In the "Generous City" of Bayam, within a rented apartment lit by gas wall lamps. Verdur Abraham, wearing wire-rimmed glasses, carefully reads through a thick stack of documents under the somewhat dim light, occasionally drawing symbols with his pen to note down passages he believes might prove useful. Having left Ruin to come to the Rosted Islands, his primary purpose was to escape the watchful eyes of family members like Dorian and to focus undisturbed on the study of esoteric knowledge, seeking effective methods—perhaps even reliable insights—to recover his ancestor Bertil Abraham or, at the very least, to reduce the difficulty of the required ritual. Yet, after more than six months, he still remains without any clear direction, as it seems the only viable options available are to hunt down the "Witch-Weavers," "Parasites," and "Seers." This has left Verdur deeply discouraged, yet he remains清醒ly aware of the extreme danger posed by the Level 0 Sealings, which, even if he were willing to sacrifice himself, he simply cannot fully master, and thus cannot guarantee the final outcome. Even more importantly, he simply couldn't find the "Master of Mysteries" or the "Symbiote"—both renowned for their elusive movements and unconventional styles. Huffing softly, Verdu set down the stack of documents in his hands and murmured almost silently: "Could it be that we're left, like Dorian and the others, solely relying on that 'Fool'?" As he thought of the 'Fool,' Verdu furrowed his brow. In Bayam, the number of half-giants promoting the faith of the 'Fool' was growing steadily, to the point where even someone as rarely traveling as himself had heard of them. This made him wonder if he might have indeed come close to the headquarters of the 'Fool's' church. If it weren't for the profound and unexpectedly rich esoteric knowledge circulating in the Roshde Isles—much of it previously unknown even to the Abraham family and of immense utility—he would have already left Bayam months ago to head south to the mainland. "We can't stay any longer—we need to book a ship to Dong Bailang right away..." Valdou had just made up his mind when a moment of hesitation crept in. "Dorian and the 'Humble One' Church probably never expected me to be hiding right within their operational range. The Emperor Roscel had once said: the most dangerous place is also the safest." As he paused, Valdou arranged his documents, turned off the wall lamp, and walked toward his bedroom, relying on the moonlight filtering through the window. When the figure had finally departed, and after roughly a minute had passed, a sudden sound of wind erupted from the bell tower. The report, drawn out by an invisible hand through the cracks, was carried aloft by the gusts sweeping across the area, swaying and dancing like a bat taking flight in the night. Not long after, it suddenly plummeted, as though weighted down by stones, and landed upon a hand extending from the garden's shadow. That hand belonged to Cardinal Aljer Wilson of the Church of the Storm. He immediately unfurled the report and read it attentively under the night sky, unaffected by the dim light. ——Even in the deepest, darkest sea, Aljer could always see clearly around him. "The idea that维尔杜 will leave Bayam is becoming increasingly clear," Aljer nodded slightly, silently concluding. Over the past several months, he has been diligently monitoring the member of the Abraham family as instructed by the "Wise Man," yet has never observed any particularly unusual behavior from him. Once维尔杜 leaves the Isle of Rosed, his mission will be considered complete. However, Aljé does not wish to conclude it thus, feeling that he has not yet made sufficient contributions—merely passively observing a rather ordinary Sequence 7. ——The "Hermit" has already acquired the extraordinary trait of Sequence 3 from the "Mysterious Queen" and has gathered the necessary supporting materials, now actively preparing for the ritual. This has placed significant psychological pressure on Aljé. Of course, in addition to monitoring维尔杜, he has carried out various other tasks as directed by the "Wise Man." Yet even to himself, he feels that these efforts still fall short of the stature, identity, and power befitting the "Sea God." At one point, Aljer wanted to indirectly pressure Verdu Abraham, compelling him to reveal his own shortcomings through various means, but ultimately abandoned the idea, as he could not be certain whether the "Knight of Fools" harbored goodwill or ill will toward that objective. —— Previously, when the cities of Silver and Moon sold off their unique traits and potion formulas, Aljer had procured some of them at the Tarot Council, aiming to build a cadre of exceptional individuals independent of the Storm Church—loyal solely to him and operating in the shadows—whose surveillance personnel originated from this group. Currently, this small team of fewer than ten members consists mostly of Sequence 9s, with only a few having advanced to Sequence 8. As for where Aljer obtained the funds to purchase the extraordinary properties and potion recipes, the answer is simple: as a cardinal overseeing a diocese, Aljer could easily "save" a substantial sum for himself. During that period, the mineral deposits, plantations, spice estates, and factories on the Rosedale Islands were being sold below their intrinsic value, offering significant profits to any buyer who had the means to step in. Moreover, the headquarters of the Storm Church showed considerable interest in acquiring the extraordinary properties and potion recipes from Silver City and Moon City, providing substantial financial backing. The intermediary in all this was undoubtedly Cardinal Aljer Wilson of the Rosedale Diocese. While some inevitable losses occurred during the process, these are fully understandable. Regaining his composure, Aljer decided to sell some esoteric knowledge through his shadow wardens within the circle of the exceptionalists in Bayam, thus luring and delaying Veldu Abraham as long as possible. "The main reason is that the missionary work of Silver City has unsettled that gentleman," Aljer shook his head, murmuring to himself. He then destroyed the report in his hands and returned to the interior of the church. Early in the morning, a young man stepped out of the inn, leisurely enjoying the view of Bayam's dawn scenery. He had just purchased a "Teyana" drink served in fruit husks from a vendor when he suddenly felt a broad shadow spreading across his side. Turning his head slightly and looking upward, he noticed a half-giant, nearly two and a half meters tall, approaching. "Mr.," the young man said, "would you mind if I took a moment of your time? I'd like to share with you our waymarkers and our savior, the 'Fool,' Mr.." The half-giant bent forward, striving to make his smile warm and approachable. The young man took a sip of "Teyana," pointed to the side, and nodded with a smile: "Good, but not here." He then moved to a spot that didn't obstruct others, and the imposing half-giant followed gently, his demeanor becoming equally courteous. "You may begin," the young man said, completely un掩饰ing his curiosity. The tall, sturdy half-giant's expression immediately grew solemn: "My lord calls himself 'The Fool.' Throughout the past, present, and future, he is the supreme ruler of the spiritual realm, the King of Good Fortune in yellow and black, and the eternal beacon that every being strives toward. "My Lord dwells above the realm of reality and the spiritual world, His mercy spreading throughout heaven and the earth, and six angels stand beside His throne... The 'Mercury Angel' is the embodiment of fate, the most beloved of all angels by My Lord; the 'Death Angel' is the being who has served My Lord the longest, the governor of the Underworld; the 'Redemption Angel' is My Lord's trumpet, the messenger of His divine revelations; the 'Life Angel' is the crystallization of wisdom, the ever-enduring spiritual essence within each person." Hearing this, the young man smiled and said, "Your Lord indeed is remarkable—so many titles of angels serving Him." "Not only that," the half-giant gently replied, "beside His throne there is also the 'Judgment Angel,' who is My Lord's thunder, His wrath, His hand—He serves as the judge and executioner of all the fallen and the unclean. Opposite the 'Judgment Angel' stands the 'Angel of Time,' who was once the king of the ancient ages, and ultimately surrendered to My Lord, now serving as the one who strikes the celestial bell." "Great, really great," the young man sincerely remarked. Heated by such a response, the half-giant smiled and then, with as concise a description as possible, recounted the various miracles performed by the "Fool" gentleman, concluding, "It's been a full minute now—let me not waste your time. If you're interested, you're welcome to visit the 'Fool' Church at 16 Phillips Street for more details. It's our largest church in Bayam, by the way, though others are still under development." The young man nodded. "If I have time, I'll certainly make the visit." After watching the half-giant turn and walk away, he smiled and pulled out a single-piece pair of spectacles made of crystal from his coat pocket, placing them on his right eye. …… On the way back home, the half-giant arrived at his dining room and changed into his chef's uniform. "Baldur, you're off again to preach?" the restaurant owner asked with a smile. When the industry association first recommended this half-giant to learn culinary skills, he had been rather resistant, always feeling that the other person could easily knock him down with a mere arm movement, and didn’t seem to possess any natural talent for cooking. Yet now, he is thoroughly satisfied with Baldur. Not only is he honest, obedient, and hardworking, but he also commands a strong presence that has made the street thugs hesitate to target the restaurant again. The only issue is that Baldur goes out every morning to promote the "Fool" faith. Of course, since this falls outside regular working hours, the restaurant owner can’t complain and is entirely unconcerned. Baldur smiles warmly and walks into the kitchen, turning to his hometown friend, Bon, who has come to seek him out: "Today, I’ll teach you how to roast fish." Bon appears quite normal, though his eyes are slightly misaligned—one higher than the other—indicating a mild deformity. He is one of the more courageous residents of the Moon City who dares to engage with others. Upon hearing this, he nods: "I’ll need to offer a prayer first." Sir Fool has issued a prophecy, urging all the people of the Moon City to make their wishes to Him at nine o'clock this morning, that none shall suffer from deformities anymore.