In the "Land Abandoned by the Gods," there are few roads in the conventional sense, yet the terrain is not particularly difficult to traverse, as vast stretches are open, barren wildernesses dominated by deep blackness. Occasionally, resilient plants emerge, twisted and bizarre, their original forms utterly indistinct to Caine. In areas beyond the reach of lantern light, the night itself seems to come alive—deep and silent, as though it were slowly pulsing and consuming everything it touches. As an "Ancient Scholar," Caine merely glances with the corner of his eye and immediately observes countless "spirit threads" extending from the darkness—ethereal, fine, and infinite in number—revealing that the night harbors a multitude of hidden creatures. These creatures were remarkably quiet, simply gazing at Amun, dressed in the attire of an ancient mage, and at Caine, embodying the refined gentleman of the present age, as they walked through the desolate wilderness under the soft, yellow glow. Caine looked straight ahead, casually holding his leather lantern, neither concerned about when it might go out. As he and Amun approached the edge of the plain and entered the hilly terrain, a creature in the slanting rear darkness—distorted in form, with two heads, five arms, and body coiled like a mass of flesh—suddenly trembled. It had become Caine's secret companion. The manipulation of the "Line of Spirits" had always been silent, and the distance had not exceeded five hundred meters. The very next second, the creature went still, its life drained away. To Amun's left, wearing a soft-capped pointed hat, smiled gently and raised his right arm, palm open, revealing an object: a translucent, three-dimensional worm. "The Spirit Worm!" This was stolen from the secret figure along with the "Thread of the Spirit Body" by Amun. Before Kline could speak, Amun casually curled his fingers into a fist and crushed the transparent worm. Instantly, Kline felt a deep, soul-level pain, as if his head were about to split open. Fortunately, having previously crafted numerous "Recreation of Yesterday" sigils and "Spirit-Control Bullets," he had grown accustomed to this sensation and only slightly twisted his face, remaining composed. Amun maintained his earlier smile and waved his palm with a gentle gesture. "You're too reserved—be bolder." As the pain subsided, Kline raised his hand to rub his temple, feeling both mentally and physically drained, each "Spirit Worm" calling out for rest. During the pursuit by Charathus, the spiritual essence he had borrowed from his own past had nearly been depleted, and with continuous "transmissions" and the use of "Divine Embrace" to erase traces, he had now reached his limits. After returning to the safe zone, he had originally intended to inspect the surroundings at the Hazy Summit before entering a deep sleep to restore his strength—only to be ambushed by Amon and suffer a "parasitic" affliction, winding up all the way to this forsaken realm. Had he not been pressed to his limits by the dire circumstances, he likely would have fallen asleep en route or exhibited signs of losing control. "I now need to rest," said Caine, calmly placing his right hand down. He believed Amon would fulfill this request, as the more desperately he struggled yet remained unable to escape, the more likely it was to satisfy Amon's delight-seeking nature. "Very well," Amon's face, wearing a single-lens spectacles, slightly turned toward the hillside and remarked, "There is a resting place there, which we can reach soon. Of course, if you'd prefer to camp out in the wilderness, I'm equally comfortable with that—I simply sense that humans tend to favor a setting that offers a sense of security." "Then let's go there." Klein had intended to use the flame of the lantern to propel himself into the leap, but his dry spirituality hindered him, so he followed Amun, stepping forward one foot at a time. Along the way, with a mindset of curiosity and inquiry, Klein asked Amun: "Why don't you simply shorten the distance and arrive at your destination directly?" Amun tilted his head, gazing at Klein with his right eye wearing a single-crystal spectacles, and gave a slight curve to his lips. "It's not me who wants to rest." ...Klein closed his mouth and moved silently ahead. After about a dozen lightning strikes, Amun raised a finger toward the diagonal front. "We've arrived." Within less than a hundred meters, in the shade of a hill, several half-ruined structures resembling the tops of towers were scattered. The ground was raised by dozens of massive stone pillars, each rising only to Klein's knee height, with sparse grass growing through their gaps, the tips dark red as blood. "Did people once live here?" Klein rubbed his temple again and asked. Amon rested the second joint of his right index finger against the edge of his single-frame glasses, smiled, and said, "This was once a large city. When the great catastrophe struck, the earth split open and the entire city was swallowed whole—only these remnants remain, proving it once existed." The idea of civilization's destruction suddenly surfaced in Caine's mind. He quickened his pace and reached the destination nestled among the strange, overgrown vegetation. After entering the partially collapsed building, Caine instinctively surveyed the space, taking in its features. On the gray-white stone walls, cracked with fissures, ancient murals had endured millennia of weathering—now blurred and faint, yet still suggesting that the people of this city held great honor in reaching the afterlife. Caine adjusted his breathing, set down his leather lantern, and leaned against a thick stone pillar, managing to visualize a layered sphere of light. He paid no attention to the dangers that might arise from sleeping in such a place under these conditions. Let the danger come fiercer! Before falling asleep, Caine whispered this to himself. Amun, dressed in the classical robes of a mage, glanced at him and casually settled beside him, then snapped his fingers. Within the leather lantern, the candle that was nearly extinguished paused its melting, though the yellow glow continued to spread. It seemed capable of enduring not just a few more minutes, but perhaps hours—or even days. This was like an error—an error defying the natural laws. Drowsy and unaware of how long he had slept, Caine finally regained his strength and awoke, stirred by the prayers of the "Magician" lady. For now, he had no response, so he kept his eyes closed, feigning continued sleep. In the non-deep "parasitic" state, Amun should not be able to monitor my thoughts, only detect whether the current thoughts I'm forming are harmful to Him... Caine thought this over, and then quietly summoned something into the gray-white mist. He borrowed a state from the historical gaps, from his past self—not a state directly aimed at escape. It was the state his mental island experienced when Hervin Lambis launched his invasion. This attempt was neither thwarted nor stolen. Through this state and his unique ability to remain conscious within the invaded dream and mental realms, a portion of his self-awareness differentiated itself and settled in the spiritual sky, calmly observing his conscious island from above. He began to examine his mental world for any abnormal, parasitic thoughts. After a rigorous assessment, Klein initially confirmed that his mental world was sound. That is, even though Amun still harbored the "Chrono-creatures" within him, their presence was of a shallow parasitic nature, unable to intercept or monitor his thoughts. Once he found this "safe zone," Caine finally released the thoughts previously constrained and suppressed, analyzing his current situation and considering his next steps for self-rescue: "Amon is the God of Jests and the God of Deception. He plays this game—not simply for pleasure. If that were truly the case, He could have waited until He joined forces with the Conclave, stolen my fate, secured the 'Source Citadel,' and then attempted his moves. In that scenario, even if something went wrong, His primary objectives would have been achieved, with no real loss. So, what hidden purpose does He truly hold in this matter?" If we can grasp the key, perhaps we'll find genuine vitality... "Moreover, after he recited the incantation 'Transfer Ceremony' in Mandarin, he showed no interest in that particular language—made no questions about it. This completely contradicts the curiosity He consistently displays... "Hmm... Was it intentional when He later used the word 'bug'? Was He deliberately testing what I would associate with it?... "Yet, He didn't steal my thoughts—no, if an entire sequence of thoughts unrelated to the preceding or following context had been taken away, I certainly wouldn't have noticed them..." Klein recalled the scene and verified, based on the logical connections between his thoughts at that moment, that his ideas had not been stolen. This, in turn, reinforced a key realization: Under a deep 'parasitic' state, Amun could directly listen to his thoughts without having to actively extract or steal them! Amun's apparent requirement to first detect harmful thoughts before intervening was, in fact, a form of deception. "I just thought, the deep 'parasitism' I've experienced so far seems a bit different from what Palis described... According to this inference, all the thoughts that have been forming in my mind throughout this journey—about Earth, my fellow countrymen, and child education—should have been heard by Amon. What a terrifying realization! Fortunately, when planning the action to disrupt the promotion ceremony of George III, I had anticipated the scenario of being utterly overwhelmed and 'parasitized' by Amon. My revealed thoughts were a blend of instinctive reactions and deliberate concessions. This way, I not only disclosed key secrets and gained Amon's trust, but also preserved the most crucial and central information." "Just now, He must clearly sense that I intend to extract even more historical secrets from Him in order to swiftly digest the 'Ancient Scholars' potion. Yet He won't know that I'm already only a few steps—or just one opportunity—away from complete digestion. Could it be that Amun deliberately chose to dissolve the 'parasitism' and played this game, precisely because He once heard of Earth from the ancient sun god and encountered a hidden truth, and now seeks to save Himself by motivating me to undertake tasks that would otherwise be inconvenient or impossible for Him? If so, certain developments are surely ahead. Hmm. I must appear unaware of this, proceeding as if everything is normal in my plans for escape." "Once I've stabilized my physical condition, I'll make my first attempt!" After another brief nap, Caine opened his eyes. Amun, wearing his soft-crowned hat, sat beside him, smiling gently and asked: "Decided? When shall we begin?" He appeared to be a colleague of Caine's rather than the target who had fled.