Klein glanced at Leonard and smiled. "Those targets aren't even half-gods yet—they've only 'lived' to the present due to certain influences. That's precisely the secret I hope to uncover through dreams." He emphasized the word "lived." Without waiting for Leonard's response, Klein continued: "The noble from the Fourth Age belongs to the Zoroastrian family. You might be able to gain deeper insights into Paleis Zoroastrian through his dreams." The descendant of the old man... Leonard felt a spark of interest, growing increasingly eager about Klein's suggestion. Though he had gotten along well with Paleis Zoroastrian and was gradually gaining trust in him, he still maintained a fundamental level of caution—after all, he was an outsider, living within his very body. "Don't mention this to Paleis Zoroastrian yet," Klein added at that moment. In your perception, am I that unreliable? Leonard muttered under his breath, responding with a touch of irritation: "No need to remind me." Seeing that Leonard had agreed, Crane smiled and said: "Go back and collect a few drops of your blood for me—this is an essential preparation for exploring dreams." He didn't specify exactly how to deliver the blood, since Leonard already had two methods at his disposal: either offering it as a sacrifice to the "Knight of Fools," asking the latter to bestow it upon the "World," or summoning the mysterious messenger to bring the blood in a bottle, along with the accompanying letter. "Blood…" Leonard repeated the word subconsciously. In the realm of mysticism, one's own blood is a profoundly significant and vital element—ideally not given to others lightly, for otherwise, one might not even know how one died, and sometimes, death itself is not the most dreadful outcome. After a brief pause, Leonard nodded: "When should we begin the exploration?" "Klein replied promptly: 'On Sunday night, just before dawn.'" He wanted to give the "Justice" lady time to settle her spirit and master her abilities. "Very well," Leonard said without further comment. Then Klein carefully outlined the rhetorical techniques he would use, so that his poetry classmate could easily deflect the old gentleman upon returning. Back in the real world, Leonard was still refining his words, and in his mind, the voice of Palais Soloyasde, slightly weathered, began to echo: "What has your former colleague come to see you about? Is there something that a letter simply cannot convey?" Leonard adjusted his posture and chuckled: "He's afraid of leaks through letters—especially since it might involve that person." Of course, Klein is primarily concerned with you; what I see is exactly what you see... the moment the words left his lips, Leonard murmured this thought to himself. "That person..." Palais Soloyasde seemed to have already understood whom he meant. "Ah." "Leonard picked up the cup on the table, took a sip of barley beer, and said, 'He found a stern ascetic from the Third Age who hopes to explore that era's history through dreams.' This is true—though only part of the truth. This is precisely the technique Klein emphasized earlier. 'A stern ascetic from the Third Age, still alive?' Palis Soloyasda asked, slightly astonished. Of course, He wasn't overly surprised, given His level—though He might not have mastered a hundred methods for people to live from the Third Age into the present, He certainly had five or six at his disposal, the most convenient being to steal someone else's time or life to extend it to his chosen target. 'He should still be alive, though his condition is quite special,' Leonard added, sharing what he had learned." Palace Soloyasde remained silent for two seconds, then chuckled, "Ah, so that's it. In that case, I can only wish you both don't encounter any scenes in your dreams that you shouldn't. Of course, your former colleague is protected by some hidden presence—certainly well-prepared." Leonard didn't pursue that line of conversation. Suddenly, he exclaimed, "Old man, you're not at all curious! You don't want to know the reasons behind the Great Cataclysm, nor the true appearances of the True Gods during the Third Age?" This was the second communication technique taught by Kline—rather than waiting to be asked, it's better to ask proactively. "I can already guess the general picture," Palace Soloyasde replied with a touch of wonder, then exhaled, "You've been unusually proactive today in setting the pace of our conversation. This is different from your usual behavior. It suggests you have something hidden in mind. Indeed, that's a significant improvement—no longer something immediately obvious." "...", Leonard's expression instantly stiffened. Palace chuckled softly, "Look, I just tried it casually, and already you're exposed—still lacking in practice, aren't you? Your former colleague, really…啧…" Leonard could only manage a dry smile, set down his cup, leaned forward, picked up a ceremonial silver dagger, and made a cut, drawing a few drops of blood. Meanwhile, at the Holberghouse, Audrey, who had pledged to offer her unconditional assistance, held a dagger set with gems, bringing its tip close to her forearm. "The pain is quite mild…" she murmured to herself, steadily drawing the blade across her skin. ——It was difficult to break through her current skin without applying firm pressure, even though she hadn't displayed any dragon-scale properties. ………… On the Sunday evening, after attending a ball, Caine returned to 160 Berkland Street, citing fatigue and went to bed early. Near midnight, he got up, turned over in bed, arranged the ritual, and summoned himself. After a flurry of activity, he settled into the seat belonging to "the World," Germán Sparo, and confirmed that once the summoning concluded, he could forcibly detach himself from *The Grolsch Travelogue* through the strata and essence of the gray mist. Before him now stood three small metal vials and a silver-white mask. The vials contained blood samples from himself, Leonard, and Odile, while the mask—sacrificed in advance by "Justice" Odile—had been offered because she had foreseen the involvement of "the Star" in this dream journey. To remain anonymous throughout, she had intended to wear the mask crafted from "Lies," concealing her true appearance and safeguarding her identity. After a careful inspection, Caine caused the sturdy, deep-brown-bound volume of *The Grolsch Travelogue* to rise from among the clutter and settle onto the bronze table, simultaneously integrating the "Cross of No Dark" into his own body. Then, he summoned both "Justice" Odile and "the Star" Leonard into the realm of the gray mist. Two deep red hues rose simultaneously, coalescing into somewhat indistinct human forms. "Justice" Audrey and "Stars" Leonard, with scarcely any difference in timing, directed their gaze toward the item before "World"先生 at the base of the weathered long table. Their attention was immediately drawn to an ancient-looking book. Audrey's eyes flickered with curiosity, asking, "Is this exploration connected to the book?" "Yes, our objective lies within this book," said Caine with a smile. "The book?" Leonard responded in surprise. Even a "Red Glove," having reviewed countless extraordinary case files, had never heard of a situation where one could communicate with characters within a book. Caine nodded gently. "Indeed, this is a magical book—within it, there exists a world imagined by the author, and certain events unfolding in that world constitute the very content of the book." "An imagined world?" "Justice" Audrey keenly grasped this key term. Just a few days ago, she had learned from Mr. World that the Sequence 0 of the "Audience" path was called "The Dreamer," and she had long known that the King of the Dragons, the ancient god Angerwid, bore the title "The Dreaming Dragon." Caine paused and said, "My description might not have been entirely accurate—perhaps it's a world imagined, or perhaps it's a true dream. What's certain is that it was crafted by the second-age ancient god, Angerwid, the Dreaming Dragon, whom I received from 'The Ice Mountain Commander.' Ancient god's relics... That explains how the giants and elves of the second age, the penitents of the third, the noble human aristocrats of the fourth, and the soldiers of Runn in the fifth age have survived this long." "Stars" Leonard seemed to suddenly understand, and couldn't help but gaze again at "World" Germain Sparo, finding it hard to imagine all the experiences he must have undergone since leaving Tinggen. At that moment, Caine glanced around, pushed the mask of "Lies" to Miss "Justice," and said, "Let's go in." "Very well," Miss Justice, Odile, fastened the silver-white mask over her face. "Lennard of 'Stars' looked both ways and nodded, "Good." Caine immediately picked up the three small metal bottles, poured a little of the blood from each, and spread it onto the cover of The Travels of Grozsel. "Ah, so this is the power of blood," Odile thought, just as a sudden flurry of snow and biting wind swept before her eyes. Amid the heavy snow and piercing cold, a city stood not far away, its outer walls exceeding fifteen meters in height. Soldiers clad in leather armor huddled in sheltered spots, unwilling to intercept ordinary pedestrians unless a caravan was passing. "This," Caine said, "is the world imagined—exactly as real. "Stellar" Leonard scanned the surroundings, then spread his palm to catch several flakes of snow, which felt icy and cool, quickly melting into water. Once he confirmed the setting, he noticed something: Klein maintained the composed, refined image of Germaine Spalro—his "Justice" persona wore a silver-white mask, revealing only the lower half of her face, her emerald eyes, and golden hair, making it difficult to imagine her exact appearance. As for himself, he had done no disguise at all. This was indeed the customary practice of official extraordinary beings—they carried out their duties openly and without pretense. "Stellar" was notably relaxed, with his hair casually styled—such a pity, especially given his looks, which could have made him a cover star for a magazine. As a noblewoman who had seen many handsome men, Audrey glanced at Leonard politely and then turned away, making only a brief observation. Klein chuckled and pointed toward the city shrouded in wind and snow. "Our first target is Mr. Snowman, the third-age monk." He was the most likely person to be connected to the two brothers, Amun! According to Klein's plan, after Snowman comes MoBert, the noble of the fourth age. Compared to the great Groserel and the elven Chatast, who operate at a higher level and are more prone to unforeseen complications, MoBert is a safer choice to place earlier. Once the four have been explored through their dreams, he will then dive into the collective unconscious of this world to search for any hidden secrets.