They wouldn't bestow blessings... Dariq found this answer somewhat puzzling, not quite understandable. When, in the afternoon at the town camp, he handed the "Silver Knight" potion formula to Chief Colin Iliat, the latter praised him for his significant contribution, believing that the ceiling for the Silver City had now risen beyond Sequence 4, and there was not a single hint in his words suggesting a desire for external blessings. Thus, Dariq had always assumed that the Chief could independently complete the "Silver Knight" elevation ritual using the two divine sealing artifacts, and now found himself somewhat surprised. Did the Chief not realize that these two divine sealing artifacts would not provide blessings, only discovering this issue upon returning to the Silver City? Dariq made an intuitive guess without pressing further, simply nodding emphatically: "Very well, I will do my best to seek blessings from the deities." Chief Colin, the Hunter, exhaled silently and pointed toward the door. "The room across the way is empty." Derek turned immediately, passed through the doorway, crossed the corridor, and entered the partially open room. Then he found a seat and softly recited: "The fool who belongs to no age; The mysterious sovereign above the gray mist; The king of yellow and black, ruler of fortune..." Yet, Caine found himself hearing more clearly than before—not only able to distinguish the prayers coming from a woman and a man, but also catching certain details: the woman mentioned "the world" and "Bakerland," while the man spoke in Gondorian, with key phrases centered around "rituals." Rituals, Gondorian...this is from the smaller "Sun" side...Ah, the chief hopes to receive a blessing from Mr. The Fool? Mr. The Fool now also wishes to bless...The woman might be Miss Mage, or perhaps Miss Justice. Caine sighed slightly, tugging at his lips, and turned to Amun, who wore a pointed soft hat and a single eyeglass, and asked: "Can I go to the Source Castle to respond to their prayers?" "What do you think?" Amun paused, smiling slightly. "Since you're playing such a game, why not make it more exciting?" In fact, Kline had no hopes at all for that request just made—because as soon as he returned to the Source Keep, he could leverage its power to initially break free from his predicament, which would effectively mean Amun releasing him outright. He had only mentioned it to open the door to further conversation. Amun rested his finger joints against his single-piece crystal spectacles and chuckled, "As the God of Mischief, I've lived from the Third Age right through to now. What that means, I'm sure you're well aware of. 'Anything you'd like to ask?'" "...specifically waiting for me to arrive at the Tarot gathering to do those things? This Angel King of the 'Thief's Path' seems to be able to perceive the disturbances the 'Source Citadel' causes in fate to some extent... Caine was completely unprepared for this answer and found himself momentarily at a loss for what to say. After a pause of ten or so seconds, he finally sighed, "You really have patience." An Angel King known for his pranks could have remained hidden in the rather dull, uneventful dark dungeon for several decades. "That has nothing to do with patience—it didn't take me very long at all," Amun replied casually. ……I still tend to measure the divine beings by human standards. For Amun, who is naturally a complete mythic entity, several decades truly amount to nothing—his actual age might even exceed three thousand years. Klein adjusted his perception and asked once more: "Silver City should be one of the few places still holding onto the faith of your father. Don't you think your treatment of that exploration team was a bit excessive?" Though this question may seem unnecessary, Klein believed it would help him understand Amun's worldview and approach, and uncover potential points of leverage. Amun tilted his head, glanced at him with his right eye wearing a single-spectacle lens, and smiled with mild indifference: "If they hadn't still maintained faith in my father, Silver City would have already become a ruin. 'Hah,' as far as I can observe, they're concealing a significant secret. The exact nature of that secret, however, I haven't yet had the chance to uncover—thanks to the 'Hanged Man' and your persistent gaze." "...Truly a born mythic being—mere human deaths might as well be the crushing of a few ants to Him, something He barely notices... The city of Silver holds a secret that even Amun finds significant. What could it be? Caine thoughtfully shifted the topic. 'Wasn't the "Dark Angel" Sathelir created from one of your father's ribs?' This had been a question Caine had carried throughout their journey but never found the right moment to ask. Amun's smile softened, and he gazed into the deep darkness ahead. 'Yes. He separated a part of His own essence and the corresponding negative aspects of His personality, using His rib as the material to create the "Dark Angel" Sathelir. If not for this, how could someone as arrogant and self-assured as Medici have possibly submitted to the so-called Hand of God, the Deputy King of Heaven?'” "If it weren't for Sasriel's rebellion, entanglements, and influence, even if the Night, the Earth, the War God, and the other Angel Kings had united, they couldn't have brought down my father." Indeed... "Sasriel," the Dark Angel, is the most crucial turning point. It's no surprise that the Goddess initially sought to sway Him. Who could have imagined that He would betray Himself? Klein's earlier conjectures about the divine war were now being confirmed, and his digestion of the 'Ancient Scholar's' magic was deepening slightly. He deliberately hesitated, then offered a hypothesis: "Could my father have foreseen this development? Is Sasriel, the Dark Angel, also a key element in His own resurrection?" Amun suddenly chuckled: "All these questions—aren't you simply trying to further digest the 'Ancient Scholar's' magic?" ...Klein feigned a near-cold sweat, quickly steadying himself and saying: "I'm merely curious—what exactly are you seeking as you wander the lands abandoned by the gods? What are you pursuing?" There's no "Theft" path sequence 1 extraordinary ability or "Source Keep" that you're missing, is there? "Trying to resurrect your father?" Amun maintained his earlier smile, gazing straight ahead. "Yes, and yet not exactly. My obsessive brother has come very close to resurrecting my father—he may no longer need my assistance." Does Adam truly intend to resurrect the ancient sun god? I thought he was doing it solely for himself, achieving sequence 0. Kline silently called out the name of the head of the "Dusk Hermit Circle" in his mind. He even expected Adam to come and give his brother a good beating. Of course, such a physical confrontation didn't align with the style of an "Audience" path angel king. "It doesn't matter what I call Him—He won't attend to my affairs, nor will I attend to His. I simply don't refer to Him as 'Adam'—it's just that the nickname 'the Eccentric' fits Him so well. I must admit, Medici has a real talent for coming up with nicknames. And even if I say His name out loud, deliberately trying to make sure He doesn't hear, He still doesn't hear at all." At this, Amun, wearing a soft hat with a pointed crown, smiled and gently exposed克莱恩's subtle hesitation. From then on,克莱恩 never mentioned the matter of the 'Dark Angel' again, as Amun clearly wasn't going to answer. Not long after, a single figure in the form of a messenger emerged from the valley and witnessed a city in complete stillness. The city's buildings had collapsed in half, while the remaining structures featured sharp, pointed tops—reminiscent of towers reaching toward heaven. On their surfaces, dark red vine-like plants grew, bearing clusters of fruit whose edibility remained uncertain. Upon entering the city, Caine noticed stone sarcophagi placed before every house, each containing either white bones or corpses slightly decayed. Their common trait was extreme deformity: some had four legs, others bore fissures across their foreheads, some lacked skin, revealing raw flesh, while others had arms wrapped around their necks, like tails. "This city once worshipped the phoenix," said Amun, casually surveying the surroundings, wearing a single-lens spectacles. "Later, they adopted my father's faith, yet preserved certain customs tied to death. After the great catastrophe, they were left behind in the land abandoned by the gods. There, they found no edible, healthy plants—only the corrupted monsters. Thus, generation after generation, they consumed these creatures, leading to physical deformities and mental instability, until ultimately, they were completely extinguished." "The 'Great Cataclysm' brought by the goddesses' assassination of the Creator of the Silver City truly was a civilizational disaster... Before that, there had been civilizations of elves, giants, immortals, and so on—now only faint traces remain... Clain recalled the city swallowed by the earth, and felt a deep sense of nostalgia. In historical records and esoteric texts, the period is referred to as the 'Great Cataclysm'—a most fitting name. He then asked, 'Why did we choose to enter this city rather than go around it?' Amon smiled and replied, 'During the Second Age, the primordial immortal not only mastered the Path of the Death God but also held a significant portion of the Path of the Apprentices. Certain arrangements here can serve as vulnerabilities that I can exploit, shortening our journey to the final destination.' Clain's expression immediately grew slightly somber."