After Audrey, the embodiment of Justice, and Leonard, the embodiment of Stars, had departed from above the gray mist, Caine did not immediately return to the real world. He remained seated in the high-backed chair belonging to "the World," silent for nearly fifteen seconds. Then, he summoned an object. It was a heart the size of a child's fist, covered in gray and white creases—the "Master of Manipulation" extraordinary ability! Holding this extraordinary ability, Caine stood up and walked outward from the majestic palace, deep into the mysterious space above the gray mist, reaching the luminous staircase that seemed to lead to heaven. As he ascended the stairs, passing through the floating gray cloud vapor, and arriving before the strange light gate and the series of suspended translucent "silkworm cocoons," Caine raised his right hand, placing the heart-like, brain-like "Master of Manipulation" extraordinary ability at chest level, and extended his spiritual awareness, attempting to activate it. He wanted to see whether the people trapped within the "silkworm cocoon" still harbored latent consciousness, whether they had gradually merged into a miniature ocean of collective unconsciousness. If so, he intended to leverage the extraordinary trait of the "Manipulator" bequeathed by Hewen Lambis, enter the realm of consciousness, examine the mental imprints, and uncover what experiences these individuals had prior to being suspended above the light gate, and whether, during their prolonged "sleep," they had sensed anything at all. This was the inspiration today's exploration brought to Klein. Of course, the extraordinary trait bequeathed by Hewen Lambis might not necessarily enable Klein to achieve his intended goals, as it had not yet been transformed into a magical artifact and remained difficult to utilize effectively. Immediately thereafter, Klein's "heart," a surface marked with gray and white creases, began to beat slowly, emitting a steady thumping sound. Immediately,克莱恩 heard synchronized heartbeats resonating within each of the transparent "silkworm cocoons": thump, thump... This indicated that the people inside were still alive, merely in a state of somatic dormancy. In his line of sight, their forms gradually evolved into islands—clear at the top, blurred at the bottom—representing their consciousness domains. Yet these "islands of mind" were themselves confined within the transparent "cocoons," isolated from external observation. Likewise, they could neither settle nor merge, forming a collective unconscious ocean. "Unless we break the cocoons, we won't be able to bypass them and enter their respective mental worlds..."克莱恩 murmured silently, then gently lowered his hand—once imbued with the extraordinary qualities of the "master manipulator." After a few seconds, he took a deep, long breath and turned to leave. She then rolled over and sat up, moving to the bedside, where she devoutly prayed to the Sir of the Fool, asking Him to bear witness to her vow of confidentiality. Once this was done, she fetched a pillow, placed it behind her back, and reflected on the experiences from this journey that she had not yet forgotten. "The history of the ancient times is truly fascinating yet strangely daunting... Mr. Stars behaves exactly as I've observed him—loose, casual, his thoughts easily drifting and hard to contain, yet at times he seems experienced, perceptive, and dependable. This isn't contradictory; many people embody this blend of qualities. Mr. World is indeed fundamentally gentle; his face may appear expressionless, yet his inner thoughts are constantly murmuring. The quiet dialogue between him and Mr. Stars could easily be turned into a dramatic scene. They say he's a passionate adventurer—once he sets his sights on a goal, he never hesitates, regardless of risks or surroundings, and immediately takes action. Well, at the last moment, I thought he would attempt to approach that bronze gate, but instead—he fled, no, he withdrew with remarkable decisiveness!" Audrey smiled slightly at this reflection. Then she concluded: "It turns out that in the mystical world, unless one has completely lost one's mind or given up thinking, there are no truly mad extraordinary beings—caution, vigilance, avoiding what should not be seen or heard, and refraining from listening to what should not be heard are the prevailing themes. 'Audrey, remember this!' ………… 7 Prestwick Street, Leonard returned to his body. He quickly went over in his mind how to communicate with Parves Soloyasdi, then spoke calmly as if nothing had happened: 'Old man, there's something I'd like to ask you.' In his mind, Parves's slightly weathered voice immediately chuckled: 'Just remember this—the more you ask me, the more likely I am to guess what you've done tonight.' “It’s not exactly something that needs to be particularly confidential…” Leonard habitually replied before moving on to the main point. “Old man, what do you know about the Amun brothers?” “Depends on what aspect you’re interested in,” Palis Soloyasda tossed the question back to Leonard. After a moment’s thought, Leonard said: “When the Amun brother received the ‘0–08,’ wasn’t he just one ritual away from becoming divine?” “Something like that,” Palis offered, not being overly certain. Leonard wasn’t entirely satisfied with this response and shifted to say: “I remember you once mentioned that during the early days of the Solomon Empire, the two Angel Kings, Medici and Ulorius, both held the Amun brothers in high regard—this clearly indicates that they were truly close to the divine throne.” This had been mentioned occasionally in their past conversations, and Leonard had now confirmed it through certain responses from Mobert. "Hmm, I only mentioned the first part of that. I never told you that at the time, Amen and Adam were already very close to the divine seat." Palis denied Leonard's account. "It's entirely possible that both the Medici and Ulorius felt threatened—not merely because they were close to the divine seat, but precisely for that reason, we shouldn't jump to a definitive conclusion." The Sequence-1 angel cleared his throat and continued: "Being close to the divine seat is certainly one possible explanation. Adam and Amen possess a unique authority that makes them difficult to counter—another plausible factor. Take Adam, for instance: you never know whether He's sitting right beside you, whether the actions you take stem from His design, or whether you might, at any moment, find yourself willingly stepping into His trap. Oh, I mean you—clearly not me. Of course, I must also remain vigilant. Should I be careless, I'm quite likely to suffer setbacks." As for Amun, He is full of varied ideas and possesses a strong practical spirit, making His intentions hard to predict and thus difficult to guard against. Moreover, He is exceptionally skilled at deception, always harboring hidden schemes. In that era, no one—except the true gods—was not afraid of Him, and even the true gods had to remain vigilant, for one never knew when He might quietly strip them of certain powers. Leonard nodded slightly, barely perceptible, and shifted the topic to another direction: "Old man, do you think there might be something hidden within the 'Audience' path?" "The higher-ups above the angels probably have little to conceal; beyond that, I'm not certain." Palis Soloyasda mused for a few seconds. Before Leonard could respond, He hesitated slightly and added: "I once heard a remark from the Medici: 'The high-ranking figures of the Audience path are both the most stable and the most prone to losing control and going mad.'" "Why?" Leonard asked, astonished. Palais Soloyasde said, "I have some speculations, but lacking evidence and logic—I don't want to tell you yet." "You really have nothing at all, no thoughts, no guesses," Leonard murmured, half habitually, half deliberately. "Don't play these little games with me." The slightly weathered voice remained unshaken. Leonard dared not press further, and after a moment, said, "Old man, I've had a real dream this time, filled with the lingering spirits of ancient figures. Do you know a viscount named Mobert Soloyasde?" "Mobert..." Palais Soloyasde's voice suddenly grew much more weathered, then returned to normal. "That was one of my direct descendants, who disappeared after a major war. I originally thought he was killed by Amun or Jacob, simply by chance—I couldn't divine the killer. Now it seems the matter is far more complex." "Indeed." "Leonard gave a definite nod, then softened his tone to extract the essence from the surface, saying, 'He has been dead for some time now, with only faint traces of spirit remaining. In that true dream, he married a singer from the elven race.'" Palis listened quietly and remained silent for a while, then said, "That's quite satisfactory." Leonard had originally intended to mention that Moberet had called him 'old man,' but at that moment, he suddenly found himself unable to speak, and thus let the conversation end there. In the dim ripple of the waves, silver words popped one after another into view: "Most High, Most Great, Most Merciful Lord, your humble, faithful servant Arōdes appears at your call. What would you have me do?" "Several questions," said Kline. After answering, he didn't immediately ask about *The Travels of Grolse*, choosing instead to begin with a topic less sensitive. He thought for a moment and said: "Arōdes, within the forest of Drel, there stands an ancient castle now abandoned. Deep within it, there is a bronze door that seems to seal off some power emanating from beneath the earth—do you know what it seals?" As soon as Kline finished speaking, the subtle glow on the surface of the full-length mirror suddenly vanished, plunging it into complete darkness. Upon that darkness, one after another, pale words slid down with a liquid motion: "I come from beneath the earth..." PS: Thank you, Mr. Wang, for your silver donation wearing a diving suit!