At the very moment he saw the spectral entity known as the "Red Angel," Caine's pupils dilated instantly, and the human skin glove on his left hand suddenly became transparent. He hadn't listened to a word the other person said—he had instinctively reacted to begin "transmitting" and leaving immediately. But at this moment, the spirit realm he now perceived was distinctly different from usual. The countless, formless, translucent beings were now tinged with a mixture of iron and blood, and thick smoke swirled all around, obscuring the seven beams of pure, knowledge-rich light above, making them nearly invisible. Caine's heart skipped a beat; he hesitated, not rushing to transmit directly. The "Red Angel" spirit chuckled, "What are you afraid of, Caine? Is it Charathu?" Upon hearing this, Caine instinctively glanced around, but found no anomalies. The "Red Angel" specter maintained that most irksome smile and pointed toward the sofa across from the armchair. "If I've already informed Charatou of the fact that Daven Tantrès is actually Germán Spalro, then when you return to 160 Berkland Street this morning, you'll find the cellars awaiting you not filled with living people, but with maids and servants suspended like dried ham—though they will welcome you just as warmly. 'Sit down,' I say. 'It's not at all a bad thing to first listen to my thoughts and intentions.' Imagining the scene the 'Red Angel' specter had described, even though he himself had once experienced something similar,克莱恩 still felt his hair stand on end, overcome with a sudden chill. He remained vigilant, seating the secret double, Qunus Colg, who had become Daven Tantrès, on the sofa, and standing beside him himself in the guise of his personal servant, Enyuni. ——He had, without realizing it, exchanged positions with the secret double, instantly transforming their appearances. "Perhaps it's simply because you only just learned about this intelligence from Patrick Brennan and haven't had the chance to inform Chalatou yet?" Caine countered through the secret doppelgänger. At the same time, he judged from the "Red Angel" demon's words that Chalatou had indeed arrived in Beckland! A complete, unrestricted, eerie and formidable Sequence-1 angel—truly a hidden presence! The "Red Angel" demon glanced at the young male servant and his master, then smiled: "Patrick Brennan is such a fool. I can extract everything he knows in just a single hour, and the ritual has already passed a full night and morning." ...You and the messenger girl might share something in common, perhaps... Caine raised an eyebrow with the secret doppelgänger. "So?" "The ethereal spirit known as the 'Red Angel' caused the chair beneath her to gently sway. 'Have you ever heard this saying: when you choose a remarkable path, your friends and enemies are thereby determined. I am neither your friend nor your enemy. Of course, you've had your disagreements with me—though no one has suffered significant losses, and those matters have long since passed. For me, your growth poses considerable trouble to certain individuals I deeply resent, so I don't wish to prematurely extinguish you. I'm quite willing to see you rise further.' The Emperor once said something similar... those individuals I deeply resent... Klein hesitated and asked: 'The 'Defiler' Amon?' 'Not so ignorant, nor so foolish, after all,' the 'Red Angel' spirit chuckled, lifting her hand to stroke her chin. Her every word and gesture made one feel inclined to strike her." After a moment of thought, Caine calmly pointed out a concern: "You could have entirely chosen Charathus. If He were to benefit from that choice, He would pose an immense challenge to Amun, the 'Disbeliever.' Compared to Him, I am still too weak, and I need a long time to grow. There are simply too many unpredictable variables in between." The "Red Angel" demon nodded seriously: "Indeed, that was my initial thought. You're hardly better than a stray dog—what could you possibly offer against Charathus, who already holds Sequence 1 status? Would it be a matter of who dies first?" As he spoke, the demon's tone shifted, and he sighed: "But what if, in this world, every matter could always choose the most ideal course? That would be truly beautiful..." Before he finished speaking, a gash of blood suddenly appeared on the previously pale cheek on his left. The wound was torn wide open, the mouth opening and closing like a mouth, revealing two rows of ethereal white teeth: "I've investigated thoroughly—the decline of the Tol'vir family was caused entirely by Chalatu and Rosel!" Was this the spirit bequeathed by the ancestor of the Tol'vir family? The personality fragmentation of the "Red Angel" is far more severe than I anticipated. No, this isn't merely typical personality fragmentation—three distinct personalities are compressed into one body. No matter what is done, consensus must be reached; otherwise, internal conflict arises. Klein now believes the "Red Angel" spirit is not setting traps but genuinely unable to convey relevant information to Chalatu. This is its vulnerability—something that can be exploited later. Silently murmuring to himself, Klein then asked, "Then, what brings you here? Just to say what I just heard?" "There seems to be a higher sorceress named Catriona involved here. If you come across her, notify me before you proceed with your usual actions." "Catriona, the Saint of White"... Why is the "Red Angel" spirit seeking her out? Hmm. The Sequence 4 path of the "Hunter" can transform a woman into a man, while the Sequence 7 path of the "Sorceress" can transform a man into a woman—these appear to be mutually reversible extraordinary paths. The "Red Angel" spirit seems unable to find a suitable "Hunter" path trait and is now considering switching to the "Sorceress" path. That makes sense. As a spirit, once it resolves its own issues, it too can ascend through potions and traits. Kline is momentarily stunned, then begins to form a clearer picture based on his existing knowledge of the hidden paths. And this instantly sparked a strange thought in him: When both the "Hunter" and the "Witch" pathways—high-sequence extraordinary traits—coexisted within him, would the "Red Angel" demon manifest in a masculine or feminine state? Whose status was higher, and who would thus hold dominance—would that be decided by whom? At that moment, the "Red Angel" demon glanced at Doane de Thénardier and his personal male servant, and remarked, "You have a most challenging presence." I haven't said a word yet... thought Caine, slightly puzzled. "I can already sense what you're thinking," said the "Red Angel" demon, "unless you're willing to admit your own ignorance. But perhaps that is actually a good thing for them." "Shut up!" And suddenly, blood-streaked mouths appeared on either side of the "Red Angel" demon's cheeks. Klein watched the scene of personality fragmentation across from him, and decided against delving deeper into the topic. Instead, he said, "I can certainly inform you in advance—though the question is, how exactly should I tell you?" In Klein's eyes, Caterina, the "Immortal Witch," wasn't exactly a good person, nor was the "Red Angel" spirit. It was indeed a welcome development that they were at odds. The "Red Angel" spirit chuckled and replied, "Of course—I shall invoke my divine title: 'The Great God of War, symbol of iron and blood, sovereign of upheaval and strife.'" "Hmph!" Both mouths on the "Red Angel" spirit's cheeks simultaneously emitted a tone of disdain, as though unconvinced. That was indeed the standard divine epithet. After all, once the Medici achieved the principle of 'Uniqueness,' had they not, in a sense, become quasi-divine? And as long as no one embraced the "Red Priest" path to 'Uniqueness,' would the spirit's status not remain unaltered—its title always pointing to Him? Klein nodded thoughtfully, hesitatingly asking, "Do you know anything about the secret sanctuary of the 'Blood Emperor' Alistair Tord?" Upon hearing the name, the "Red Angel" demon's facial muscles slightly twitched before he scoffed, "Are you really asking about the hidden secrets of the Royal House of Ruin?" "Perhaps you're not aware of that. It's actually the 'Blood Emperor's' secret sanctuary that you might be more familiar with." Klein deliberately provoked him. The "Red Angel" demon suddenly burst into laughter, clapping his hands on the armrest of the armchair, "Your tactics are so childish—they're as if coming from a three-year-old! "Hah! The hidden secrets of the Royal House of Ruin are actually quite simple; I can even guess them just by reading the newspapers. Honestly, you merely have a clever face—your brain is full of crawling insects!" "Just by reading the newspapers?" Klein furrowed his brows, asking in reply. The "Red Angel" spirit chuckled, curling her lips. "Of course, you'll need some basic common sense—I believe you already possess it. Allow me to ask you a few questions, and then you'll see how simple the answers are. Is the 'Blood Emperor's' secret sanctuary one that the Church is aware of?" "No," Kline firmly shook his head. The "Red Angel" spirit smiled, pressing on. "Do you know which path and which sequence the 'Blood Emperor' Alistair Tord held before ascending to the Sequence 0 rank?" "The 'Black Emperor' path, Sequence 1: 'The Sovereign Who Defeats the Order.'" Kline replied calmly. The "Red Angel" spirit nodded gently. "Do you know that before Alistair Tord became the 'Blood Emperor,' he served as one of the dual执政 officials of the Tord-Trenzost Combined Empire, and that six out of the current seven gods—including Night and Storm—supported him?" Kline nodded, giving a clear affirmative. The half-sitting, half-lying "Red Angel" demon lifted one leg over the other: "Do you know that after becoming the 'Blood Emperor,' Aristartha truly went mad—and fell directly during the Divine War?" "Somewhat," said Kline, not entirely certain, since he had learned this from Rosel's journal, while the Emperor's story came from the 'Gate' man. The "Red Angel" demon chuckled: "Then, do you think Aristartha Tudor, after becoming the 'Blood Emperor,' had both reason and opportunity to leave behind a secret sanctuary?" "No," Kline slowly shook his head. The "Red Angel" demon then spread his hands: "Since the sanctuary was established before Aristartha became the 'Blood Emperor,' and remained unknown even to the six deities who supported Him—what could it have been? If given a choice, would you willingly choose a path that inevitably leads to madness?" This... Kline instantly recalled the nine tombs required during the 'Black Emperor's' divine consecration ritual. To the "Murdered Prince of Order," before the return of the former "Black Emperor," secretly pursuing promotion to the rank of "Black Emperor" had been the very thing He had always wished to do! "Is that ancient site connected to the 'Black Emperor'?" asked Caine in a low voice. The "Red Angel" spirit once again stroked his chin, chuckling: "You seem to know quite well about the rituals of the 'Black Emperor.' Isn't it simple then? What has the current king of Roon been doing over the past few years? The abolition of the Grain Act, the unified civil service examination, the reorganization of military structures, the suppression of the Upper House and the nobility, and the strengthening of the Lower House's authority—aren't these all well-documented in the newspapers? And isn't it common knowledge that one can transition from the 'Judge's Path' to the 'Black Emperor's Path'? To Caine, many of these developments were simply "the currents of the age"—one of which he himself had championed. Until now, he had never viewed them through the lens of esoteric studies. Now, by connecting the dots, he suddenly gained a clear understanding. Soon, he remembered another matter: the previous candidate for the title of "Black Emperor" had been Roscel, who was also connected to Amun's brother!