Germaine Spalro has disappeared... When the remarkably terrifying messenger returned, Bernadette had already sensed something was amiss, had a general sense of what had transpired. Upon hearing the messenger's report, she only slightly deepened her expression, showing no particularly strong reaction. The queen's eyes—once as deep and clear as condensed ocean water—now grew even more profound, momentarily losing focus, as though gazing through Renette Tiniel to the flood of destiny. A few seconds later, Bernadette suddenly closed her eyes, as if confronted by an overwhelming, unbearable light. A faint blood-colored liquid traced her eyelids, making her complexion seem notably pale. With her eyes closed, the "Mysterious Queen" Bernadette spoke in a slightly ethereal tone: "Germaine Spalro is in grave peril. Darkness is consuming light, and only a slender ray of dawn remains." It was a prophecy. The Sequence 3 of the "Seer" path is the "Master of Prophecy." The four golden-haired, red-eyed heads held by Renette Tiniel spoke in succession: "That…," "darkness…," "symbolism…," "what…?" Bernadette maintained her previous posture and said: "desolation, distortion, apocalypse, negative, erroneous." Renette Tiniel, dressed in a somber, elaborate gown, did not allow the heads she held to speak further. She set down Bernadette's letter and coins, then turned and stepped into the void, vanishing into the room. Bernadette stood motionless for several seconds. Finally, she opened her eyes again—her blue gaze hazy and lifeless, as though it would take longer to regain clarity. After a moment's thought, she extended her right hand and lightly tapped the air. The tablecloth rose and then unfolded itself, replacing the items it had carried from the ritual with a pen, sheets of paper, and an ink bottle. The pen suddenly leapt upward, as though held by an invisible spirit, swiftly writing down the account of Germaine Sparrow's disappearance on the paper. Sunia Hai, in the captain's cabin of the *Future*. "Star General" Galadriya looked at the sautéed mushrooms on her plate, inhaling the rich aroma of fat, and remained still, not picking up her knife or fork. Suddenly, inspiration struck her; she turned her head toward the brass sextant, only to find a letter placed there without her noticing. Galadriya smiled immediately, reached out, and took the letter, eager to unfold and read it. Gradually, her brow furrowed. "Germaine Sparrow has gone missing..." Galadriya softly repeated the key points of the letter, sensing that this matter was more serious than she first thought. She readily grasped the queen's intent in her letter, without hesitation, bowed her head, clasped her hands, and recited in ancient Hermes tongue a title: "the fool of a time unmade..." Above the gray mist, the deep red star symbolizing the "Hermit" came to life—expanding and contracting visibly, casting a luminous circle that carried the sound of prayer. These ripples intertwined with those generated by the deep red stars representing the "Magician" and the "Sun," flowing like tides toward the ancient, majestic palace. ... "Once again, someone is praying to the 'Fool'... the echo grows stronger, and the background noise is more distinct... Ah, I can now hear clearly, and the image is becoming sharper—this prayer seems to be addressed to the 'Hermit' lady, the one who always prefers the robes of ancient sorcerers. Has the 'Mystic Queen' noticed that Germain Spalro is experiencing difficulties?" Though I had been worried that this would be fatal, requiring a period of recovery, and there had been hints that members of the Tarot Circle might cancel their meeting next week, those were only vague suggestions—not official, not clear enough. By Monday, when there was still no response, they would surely panic, pray, reach out, and then discover that Mr. The Fool had vanished—not merely disappeared, but had taken off with The World. "No, he's gone with The World,""克莱恩 used self-deprecating remarks to ease his inner feelings. He glanced at Amun walking beside him, offering a casual remark about the leather lantern he was holding: "It should have gone out long ago." Amun, wearing a pointed soft hat and dressed in a black mage's robe, nodded slightly: "I've kept it in a magical state where it can glow without fuel for a full week."克莱恩 mused: "Is that a kind of 'fraud' against the natural laws?" Amun tilted his head, looked at克莱恩 for a moment with his single-spectacle right eye, and smiled: "Indeed, quite clever." "The Sequence 3 of the 'Erroneous' Path deepens the role of the 'Scammer' and is called the 'Deceiver-Mentor.' Close to my prediction... though it's not only the 'Erroneous' Path that can achieve such outcomes; the 'Black Emperor' can bend the rules, exploit them, and accomplish the same through distortion and utilization. In his mind, Kline is comparing the differences between the 'Thief' and the 'Lawyer' Paths. At this moment, Amon strokes his chin, asking with genuine interest: 'You have less than three days left. If you don't make another move soon, it will be too late. Shall you attempt again today or tomorrow?' '...You decide,' Kline smiles, responding to Amon's preferred approach. Honestly speaking, Kline doesn't believe that simply increasing the number of escape attempts will necessarily improve the outcome." Frequent attempts indeed probe the boundaries of Amun's capabilities, depleting the "things" He has previously stolen, thus laying a solid foundation for the final confrontation. Yet, on the other hand, they also expose Caine's own reserves—since he remains passive, with no opportunity to prepare. To compel Amun to reveal further strategies, Caine must rely on his limited strong cards. If, through repeated attempts, Amun completely uncovers Caine's responses, Caine may find himself with no viable means of escape. Escape attempts are a double-edged sword—careless, and they can wound Caine himself! For this very reason, Caine does not act blindly, but instead carefully plans from within. As they walk, they leave behind the once-vibrant city that began as a place of worship for the alien kings and later embraced the ancient sun god—now reduced to white bones and weathered stone structures, bearing witness to its former prosperity. Beyond the city lies a vast, desolate expanse that stretches without limit even under the glow of lightning. ........ 7 Prestwick Street, Leonard sat on the sofa, his feet resting on the coffee table, leisurely flipping through today's newspaper. The death of George III had brought intense activity, and though he had stayed awake all night, he now enjoyed five hours of well-deserved rest. After sleeping for two hours, Leonard woke up refreshed, attempting to grasp the current situation from the official reports. As a captain of the "Red Glove," he actually knew more than many journalists—such as the fact that the area outside Beckland, where the "Tudor" ruins once stood, had collapsed into a large lake, nearly affecting the Rosewood estate of Dauvain Thonstad, or that George III, who died heroically at the Memorial Square, was not actually a person, as the bodies collected that evening simply vanished overnight. Of course, Leonard was certain that King George III had already passed away, and that Prince William would soon inherit the crowns of Baylan and Roon. The unusual developments at the Source Fortress were undoubtedly closely linked to the Sir of the Fool... Caine had long warned George III of potential trouble. The responses from the three churches had been strangely muted—even the storm church, typically most prone to impulsive reactions, had not been overly indignant. Leonard flipped through the newspaper, his thoughts drifting freely. At that very moment, a voice from his mind, slightly weathered and aged, belonged to Palais Soloyasde: "The messenger from Germain Spalor has arrived." Leonard suddenly looked up, and there, standing before him, was the angelic messenger dressed in a dark, elaborate gown—having appeared without any prior notice. Renee Tynicol's four golden-haired, red-eyed heads spoke in succession: "Germain..." "Spalro..." "has encountered..." "a great..." "crisis..." "now..." "has gone missing..." Has Crayn been in danger and gone missing? Leonard instantly drew his legs back and stood up. Without waiting for a prompt from Palis Soloyasde, he suddenly exclaimed, "Related to the death of George III?" "Yes... he... disrupted... George... III's... ascension ritual." Renee Tynicol's eight red eyes now fixed upon Leonard simultaneously. Ascension ritual? Though deeply concerned, Leonard was still startled by this phrase. An angel who could perform a divine consecration—no matter how low in rank—was surely a Sequence 1 angel. Yet Caine himself could directly participate in such matters... What about the plans of the "Fool"? Leonard's green eyes flashed with subtle light, drawing upon his solid experience to cut straight to the point: "When was the last time you saw Caine? What condition was he in?" Leonard was worried about Klein, yet he felt both awed and stunned by his former colleague’s vibrant life. At that moment, Palis Soloyasde spoke softly in his mind: “Ask Him for any further clues.” Leonard immediately acted on this, posing the question. Rynette Tynicol seemed already aware that Leonard was no ordinary man, reciting word for word the prophecy of the “Mysterious Queen.” After listening, Palis Soloyasde remained silent for a while before finally exhaling: “There’s an error… I have a good sense of where your former colleague stands now.” Leonard instinctively wanted to ask more, but held back out of respect for the presence of others. Palis paused and continued: “The stir at the ‘Source Citadel’ has summoned Zarathustra—how could Amun not have noticed? This matter must now involve the contest for the ‘Source Citadel.’” "The Source Fortress..." Leonard slowly inhaled, saying to Renette Tiniocel, "He might have fallen into Amun's hands." Once the messenger girl had nodded four times and turned to leave, Leonard immediately sat down, clasped his hands, closed his eyes, and prayed: "A fool out of this age..." PS: The latest version has fixed the bug regarding whether the Tarot Council will convene. Gosh, I didn't notice it was normal when I was writing, and I only realized it during review—well, um... clearly, Amun must have stolen my mind.