were all done by the servants... As his thoughts flashed, Caine realized that only the inherent abilities of the Seer proved truly effective. He discarded two bottom cards, signaling to stay out, then picked up a metal chip, letting it rotate between his fingers. At that moment, Emile Levet suddenly looked up at him, then glanced away, and pushed a pile of chips forward. Indeed—Caine nodded mentally, unsurprised. During their previous collaboration, he had already known that Admiral Levet could distinguish ordinary people from extraordinary ones based on their relative positions, and even suspected that he could judge the level of an extraordinary individual—essentially, their position. Yet, Caine wasn't overly concerned, as the "Sorcerer of Mysteries" possessed a certain ability to remain concealed—this was one of the reasons, after reaching Sequence 4, he could so effectively keep the gray mist of his power subtly integrated with his own presence. This gave him confidence that his rank would remain undetected. However, since he hadn't yet taken steps to interfere proactively, he suspected that Emirius might be able to perceive him as an extraordinary individual. Therefore, he deliberately introduced a few apparent weaknesses, making himself seem easily discernible and readily graspable.