On hearing the captain's orders, Nina pursed her lips and pointed toward the window. "Doesn't Frank's experiment seem unusual?" ... For a moment, Gauthier found herself at a loss to object, and finally sighed, saying, "If there are any signs of danger, I'll write immediately." As a "mystic," she also had her own messenger. "All right," Nina straightened her posture and said, "after all, I am the most mature and composed among the crew of the *Future*." She then asked with a touch of curiosity, "Captain, what brings you to Roon? What mission have you been assigned? Are you planning any behind-the-lines operations?" Nina, of Fsaq descent, and Gauthier, half-Indis, naturally had certain inclinations in the current war, so Nina naturally wondered whether the captain had established contact with the Indis intelligence service. "Well, that's about it," Gauthier replied, maintaining a reserved tone. In a sense, Nina's guess was correct—she had indeed been assigned a mission to carry out destruction in the capital of Roon, Bekkanth, though her targets were not the official forces, but rather the cultists. Moreover, she had the opportunity to meet the Queen, who had likely not yet left Bekkanth—she would certainly be there at the very latest by the end of the new year. At this thought, Gauthelira suddenly felt excited. Since leaving the "Dawn," she had never actually met the "Mysterious Queen" face to face, only exchanging letters or sharing the same ship, yet with various reasons, they had never truly communicated. Nina didn't dare to press further, and instead indicated toward the door. "Captain, is there anything else? If not, we'll go." "Star General" Gauthelira nodded, signaling that the helmswoman of the "Future" could now take her crew and depart. As Nina grasped the handle and gently turned it, Gauthelira suddenly remembered something and called out, "Nina." "Yes?" Nina, with her golden hair tied into a high ponytail, turned her head, looking puzzled. "Don't drink too much!" Cadrya, the Star Sovereign, emphasized seriously. "I'll make sure you'll have a good drink once I return to the ship." Nina immediately brightened, smiling warmly. "Deal!" Cadrya paused and added, "Also, besides Frank, keep an eye on His status—don't let him get overly curious about unfamiliar sounds, don't let him become too fatigued. And frequently bring Otto from his room, controlling how often and how much he engages with the esoteric knowledge. And... well..." "Got it, got it—I still don't know them well enough?" Nina waved her hand, assenting. Only after the officer and her subordinates had left the captain's room and the door had been quietly closed did Cadrya turn her gaze toward the window, gazing toward the still-visible Bekland. After a few minutes, she drew one card from the tarot deck in her hands. Above is an old man, holding a glass lamp, tapping his cane, moving alone and searching in the dark. "The Hermit." ........... Late at night, in Queens, in the manor of the Count Holberg. Audrey, dressed in a white linen nightgown, suddenly opened her eyes and reached for a blue cloak, wrapping it around herself. She then rolled out of bed and walked to the full-length mirror in the room, gazing at herself through the soft crimson moonlight filtering through the curtains. Her emerald eyes—like precious stones—seemed to glow, clear and luminous, revealing every subtle detail. Closing her eyes, Audrey reopened them, and everything that had been strange had vanished. A gentle smile began to curve at the corners of her mouth, a slight hollow forming in her cheeks, her brows gently curved, her gaze shifting softly. In her heart, she softly praised herself: "Audrey, you've finally reached this point!" The magic potion of "Dream Walker" had now fully taken effect. According to Audrey’s own assessment and predictions, she believed she would fully absorb the potion by the end of February. Yet during this period, she has continuously encountered a series of unusual, entirely distinct dreams—ranging from multiple-layered dreams, dreams caused by psychological disorders, lucid dreams, dreams influenced by restless spirits and vengeful ghosts, to dreams experienced by several half-gods. Typically, as a "dream traveler," Audrey can generally judge the level of the biological entity she is about to enter and thus avoid danger. However, these half-gods had remained so well concealed that Audrey only realized their presence upon entering their dreams, which left her quite startled. Fortunately, she had not been discovered in any of these instances, and instead, through careful exploration, observation, and analysis within the half-gods’ dreams, she gradually accumulated experience and significantly enhanced her absorption of the potion. Moreover, the other special dreams offered her entirely different experiences. Subsequently, she began to attempt constructing multiple dreams on her own, to step behind the scenes within them, skillfully guiding their evolution and counteracting the unconscious mind—treating the dreamer’s psychological conditions or expelling pollutants caused by spirits and lingering maladies. To some extent, this contravened her self-imposed requirement of merely observing and recording without intervention, yet surprisingly accelerated the digestion of the potion. This led her to formulate a new principle: “…if intervention is indeed necessary, then act as a behind-the-scenes strategist and guide, even when the objective has been achieved, ensuring that no one notices.” Audrey exemplified this well—those individuals suffering from more serious psychological conditions gradually healed, often without their awareness, after undergoing five or six dreams that seemed unusual or difficult to comprehend. It was entirely normal for a dream to appear peculiar and hard to understand. "Being able to absorb the 'Dream Walker' potion so quickly must largely come down to my luck over the past few weeks—without all these unique experiences, I'd definitely still be waiting another month or two. Maybe even caught by a half-god, thrown into the prison for extraordinary beings, or outright killed. When exactly did my luck start to improve? Since I first offered the ice cream to the follower of the Angel of Fate... Hmm." Odile looked at her reflection in the mirror, smiled gently, and blinked her eyes. She then turned away, took in the entire bedroom, and stepped over to the dressing table. There, a set of Tarot cards stood arranged neatly. In the room of a young girl who loves esoteric studies, having a Tarot deck is quite normal. Audrey extended her right hand, lightly touched the top card with her fingertip, and slowly drew a breath, murmuring silently: "The battles in the Amanda Mountains are growing more intense... "One port in the Jianshui Prefecture has already fallen... "The defensive line in the Honaquis Mountains of Xiwilas Prefecture is reportedly holding out only until spring... "Without the advantage gained in the naval war, the connection with Dong Bailang on the southern continent would certainly have been severed... "Alfred is still there... "It's unclear how this war will unfold." "Well, I'm nearly becoming a half-god now. The 'World' gentleman has already provided me with the 'Manipulator's' elixir formula and its primary ingredients... I've also gathered the tears from seven different humans, generated through intense emotional experiences during my dream journeys. The golden leaves from the Tree Mentor have been traded with the 'Sun'—only the blood of an elder Mind Dragon remains to be obtained. Ah, I've been trying to secure it through the Psychological Alchemy Guild. Even before Herwin Lambis passed away, I had already been leading a psychological study group. But will this reveal my connection to Herwin Lambis's death? Alternatively, could the 'World' gentleman summon a historical record of the elder Mind Dragon's blood? This would last at least a full minute—enough time for me to successfully ascend, stabilize my spirit, and complete self-suggestion. Once it fades, it won't matter much, after all, it's only a supporting ingredient. Audrey, you've actually learned to fabricate—especially in such a delicate matter!" After a self-deprecating remark, Audrey began to consider which setting would be suitable for the ceremony marking her ascension as a "Master of Manipulation." This required her to ingest the potion while experiencing a profound emotional resonance among at least ten thousand attendees. In the span of a few thoughts, she had a preliminary idea: "The Festival of the Goddess's Winter Celebration?" "But even the largest mass gatherings wouldn't reach ten thousand—churches simply wouldn't accommodate such a crowd." "Hmm, usually impossible, but this time it's possible. I can contribute a donation and propose a massive, specially arranged mass at the Memorial Square or similar venues to honor and soothe the spirits of those who perished in the war." "The main square invites the families, relatives, and friends of the injured and deceased—provided they constitute a certain proportion—so that their emotional resonance can influence the others present at Mass, thereby fulfilling the ritual requirements..." After calmly analyzing the situation, Audrey suddenly lowered her gaze and looked at the mirror on her dressing table. There, on her beautifully composed face, the gentle smile had vanished, leaving only surface calm and a deep sorrow shimmering in her eyes. She gazed at herself, her lips slightly upturned, and murmured softly: " Audrey, you've also become insincere..." Closing her eyes and reopening them, Audrey regained her composure. She reached out to the stack of Tarot cards on the dressing table and opened the top card. The card depicted Justice, seated on a stone chair, one hand holding a sword, the other a scale, observing all with cold detachment. ... Beckland, Hillsdon district, in a house with a fireplace. "Has your 'Archivist' potion fully dissolved?" Hest just stepped out of her loungewear and returned to the living room, only to hear news that left her stunned. Fotherse looked weary, nodded slowly. "Yes. Do you have any idea what kind of life I've been living lately?" While being constantly pushed to travel to six different locations, experiencing, appreciating, and documenting everything, she'd also been pulled into the gray mist on numerous occasions to "record" various, sometimes strange or highly advanced, extraordinary abilities. The original 'Lightning Storm' and 'Historical Rift Image Summoning' had been replaced many times over—only now had they finally returned to their original configurations. "I'm not really sure," Hest answered honestly. "I know you don't." Fotherse took a deep breath. "And you? How have you been lately?" "It's been going well. I've been assigned to the Office of Anomalous Affairs, and I've started developing a sense of role. The progress on the potion is also picking up." Hest nodded. "It's hard for me to imagine you in a judge's robe, sitting there to preside over cases," Fores said with genuine admiration. "You mean, will the prisoners and the lawyers be able to see me?" Hugh didn't mind at all, and helped his friend add that. Fores cleared his throat dryly: "I'll be taking a break and then I have to prepare for my promotion ceremony as a Traveler." "Not to the deep reaches of the spirit realm, right? Do you have a way?" Hugh asked, somewhat puzzled. Fores nodded: "The one who sent me the message."