Noticing her ladyship's clear interest in the ghostly legends, Anne glanced at the other maids preparing hot water, combs, and other items, and continued: "The doctors and nurses would like to invite the parish bishop to celebrate Mass, but the remaining patients strongly oppose this, eager to meet the ghost themselves. They call it the 'Clown Angel,' describing its eerie appearance as deliberately dressed like a clown—yet it is, in truth, an angel who alleviates their suffering and illness." "That's a most interesting title," Audrey murmured with a gentle smile. In past years, she would have been deeply intrigued, eager to journey to the hospital overnight through dream-walking to investigate what exactly the 'Clown Angel' was. But the outbreak of war has left her more subdued, feeling overwhelmed by so many serious and pressing matters, leaving little room for curiosity or exploration. In fact, if she hadn't personally experienced the air raids and seen the people injured as a result, she would have been certain that the war had never truly begun and that Beckland remained remarkably peaceful over the past few days. After the air raid, the Luon Kingdom's airship forces entered the conflict, raising coastal cities' air defense standards significantly—since then, Beckland has not faced any further attacks. The current fighting between Fusc and Luon is concentrated in three areas: first, the cold-weather region of the Mandara Mountains in the northern province of Rinn; second, the heavy industrial urban clusters along the eastern coast of the Midsea; and third, several major ports along the Sunya Sea coast. All three fronts remain stagnant, with neither side gaining a decisive advantage. Though casualties have occurred, the impact on Beckland has been minimal—aside from rising prices and regular news reports—the city has regained its calm within just a few days. But Audrey wouldn't see it that way. Her father and brother had recently been busy and constantly traveling, returning home only late in the evening, or gathering groups of nobles, members of parliament, and clergy for private meetings at their house. Through the night, she learned firsthand the exact number of casualties at Prizel Port and the front lines in Andamand, even seeing some battlefield photographs. She was actively raising funds, reaching out to major pharmaceutical companies and reputable hospitals, striving to organize battlefield rescue efforts and charitable medical services. Who could have imagined that the adventurer known for his wildness not only donated surplus food from the estate but also contributed an additional 7,000 pounds in cash? Audrey sighed quietly and began having her maids attend to her. ........... South District of the Bridge, Rose Street. Emlyn White casually handed a ten-pound note to a fundraiser from a charitable organization, adjusted his hat, and walked up the steps into the Harvest Church. At that moment, there was not a single believer in the church, and Father Utrofski, resembling a half-giant, sat at the very front, praying with solemn devotion. Emlyn didn't hurry to change into his priest's robe; instead, he settled beside the priest, intending to say something, but when he opened his mouth, it only turned into a "hey" of laughter. "It must be your typical Fasakian look and build that's making the believers hesitant to come," Emlyn said, gazing at the altar ahead, as if casually. Father Utrofski lowered his hands and opened his eyes. "I can understand that." "But what good does understanding do? If the war were any fiercer, and if more soldiers were killed, perhaps those believers would flood in, burn down the church, and hang you up." Emlyn continued to gaze at the Life Saint's emblem. Father Utrofski gave a slight shake of his head. "No, they won't. They genuinely believe in the Mother Goddess. They won't burn the church—only drive me out." "If I declare myself to have renounced my Fyresk nationality, people will always understand and accept me," Emlyn said, his gaze fixed without moving. "But what if Feneport joins the war and attacks the Ruin lands around the Dices Bay? What if the Great Mother Church calls upon all its clergy to oppose Ruin? Are you following the Church's orders and abandoning your faithful here, or are you pretending not to know—continuing as you are now, preaching the preciousness of life and the joy of harvest? Or perhaps, are you organizing your faithful to make them enemies of their own kin, proving through blood and sacrifice the strength of their faith?" The Bishop, Utravaski, slowly turned his gaze toward the altar and the life emblem upon it, remaining silent for a long time. Emlyn, too, stopped asking questions and grew silent, just like the priest. The entire Harvest Church fell into stillness. …… On a colonial island, Algier Wilson, who had not yet returned to Pasu Island, remained aboard the "Azure Avenger" out of prudence, sending seamen in rotation to land and gather intelligence. "Captain, we still haven't received any word summoning us," one seaman reported, his voice thick with the aroma of wine. Algier waved him away, then slightly furrowed his brow, murmuring silently, "The Church seems to be giving this war rather little attention..." In Algier's view, it should have been a vigorous, widespread conflict. As the besieged party, the Storm Church would naturally have mobilized all its forces to defeat the invaders—dispatching its scattered "captains" across the seas and assigning them specific missions. Yet, up to this moment, Algier had not received a single command from Pasu Island. This doesn't mean the Storm Church is being passive or sluggish. The active presence of the Church within the Roon military, its aerial defenses in the major cities, and the various activities of the half-divine warriors all demonstrate that the Storm Church is seriously countering the Fsaq Empire's invasion—just not with full determination. "Could it be that we're still in the early stages of the war? Perhaps the Church intends to preserve its strength for a critical moment?" Aljer suppressed his inner uncertainties and awaited further developments. That evening, another group of sailors returned, bringing news unrelated to the war. "Captain, it seems there's something monstrous hidden on this island. Many pirates report that after drinking heavily, when they go out to urinate, they encounter terrifying events. Some are struck hard by branches of trees, others see fruits growing on their bodies—fully fleshed with blood and muscle—while others encounter slender ghostly figures with faces covered in grains of wheat..." A relatively composed sailor recounted the stories he had gathered. Ghostly legends... Aljer had no intention of uncovering the truth, and with a serious tone, nodded and advised, "Stay indoors at night." After Beckland and Prizeland became part of the folklore, Caine never visited those hospitals again, fearing direct encounters with Charatou's secret figures. Leveraging the "creeping hunger" and his ability to "travel," he expanded the reach of his terror tales—occasionally appearing in the Sunia Sea, the Mist Sea, in Lunburg, in Feneport, and in places such as the Eastern and Western Baryns and the Highland Valleys—without any fixed pattern, acting solely on inspiration. Some cities he visited repeatedly, while others he visited only once and then never returned. During this process, Caine unexpectedly felt a strange sensation—as if in the terrifying darkness, countless intangible tendrils were extending themselves, either tracking his movements or attempting to anticipate them and intercepting him in advance. Silent and cold, these tendrils were unforgiving; once ensnared, the consequences would be dire. Caine knew this might very well be part of Zarathustra's "search." His best course of action was to temporarily cease performing his current role, withdraw, and remain concealed. Yet precisely this subtle sensation motivated him to accelerate the consumption of the magic potion. Thus, he leveraged the power of the gray mist—each time selecting a target location at random, Caine would first ascend to the mist to divinate the level of danger and then use paper angel figures to create interference. At this very moment, having significantly advanced in his digestion of the potion, Caine "transmitted" himself to the city of Kukwa in the northern province of Xibayang—the very place where he had slain Inz. Zangwei, avenging himself and his captain. As his figure materialized on the white-feathered plaza, Caine suddenly became aware of an anomaly. The manor belonging to General Meisangyes ahead was unusually quiet—so quiet that it sent a chill down one's spine, standing on end. ——Meisangyes was a native general who had previously purchased military supplies from Doun Thantès, himself an extraordinary being of the "Death God" path, backed by the Church of Knowledge. Strange... Caine did not hesitate. His body suddenly became translucent, turning into shadow and vanishing into the night's darkness, while the secret double, Quirinus Colg, bearing the face of Daven Tanats, walked steadily toward the mansion of Mesanyes. ——This is the "shadow concealment" inherent to the "creeping hunger." As for Caine's other secret double, Eunyin, who was waiting nearly one kilometer away, and the several "mice" belonging to that double, separated by nearly one kilometer from the double itself, remained completely motionless. Soon, Daven Tanats reached the grand entrance of the general's mansion and activated his "spirit-line" vision. Before him unfolded a tangled network of black, ethereal filaments, seemingly growing organically, as though originating from different individuals yet carrying a clearly shared "essence." The normal "spirit-lines" were entirely absent. Daven Tanats remained silent for several seconds, then extended his right hand and pushed open the door that had not yet closed. The setting had already changed from what Klein remembered—the golden foil wrapped around the columns, the golden statues embedded in the walls, and the ornate staircases were all tangled together, resembling a massive hedgehog with golden spines protruding. Sharp stone pillars rose from the ground, and broken glass lay scattered everywhere. In addition, the hall now contained several bookshelves that felt unreal, somewhat ethereal. At various points along these shelves, patches of dark shadows lay hidden. At certain moments, these shadows would curl and stretch, like eyes. As the main door opened, these liquid-like black shadows suddenly came to life and each emitted the same voice: "是你！" "I predicted this correctly—you are indeed the one who has resolved my predicament!"