Above the gray mist, quiet returned, as though the gathering had been nothing more than a fleeting illusion. Caine curled his finger and lightly tapped the weathered edge of the long table, bringing the Rossel diaries that Gardeleia, the "Recluse," had just offered, once again into view. Amidst an indescribable stillness, Caine cast a solemn gaze upon the first paragraph of the first page: "September 27: I met Miss Iskara once again, and shared a tense yet deeply pleasant experience with her. Indeed, I still find younger women more appealing—this is not merely nostalgia, but a consistency that has endured for years. Truly, a devoted constancy." ...You expected me to show you this after I read your diary so seriously? Caine gave a subtle twitch at the corner of his mouth, offering a quiet remark to the Emperor who had only ever seen her portrait. He then gathered his scattered thoughts and began to move his gaze. ...In a resting room beneath Saint Samuel's Church, Leonard Mitchell opened his eyes and, after a moment's thought, spoke softly: "Old man, it seems the Carathas of the Monastery of the Silent also resides in Beckland." In his mind, the slightly weathered voice of the elder quickly responded: "Indeed..." Leonard immediately followed up: "Old man, have you ever met Carathas? Didn't you say earlier that both the Zoroastrian and Carathas families were among the great noble houses of the Kingdom of Solomon?" In his view, as former colleagues and friends who had fought side by side, how could the elder not be familiar with Carathas? Palis Zoroastrian exhaled softly: "The Carathas I knew passed away during the 'Four Kings' War. The one here must be his descendant. I may have seen him once, or perhaps I never did." "Ah, at that time, Zarathustra had already received a second set of clues regarding the extraordinary trait of Sequence 1 from the 'True Creator,' and was waiting for the conclusion of the 'Four Kings' War to pursue them. If successful, He could indeed be considered a King of Angels. Unfortunately, during the 'Four Kings' War, He directly encountered the member of the Antigonus family—someone renowned as half a 'Fool.' Berteliah Abraham also participated. He could appear anywhere at any time. Had it not been for the fact that He was swiftly driven away and sealed by night and storms, I doubt I would have endured until the very end of the war." Half a 'Fool'... Leonard's eyes widened at the title, and unexpectedly, he thought of the one above the gray mist. He then forcibly steadied himself, shifting his focus to other matters: even just from the accounts of the onlookers, "The Door" clearly stood among the very top tier of beings in the realm of the King of Angels. Even with the combined efforts of two true gods, it took them to drive Him away and seal Him. Indeed, He was exceptionally mobile—very difficult to kill—and at the time, the battlefield was tense; to swiftly eliminate a significant threat, they had to act quickly. Ah, there he goes, reminiscing about the past, his emotions stirred, speaking so much in one breath. As his thoughts flowed, Leonard suddenly interjected: "I was left behind in Bekland because I wanted to use you to draw Amun here?" The tone of Palis Soloyasde's sentiment momentarily faded, and he remarked with a sigh, "Who made this observation? I believe it wasn't you. Still, it's commendable that you've learned to leverage your own resources to uncover the truth." That has been my strength since joining the Night Watch! Leonard thought it over in his mind but didn't say it out loud. Palis Soloyasde continued: "I've been thinking the same thing. Honestly, the connection between your former colleague and the Night has been quite puzzling. I wouldn't have dared make this assumption at all if it weren't for that subtle force that appeared that day—something I found familiar. "Heh, Chalatu and I are in Beckland, and Amun is about to arrive—what a perfect triangular balance." What does that mean...? The subtle force that manifested during our encounter with Amun came from the Night domain, not from the Man of the Fool. Does that imply a certain level of cooperation between the Man of the Fool and the Goddess, or is it the case that a high-ranking figure within the Church actually believes in the Man of the Fool? Leonard suddenly felt a profound sense of uncertainty and confusion about his own position. He noticed that Palis was also somewhat puzzled, so he suppressed his own thoughts and did not ask about it, his brow slightly furrowed. "Two angels of Sequence 1, one Angel King—could this not bring a catastrophic disaster to Beckland?" He remembered Amun as a being who could silently kill countless people while still enjoying life with a serene demeanor, even while bearing the identity of a victim. By comparison, Chalatu, following a similar path, must surely possess equally terrifying and unsettling powers. Should Amun and Chalatu clash, half—or even all—of Beckland might transform into a "City of the Dead" or a "City of Strange Phenomena!" Palis Soloyasda chuckled. "Balance means everyone will remain restrained. Moreover, Amun likely won't allow his true form to enter Beckland. He might only summon numerous copies instead. After all, night cannot remain still without storms, and steam cannot descend without a divine presence." "What do you mean?" Leonard keenly picked up the key points in the old man's words. Palis Soloyasda's tone immediately became serene: "Whether due to war or some other reason, the night currently seems unable to interfere with earthly affairs. Otherwise, why bring Amun here to achieve balance? He could simply set a trap—perhaps even capture Zarathustra, or scare away the timid 'seer'." "...Has the goddess encountered any issue?" Leonard suddenly grew tense. The slightly weathered voice replied: "It might not be a bad thing at all—it could even be a good one." Before Leonard could ask further, Palis Soloyasda sighed again: "Amun was drawn to Bekland by me. What about Zarathustra? And me?" "Zarathustra was also drawn by you, and you, in turn, were drawn by me," Leonard responded thoughtfully. "Ah, now tell me—why do *you* feel you're in Bekland?" Palis chuckled instantly. Leonard replied immediately, "This is part of the Church's arrangement. Surely it can't be the Law of Convergence of Exceptional Traits at work, can it?" "Not necessarily," Palais said, his tone slightly more serious. "Often, the Law of Convergence doesn't manifest directly in ways you can perceive—it works more subtly, shaping destinies. It's like you board a train and, unexpectedly, find the scenery particularly beautiful at some mid-point station, so you get off early and linger in a small town. That very change might be due to the presence of other exceptional individuals or magical items along the same route." "In other words, there are other forces in Bekland drawing you and Chalatua here, influencing my fate through you, which is why the Church has arranged for me to be mostly based in Bekland?" Leonard sought confirmation, his understanding growing. Palais Soloyasdi sighed slowly, "That remains a very plausible possibility." …above the gray mist, Caine quickly turned to a valuable journal entry: "November 21st: Because of all the prior preparations, I obtained the chaotic, terrifying 'Level 0' seal much sooner than I had anticipated. After a strenuous struggle—aided by external support—I finally restored it to its pure Sequence 1 extraordinary quality. A few days later, once the ritual is fully prepared, I should be promoted to Sequence 1 'Knowledge Emperor' within the 'Seer' path." "November 26th, clear skies, light breeze. The ritual proceeded smoothly, and I absorbed it thoroughly. The anchor proved exceptionally stable, with only minor challenges encountered throughout. I am now a Sequence 1 Angel, the Emperor of Knowledge. Bernadette no longer needs to worry about the influence of the 'Hidden Sage.' From this point forward, she may continue her journey with the guiding principle of 'act freely, yet without causing harm'!" "At the same time, the angelic rank of Sequence 1 means I can largely resist the gaze and contamination from the stars and journey to the Red Moon to see what lies there. 'Whether or not the 'Gatekeeper' is lying, everything points to the Red Moon being central to the issue—I must uncover the reason if I am to become a true god. 'Let's attempt the lunar journey in three more days!' 'This is my small step—but it is a giant leap for humanity!' Ha! That's not something I said." As he read this, Kline recalled the pages of Roxel's frantic diary, growing more doubtful that it was written after his imperial ascent to the Moon. Setting aside the remaining, unread diary entries, Kline began to recall the contents he had seen over the past year and a half through his 'dream divination,' comparing them side by side in search of clues indicating Roxel's deteriorating mental state in his later years. Not long after, he saw several lines of text in his dream, the final entry of Roscel's theoretical journal: "I can't offer specific suggestions because I can't see the Seven Gods clearly, nor can I make out the true forms of the malevolent deities. This may be related to the partial contents of the second 'Tabula Deflorata' concealed by that ancient organization. Unfortunately, I only have a general sense that there is hidden material—without confirmation." ——In this entry, the Emperor also solemnly cautioned any potential "companions" to be cautious of the Moon. No, how could he possibly have forgotten something so important? He seemed only slightly biased, even extreme, otherwise there was nothing wrong—yet why was it like this... Klein found himself silently murmuring without being able to stop, and unexpectedly, a strange and unsettling sensation arose: the Emperor Rossel, writing his final diary entry—or just that one sentence—seemed like a completely different person.