The overcast sky parted suddenly, as if it had decided to disperse on its own, and everything within Saint Wind Cathedral remained unchanged. At a corner nearby, Caine raised a hand to rub his forehead, murmuring with a slight grimace: "Well, fine—just let it go. But why on earth have they had to kill off my secret companion?" He then exhaled deeply, his form rapidly fading until he vanished entirely—the very duration of the historical rift image was nearing its end. After all, the "Record Keeper" had replicated higher-level abilities that still fell short of the original, and the burden of summoning a Sequence 6 from a Sequence 3 was considerable. Even if the "Ancient Scholar" could transfer his consciousness to reduce the strain, it wouldn't be enough to sustain Folshe for long. "Recalling our earlier exchange at the Tarot gathering, Leonard spoke softly: "He has just evaded another trap set by Amun's duplicate and is now seeking the truth of certain matters in the land of divine abandonment." Palis Soloyasde listened silently, allowing Leonard to continue without interruption. ........ After establishing the special coordinates, Fols was returned to the real world by a messenger from Germain Spalro. "I feel so tired—I just woke up a moment ago... It must be that the high-sequence extraordinary ability is extremely taxing to the spirit," Fols said, pressing her hand to her mouth and yawned, looking weary at Hoo. "That's possible," Hoo agreed with his friend's assessment. Her intuition told her that the Germain Spalro projection summoned was no ordinary entity—perhaps even equivalent to a Saint. After a moment's hesitation, Hoo said: "Rest a while longer. Don't attempt your ascension while still in this state." "In one of my earlier cases, the murderer was psychologically disturbed—he deliberately had his friends, students, and the homeless people he housed consume the magic potion under various negative conditions, watching them lose control and transform into grotesque, repulsive monsters." "...What was his purpose?" Folshe was momentarily stunned. "Two purposes: first, to observe whether the same potion produces identical symptoms across different individuals; second, to record these scenes in the form of oil paintings, believing that the madness, the suffering, the distortion held an unparalleled beauty that deeply stirred his creative passion." Hughes recalled the trial, feeling both resentment and an unexpected sense of dread. "He was a complete madman." "Such a person deserves humane destruction!" Folshe imagined it and couldn't help shivering, gritting her teeth. "Is he a member of some kind of cult?" "Perhaps, but no leads yet... He appears to be an outstanding painter, internationally renowned. If it weren't for the fact that five of his students and friends have recently vanished, drawing our attention, we might have only realized something was amiss when he finally completely lost his mind and descended into a monstrous state." At this point, Hux paused before continuing, "The patrol team that captured him opened his hidden basement and all of them immediately vomited. There, they found one after another of the bodies transformed into something dreadful, suspended in a series of oil paintings that were both terrifying and strangely captivating..." "A man one finds repulsive, yet one that tells a compelling story." Furl thought for a moment, then asked, "Is he the 'Demon'?" "No," Hux dismissed his friend's suggestion. "Then you've sentenced him to death?" Furl asked, full of anticipation. He shook his head. "His defense attorney convinced me—he's better suited as a seal researcher." "An attorney? Does your Abnormal Court even have attorneys? Don't you just handle trials directly?" Vorths asked in surprise. He combed his now-longer golden hair. "We have some exceptionalists within our ranks who follow the 'attorney' path. They perform the role, of course, though they're unaware they're acting." "All right," Vorths yawned again, pointing to the armchair by the fireplace. "I'll take a nap. Wait—aren't you going to work?" "I can take leave," He replied simply. Vorths didn't press further and walked over to the fireplace, settling down. Two or three hours later, she awoke, meditating for a quarter of an hour. Then she retrieved the "Traveler" exceptional trait and supporting materials provided by her teacher, Dorian Gray Abraham, and prepared a potion. The potion had a pale, translucent hue, like snowwater half-melted, with occasional faint green bubbles rising within it. Folshe held the potion, glanced at her faithful companion standing beside her, and smiled. "If I lose control, don't hesitate—just cut off my head." "No, first pray. Perhaps there's still a chance." "...," Rest nodded slowly. "Maintain this state." Folshe exhaled silently, no longer hesitating, raised the bottle, and took a long, steady sip. Instantly, she felt waves of light surge throughout her body and ripple before her eyes, colliding and opening one after another like ethereal doors. Her consciousness could not resist being drawn into one of them, and her entire body gradually became transparent, vanishing in place. Amidst this disoriented, chaotic state of mind, Folsen nearly lost her sense of self. Fortunately, she had recently endured intense trials, possessed a strong will, and periodically felt the four special coordinates within the spiritual realm, which gradually helped her regain clarity. After an indeterminate period, she found herself deep within the spiritual realm, unable to pinpoint her exact location or find a way back. Guided by those four special coordinates, Folsen slowly "traveled" back to familiar grounds, emerging from the dense, layered color blocks and the diffused, hazy mist, and finally stepping out of the spiritual realm. The four special coordinates not only helped her find her way back but also effectively sustained her sense of self-awareness. After all, her teacher was only a Sequence 7, with limited practical experience—her teachings inevitably had some gaps. As Folsen turned her head, her gaze settled on Xue, and she smiled gently. "I'm a traveler now." Xue exhaled in relief and asked curiously, "What new extraordinary abilities have you gained?" "Mainly, there's an added 'transportation' ability, and also the 'invisible hand.' Moreover, the semi-divine, exceptional abilities I can record have now reached four in number—specifically, their effects are quite close to Sequence 4." Folshe assessed herself. Then, she lifted her hand and drew a card from the tarot deck used for divination within the room. It depicted a figure with the right hand holding a staff pointing toward the sky and the left hand resting downward, gesturing to the ground, with sacred cups, staffs, swords, and coins arranged before them. The card was the 'Magician.' For the Night Believers of Roon in 1350, it was a heavy year—war had intensified and rising prices had dampened their spirits. Yet on this winter festival day, they still stepped outside their homes, because the Night Church was holding an enormous Mass on the major squares to comfort the souls of the departed. At the same time, several foundations were distributing food vouchers at the Mass venues, allowing recipients to obtain goods at any relief station or church, which drew in not only the usual winter festival attendees but also some of the more casual Night Believers, such as the Steam and Storm followers, who had previously stayed home. She now possesses the blood of the Elder Mind Dragon and has prepared the "Mastermind" potion, which is neatly stored in the small bag she carries on her back. Suzy has already reached the rank of Sequence 6 as a Hypnotist, and Audrey believes that few people present will notice her anomalies and be able to take away her influence from the scene. ——The Elder Mind Dragon's blood originated from the "Keeper" Gautheriyah, reportedly obtained from the "Mystic Queen," which Audrey acquired for a full three thousand pounds. This aligns perfectly with her expectations, as she does not particularly desire materials from the Psychological Alchemy Guild. After all, her direct superior, Herwin Lambis, had only recently passed away, and she has already been gathering items necessary for her promotion, making her actions somewhat suspect. The other members of the Guild, with their competence and insight, would naturally notice this. Moreover, as a half-god, I must interact with the members of the Psychological Alchemy Council. As the "World" gentleman puts it, among them there may well be angels of the mind realm. So I'll hold off a little longer, waiting for the right opportunity and pretext before considering how to elevate my status within the council—first, I'll conceal my strength for a while. Audrey, with her golden hair gathered up, slowly and deliberately moves her skirt as she walks toward her designated spot. Along the way, several noble lords extend their hands to assist this beautiful, noble, yet delicate young woman in navigating through crowds or over obstacles—yet all these gestures are gently blocked by Lord Holberg. He assigns his eldest son, Hiberet, to accompany his little daughter, while he himself holds his wife's hand and walks ahead, occasionally glancing back to ensure the most radiant gem of Beckland remains secure. Not long after their arrival at the destination, the Night Church's bishop of the Beckland parish, Saint Anthony Stevenson, dressed in a long robe of black with red accents, ascends the platform. He glanced around, raised his right hand, and gently tapped four times in a clockwise motion on his chest: "Victory to the goddess!" When the devotees below responded, the saint spoke in a low yet clear voice, so that every listener could hear: "Today is the celebration of night, yet the goddess responds with compassion. She compassionately gazes upon every mother who has lost her child, every lonely child, every person enduring great suffering. She says all this suffering will eventually come to an end—every sorrow will fade into stillness and rest."