Mysterious... Caine felt his heart tremble and instinctively turned to return to the "Source Keep," seeking to escape the scene. Yet no matter how hard he thought, his ethereal form remained within his body, unchanged. Huff... Caine's jaw ached, and his gaze instinctively shifted toward Renette Tiniel, the messenger. There, Renette had floated over, facing a terrifying adversary, while the surrounding darkness grew still—like a lake encountering a sudden cold—no lightning streaked across the sky anymore. Mysterious... Caine found a measure of comfort, now able to focus on the name he had just heard. To him, it was not unfamiliar, though the last time someone had called him by that name was over two thousand years ago, when the ancient Sun God—the Creator of the Silver City—had sensed Caine's divination and, at the moment of his passing, uttered those very words across the impassable span of time! Could that be it? Did "True Creator" mean the ancient Sun God? No, He is merely the true god of Sequence 0, far short of the level of Creator I had assumed. Moreover, from Amun’s attitude, it seems the ancient sun god has truly fallen. The "True Creator" is the dark infant that emerged from within the ancient sun god’s body, inheriting part of its traits and memories—thus, a fallen embodiment of this Creator? Caine calmed his turbulent thoughts, stabilized his mental state, and sought quickly to find a way to resolve the current predicament. At that moment, the voice from within the cloak—transformed into a curtain—rose once more: "Go to the 'Hall of the Giants' and see Sasril." This statement resonated directly in Caine’s mind, then condensed into a series of ethereal words, enveloped in a layer of dark, viscous membrane, and took the form of a singular, strange seed. This seed then fell into Caine’s physical and spiritual being, dissolving and merging within him. Before Caine could respond, the dark vortex dispersed, and the cloak formed like a curtain lost its support, spreading out again upon the ground. The subtle intention of the "True Maker" had seeped into parts of my spirit and flesh, compelling me to go to the "Giants' Court" and awaken the sleeping "Dark Angel" Sathelir—something that had long been of concern to several deities. Only after observing patiently from the side did the "True Maker" finally find an opportunity to drive me into action. Caine surveyed the scene, summoned his past self, and took hold of the cloak. Then, without hesitation, he addressed the messenger lady: "We leave immediately!" The "True Maker" has already sent a presence—how far can Amun be? Furthermore, Caine sought to make use of the "Source Fortress's" power to enter the gray mist and eliminate the erosion he had encountered. "Good." Rinette Tynicol nodded, allowing the numerous extraordinary properties left behind in the deep ruin to drift toward Him and be embraced by Him. According to their prior agreement, "the Seer" would claim half of the remaining spoils beyond the high-level items, selecting them first and foremost—since when he had previously defeated "King of the Wizards" Karalman, Kline had also received his due compensation. As for the other half of the spoils, Kline intended to offer them as a sacrifice to "The Night Goddess" as a gesture of gratitude—whether or not the deity required them, the proper ritual had to be observed, and the expression of thanks had to be made. After clearing the battlefield, Rinette Tynicol entered the iron cigarette box inside Kline's coat, "taking possession" of the surface of the earlier coin. Kline did not immediately seal it; instead, holding the "Star Staff," he mentally constructed a scene—one of the images he had recorded during his earlier terrain survey. As the gem's light shimmered, he and his shadow vanished into the depths of the ruined trench, transferring to a distant location. A few seconds later, a subtle ripple passed through the air, and a barely visible, tiny creature crawled out. This creature rapidly expanded, transforming into Amun wearing a pointed soft hat and dressed in a classical black robe. Amun adjusted the single-lens glasses on his right eye, smiled gently at the corner of his mouth: "Finally, someone will go to open that door." Between the roars and murmurs, he felt the portions of his spirit being eroded gathering together, curling into a compact mass, and maintaining stability through successive layers of dissolution—without completely evaporating. "That's the true god's power and essence, then? And specifically, a god who presides over the domain of 'Fall'? "Klein sat in the seat befitting the 'Fool,' his brow slightly furrowed, assessing his current condition. The very corrosion generated by the 'True Maker' was not particularly potent; if it lost the protection of Klein's spirit, it would fail to endure for long on the gray mist—this very fact had been the primary reason Klein had judged it safe to enter the 'Source Citadel' directly. Yet, unless Klein intended to die once more, he would be unable to surpass his own spirit and eliminate the eroded sections. Through abilities such as divination, Caine swiftly understood the full scope of this encroachment: it would not mutate, would not transmit information to the "True Maker," nor would it interfere with Caine's actions in any way—instead, it would continuously exert a mystical guidance, compelling Caine to go to the "Giants' Court," open the palace where the sleeping "Dark Angel" Sathelir slumbers. "It is both a mental and a fated imperative... once I become a 'Miracle-Weaver' and attain the status of an Angel, and further secure the 'Source Citadel,' I should then be able to eradicate this 'contamination.' Yet, to become a 'Miracle-Weaver' and achieve the status of an Angel, I must go to the 'Giants' Court,' open that palace's doors, and help the Silver City find its way out of the land abandoned by the gods..." Caine mused, a wry smile forming on his lips. Fortunately, this was precisely what he had intended to do anyway—thus, it did not impose any additional burden upon him. Next, Caine summoned the "Cross of No Dark" from the historical haze, attempting to use the power of the "Source Citadel" to push it forward and purify his physical body. Unfortunately, the parts of his body that had been eroded coalesced together and could not be fully eradicated. This truly revealed to him the terrifying nature of the Sequence 0 level. "Until I reach absolute extremity, I can no longer pray casually to such divine entities—true gods of chaos," Caine shook his head, returning to the real world, and offered the "curtain" as a sacrifice to the gray mist above. "It indeed contains the extraordinary traits of a 'Mysterious Servant' and a 'Miracle Worker'—even elements of an 'Ancient Scholar' and a 'Mystic'—its status is quite high. The forces of 'The Source Citadel' I currently command are unable to directly shatter it, though, since it appears to reside at the highest tier of the 'Seer' path, where it can be effectively contained and gradually eroded and fragmented over time. The 'Mysterious Servant' traits will likely be the first to break down; the remaining traits can then be directly utilized in potion preparation. Ah, it has no living traits—those that were activated a moment ago have now vanished." Klein held the semi-transparent black velvet "curtain" and studied it repeatedly. Then, he summoned forces from 'The Source Citadel,' manifesting a large iron pot filled with an invisible, surging energy. After gazing at it for several seconds, he tossed the "curtain" into the pot and sealed the layers of encumbrance onto the lid, closing it. It would take roughly three to four days for that extraordinary trait of the "mysterious servant" to dissolve and break down. Once the remainder is added to the auxiliary ingredients, the concoction would become a "miracle-maker" potion, encompassing sequences from 9 down to sequence 2. Surveying the room, Caine raised his right hand and gently retrieved a sheet of paper from among the clutter. This was another of his preparations: having invested considerable time, and endured numerous failures, he had finally succeeded in summoning "0–08" once, and with the quill pen, meticulously recorded the reasonable, expected responses of the dark wolf mage—ensuring that the dark wolf would not deviate from the established pattern at the outset, which could otherwise jeopardize the entire plan. With this short script in place, the dark wolf mage's initial hesitation to immediately extinguish the prayer lights now appears entirely plausible. Similarly, without knowing how many enemies were approaching or what capabilities the opposing forces might possess, Udark the Dark Wolf did not hastily retreat but instead established a complete "nation" of his own, severing potential lines of support—an equally sound decision. With a crisp flick of his wrist, Caine burned the paper, then busily offered the sealed iron cigarette box as a sacrifice to the "Source Keep," and responded to the "Magician" lady's prayer, relaying the words of the "World." The "Magician" Folsom could not afford delay and immediately rose, employing her extraordinary ability of "recording," reaching forward and pulling out Germaine Spalro from the historical record. Caine then "transmitted" himself to an empty room at a nearby inn, where he set up the ritual, retrieved the iron cigarette box into the present reality, and released Renette Tynicol. Grateful to the messenger lady, after observing her take half of her extraordinary traits, Caine modified the ritual and began offering sacrifices to the "Goddess of Night." At the close of the ritual, he prayed with earnest anticipation: "I seek a sign, a sign that purifies the corrosive forces eroding within me." In his judgment, only an entity of the "Night Goddess"’s caliber could possibly counteract the corrosion bestowed by the "True Creator." Should the goddess agree, Caine intended to bring the tangible spirit down to Bekkanth through a descent, where it would undergo purification. As for how to restore the parts of his body eroded by the corrosion, he had not yet conceived a solution. As Caine finished speaking, a dark veil settled over the altar. When the darkness lifted, all of the extraordinary qualities vanished—no sign remained. …..It would have to be his own effort after all. Caine did not grow disheartened. He raised his right hand and, in a clockwise motion, tapped it four times on his chest, drawing the Red Moon: "Hail, Goddess!" His gratitude was sincere, given the substantial aid he had already received. The subsequent events are settled, and the historical gap in Klein's presence fades away, his true form returning to the land abandoned by the gods. Holding the lantern he brought from the past, he gazes upon the quiet, yellow-lit expanse of the wilderness, feeling a deep sense of relaxation in both body and mind, and murmurs, "Finally..." PS: Monthly ticket requests due on the last day of the month. Also, there will be an early update at midnight.