"No... " Quon纳斯. Korgli stood rooted in place, a profound sense of despair rising within him. As a military half-god who had weathered numerous dangers, he now clearly perceived his current situation and could almost hear the footsteps of death drawing ever closer. He longed to fight to the very end, to reveal his mythic being, yet once the command had been issued—slowly, as if through a distant thought—it proved utterly ineffective. His body was now "hosted," no longer under his control! At that very moment, Quon纳斯. Korgli could not even manage to shed a single tear. Under the radiant glow of the great red moon, time passed one second at a time. Suddenly, Quon纳斯. Korgli lifted his left hand and touched his short, fine hair. He had now become a secret puppet of Kline's. In truth, at the very end, he still had a chance—because the duration of the "hosting" state was not as long as that required for complete puppetization. For a few seconds, he could still attempt to manifest his mythic form. Yet the problem was that he still carried the effects of misdirection and deception, and his own thoughts grew increasingly sluggish and delayed over time, making it impossible for him to grasp the fleeting opportunity. Klein gazed at the new spectral figure, exhaled silently, then lifted his head and looked toward the clear, fresh red moon, saying, "Alright." Within that vast red moon, a dark spot instantly emerged and descended—precisely the Night Church's Grand Master, dressed simply in a long robe and tied with a bark belt, "The Hidden Servant" Arianna. In this hidden world, this humble monk, without any extraordinary abilities, simply floated in midair, his gaze fixed upon the "Fallen Count" below. With a gentle lift of his right hand, a slightly blurred spectral presence of Quinas Colg appeared above the military half-god's head, and as a result, Klein lost control of the spectral figure. He wasn't all that surprised, since he hadn't yet sent a "spirit worm" through the "spirit body line" to reach the seer, and thus, his control over the seer remained fundamentally at Sequence 5 level—still below the half-god stage. "Where did you go just now?" Arianna asked calmly, gazing into Quonas Colg's spirit. Quonas Colg's expression slightly twisted before he replied, "The 1st Ruin." ...Was this a commitment rooted in a contract, or a psychological suggestion? Observing the reaction of the "Fallen Count," Klein sensed something significant. Nevertheless, this wouldn't matter much, as this was a hidden world—unknown to anyone, undetectable by anyone. "Where is that ruin located? Who once belonged to it? What is it currently used for?" As the chief bishop of the "Goddess of Night," and through her channeling of the corresponding angels, Arianna holds certain secret powers, so she didn't start with a simple question—she immediately moved to the main point, completely unconcerned about any unforeseen complications. The spirit of Qunus. Korg subtly trembled, as though about to burst spontaneously, yet nothing ultimately happened. With hesitation, he replied: "The ruins lie in the Strilven stretch of the Tassok River, deep underground, where there are arrangements that interfere with divination and prophecy." Strilven... that's quite a distance from the mountain where Mr. A previously resided, and from where you just vanished—so clearly, you've been very cautious. Moreover, the point-to-point transmission effect is far better than I anticipated... A clear map of the northwest outskirts of Beckland swiftly formed in Caine's mind. Qunus Colg continued: "That ruin once belonged to the 'Emperor of Blood,' Alistair Tord. I'm not sure what it's currently used for—I can't access the deeper parts of the ruin myself. My role is simply to gather people and materials and transport them in." The name Alistair Tord silenced Arianna for a moment. After a few seconds, she asked, "What materials have you collected?" This time, Qunus Colg responded without much hesitation, listing a wide range of items—large quantities of mercury, iron ore, and ritual materials from various domains. Yet Caine found himself unable to extract any meaningful information from this comprehensive list, as it covered every possibility. Indeed, he was being exceptionally cautious, using a broad array of seemingly unrelated materials to mask the true items of interest—even the half-deity in charge of these matters remained unaware of the purpose behind the collection. This was very much in line with the style of the 'Audience' pathfinders—was it perhaps a hallmark of the Psychological Alchemy Circle's design? Klein nodded slightly, as if making a subtle guess. Arianna seemed to have noticed nothing in particular and instead asked, "Do you have any own thoughts about what they're doing? What do you think?" "Yes," said Thunus Colg, "I suspect they're excavating something and attempting a ritual." Arianna gazed at him quietly for a moment, then added, "Who commissioned you to be involved in the underground ruins? Which individuals have access to the deeper parts of the ruins?" Thunus Colg again showed signs of hesitation, though no unusual changes occurred. He hesitated before responding, "I received my commission from the King. It is because of his support—his provision of recipes, materials, and opportunities—that I was able to become a half-divine being. Moreover, he granted me the 'Concert of Light and Shadow,' enabling me to act as a Sequence 5 extraordinary one without having to conserve my strength." "Besides His Majesty, only two half-gods from the royal family currently have access to the deeper parts of the ruins—one is Prince Grove, the other is Duchess Georgina." Both are Augustus by surname... yet the royal family must have more than just these two half-gods. "Justice" has only heard brief mentions of them, noting that they rarely attend social events and even appointed their children to seats in the House of Lords. Indeed, at the half-god level, even without extraordinary traits like immortality or eternal youth, living well past a hundred years is quite feasible—thus, they are indeed ill-suited for public office, where frequent public appearances are required. Yet, despite her best efforts, Cline couldn't recall any specific details. Arianna remained silent for a few seconds before suddenly asking, "Have you ever seen Corneus within the underground ruins?" "Who is that?" Prince Kornas. Korg asked, puzzled. Arianna didn't respond immediately, but continued, "Besides them, have you seen anyone else within the underground ruins?" Qunus. Kolg remained in that slightly dazed, spirit-tinged state, saying, "There are also representatives from the Order of Women Sorcerers and the Psychological Alchemists. The former was originally Panatia, the 'Despair Nightingale,' but after the great fog, she was replaced by Katrinna, the 'White Holy Maiden.' The latter is Herwin. Lambis." "Have they ever reached the deeper parts of the underground ruins?" asked Arianna with careful attention. "I don't know. I haven't been with them continuously," Qunus. Kolg shook his head. "At the very least, when I encountered them, they were still in the outer regions." Arianna asked further questions, attempting to piece together the overall picture from different angles and perspectives. Yet it was clear that King George III's arrangements had few gaps—even a semi-divine figure like Qunus. Kolg could only be aware of his own assigned tasks and operate within a defined area, with little ability to gain broader insights. After a moment's thought, Arianna flipped her right hand over and gently pressed down, pushing the spirit of Qunnas Colg back into his body, restoring Caine's control over the automaton. This move stirred a quiet reflection within Caine: How powerful hidden authority truly was! Even if one day Lady Arianna quietly questioned my automaton, I would have no way of knowing. At that moment, Arianna turned her body slightly and addressed him from the balcony. "I'm confident we can confirm that George III is involved and locate the underground ruins. "I'll immediately meet with the bishops of the Storm and Steam Churches in Beckland to convince them to launch their action tonight and open the ruins. "Until I inform you, hold onto Qunnas Colg, maintain the appearance that he is in perfect health, and then have him vanish completely." It was during the time when concerns and negotiations with the Storm Church and the Steam Church were underway that they discovered issues with Qunus Colg, prompting the premature sealing of the underground ruins or the activation of alternative contingency plans? Kline had a general sense of this and nodded. "No issues." Arianna, with her hair simply flowing loose, didn't elaborate further on this matter and with a casual gesture, summoned the "tin" pocket watch into her hands. "This sealing artifact was granted by George III—perhaps its earlier history can yield some valuable clues." Meaning you're taking it? Kline responded without hesitation. "It's yours." He indeed had no complaints, and even believed it was appropriate. After all, half the credit for this battle stemmed from Arianna's hidden world and her fortune's blessings. Therefore, even if the other side didn't take "The Concert of Light and Shadow," Kline would willingly offer it—this has always been his standard of fairness. Yet the "concert of light and shadow" was the very item he most wished to avoid among all the spoils, for it clashed fundamentally with the "Wizard of Deceit's" combat style. The unpredictable transformations inherent in it inevitably disrupted his own performance, weakening him more than his adversaries. Earlier, Kline had considered that if this particular pocket watch were assigned to him, he would have to either deceive or, better yet, actively promote it to Willy Osnard—the "serpent of fate." Only a half-deity from the Life School, whose very existence relied on luck, could truly master the "concert of light and shadow." At that point, such a significant, well-kept secret organization, with a Sequence 1 member, would surely have other powerful seals to offer in exchange. Upon receiving this, Arianna gently nodded and first returned the "tin" watch to Count Chonos Colg, ensuring that the "Doomed Count" appeared unchanged from before. His figure then vanished, as if erased by a rubber eraser, leaving behind not only the vast crimson moon hanging in the sky, but also the dark world of the spires and chimneys, swiftly wiped away. In an instant, everything returned to normal: Caine was in the master bedroom, Quon纳斯. Colg in the guest room some forty meters away, clutching the "Desperate Scream of Rivière" tightly. Then, the junior general of MI9 used the "chaos" to return his pistol to the gun satchel at his side, and picked up the glass of Rosé Estate's specialty wine just poured, taking a gentle sip.