Examining the bronze-green cross in his hands, Caine was certain it at least qualified as a first-tier seal object. Beyond its purifying effects, this magical item also possessed half-divine spells from the "solar" domain—such as "Yang Flame"—while its negative effects, when properly applied, could resolve numerous issues. For instance, it could help those who had accidentally entered the transcendent world and hoped to escape madness return to ordinary life, and it could extract specific transcendent traits from individuals who had consumed an extra dose of magic potion—provided the timing was precisely managed, otherwise it risked directly lowering their sequence level. Of course, the bodies and souls transformed by the potion would inevitably clash with the essence of ordinary people. Transcendent beings who relied on the bronze-green cross to exit this realm would undoubtedly experience certain aftereffects, the specifics of which varied depending on the path taken, their sequence, and individual circumstances. This made Caine deeply impressed—it was, by far, the most useful and valuable negative effect he had ever encountered. To him, the only issue was that this bronze-green cross couldn't be carried long-term, not even if entrusted to a secret being—such a transfer would cause the secret being's exceptional qualities to dissipate, resulting in a decline in its level and a downgrade to mere secret being status. Once transformed, he could no longer consume magical elixirs to advance, as his spiritual essence had, in essence, perished. As for ordinary beings who became secret beings, prolonged wear of the cross would cause them to "praise the sun," thereby losing control. It can only be placed upon the gray mist, retrieved when needed... For the "Sorcerer of Mysteries," this isn't a significant issue, after all, one never performs without preparation... Then verify whether it corresponds to the "Unshadowed Ones." If so, once the small "Sun" has fully absorbed the "Priest of Light" potion, sell it to him. The head of the "Council of Six" in Silver City will surely not hesitate to exchange it for equivalent seals. The "Sun" path clearly proves more suitable for the "Land Forgotten by the Gods" than the others...克莱恩心情愉悦地想着，将那枚铜绿色的十字架放回了斑驳的长桌之上。 He didn't confirm right away—he intended to return to 160 Berkland Street to do so, and in the process, he'd also use "dream divination" to uncover the origin of this seal. The Rosemère estate is so close to the underground ruins that it might very well be under the watchful eyes of the royal angels, or even Adam. Should any changes be triggered during his efforts, causing ripples in the gray mist, the greatest secret might come to light. "This seal, even if not directly corresponding to the 'Unshadowed,' undoubtedly belongs to the 'Sun' path—perhaps with a few additional extraordinary traits, no, those would be excluded. The mark of the Church of Eternal Radiant Sun is made of gold and resembles an abstract sun, unrelated to a cross. Indeed, once this possibility is ruled out, the only remaining connections to the 'Sun' domain are the Silver City's artisan, the ancient sun god, Adam and Amun's father, the suspected time-traveler... Does its appearance in the hands of the Viscount of Stafford suggest that the 'Dusk Monks' are collaborating with the royal family, while the Psychological Alchemy Society serves merely as a façade? Of course, there are still countless other possibilities—perhaps it is simply a collection assembled by the Augustan family themselves. As a historically significant, well-established angelic family with a strong presence in the Fourth Age, it is entirely reasonable that they have gathered certain artifacts from the ancient sun god... If this seal truly came from Adam, might this be His deliberate arrangement?" "Facing a sorceress, Tristess, clearly involved with the infernal deities, and her companions, Lord Stafford's choice of this purifying cross—abandoning other items—was entirely reasonable. When deciding to eliminate Sherman, given the uncertainty about whether he had been tainted by the deities, he hesitated to employ direct attack methods, instead opting to spend time activating the seal—this too was perfectly logical... Indeed, quite logical. Though I wonder if there's any deliberate human touch behind it. Now that I think about it, my '0–08' phobia is returning. Oh, by the way, the 'Magician' and the 'Judge' had privately discussed Adam—touching upon 'the abandoned realm,' 'the Giant King's court,' and 'the King of Angels.' 'Yet... even if this truly stems from Adam's initiative, what significance does it hold that He bestowed this object upon the 'Magician' and the 'Judge'?'" Kaine found his scalp slightly tingling, steadied himself, and decided to return to Berkland Street before attempting further verification. He made no delay and immediately returned to the real world. As for the items on Quanuas Colg's person, he had already gained a preliminary understanding of their specifics prior to relying on the enhancement provided by the gray mist, using only his own divinatory abilities. Besides the "Concert of Light and Shadow" and the seal of the underground sanctuary taken by the head monk Arianna from the Night Church, Quonas Colg still possesses two magical items. One is the "Lirvel's Desperate Scream," mentioned by Arodes—the origin of which lies in a failed sacrifice. It has two modes of use: first, a standard shooting mode, slightly less powerful than the air cannon; second, a machine-gun barrage that can fire a large volume of bullets within a few seconds. Both modes are accompanied by the "Desperate Scream," which has a moderate effect on semi-divine beings at the level of saints, though not overwhelming. Of course, not all semi-divines can withstand such attacks—take Caine himself, for instance, whose physical strength or defenses are not sufficiently extraordinary to withstand it head-on. The other item is known as the "Lucky Clover," which appears quite simple—a four-leaf clover crafted into a pendant. Its ability allows the wearer to accumulate a certain probability of success each time a failure occurs, while its drawback is to amplify the wearer's human weaknesses. Caine would rather reframe it as "the mother of success." To him, neither of these magical artifacts held much practical value and remained as part of the treasure of the half-divine figure, Thurnus Colg. The half-divine figure itself, however, proved to be his greatest gain: "The lawyer's" sharp insight into and exploitation of rule gaps, his ability to guide and persuade his targets; "The barbarian's" power to break rules and his physical strength; "The briber's" skill in offering bribes; "The corrupt baron's" capacity to distort reality; "The chaotic mentor's" ability to introduce chaos; and "The fallen count's" gifts of bestowal, amplification, and utilization—all were exceptionally valuable capabilities. Without having first gained detailed intelligence through the "magic mirror," Arodos, and having prepared thoroughly with a well-conceived strategy, and with the discreet support of the angelic presence, Caine, even though he possessed items such as the "Steward of Fortune," would not have been absolutely certain of securing Thurnus Colg. In fact, compared to the "secretly transforming" approach, tending to the Chonaz Colg with the more subtle "creeping hunger" would be more discreet and harder to detect—though in that case, only three of the exceptional abilities of the "Doomed Count" would remain available. While thinking this over, Caine stepped out of the bathroom and returned to the lawn where the bonfire dinner was being held. There, Mahert, the member of parliament, stood before the grill, perspiring as he performed his signature East-Balang-style grilling; Haejuel stood a little farther off, her eyes bright, no longer displaying her former hauteur, and now with a few smudges of soot on her face. Portland Monnet held a glass of wine, smiling as he watched the "younger" figure—relative to him—move back and forth, occasionally picking up a skewer of grilled meat and biting into a piece. Seeing this scene, Caine's mood suddenly became calm. ………… On Sunday afternoon, the group who had taken a holiday in the outskirts of Becland returned to Berkland Street. Klein entered the gray mist once again before dinner, reaching for the bronze-green cross. First, he verified that this cross corresponded to Sequence 4, "The Unshadowed," of the "Sun" path, and rather unoriginaly named it the "Cross of the Unshadowed." Then, he picked up his pen and wrote down a new divinatory statement: "The origin of this cross." Klein did not directly inquire whether there were any orchestrated traces in the cross's acquisition, fearing that such a question might draw attention to Adam and raise his alertness. Instead, he intended to investigate the cross's provenance—should both its current and previous holders have been Adam, the truth would inevitably lean toward deliberate arrangement. Set down his pen, Caine looked at the bronze-green cross in his hands and exhaled deeply, his expression notably serious: "Another death is coming..." He suspected that the "Cross of No Shadow" originally stemmed from the Maker of the Silver City, the ancient sun god—a deity even more powerful than the ancient gods like the "Dragon of Imagination." The injuries this god had sustained must surely have been greater than those Caine had previously observed during his divination of the "Grosel Travelogue." Yet, things had changed since then. Now, Caine was a Sequence 4 "Weird Mage," a half-god, capable of enduring far greater damage and summoning far more powerful, ethereal spatial abilities than he could when he was still at Sequence 5. After a few seconds to steady himself, he leaned back against the chair, one hand holding the "Cross of No Shadow" and the other cradling the paper, softly repeating the incantation. Again and again, Caine entered a deep dream state, meditating as a foundation. In the hazy world, a building gradually took shape, its original form obscured by layers of gray and white, standing within a dark environment where it seemed as though countless monsters lay hidden around it. A crack appeared on the gray-white surface of the building, and a pale hand extended from it. A figure stepped forward—a man dressed in a long black robe of a priest, a silver cross hanging at his chest. His hair was short, predominantly black, with a subtle golden hue at the roots; his eyes were pure gold, his skin fair, his features deeply defined, his eye sockets slightly sunken—reminiscent of the people of the current northern continent. He took two steps forward, grasped the ordinary silver cross, and slowly began to clear the haze from his gaze, a gentle smile forming at the corners of his mouth. Then, in a low, steady voice, he said: "Let there be light!" In an instant, the darkness surrounding the gray and white buildings was pierced by bright light, revealing its true form. This was a deep valley with no view of the sky, filled with endless light in every corner. Thus, the world came to be illuminated. The scene then shifted, transitioning to the next: a golden drop of blood, glowing with light and heat, dripped down and landed upon a silver cross. Rising with the blood, a human figure composed of pure light seemed to emerge, his face indistinct, radiating tangible pain and distortion. His gaze turned toward the gray mist, landing on Klein seated in the high-backed chair of the "Fool." His low voice resonated once more: "Mysterious..." Suddenly, without warning, Klein's thoughts erupted. PS: Klein's current performance is quite evident—he easily reveals his thoughts. The reason for this isn't hard to see, as he had already clearly articulated it earlier. He's shed his thick mask and only pretends to be otherwise when it's truly necessary.