Beklan, North District, Saint Samuel's Church. The Cardinal of the Storm Church, Metropolitan of the Beklan Diocese, "Deep Blue High Priest" Radel Valentine, descended from the wind and landed within the spire on the left side, where the great bell stood. Dressed in a black robe embroidered with storm symbols, he had a dense beard and short, upright hair the color of deep blue, nearly pure black. With a robust, half-divine build, he turned his gaze toward the figure already waiting on the other side and asked, "Horamik, do you understand what's happening? Why did Anthony suddenly invite us here?" His interlocutor wore a white priest's robe and a soft clerical hat, with a kind, gentle expression—none other than Horamik Haden, a half-divine, half-human member of the Steam Church's Divine Council and Metropolitan of the Beklan Diocese. Upon hearing Radel's question, Horamik responded calmly, "I didn't arrive much earlier than you. In fact, I've only just left the laboratory a few minutes ago." He was not only a clergyman, but also a renowned scientist, a distinguished professor in the Department of Physics at Beckland University. As Radel Valentin was about to say more, he suddenly saw a figure ascending the narrow, winding staircase into the tower, stepping through the darkness where the red moon's light could not reach. The figure wore a long robe of deep black with red accents, bearing five dark holy emblems on the chest, with a clean, beardless face and deep, serene eyes—clearly one of the thirteen archbishops of the Night Church, the head of the Beckland diocese, Saint Anthony Stevenson. "Can't you wait until daylight?" Radel Valentin asked first. After completing the ascent, Anthony stopped at the landing, his expression serious. "Something urgent." "What is it?" Radel asked. At that moment, Horamik Haydon turned his gaze toward Anthony Stevenson, waiting for his response. In similar situations, Horamik particularly appreciated the presence of someone from the Church of the Storm—this meant the person would naturally ask questions, direct and unambiguous, requiring little or no further input from him. Anthony glanced at each of them in turn and said, "Something related to the royal family—please have Miss Arianna explain it to you." As soon as he finished speaking, a figure emerged swiftly from the shadowed area: a woman dressed simply in a long robe, wearing a belt of woven bark, barefoot, with her hair loose and flowing. Upon seeing her, Radel and Horamik immediately bowed. "Good evening, Miss Arianna." Their expressions instantly grew serious, recognizing the profound significance and critical nature of the evening's developments: It was no ordinary matter to have an angel walking among them! At the same time, they could not help feeling a certain tremor, discovering that they had no idea when Lady Arianna, the secret servant and abbot of the Night Abbey, had arrived in Beckland. ——Under normal circumstances, there is a certain understanding between the three great churches, the royal court, and the military: the earthly angels and the "Level 0" sealings do not appear in Beckland. "Good evening, both of you, bishops," Arianna replied with no hint of arrogance. She then raised her right hand and gently grasped the air. A few delicate beams of light blossomed, materializing in the darkness a series of scenes—depicting the entire course of her conversation with Quonas Colg. It was as if a long-kept secret had finally come to light before others' eyes. Watching it unfold, Bishop Radul Valentin could not help but say, "He has already advanced to Level 4 and become a half-god." "This archbishop knows Quonas Colg. He originally thought the deputy director of MI9 held only rank 5, relying solely on a powerful sealing artifact with severe negative effects to achieve semi-divine combat strength—yet that was merely a façade. —the Storm Church holds greater influence over the military than the other two major churches. No one responded to Radul until, after the hidden revelation was fully presented, Horamik spoke: "An ancient secret sanctuary tied to the 'Blood Emperor,' with a large influx of people sent into it—put together, this is no ordinary matter." "Indeed!" Radul agreed. "We should go there right away!" Arianna surveyed the room calmly and said: "This involves the royal family and the king. You'll need to secure approval from your respective papal seats first." In her context, the 'papal seat' refers to the papacy, standing for the central authority of the church. "Agreed," the two archbishops readily agreed without hesitation. A little while later, the "Deep Blue Bishop" Radul Valentin and Horamik Haden, each carrying a sealed artifact, arrived together with Anthony Stevenson and Arianna at the very spot where Quonas Colg had first entered the "Blood Emperor's" sanctuary. Arianna then produced a dark iron emblem inscribed with intricate symbols, holding it firmly in her hands, attempting to activate it. Standing there openly, without any disguise, he seemed completely unconcerned that the guards within the sanctuary might recognize him. Observing the quiet servant's demeanor, Horamik appeared to be pondering something, while Radul remained calm, as if nothing out of the ordinary were unfolding. Suddenly, on a strange metallic pedestal deep within the underground sanctuary, a vibrant blue light surged forth, forming a grand portal. Four guards in deep black full armor immediately penetrated the azure light, surveying the outside situation and preparing to verify whether the person who had awakened the "Gate of Transmission" was actually an impostor—thus deciding whether to open the gate. Yet, they saw nothing; the corresponding area was completely empty. As their growing unease and mounting doubts took hold, a figure emerged swiftly and clearly behind them—none other than the head of the Night Church's austere修士, Arianna, whose robe bore visible patches of mending. In an instant, the four guards fell asleep, while Anthony, Radal, and Horamik entered the underground sanctuary. They did not follow the path directly downward but instead crossed the hall and floated into the air, gazing down upon everything. This was a world ruled by darkness, with only scattered patches of light emanating from unusual mosses growing in various places and from the flames reflecting off human buildings. Under their illumination, even extraordinary beings without darkvision can grasp the overall outline of this vast ruin: on one side, a gray stone cliff rises upward, extending without end, as though connecting seamlessly to the ground; on the other, a deep, shadowy chasm stretches into the distance, resembling the abode of demons. A stone-paved road spans between these two, linking various halls and buildings, with humans passing quietly and silently. Several archbishops from the three great churches were about to seize a few individuals capable of reaching deep within the subterranean ruins to inquire about the interior, when suddenly a figure emerged from the shadowy chasm, soaring directly toward them—toward the semi-divine archbishops. This figure had a rectangular face, wearing a white headband, with two side whiskers that slightly curled at their tips, dense eyebrows, and large eyes—reminiscent of the characters on a playing card. He wore a formal suit, draped in a cloak, with exceptionally long shoe points, his appearance out of step with the current era, as though he belonged to a century past. To Anthony and Horamik, the archbishops, he was no stranger—they knew him as Prince Groves Augustus of Sunia, one of the royal demigods. "How did you all get here?" Groves asked first, his expression slightly surprised. They exchanged glances, and Anthony stepped forward. "We've been investigating several cases of mysterious mass disappearances, and we've identified Colonel Qunus Colg from the Ministry of Military Affairs' Ninth Directorate. Through him, we discovered this place." Groves's expression shifted several times, then he glanced at the woman who exuded a calming presence, and carefully asked, "Ms. Arianna?" "Yes," Arianna replied simply. "I've been in charge of those disappearance cases." Prince Grove offered a wry smile. "We've been too ambitious. Since discovering this site, we've focused solely on excavating and harvesting its contents. To keep it a secret, we've established ties with the mage orders, relying on them to gather populations to build the passages and conduct certain rituals. 'No,' it's not as you imagined—it's simply a normal ritual. They're still alive, deep within the ruins. 'If you don't believe me, I can show you right now. Beyond the unbroken seals and structures, there's nothing else.' Hearing this, Anthony and Horamik, as well as Radaril, exchanged glances, each seeing a look of bewilderment. This was entirely different from what they had expected or imagined! It made them question whether they had misunderstood something, and whether the situation was far less serious than they had thought. At that moment, Arianna spoke up. 'You also caused the major smog incident.' 'No.' "Prince Grove shook his head once again." "That was a lesson learned from working with the sorceresses. They wanted to control Edzask, thereby gaining control over the kingdom's power. After we uncovered their scheme, they orchestrated the great smog crisis. Since then, we've severed all ties with them." He then pointed downward, speaking with calm assurance. "How could we possibly undertake such a thing—just to keep the discovery of a 'Blood Emperor's' ancient site confidential? As soon as you descend deep enough and examine carefully, you'll understand my point. "Smiling, he added, "Rest assured, with Lady Arianna in charge, no trap can hold you. And even if we manage to secretly bury you deep within the ruins, the Church will surely detect the anomaly. I'm certain you didn't fail to inform your respective papal seats before setting out. Just wait a moment—should you not return, they will surely respond appropriately." Rael and Anthony, the half-gods, each pondered a moment before turning their gaze toward Arianna, whose simple robes stood before them. Arianna calmly nodded, "Very well." Under the guidance of Prince Grov, an angel and three saints entered the depths of the underground sanctuary, discovering a hidden realm untouched by human feet, where men and women gathered to perform various rituals—everything serene and orderly. Arianna and Horamik, the half-gods, proceeded to inspect different areas according to their own inclinations, even venturing beyond the current site, yet found nothing of significance. Upon receiving Arianna's message, Caine transformed Quinás Colg into a servant within the manor, effectively erasing his presence from the military intelligence service. Then, he delayed the ritual of sacrifice, sending the collected items to the Gray Mists for study, and patiently waited until dawn.