Regarding the restoration of the "Level 0" sealant's condition or its return to normality, both the "Seer" Galadriya and the "Justice" Odile had prepared contingency plans, as they could not be certain of eliminating a demigod within such a short timeframe. If it weren't for Buthis falling into a trap and suffering consecutive blows—first the "Spirit Plague," then the "Sleeping Beauty" condition, followed by "Madness," and finally a fatal strike—leaving him in a state of frenzied disorientation, he would have had numerous opportunities to simply teleport away, thus escaping their interception. In that case, Galadriya and Odile would have had to wait for Buthis to return to the "safe house," release Fols, await feedback from Fols' "Eye of Revelation," and then remotely influence the situation, creating the opportunity for the "Magician" to summon an image of the historical rift. At this very moment, facing Butis—whose situation was clearly spiraling beyond control and who was now acting with frantic determination to fully activate that "Level Zero" seal—both Gardelica at the center of the scene and Odile concealed in the forest outside simultaneously performed the same action: they drew forth a slightly translucent, dark sigil and uttered a single giant-language word—"Star!" This was the "Transport" sigil, crafted by Kline based on the recorded patterns, markings, and symbols from the "Leymanno Travel Notes."—If the "Source Fortress" can mobilize the power of the "Thieves' Path," then there's no reason it shouldn't respond to the plea of the "Apprentice" domain! As for the materials required for the sigil, both Gardelica, the "Mystic," and Fols, the "Traveler," already possessed a certain level of familiarity with them, so no further instruction from the "Ace" was needed. As Audrey and the other were about to activate the incantation to "transport" themselves away, preparing to return in a couple of minutes to check on the situation, Buthis suddenly stiffened—his expression filled with cruel amusement, his eyes blazing with madness. No matter how hard he strained, he could not open the third layer of the "Box of the Ancient Days!" It felt impossibly heavy, as though wrapped and pressed by one layer upon another, utterly resistant to opening. To Buthis, it now seemed as though he were attempting to open a whole new world, rather than merely a box. In that instant, he sensed something unseen, and the madness in his eyes faded, replaced by profound astonishment, shock, and fear. Drip, drip—light orbs slid down Buthis’s body one after another, each touching the ground and transforming into luminous, shimmering creatures shaped like serpentine insects woven from starlight. These creatures curved their bodies into semicircles, forming a radiant, magical glow that appeared as a series of ethereal, floating gates. But just like that, abruptly and irrevocably, Buthis collapsed and disintegrated into the incomplete mythic form. Two sharp cracks, and his two eyes fell to the ground, smudged with dust. Those eyes, frozen in an indescribable terror, remained remarkably intact—unlike the rest of his body. A Sequence 4 "Sage-Mage" thus perished. Clang! The surface silver-black "Box of the Ancient Days," adorned with various gemstones, crashed beside Buthis's eyes, much like a common jewelry box in a noble household. Above the gray mist, within the ancient palace, Caelin exhaled in relief, setting down his "Sea God's Staff" with a look of quiet curiosity. He had just been about to deploy the forces of "The Source Fortress," advancing at the level of angels to drive the "Lightning Storm" and prevent Butis from opening the third layer of "The Ancient Box," when the counteroffensive led by the "Saint of Secrets"—which was meant to draw everyone with it to their deaths—failed unexpectedly from the very outset, falling short of his expectations. —After "Judgment" withdrew from the first battlefield and immediately proceeded as per plan to pray to the "Fool," Caine received the prompt and seized the opportunity to enter the gray mist, monitoring the battle through the deep red star corresponding to "The Hermit" and "Justice." During the transition to the second battlefield, "Justice" Odile also made a prayer, enabling Caine to directly intervene in the real world via her deep red star. This explains why Odile's physical form arrived at the destination a moment later than "The Hermit" Gardele. "As Arthodes, the 'Mirror,' described, the third layer of the 'Ancient Box' conceals something quite dreadful. I had always assumed that the 'True Creator' bestowed it upon Butis specifically to bring about a terrifying catastrophe at a crucial moment, thereby revealing the true nature of the evil deities. Yet, it simply won't open..." Klein glanced at the deep red star representing the 'Magician,' only to find it now veiled in a layer of black and gray, as though frozen—so that he could no longer see within and assess the condition of the 'Magician' lady. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation, underscoring the extraordinary and elusive nature of the layers within the 'Ancient Box.' The earlier observations of the 'Sleeping Beauty' magic and the 'Lance of Lancrenus' also prompted certain reflections in him: After privately learning of the extraordinary ability known as 'Mystery Reappearance,' Klein had begun to revise his earlier assumptions about Bernard's fairy-tale-like spells. He had originally thought that the tales were specially created by the Emperor, based on Earth's fairy stories, for his daughter, or perhaps deliberately crafted by Bernadette after her father's passing, drawing from the stories he had told, as a way of expressing her grief. But now it appears the answer may not be so. Some of the tales from the First Age might have been inherently "mysterious" from the beginning. This implies that these fairy stories originated from real, once-unexplained mysterious events, which gradually became part of the people's oral tradition, evolved into narratives, and were eventually recorded and refined by writers. "This corresponds to the prophecy of the stars aligning—mystery has never been distant; it has always been present, merely suppressed or sealed by some force during the early 'Earth Age'... If this is indeed the case, then certain Earth legends and stories take on a new dimension... That's why there's the 'Lance of Longinus'... I wonder whether the Peach Blossom Spring also involves mystery. I'll tell the 'Seer' lady about this and see if she can create new magic based on it... I also wonder whether Bernadette became a 'Mystic' before the Emperor's passing. If so, it's hard to say whether these fairy-tale magics were developed by the Emperor through his path to the 'Seer' sequence, or were actually created by Bernadette herself as the 'Mystic Queen'. Nevertheless, by the time the Emperor reached his later years, he must have realized that these fairy tales also belonged to the realm of mystery, and could draw strength from them. Indeed, Bernadette has no corresponding journal entries, so I can't see the Emperor's reactions or his initial speculations... Was one of the reasons he insisted on going to the Moon to verify certain things?" "Unfortunately, most myths are false and don't offer any strength—same with novels from the network era..." Klein sighed slightly, leaned back against the chair, and continued observing the battlefield. Inside the collapsed forest, "The Recluse" Galadriya and "Justice" Odile, in response to Butis's transformation,默契ly abandoned their spiritual infusions and instead relied on incantations. Odile, still in her "dragonized" form, remained concealed in the darkness beyond the forest, on guard for any unforeseen developments or for any official half-gods who might sense the disturbance and come to investigate. Galadriya, "The Recluse," was gently carried by the wind toward the area where Butis had died, carefully avoiding the "Box of the Ancient Days." Since the "Archivist" herself possessed a variety of abilities, and half-divine seals often carried strong negative effects, Butis had left behind only a single black pouch—seeming to be an integral part of his long robe—besides the "Box of the Ancient Days." In addition, there are the remarkable qualities gathering around, the two eyes, and roughly ten "Stellar Worms"—most of the "Stellar Worms" have been destroyed. Given the terrifying nature of the "Old Box" and Butis's high status within the Aurora Circle, perhaps blessed by a divine favor, Gauthier did not immediately seize these items, fearing unforeseen complications that might worsen the situation. During private discussions prior to the gathering, they had already discussed how to handle such cases: if time and opportunity allowed, first offer the items as a sacrifice to the "Knight of the Fool," and then distribute them upon the gray mist. Many items, when exposed without knowledge of their adverse effects, could pose unforeseen dangers. And it was likely that Butis possessed a "Level 0" seal—an item whose mere existence and known information could, at times, prove fatal. According to Leonard the Star, such seals should be kept untouched, uninquired into, unmentioned, and unobserved—only true high beings can suppress them. Without hesitation, Gauthierya drew out silver candles and other ritual items from the hidden pockets of her violet-streaked black robe, setting up the sacrifice ceremony with simplicity. Throughout this process, she held her lips and blew a soft whistle, summoning an invisible servant to assist her, and in just a matter of ten seconds, had the altar prepared. After swiftly reciting the honored name of Sir The Fool and using spiritual materials to open the "Gate of Offering and Bestowing," Gauthierya took a deep breath, allowing the invisible servant to bring forth the "Box of the Old Days," the black satchel, the two eyes, the aggregated extraordinary qualities, and the nine "Star-Beings," placing them upon the altar. With a gentle breeze, these items rose and passed through the ethereal gate. Gardelica, seeing this, immediately pinched her lower lip between her thumb and forefinger, ready to blow her whistle once more, thus dissolving the invisible servant. But as the whistle sounded, the servant remained motionless, as though now entirely detached from Gardelica. The "Hermit" Gardelica's eyelids flickered slightly, and with a sudden motion, she half-closed her right hand into a fist, pressing it to her lips, preparing to summon the "Mighty Horn." At that very moment, a brilliant silver-white surge erupted spontaneously upon the altar, forming a storm of interwoven electric serpents that engulfed and consumed the invisible servant. The disturbance soon subsided, and the transformed servant was completely destroyed. Gardelica exhaled, lowered her head, and sincerely thanked the "Cultivator" gentleman. Then, she concluded the ritual according to procedure, gathered the items, and used a more prophetic approach—akin to "Snow White"—to tidy up the scene and erase all traces. Meanwhile, "Justice" Odile had already used the earlier "Transport" sigil to depart from the scene. Cadryla surveyed the scene, considering that perhaps the Sir of the Fool might benefit from something more formal, and thus drew a card from her robe's inner pocket, tossing it into the center of the collapsed forest. The card half-buried in the soil revealed an image of an elderly figure with a staff, alone and exploring, carrying a glass lantern. The Tarot card of "The Hermit." ps: Wishing everyone a joyful New Year's Eve in 2019. ps2: Recommend my friend Hengsuan Tiansha's new book, "The Book of the Tao," a story that redefines the very meaning of the word "tao" and transforms the concept of fate. It's very engaging, over thirty thousand words long, and quite substantial.