The carriage moved slowly along the road, and Audrey's gaze involuntarily drifted toward the window again. Many pedestrians stood by the roadside, staring intently at the horses pulling the carriage, their eyes glowing with a greenish light. The fortunate ones who had successfully secured food moved cautiously through the streets, hurrying toward their homes. A series of police officers in black-and-white checked uniforms patrolled the streets, each carrying a revolver at their waist and a short staff in hand, intimidating those who dared to venture forth. "We've stopped going out alone on the streets lately," whispered Anne, Audrey's personal maid, softly. Audrey nodded gently, offering no reply. After a while, the carriage reached the edge of the square in front of Saint Samuel's Church on Peasefield Street. There, the flocks of white doves had vanished, leaving the space empty and desolate. The "Luon Charitable Scholarship Fund," followed by the "Luon Poor Relief Fund" and the "Luon Medical Charitable Fund," all relocated to several small rooms within the church after their original building collapsed in the recent air raids. For the staff of these three foundations, it was a harrowing experience—had it not been for various personal reasons that prompted them to leave No. 22 Peasefield Street earlier, they would have been among the victims. As she stepped down from the carriage and passed through the main doors, Audrey saw a young woman with black hair and brown eyes, slender in build, approaching her. Without waiting for the woman to speak, Audrey said, "Melissa, do we still have food to distribute?" Melissa shook her head solemnly, "Even the wounded soldiers we're helping are not receiving adequate food supplies." Audrey's green eyes dimmed slightly, but she masked her sense of helplessness and weakness, simply nodding. "I'll find a way." “…from the City of Silver… from beyond the land cursed…,” Germain Sparo’s words echoed in the ears of Adal, Xin, and Rous—the members of the lunar city hunting squad—sending them into a state of dazed wonder, unable to recover for a long time. As Adal began to regain his composure and ponder what to say, Xin, who had been born without a nose, burst forth with a series of questions: “Where is the City of Silver? What does it look like? How far is it from here? How many normal people remain beyond the cursed land?” Klein glanced at her and replied in a voice devoid of emotion: “The City of Silver lies on the other side of the cursed land. They discovered a plant they can eat—called Black-Flowered Grass—that has allowed them to maintain the stability of their community and effectively explore deeper into the darkness, seeking a way to leave.” "They've recently discovered some mushrooms that feed on the monsters' flesh and produce fruit free of toxins and madness. 'Silver City is further recovering from its madness, and when the new generation matures, even in old age, they won't easily lose control...' These words left Adal and Xin feeling profoundly disheartened, as though their own perseverance had lost all meaning. The life of Silver City as described by Germain Spalro was precisely the ideal scenario they could have imagined, now already realized by others. '...Among their newborns, are there any with deformities?' Xin asked in a dreamy tone. Klein shook his head: 'Very few.' 'Do their parents, as their health declines—or as they grow older—themselves enter the depths of darkness?' Adal instinctively followed up. Klein, dressed in a black coat, wearing a hat, and carrying a lantern, replied: 'No.' "Because they carry the curse of killing a parent—should a life not be ended by the hands of a blood relative, it will transform into a terrifying spirit or monster." The members of the Moon City Hunting Team finally found a sense of authenticity, their inner feelings like a lake slowly warming, gradually rising with one bubble after another. These bubbles were fragile and hollow, breaking easily upon touch, yet within them shimmered something called hope and light. Rous, whose two eyes were nearly pressed together, couldn't help repeating the question that had followed Sin: "How many normal people remain outside the cursed land?" Klein looked at them with a somewhat complex expression, saying, "They're essentially ordinary people—no need to constantly fear monster attacks, no need to dread darkness, no need to grow mad with age, no need to carry burdens of curses. Each morning, they can see the sun rise; each day, their food is sufficient and normal; each evening, the Red Moon rises..." But all of this is now being disrupted... Klein silently added this to his thoughts. This time, Adal, Xin, and Rous all seemed somewhat bewildered, as the picture described by Gelmann Sparo felt both familiar and yet strangely unreachable—much like when they read the surviving ancient texts: they could grasp certain spiritual elements, but struggled to truly comprehend some of the deeper content. They had no concept of what the sun was, or what the Red Moon meant. Yet, every day bringing ordinary food, free from burdens of curses, no constant fear of monster attacks, no dread of darkness, no panic in old age—this was the beauty they longed for day and night. Could there still be such a place in this world? Was this the heavenly realm described in ancient texts? Had the land truly been cursed? The members of the Moon City Hunting Squad once again fell into silence. Some of them opened their mouths, only to find themselves unsure of what to ask. Others wished to take Gelmann Sparo back to Moon City, to inform the High Priest and all others of this news, yet feared bringing danger upon them. Throughout this process, they never lost their vigilance, never relaxed their alertness. To Klein, this attitude came as no surprise—he believed it was precisely the behavior expected of a civilization that had endured for so long in a land abandoned by the gods. Holding his lantern, he stepped to the left, attempting to weave past humans draped in either animal hides or garments made of strange materials, and continued eastward. Regardless of their stories or whether they deserved a convenient helping hand, he intended to wait a moment before investigating further, listening closely, or making a decision—because his spiritual intuition told him the destination was near, and the legendary "West Continent" lay just a few hours' walk ahead. As soon as Kline took his first step, the others immediately bent low, preparing for defense and attack. Yet they never saw Germain Spalro approach; instead, they watched him walk left for several meters before turning and continuing on. As the young man in the odd black garments, wearing an odd black hat and carrying a strange transparent lantern gradually faded into the distance, with his yellowish glow growing dimmer, Adal, whose face bore numerous growths, expressed a series of shifting emotions and called out loudly, "Who exactly are you?" Kline did not turn around. Holding his lantern that emitted a yellowish light, he walked steadily into the deeper darkness, speaking normally, "A missionary. One who spreads the light of my Lord." Adal and Xin, and the others, exchanged glances, their expressions filled with confusion. After hesitating for a while, as the dim glow of the fire nearly faded to a single point, they all instinctively took a step, following behind Caine. They dared not draw near, yet unwilling to detach themselves, they carried the food they had gathered, moving in silence—partly as if monitoring, partly as if on guard, partly as if in pursuit—while Caine walked at a steady, unhurried pace, maintaining a consistent rhythm without waiting or attempting to overtake. Thus, both groups moved in quiet stillness beneath the sparse flashes of lightning. At some point, Rus and another member of the hunting party separated from the group, taking with them their animal-skin lanterns and the food they had collected, turning in a direction and vanishing silently into the endless darkness. Time passed, one moment to the next, until finally Caine came to a halt. With the lightning streaking across the sky, he saw a patch of gray-white mist frozen in place, stretching hundreds of meters away. This mist connected with the earth, spreading upward into the sky as if it had no upper limit. At the same time, it extended outwards on both sides, boundless and endless. Kline gazed at it intently, slowly lifting his head upward even when darkness interrupted his view, only withdrawing his gaze after the second lightning had subsided. Was this mist the very presence of the vanished "Western Continent"? Kline thought seriously, his breath slowing down unconsciously. Holding his lantern, he continued forward until the yellow light could clearly reveal the still, frozen mist. Without needing further attempts, Kline's intuitive sense as a seer told him that this gray-white mist formed an intangible barrier—something that could not be passed through by ordinary means. He thought for a moment, then extended his right hand, reaching out repeatedly into the darkness ahead. After several to five such gestures, Kline pulled from the air a black staff embedded with various gemstones. This is the "Staff of the Star," exchanged by Caine for the "Box of the Ancient Days," classified as a horror seal item designated "0–62!" Of course, Caine has currently only summoned the historical image of the "Staff of the Star." Thus, even if certain scenes in his mind are not required, and effects are about to be triggered, he can promptly terminate the threat by dissolving the maintenance of the historical image. For an "Ancient Scholar," this is the ideal method of utilizing a "0"-level seal item—though its effectiveness is time-limited, currently no more than three minutes, and the results differ somewhat from the original version. The negative impacts cannot be avoided when the "Staff of the Star" is held by a secret figure, as the figure requires manipulation, and manipulation inherently entails the transmission of visual imagery. Of course, if engaging in a well-prepared battle, Caine would not do this, as it would consume one of his precious three summoning slots. Moreover, although "The Staff of the Stars" now belonged to him, it was only forcibly under his control, sealed in place. Furthermore, the "0"-level artifact itself held a notably high rank, making it difficult for Caine to summon it successfully on the first attempt—typically requiring between three and six attempts. In the course of intense combat, such repeated opportunities are not easily available. For this reason, when performing a prepared "act," he would first "hypnotize" himself, activating "The Staff of the Stars" under special conditions, and deliberately reserving the chance to reveal the historical rift imagery for familiar angels—such as the Messenger Miss, Mr. Azk, Miss Arianna, and Mr. Wil. Aonsedet. Holding the black staff adorned with various gemstones, Caine naturally envisioned the scene of an ethereal gate opening slowly in his mind. The gem on the staff flashed with a soft light, and swiftly etched out a large, yet somewhat unreal door upon the gray-white mist. The door opened silently, revealing once again only gray mist behind it. "Open the door" didn't work—Klein wasn't surprised by the result, though he still felt a touch of disappointment. He thought for a moment, preparing to try a different approach. Yet, as he pondered, the "Staff of Stars" spontaneously activated itself in response to the unfolding scene.