On a high altar embedded with eyes, arms, heads, and internal organs, a deep crimson light—like blood—surged forth in waves, twisting into distorted, tree-like spectral forms. Amid the resonant hum, objects such as human bones, candles, silver plates, and golden boxes trembled simultaneously, as if capable of lacerating the spiritual essence. The praying attendees instinctively lowered their heads and knelt upon the ground. Then, at once, a clear realization dawned in each of their minds: "Furious Sea, Rock Island..." With a crisp snap, the paper figure ignited with blazing red flames, its back sprouting a dense array of ethereal wings. Klein was momentarily stunned—never expected that a simple "paper figure substitute" could evoke even a hint of the "angelic bearing." He immediately grasped the secret figures Chunus and Enyuni, using the "transport" ability, and vanished from the island composed entirely of rocks. After making several transfers through the islands of Sunya Sea, taking a long detour, Klein finally returned to his residence in the eastern district of Beckland. Throughout this journey, he consecutively employed several upgraded "paper figure substitutes" to disrupt divination, prophecy, tracking, and observation. Ah—never expected that the "Source Citadel" would actually respond, manifesting such unmistakable anomalies. . . Fortunately, I remained vigilant and cautious, not letting my guard down. If I had been promoted in Beckland or in the surrounding regions, both Amun and Chalatu would surely have "seen" me. Klein exhaled in relief, then briskly reversed four steps, stepping into the mist above, and began his divination. Once he confirmed that his current situation was safe, he made no停留 and immediately returned to the real world, using meditation to initially gather his dispersed spiritual energy. As he did this, he began undressing while reclining backward, then lay down on the bed and fell asleep. Normally, a "Weird Mage" successfully advancing to the rank of "Ancient Scholar" wouldn't feel as exhausted as he did—there would surely be energy left to assess his own condition. But during his journey through history,克莱恩 relied on his deep-seated imprint stretching back far into the past, and on his mastery of ancient secrets far exceeding his current level, allowing him to surge all the way to the early Second Age or the late First Age, when the "Age of the Giants" was established. This alone was equivalent to digesting a powerful elixir. After a deep sleep lasting several hours,克莱恩 slowly opened his eyes and awoke. He reached for the pillow, positioned it behind him, and then lifted his head, rubbing his temples. After a few minutes of gradual recovery, he fully awakened and began to assess himself: "The potion had been largely digested almost immediately upon ingestion—at least four-fifths of it—just as I had anticipated. Yet, still, a considerable amount of ancient materials would need to be gathered, and a substantial body of authentic historical research would have to be undertaken before it could be fully assimilated. Currently, the role of the 'ancient scholar' appears to unfold in two directions: one involving scholars originating from antiquity, and the other involving scholars studying antiquity. Both dimensions are necessary. The first is relatively straightforward, as the ritual itself inherently establishes the key element of becoming an ancient person. Once the promotion is successfully achieved, one can naturally embody the persona of an ancient scholar." "The second point is particularly difficult. In a normal society, things are manageable; but in this world where true gods, demons, and evils truly exist, merely gathering ancient records is already a matter of significant risk. If one hopes to uncover the true historical truth, one may suddenly and inexplicably succumb to a tragic death—often without any apparent cause. The more one learns, the greater the danger becomes... I am able to know so much, largely thanks to the arrangements of certain individuals and the complex fate brought by 'the Source Castle,' which constantly presents me with various unexpected events. Of course, even thus, as a favored servant of a true god, I have already died once—let alone other 'ancient scholars'? Swapping the roles of 'miracle master' and 'ancient scholar' would have made things much simpler, but such a 'what if' simply doesn't exist. Moreover, the earlier two meanings leaned more toward 'ancient,' and the term 'scholar' itself must be carefully considered—only someone who can derive meaningful insights from history can truly be called a scholar." "Next, several directions need to be fully absorbed. First, clarify the current state of 'the Shadow Angel' Sathelir and accurately reconstruct the specific course of the 'Great Cataclysm.' Second, invest time and effort to truly weave together the history of the Fourth Age as a coherent narrative, rather than merely piecing together isolated episodes. Third, delve deeper—progress from understanding macro-level dynamics to examining micro-level details, such as the rise and fall of the Antigonid dynasty..." After confirming that his pre-emptive role had proven effective and solidifying his vision for the future, Caine, drawing upon the esoteric knowledge gained through his promotion and his observations of his divine sigil, gradually explored the capabilities of the 'Ancient Scholar' through methods of divination and practical experience: "Six hundred differentiated 'spirit insects' have now been established, and the divine sigil has evolved—become more intricate, capable of expressing concepts such as power, strangeness, and the extraordinary... The transformation of the sigil stems from two sources: newly acquired attributes, and the esoteric knowledge embedded within the elixirs. This knowledge is both inherent to the exceptional traits and also drawn from higher-level sources. Once truly established as a "Being able to interpret potion recipes from divine patterns seems like a concrete example... Moreover, at Sequence 3 level, changes in divine patterns are also influenced by individual traits—this is closely tied to prayer and response. Even among those who share the title of 'Ancient Scholar,' their respective honorifics inherently differ due to their unique personalities, experiences, and traits. 'Yes, I can have different 'Spirit Insects' instinctively listen to prayers and respond in a relatively simple manner, without disrupting my other activities. For particularly marked or more complex cases, I'll delegate the response to the body itself. Can 'Ancient Scholars' fulfill the role of deities through their differentiated 'Spirit Insects'? How do other Sequence 3 entities handle such responsibilities? Can they respond while simultaneously sleeping? Ah, I'll ponder my own honorific as an 'Ancient Scholar' later. For now, let me focus on studying the specific abilities." "Well... the primary ability of 'ancient scholars' is to draw upon assistance from history, which breaks down into two aspects: drawing strength from their past selves. "To me, this feels a bit awkward and currently lacks utility, since the past me was undoubtedly weaker than the present me. Indeed, when I hung suspended above the gray mist, I was merely an ordinary person. For someone once a prominent figure, now weakened by various circumstances, this ability is truly a divine technique—enabling them to act as a baby, crying for an ice cream while simultaneously engaging in the frontline battles of Sequence 1, with no visible weaknesses. The only drawback is that it doesn't last very long. Of course, as the duration of my time as an 'Ancient Scholar' grows longer, this becomes increasingly effective. I can regularly draw upon the strength of my former self, the one who once held that title, ensuring that I never experience weakness—even after suffering significant injuries. In a sense, this is what one might call 'endless existence,' maintaining a consistently high state until the spiritual essence is ultimately depleted." "Indeed, as long as my spiritual energy isn't depleted, I can continuously draw upon the strength of my past self—there's no limit to the number of times. Currently, even without restoring my spiritual reserves through this process, I can draw upon it nearly ten times per day, each instance sustaining me for about five minutes. "These are the three conditions required for success. Moreover, when summoning beings and objects that surpass one's own nature, even if success is achieved through effort, the final projected image will only embody partial strength and traits—never a complete form. Additionally, the images I have summoned from the historical fissures can only be sustained in number—only three at a time, including those summoned through secret figures. Currently, even for ordinary items that are sufficiently familiar and once belonged to me, I can maintain their presence for no more than a minute. The point that the target must be closely related to oneself is particularly intriguing. In essence, drawing upon one's own strength is itself a form of summoning; however, when the relationship between oneself and the target is so intimate that it reaches a state of complete unity, failure becomes impossible—this represents an extreme case of such a summoning." "In other words, if I want to summon the images of great figures from the historical gaps, I should first build a sufficiently friendly relationship with them and maintain it over a long period. For instance, the likelihood of successfully summoning Mr. Azk is certainly higher than that of summoning the historical images of other angels. 'What kind of extraordinary ability is this? This is plain old Emotional Intelligence, Relationship Management, and Interpersonal Skills!' With these thoughts, Klein genuinely believes that the core strength of ancient scholars is a true masterstroke—especially when it comes to history and time, which are inherently magical. However, to truly realize their potential, one must possess sufficient wisdom and make the necessary preparations. This remains an unchanging requirement of the 'Seer' path." "Well, when summoning images from the fissures of history, dialogue and communication are impossible—meaning the 'ancient scholars' cannot intervene in history, alter the past. From a performative standpoint, this can be summarized as witnessing fate, influencing the present, but being unable to reverse the past... The 'paper man stand-in' not only transfers illnesses, wounds, curses, attacks, prophecies, and gazes, but also possesses an additional ability: it can transfer a specific part of the paper man to the target. As long as the target hasn't realized it's false, the part functions as genuine. Hah! Imagine someone encountering me during that brief moment when their heart has ceased beating but their brain has not yet died—I can bestow upon them a paper heart, drawing strength from the history itself to beat and circulate blood... The initial control time for the 'thread of spirit' has been reduced to two seconds, fully transforming into a puppet takes ten seconds, and the effective range for these two forms of manipulation extends to five hundred meters. The limit for maneuvering secret figures and exchanging positions reaches five kilometers... The 'fire leap' also operates within that five-kilometer range. Air projectiles can be freely controlled in power, reaching He prepared to enter above the gray mist, to inspect the changes of "The Source Fortress."