Germán Spáro said nothing. Tracy’s heart sank slowly, as though falling into an ice cavern. Seeing the faint desperation in the "sickly commander"’s expression, Kline pulled out a notepad from his pocket, then flicked it with a wrist motion, sending it soaring toward the front like a playing card. With a soft whoosh, the notepad seemed metallic, slicing through a few invisible spider threads, cleaving through translucent ice crystals, and gliding across Tracy’s left upper arm, drawing a fresh trail of blood. The paper quickly stained crimson, then spun past the immobile witch, returning to Kline’s hands. "...” Tracy had expected the notepad to fly toward her throat, but it only targeted her arm, leaving her momentarily stunned. It wasn’t until Germán Spáro folded the paper and placed it inside a metal cigarette box that she suddenly realized, and asked, “So, your real purpose was to find Katrínna?” Klein casually placed the iron cigarette box back into his coat pocket, said nothing, and calmly asked, "Are you her descendant?" Hearing this, Tracie, still trapped by the ice crystals and spider silk and unable to move, suddenly chuckled, "Not just a descendant—I am her child." "Child... daughter... Celine, on one hand, is relieved that she didn't act impulsively and kill her, thereby alerting Catriona, the 'White Witch,' while on the other, unconsciously pondering whether Catriona is actually Triss's mother or father. If Catriona had once been a man, she could indeed have been Triss's father. However, the issue lies in that during the late Fourth Age, during the 'Pallor Plague,' Catriona had already ascended to the status of a semi-deity at Sequence 4. The 'Assassin' path, however, undergoes a transformation from male to female at the Sequence 7 'Witch' stage. Therefore, for Catriona to be Triss's father, Triss would have to be at least over a thousand and three hundred years old—something utterly impossible for a Sequence 5 Exceptional One, and even most Sequence 4 and Sequence 3 Saints couldn't achieve it!" There's only one answer: Tracie is actually Tracie's own daughter, born just over the past few decades—such a mother in her late thousands of years of age! Klein nodded gently, without any change in expression, simply confirming: "Is she your mother?" Tracie's face immediately grew strange. "No, she's my mother." Klein had just been about to ask what the difference was between a mother and a mother—after all, wasn't it just a matter of formality versus informality? But Tracie had already chuckled to herself, saying: "My mother is someone else—she used to be my father." ...Your female mage families are so chaotic... but that's not the reason you present to the outside world as a disaster. Klein used his "clown" ability to steady the muscles of his face, maintaining a neutral expression as he gazed at the "ill girl." Tracy, already in a dire situation, now feels a bit defeated. Without waiting for Germaine Spalro's response, she sighed and chuckled self-consciously: "Perhaps I've always been a mistake from the very beginning. Unusual parents, an unusual family dynamic, an unusual religious establishment—these have both shaped and harmed me. When I was eight, I discovered that my father, whom I had always admired as a model, suddenly became a woman, growing increasingly frail each day, and increasingly skilled at using her charm to manipulate people. Eventually, she even began dating men and gave birth to a brother. Can you imagine the turmoil that must have caused? When I finally left home and came to the sea, after years of struggle, I rediscovered a sense of normalcy and clarity about myself, and learned what truly mattered to me. A potion transformed me into a woman too—well, a woman..." “….” Tracy opened her mouth, only to exhale and smile with a complex expression, “I admit, I wanted to stir your sympathy back then—everyone longs to live, doesn’t they? But I didn’t say a single falsehood; all of that came from my own life experiences.” She didn’t further embellish her pain or sorrow, pausing briefly to add, “Before you kill me, I’d like to ask you one question—one that won’t trouble you.” “What?” Klein asked the sorceress across from him. Tracy hesitated a moment before finally speaking, “Did Elain know about this when you came to kill me the last time?” Klein paused a moment and replied, “She didn’t know what would happen.” A glow of brightness immediately appeared on Tracy’s face, “Really?” Before Germain Spalro could respond, she revealed a deeply complex expression, “Before I die, may I ask you one more thing?” If you ever see Isla again, tell her that I am deeply sorry for what has happened, though I do not regret it." As she said this, Tracie tried to shake her head, but the clear ice crystals and invisible spider's threads held her fast, preventing her from doing so. She settled for a self-deprecating smile: "Well, never mind. It doesn't matter. Just let it be." "You may begin," she added, closing her eyes. After a few seconds, she felt no pain as she had expected—instead, she heard Germaine Sparrow's voice, low and steady: "Say it. Let no one disturb me." ...Tracie was taken aback, filled with confusion, her expression growing increasingly puzzled. Yet, since she was now facing death, such a small matter didn't warrant further thought. She simply opened her mouth and said: "Say it. Let no one disturb me." The same voice echoed throughout the "Black Death," now louder than before. The pirates showed no suspicion, as if following some peculiar pattern, instinctively avoiding the captain's quarters and continuing with their own tasks. The captain had instructed them not to disturb her—so naturally, they didn't seek her out! Meanwhile, Tracy noticed Germán Sparrow remove his hat, place it against his chest, and give a slight bow, as though bidding farewell. Then, she felt herself isolated from the entire world, the room falling silent, even the wildly adventurous man gone. She had achieved the "undisturbed" environment she desired. The "magnification" and "distortion" of the "lawyer's" path! The ice layer on her body began to melt, yet those invisible filaments remained firmly bound, preventing her from moving—she could not even shift her weight. Thus, she stood there, like a lifelike wax figure. "He didn't kill me..." Tracy stared blankly ahead, momentarily almost unable to believe it. She didn't think Gerem Spalro had spared her out of pity. As a wildly adventurous man, he had slain numerous pirates without ever showing mercy, and though Tracy considered herself no ordinary sorceress and had never done much that truly counted as magic, she had surely committed many crimes as a pirate—whether it was selling slaves or raiding ships—she had ample experience. Likewise, she didn't believe Gerem Spalro had been moved by her beauty or her life story, captivated by her, because his gaze had remained cold, as if viewing a corpse. "There must be other factors involved..." Tracy's thoughts raced as she drew connections from the possibilities within her own circumstances, quickly forming a clear judgment. "It's likely that our close blood relationship has played a key role. The witches are especially skilled at casting curses, and once I pass away, my mother will immediately sense something amiss, detect the problem here, and take preventive measures—thereby disrupting Germaine Spalro's subsequent efforts and making his targets elusive. That's why he has kept me alive but severed my connection to others. In this light, regardless of whether his actions against my mother succeed or fail, he may return to kill me. Therefore, if I am to survive, I must succeed in rescuing myself before then. In Tracy's heart, her feelings toward her mother, Caterina, were never particularly deep. The 'immortal witch' had lived for so long, and most of her time had been spent maintaining her youthful spirit through interactions with younger people. While she showed warmth and interest in her children when they caught her attention, she was generally cold and distant most of the time." Yet, as she grew older, Caterina found Tracy becoming more and more like the woman she used to be, which earned her greater affection and support. However, Tracy did not desire this level of attention, and as a result, she lost her sense of self, trapped in an unrelenting sense of pain. "Ah… though I deeply resent her, complain to her, I still unconsciously rely on her, long for her to respect my opinions… I hope, I hope she will escape Germaine Sparrow's pursuit…" Tracy once again struggled, striving to break free from her entrapment. On one hand, she was saving herself; on the other, she wished to swiftly inform her mother, urging her to remain vigilant against Germaine Sparrow! Of course, Tracy had some doubts about whether Germaine Spalro, who had only recently been promoted to Sequence 4, could pose a real threat to her own mother—a woman renowned as "immortal" and having survived through the Quaternary period. Yet she wasn't holding out any hope, for Germaine Spalro had allies, notably the "Death Magistrate," someone even her mother feared! Thump! Finally, Tracy collapsed to the floor, trying to roll toward the desk, but no matter how hard she struggled, her body would not move. She was fighting not against anyone else—but against the very version of herself that had been twisted and magnified! ... Above the gray mist, Caine had settled into the high-backed chair of the "Fool," placing the sheet stained with the blood of the "Sick Commander" Tracy upon the weathered table. Then, he manifested pen and paper, and inscribed the divinatory phrase: "The current location of the mother of the 'Sick Commander' Tracy, Caterina." Set down his pen, Caine held the two sheets of paper, leaned back against the chair, closed his eyes, and softly repeated the words he had just written. After seven repetitions, he entered a dream, seeing a towering Gothic clock tower emerging clearly against the hazy world. Around the tower, Caterina, dressed in white saintly robes, stood in the shadows of several houses, her expression serious as she surveyed the surroundings, as though searching for something specific. A red moon hung high in the sky, in exactly the same position as Caine had seen it just before entering the gray mist. This indicated that the "White Witch" Caterina remained in Bekkanth, in the western district, actively pursuing a specific target.