After thanking him, Caine immediately released his control over Hervin Lambis, causing him to lose his ethereal form and collapse to the ground as a corpse. Arianna glanced down, her dark eyes growing even more profound. Hervin Lambis's body instantly resembled a pencil sketch, gradually erased inch by inch by a eraser, leaving only the ice-blue metallic cylinder behind. Then, one by one, glimmers seeped out from the void, swiftly gathering into a singular, unusual entity. It was roughly fist-sized, in shape resembling a heart, yet its surface was covered in gray-white ridges, as though it were an unusual brain. On each ridge, countless symbols and intricate patterns extended and branched out, intertwining with and reaching into the surrounding environment, connecting to a world invisible to other extraordinary beings from different paths. This was the extraordinary trait left behind by the "Controller." Miss Arianna swiftly extracted Herrin Lambis's exceptional qualities through processes of concealment and un-concealment... Caine paused for a moment, then suddenly understood. At that moment, Miss Arianna spoke calmly, "The spiritual imprints within have all been removed." "Thank you, Miss Arianna," Caine replied, not at all surprised, bowing with the grace of one well-prepared. He had decisively abandoned his secret doppelgänger precisely because he anticipated something similar would unfold next. In fact, his original plan had been to transport Herwin Lambis to the Gray Mists in a secret duplicate state, having him hold the "Cross of No Shadow" and gradually extract extraordinary traits such as "Master of Operations," "Dream Walker," and "Hypnotist." This way, not only would the "Justice" lady no longer have to worry about sourcing materials for her semi-divine status, but even her extraordinary dog would have a chance to be elevated—Odile had briefly mentioned this to Doun Thonat, noting that Herwin Lambis' presence had enabled her to free herself, with Suzy's contribution being second only. However, later on, Caine reconsidered: transporting Herwin Lambis to the Gray Mists would inevitably reveal his identity as the "Fool" within this hidden world, under Arianna's watchful gaze. Once he departed, wherever he transmitted, Herwin Lambis' presence might very well be detected by Adam. Given that, it would undoubtedly be a better choice to simply abandon the secret companion directly before Arianna. At the very least, this angel has a high likelihood of inadvertently removing the mental imprints within the extraordinary traits of Caine. This does not interfere with Caine's original plan. He could simply gather some materials, prepare a potion that compromises Hervin Lambis's extraordinary trait, and then apply it to a regular object, allowing the object to undergo transformation through absorption of the potion. Once he obtains such a sealed object, he can attach the "Cross of No Darkness" to it, timing it appropriately to gradually release the corresponding extraordinary traits. As for any mental contamination that might arise during the process, there is no need to worry—the "Cross of No Darkness" itself is capable of purifying it! Watching Kline gather the extraordinary qualities of Hervin Lambis, only to find they couldn't fit into the iron cigarette box and had to be casually stuffed into his pocket, Arianna turned her gaze toward the ice-blue metal cylinder, speaking slowly and deliberately: "It comes from the stars. You should avoid using it, and even carrying it—preferably not at all. Otherwise, eyes will be cast upon you, subtly polluting you and causing distortions." "From the stars?" Kline found this description strangely familiar. Soon, he recalled its origin: it stemmed from the Abrahamic family's "Visions of the Spirit," where the "golden light" of Winitan foretold the end of days: "When gaze is cast from the stars, the earth will split asunder, and all things will cease to exist." The end of days... Was this seal's origin tied to the very source of the apocalypse? What did the stars represent here? And what was their relationship to the celestial realms? A series of questions formed in Kline's mind, deepening his expression and making it more serious. In response to his question, Arianna gently nodded. "Yes, the starry sky." "Do you mean the sky above us?" Caine raised a finger, pointing to the deep night sky adorned with a great red moon. "Yes," Arianna affirmed, yet offered no further explanation. Caine pondered a moment, then asked again: "Are there many beings there, full of malice, striving to destroy this world?" Arianna's gaze swept over his face, settling finally on his eyes: "I cannot give you an answer. "The more you know, the more easily you become 'infected'—from body to soul—until eventually, you become an angel, and then only then can you begin to uncover the specifics." The more you know, the more easily you become 'infected'... Caine felt a sudden, long-overdue chill run down his spine. — Regarding the seals he possesses, He hadn't asked "The Mirror" Arōdes beforehand, fearing that it might leave traces and be noticed by Adam. Facing a King of Angels, such caution was absolutely necessary! Seeing that Arianna would reveal nothing further, Cline turned instead to the ice-blue metal cylinder and asked, "What should we do with this object?" The description from the senior monk made him hesitate to bring this seal to the Gray Mists for "sterilization." Arianna calmly replied, "My suggestion is to offer it as a sacrifice to the goddess, and in exchange for your prior contributions, secure whatever you wish." Cline gave a slight nod. "I understand," he said, and then thanked her again. Arianna's form swiftly faded, disappearing into the immense, unusually dark garden of the Red Moon. Yet this hidden world remained intact. Klein silently watched for several seconds, then thoughtfully pulled out the candles and other ritual items from his belongings, quickly setting up an altar and offering the ice-blue metal cylinder as a sacrifice to the "Goddess of Night." As the ritual drew to a close, a howling wind lifted the ashes of the herbs and the surrounding soil simultaneously, depositing them onto the empty space of the altar. These ashes and soil intertwined, forming one word after another: "Sequence 3, ancient scholar; "Primary materials: one pair of eyes from the Fugeng Dog (also known as the Keeper of the Source Fortress), one heart from the Mist-Wolf's fibrillated heart; "Secondary materials: 100 milliliters of blood from the Fugeng Dog, 30 grams of white frost crystals from the Mist-Wolf, and a vast quantity of authentic historical records; "Promotion ritual: completely detached from reality for at least three centuries, after one has become part of history and no longer belongs to the current age, then consume the magical potion." This... Klein couldn't help but blink, suspecting he had misread the description. The phrase "not belonging to this age" immediately recalled one of his own titles: "The Fool Who Does Not Belong to This Age!" I have hung suspended upon that peculiar portal for no less than three centuries... In a certain sense, haven't I already completed the ritual, awaiting only the final consumption of the magic potion? Indeed, that mysterious space above the gray mist seems profoundly connected to the "Seer's" path—could it be an evolution of "uniqueness"? Klein felt both elated and solemn, uncertain about the price such a gift might entail. Phew. The very step of becoming an angel—how I wish I could leap to the adjacent path, deviating from the carefully laid-out route... For other "Weird Scientists," the greatest challenge of this promotion ritual should undoubtedly be simply surviving three centuries, since this path isn't particularly renowned for its long lifespans. After all, being detached from reality for three centuries truly can drive one mad, and given that the "Weird Scientists" themselves are already at the frontier of personality fragmentation, the risk of losing control and going completely mad is quite substantial. Klein gazed at the ancient scholar's potion recipe, his thoughts swirling within his mind, hard to contain. Klein nodded to her, and in an instant, his figure was engulfed by a surge of crimson flame. Elsewhere in the garden, streams of flame rose as well, though less visibly apparent. When the light faded, Germain Sparo's form was gone, and the remaining slivers of red moon and night sky had completely vanished. Audrey gazed in quiet contemplation for several seconds, then turned her gaze back, entering the manor of Count Glarint. When she, along with Suzy and her servants, departed by carriage and returned home, finally having time to be alone, she indeed received the "world's" invitation to meet. Caine replied calmly: "First, to investigate whether there's an unseen force behind the actions of Hoo and Forliss; second, during the Prince family's warm interactions with the Countess Holberg's household, to subtly position you so that you don't become an obstacle—this, at its core, is a strategy to divide the three great churches." This matter had already been discussed between Audrey and the gentleman across from her, so no further explanation was needed. Instead, she asked, "Then why did Herwin Lembis, the half-god, personally come to see me?" Caine smiled and said, "It's unlikely that a Sequence 5 could quietly and definitively hypnotize a 'hypnotist' without raising any disturbances, especially given the guards arranged by the Count Holberg. Therefore, having a half-god personally involved is the most effective approach. And since you know Herwin Lembis and have had prior contact with him, you're naturally the least cautious toward him." "To be honest, if you hadn't been sufficiently careful and had Susan—this undetected ally of yours—things would have unfolded smoothly right under our collective radar, all the way until next Monday." Audrey of Justice didn't wear her thick mask, her emotions a bit complex, half-smiling, half-sighing: "I never realized I'd already become so impressive…." A half-god would have been needed to have a strong chance of handling it. "More impressive than I expected—you managed to hypnotize a half-god, one particularly skilled in hypnosis," Kline remarked with a smile.