The Stormy Sea, a barren, uninhabited island. Located not far from the southern continent, yet geographically distinct from it. Klein chose this island as the site for his ascension to the rank of Ancient Scholar for two reasons: first, to maximize his distance from both Amun and Chalatou, while avoiding the regions under the widespread influence of the Tree of Desire; second, because the island lies within the domain of the powers bequeathed by the Death God—effectively, it is as good as the realm of the Night Goddess. Should the ritual produce any significant disturbances, these effects would be well masked. Moreover, the island is extremely remote, with few or no living organisms, thus minimizing the risk of unforeseen incidents affecting innocent beings. Klein surveyed the surroundings and began setting up the ritual, gathering the necessary materials from the gray mist and bringing them into the tangible world. Then, he opened a thick volume of ancient historical records, extracting the sections he could not confidently verify, even after consulting divination methods. Click! He simply shook it, and the crimson flames surged upward, consuming the stack of papers. ——"Ancient scholar" potion requires a large volume of authentic historical records from antiquity; thus, Caine preferred to use only those he could verify, rather than risk relying on uncertain sources, even if it meant having fewer materials. After making his selections, he first poured the dog's blood from Fugon into the large cauldron, then added several white frost crystals that had been pre-weighed. As soon as the two auxiliary materials came into contact, a delicate mist immediately rose, enveloping the vessel, reaching half a person's height and one arm's width. Caine glanced at it, guided by an intuitive spiritual sense, and temporarily set aside the final auxiliary material, instead having the spirit companion Enyuni lift the fibrous heart of the mist-wolf and toss the condensed white mist into the cauldron. As Enyuni's arm began to form frost, the mist within the vessel grew increasingly dense and began to contract and expand, as though it now possessed its own life, pulsing gently, like a heart slowly beating. Without hesitation, Caine directed the secret figure Enyuni to grasp the pair of eyes from the dog of Fugon and gently inserted them into the dense, tangible mist. The color of the mist deepened rapidly, and Caine could no longer see the central cauldron. Yet he remained calm, allowing another secret figure to page by page cast the genuine ancient historical documents into the dark, thick fog. The mist gradually contracted inward, digesting the records before finally condensing like vapor and settling back into the cauldron as a substance that was both liquid and gaseous, dark red in hue, and roughly the size of an infant's head. Observing this, Caine removed the pendulum from within his left sleeve and used the method of divination to verify whether the potion had been successfully prepared. This time, he received a clear indication that the substance was quite dangerous but could be endured—thus confirming that the potion had been properly concocted. Even when prepared strictly according to the recipe, the potion of Sequence 3 proved to be as toxic as poison—promotion if one endured, madness if not, loss of control, and even death... Caine gazed at the yellow crystal pendant rotating rapidly in a counterclockwise motion for several seconds, then lifted the silver chain and rewrapped it around his left wrist. His gaze immediately turned to the potion floating within the great cauldron, and thoughts swiftly flashed through his mind: “The portrayal of a ‘Mystic Magician’ goes beyond keywords such as ‘startling,’ ‘terrifying,’ ‘director,’ and ‘difficult to comprehend abilities.’ It should also incorporate elements of inherent mystery, unknown nature, complexity, and an unpredictable fate—only when these two aspects are combined do we truly achieve a complete ‘Mystic Magician’—one aspect relating to behavior style, the other to intrinsic attributes. As for me, my origins are so mysterious that even I myself have not yet uncovered the full truth; my experiences are so complex that they have already prevented the descent of true gods and frightened the King of Angels; and my fate is so unpredictable that even the ‘Mercury Serpent’ finds it hard to grasp. Thus, I have already been embodying this role for some time, naturally absorbing the potion’s essence without needing to formally summarize or adhere to any rules. This truly embodies the essence of the word ‘mystic.’ Ah, regarding the ancient scholar’s ritual—which requires complete detachment from reality for at least three centuries, until one becomes a historical figure no longer belonging to the current age "It should be... Fortunately, it's not been more than two years yet—the imprint won't be too deep, and it's manageable. After all, I can't possibly hang myself for three centuries before taking the potion... The world's end is only a few decades away! Moreover, my knowledge of ancient history far surpasses that of any 'mystic wizard,' and I've already effectively embodied the role—this should help me avoid many potential dangers." As his thoughts swiftly shifted, Caine took a deep breath and decided to let it go. Wearing a silk hat and a double-breasted wool coat, his skin suddenly became translucent, revealing serpentine creatures with three-dimensional, layered symbols crawling across their bodies. These translucent worms stirred and seemed to inch toward the concentrated mist swirling within the large cauldron, leaving only the empty garments and hat behind. With steady composure, Caine extended his right hand and gently lifted the potion, which had curled and wrapped itself into the mist. The potion seemed weightless, drifting gently to his face. Cain opened his mouth and inhaled sharply inward. At once, the mass of potion deformed, stretched, and flowed into his mouth, as though he were swallowing a deep crimson glow. The transparent worms surged in, rushing back into his body, tearing off portions of the potion and swallowing them down. Due to the unique nature of his mythic being—both a unified whole and simultaneously divided into many small parts—Cain could only consume the potion in this manner. Of course, if he could master the fragmented form of his mythic being, the process would be much simpler. In silence, Cain felt a cold sensation spreading through every "spirit worm," accompanied by a burning pain. Immediately, familiar gray-white mist filled his vision—boundless and all-encompassing, enveloping the entire world, and below, revealing fragments of his past experiences. This encompasses his creation of terrifying legends, his dialogues with the "Red Angel" spirit, his visits to the "Justice" lady for treatments of Luca, the half-god, whose symptoms of instability, his pursuit of Hwen Lambis, his battles against Amun's duplicates, his vengeance against Inz. Zangewell, his explorations of the city of Caldrón, his infiltration of the Saint Samuel Church, his dominance over the seas, his efforts to prevent the "True Maker's" descent, his rescue of Tinggen, and all the various daily life details. These threads intertwine with different people and objects, becoming immensely complex and forming a vast ocean. As Caine "flies" above this expanse, he struggles to find a sufficiently accurate and clear sense of self-positioning, feeling increasingly lost within this realm. The cold resonance and the burning pain compel him to keep moving, to release this influence, making it difficult to return to the real world. Caine manages to hold onto this sensation, striving to locate tangible anchors of self-awareness as his consciousness grows hazy and his body slowly descends. Finally, he spotted a fragmented glimmer deep within the gray mist, at the far edge of the sea. A spark of intuition guided him, and he soared toward it with the grace of a traveler through the stars. Inside that glimmer hung a figure suspended within a hazy portal, enclosed in a transparent "cocoon," gently swaying—exactly as Zhou Mingrui had once been. Isolated, unconnected to the surroundings, yet effortlessly graspable. I couldn't see him before with the "Reenactment of Yesterday" incantation; now I can... That means, during my ascension, I can now indirectly influence the "Source Citadel" hovering above the mist? Wait—my thinking abilities have returned... Claryn's consciousness has sharpened significantly, and now he finally understands the true essence of the ritual. Eliminate distractions, establish a clear and precise identity for himself as an "Ancient Scholar," and prevent himself from becoming lost. Following similar glimmers of light, Caine began to "fly" deeper into the gray-white mist, extending toward an endless horizon. Along the way, he noticed scattered fragments of light embedded within the mist—fragments from the Colonial Era, the Rule of Roscel, the Betrayal War, the White Rose War, and the Twenty-Year War—each representing historical episodes Caine was familiar with from the Fifth Age. As he moved through these fragments, his consciousness naturally fragmented and established an invisible connection, sharpening his sense of orientation. Historical fragments from the Pale Age, the Four-Emperor War, the Trenzost Empire, the Tudor Dynasty, the United Empire, the First and Second Solomon Empires, the Fall of the Red Angels, the ascension of the "Blood Emperor" to divinity, and the return of the "Black Emperor" gradually emerged at various points within the endless gray mist, like stars scattered across a black night sky, illuminating the traveler's path home. In this journey, Klein felt himself growing ever more alert, each cold and searing sensation from the "spirits of the insects" becoming progressively gentler. He could have turned around and returned to the real world at any time, yet he did not stop—he soared forward with ease. The devastating assault of the "Redemption Rose," in which the three angels of purity, white light, and wisdom consumed the ancient sun god; the secret machinations of the "Hall of the Giants," with the angels of night, earth, and war hiding in the shadows, waiting patiently—these scenes unfolded one after another within the pale, misty haze. The further he traveled forward, the more at ease he felt, as though he were running so vigorously that he might soon rise into the air. Without realizing it, a group of terrifying canine creatures had appeared beside him—each with dark, short fur covering their bodies and their eye sockets blazing with deep crimson flames. They galloped through the gray mist that seemed to have no bottom, flanking him on either side, as if accompanying and guarding him. Among them, two had only one eye each. Klein glanced to his left and right, smiled gently, and continued onward, unyielding, into the deeper reaches Parts of the history of the "Twin Epoch" and the "Age of the First Fire's Radiance" swept past him, guiding his path forward. Eventually, Caine came to rest before a solitary fragment of light, within which lay a withered forest and a tomb of normal size. He looked further ahead, and the gray-white mist quietly thickened, its source of luminous fragments now uncertain. Feeling the waning of spirit, Caine did not seek them out; instead, his consciousness linked with his point of origin, and he suddenly descended. As the gray mist rapidly lightened, Caine became aware of his own body and saw the great cauldron before him. Without pausing to reflect on his current state, he instinctively raised his head and gazed upward. There, he directly saw the mist, and above it, the ancient, majestic palace. That mysterious space was gently trembling. ………… Beckland, a bicycle mail carrier, paused, slightly tilted his head, and adjusted his single-lens glasses on his right eye. He murmured softly, "Source Castle..." After a moment of pause, the slender young man smiled, his expression filled with anticipation. In the eastern district of the same city, within a rented apartment, figures suspended in midair gently swayed and emitted the sound: "Source Castle..." Suddenly, in Leonard Mitchell's mind, as he was assigning tasks to his team members beneath the Saint Samuel Church, a slightly aged voice resonated: "Source Castle..." PS: Today's update includes an additional chapter.