The Death God, Salinger, wandering in bewilderment through the "River of Eternal Darkness," gazed upon Caine, wrapped in a gray-white "silk cocoon." Instantly, within the eyes of His pale, flame-tinged gaze—on the verge of fading—Caine's bird-shaped golden pendant, distinct from the one at his chest, came into sharp relief. The next moment, a deep, resonant roar erupted from His decaying mouth, echoing across the river's surface and causing the entire city of Cardron to tremble. The tributary, which had previously swelled, subsided, deepened, and lightened in tone, surged upward with renewed force, rushing toward the stone steps and toward Caine in wild tumult. Throughout this surge, the ethereal tide blended increasingly with the gray-white mist, adopting its hue. Wave after wave of the gray-white flood crashed against Caine's body, yet could not breach the "cocoon" shielding him. Salinger's decaying form advanced step by step toward the edge of the tributary, yet remained unable to disengage, standing motionless, roaring wildly. Klein's gaze passed beyond Him, settling on the indistinct, countless figures lingering along either bank of the tributary. Some of them had been swept into the center by the rising tide, sinking steadily into the riverbed, melting like ice. The rest moved without fear, remaining expressionless and bewildered, endlessly pacing back and forth. At first glance, Klein spotted many familiar forms—all belonging to the same person: Azk Egers, with warm copper skin and gentle features. This "High Officer of Death" seemed to have split into multiple versions, wandering aimlessly between the pale stone pillars flanking the River of Eternal Darkness. A sudden chill surged through Klein's right leg as this realization struck him. He instinctively lowered his head and saw a pale hand pressing against his lower leg—its fingers passing through the gray-white "cocoon," gripping firmly. And the master of this pale hand floated within the surging tide, like a water spirit, threatening to drag Caine into the deep waters. His attacks could completely ignore the presence of "The Source Fortress"! Noticing Caine's gaze, the master of the pale hand lifted his head, revealing his face. He had black hair and brown eyes, an ordinary countenance with a touch of scholarly grace. Caine Moretti! This "water spirit" is Caine Moretti! The very next moment, Caine's left leg, right shoulder, and left arm were each seized by different pale hands. This left him shivering, his spirit as if frozen, unable to summon any of his extraordinary abilities—struggling seemed impossible. Each of these three pale hands belonged to a distinct, indistinct figure, yet all of them bore the same face. Caine Moretti's face! Under the pull of these four "water spirits," Caine's body gradually detached itself from the gray-white "cocoon," sinking deeper into the flood. His body grew colder and colder, his thoughts gradually quieted, his vision dimmed step by step until it settled into a swirling, lightless tide. Above the gray mist, within the ancient palace, Celine’s consciousness returned to its essence. Then, without hesitation, he extended his palm, drawing upon the power of "The Source Fortress" through the connection between himself and the historical projection, and stole an object from the latter. A flash of golden light, and Celine held the golden bird-shaped ornament in his hands. At the same time, he released the sustaining force holding the image of the historical rift. The figure that had seemed to drown in the eternal flood of darkness vanished. "Being able to ignore the presence of 'The Source Fortress' proves that those four figures are truly mine... yet how am I trapped within a tributary of the 'River of Eternal Darkness,' endlessly wandering? Four figures, four figures..." Celine’s expression remained solemn as he gently tapped the edge of the weathered long table, and in the steady, rhythmic tapping, inspiration began to take shape. The fact corresponding to "four" and the concepts of "spirit" and "death" is that he has died four times and been resurrected four times. Of course, after becoming a "Mysterious Servant," those four resurrection opportunities have been reset. "Each time I die—whether or not I successfully rise again—there leaves an imprint within the 'River of Eternal Darkness.' I've died four times, so there are four spectral figures lingering on either side of the 'River of Eternal Darkness,' right?" Claryn roughly grasped the key point and silently remarked to himself, "The 'River of Eternal Darkness' truly is primordial matter—truly the embodiment of death, slumber, endings, finality, and deep darkness... This is precisely what the goddess meant when she said there is an unusual danger for me. Indeed, when the historical projection was 'drowned,' I sustained a certain level of mental strain. If my mental state remains unstable, I might very well be experiencing issues now." Based on this inference, Kline developed a fresh understanding of the numerous Azk figures and the lingering "Death Herald" Sarinjel: they are all corresponding death imprints. "Indeed, during the 'Immortal' phase and throughout his subsequent journey of seeking memories, Mr. Azk has died many times—each time only to revive. Under the current circumstances, although the 'Immortals' remain undying, they face significant vulnerabilities. As the number of deaths accumulates, there comes a point when their essence might be drawn into the 'River of Eternal Darkness,' becoming one of those eternally wandering figures. Sarinjel's form is singular—this indicates that once uniqueness is achieved, the very death imprint of the entity itself becomes unique as well." As Kline's thoughts raced through this realization, a growing concern arose about Mr. Azk's future survival. To address the potential vulnerabilities in this area, there are two approaches: first, to strengthen Azk's soul so that he no longer repeats his past experiences, or second, to assist the "Goddess of Night" in becoming an Ancient One, thereby gaining control over the "River of Eternal Darkness." "Hmm, perhaps this will be a case of convergence—once the goddess becomes an Ancient One, there will be no need to rely on Azk's half-soul anymore," Klein settled his thoughts and refocused on the current objective. He entered the heart of Caldrun not to eliminate the "Death God" Salinger's death seal, thereby severing his chance of resurrection, but to collect some water from the "River of Eternal Darkness." "Clearly, the ethereal tidal surge spilling out of the river is insufficient—it merely represents dispersed essence, not the actual river water itself. Moreover, river water mixed with gray-white mist is inadequate in purity; it likely won't achieve the desired effect." So it seems, only when the tributaries revert to their deep, dark state can we draw water from the river—ah, the main channel simply won't reach through, and that gray-white mist must surely serve as a solid barrier. Based on his analysis, Kline swiftly formulated a plan. He would first remain at a distance from the "River of Eternal Darkness," avoiding the attention of the "Death God" Salingar. Once the tributaries recede and darken, he would proceed directly, allowing his four death seals to drag the historical projections down into the riverbed. During this process, the historical projections would seize the opportunity to draw water using the bird-shaped golden ornament, then transfer their consciousness back into the "Source Fortress," leveraging their "stealing" ability and the close connection between the two to retrieve the bird-shaped ornament. After refining the steps, Kline returned to the spiritual city of Caldrun and once again summoned his image of the historical rift. He repeated the previous steps and soon returned to the stone stele bearing the bronze giant bird statue, descending step by step along the gray-white stone stairs. The "Source Fortress" aura surrounding him gradually thickened, forming a thin "silken cocoon." Not long after, Caine reached the end of the stairs and saw the "River of Eternal Darkness" flowing through the void, the pale giant pillars flanking it, and countless indistinct figures drifting along the edges of its tributaries. This time, he did not hurry to move off the stairs. Instead, he patiently stayed in place, waiting until the tributary waters receded, shed their gray-white hue, and deepened into a profound darkness. Now was the moment! Caine flashed forward, seizing the distance, and materialized in a corner unseen by the "Death God" Salinger. Without a hitch, as his body immersed into the waters of the "River of Eternal Darkness," a series of pale hands immediately pierced through the "Source Fortress" aura, grasping firmly at his legs and arms. Four death seals materialized around him, pulling him downward toward the riverbed! The deep, dark waters submerged Kline's head, making his body cold and his thoughts still. Before he lost consciousness completely, translucent, twisted worms emerged from his neck, swiftly crawling to the golden bird-shaped ornament beside it, gathering around it and lifting it high, ready to draw in the waters of the "River of Eternal Darkness." At that moment, within the shimmering, ethereal waters before him, a massive shadow appeared. It was a colossal bird, completely engulfed by the tributaries of the "River of Eternal Darkness," yet suspended in the water. Its feathers, woven from pale flames and mysterious patterns, had been partially dissolved by the river's flow, revealing patches of dark, decaying skin streaked with pale yellow pus. The bird's eyes resembled bronze, containing layered, fantastical gates within them. The Primordial Undeath Bird, Gracelya! The ancient death deity who had once opened the gates of the Underworld! In Gracely's eyes, a surge of bronze light erupted, instantly enveloping both the bird-shaped golden ornament and Klein's historical projection, pulling them together toward the distance. After weighing his current situation, Klein made an instant decision and abandoned his attempt to draw water. His consciousness immediately returned to within the "Source Fortress," where he reclaimed the bird-shaped golden ornament, and his historical projection dissolved. There were also dangers beneath the surface—indeed, the ancient deity, the Primordial Phoenix Gracely, had fully submerged into the "Eternal River of Darkness." If the goddess truly embraced the singular nature of the "Death God" path, then if Salinger could not revive himself within her body in time, he too would sink into the waters, just as Gracely had—his death imprint would thus further fade. Klein silently reflected upon this, adjusting his course accordingly. Then, as before, he summoned the image of the historical rift and returned once more to the end of the staircase. After a moment's wait, until the "Death God" Sarinjer turned and slowly, heavily walked toward the riverbank, Cline suddenly closed the distance and appeared before him. The very next instant, Sarinjer roared, causing the water of the tributary to surge rapidly. At the same time, Cline was caught by his own death seals, forcibly pulled downward toward the riverbed, and sensed the immortal bird ancestor, Greagalie. As before, the bronze eyes of Greagalie glowed brightly. But this time, the radiance enveloped Sarinjer, not Cline or the bird-shaped golden ornament. "Fusion!" Seizing this brief opportunity, the "spirit insects" emerging from Cline's historical projection lifted the bird-shaped ornament. The bronze eyes of the ornament also emitted a glow, drawing in a small amount of river water. In the following instant, Cline's consciousness returned to within the "Source Citadel," where he reached out and retrieved the ornament. Phew, finally done... Gazing at the bird-shaped golden ornament in his hands, he exhaled slowly. For the lord of the Source Citadel, this task was indeed not particularly difficult—provided he didn't recklessly enter his true form, he could simply accumulate experience through repeated failures and gradually come to understand the situation. It was only because there were two Death Deities simultaneously residing in the tributaries of the Eternal River of Darkness—one wandering, the other sinking to the depths—that Caine had failed twice.