The dream projection of the Goddess of Night replied with a touch of gentle amusement: "If all we're aiming for is simply to elevate a single 'Mysterious Master,' then I'd rather bet on Amun. After all, His chances of success are significantly higher than yours." Without waiting for Caine to ask further, the tone of her voice drifted softly, like a dream unfolding. "The time when we were buried in the old age—this is a shared memory of ours, a period when our humanity first took root, blossomed, and grew. Even though I have lived for centuries, it remains my most cherished memory. Because you carry the imprint of that era, I am more inclined to support you." Ah, a case of love spilling over to the beloved—Caine silently summed it up with a Chinese idiom. At that moment, he recalled the word written by Emperor Rosel in his diary: "Hometown." In his reflective silence, the dream projection of the Goddess of Night continued: "When you're ready, simply go to the summit of the Honaquis Mountains." "Of course, the choice is entirely yours—no one will press you, and no one can force you. You may simply decide to remain at a certain stage, never becoming the old self, never allowing the 'Mysterious Sovereign' within you to awaken. Then, when the end comes, you can carry with you the people and things you wish to protect, and 'wander' to other star systems, other planets, stepping out of the gaze of the Outer Gods, and build a new civilization from scratch." Kline had long considered this very issue. After a quiet pause, he added: "I'm not sure if Rosel has ever said it—'You can escape for a while, but you can never escape forever.' The phrase he used when speaking to the 'Goddess of Night' was in the Giant language, and when translated, it sounded a bit odd: evasion is merely a temporary strategy, not a lasting principle." After a brief pause, Caine continued: "Though the universe is vast and boundless, the Outer Gods clearly know it better and are far more powerful, embodying specific aspects of the cosmos as a whole. Evading their search is therefore extremely difficult. Even if one succeeds, stability is only temporary—civilizations reborn would not last more than a millennium before being destroyed, leaving no chance to become part of the Old Days, thus never achieving self-redemption." This is because, in order to successfully escape during an Outer God's invasion, one must necessarily abandon all Source Substances; otherwise, one would inevitably become a focal point of their attention, and even whether one could survive the initial assault remains uncertain. The soft, dream-like voice of the "Goddess of Night" said: "Beyond the direct elements torn from the Outer Gods, merely preserving the uniqueness of other pathways and the high-sequence extraordinary qualities, the Outer Gods may not deem it significant, and thus won't expend considerable effort in seeking them out." "You also mentioned that it's only 'not certain'—the Outer Gods still harbor a certain desire for uniqueness and exceptional qualities within their respective domains, which helps them draw closer to the Pillars." Kline responded calmly. "We cannot rely on their moods; they show no mercy at all." The dream projection of the "Goddess of Night" nodded in agreement: "In this regard, you are more awake than Roscel, of course, since he learned about the old days and the Outer Gods too late." Then, the projection continued: "You have another option: adopt Parles' method—lower your own status and allow Amun to seize the 'Source Citadel.' In this way, you can live comfortably as a Sequence 1 Archangel, no longer fearing the awakening of the 'Mysterious Lord' within you, nor burdened by constant strain." In the religious texts of the Church of Night, there is a distinction between angels and archangels—Kline had long speculated that the latter referred to Sequence 1, and today, he had finally confirmed it. Of course, this is merely the standard of a single church and cannot represent others. After listening to the Night Goddess's words, Caine remained silent for a long time before finally asking, "Can Amun be trusted?" The dream projection of the Night Goddess responded calmly, "I cannot give you a definite answer." Caine then asked, "If the Master of Mysteries awakens within Amun, will He revoke all high-sequence extraordinary traits associated with the Paths of the Seer, the Thief, and the Apprentice?" "I do not know," the dream projection of the Night Goddess replied in the same tone. Caine fell silent once more, and after a pause, said, "Personally, I do not seek to become one of the Old Ones. Yet, I cannot fail or betray those entities who have placed their hopes on me—each of them has, to some extent, helped me." "Once Amun becomes the 'Mysterious Sovereign,' He will inevitably assist the ancient Sun God in reclaiming His unique and sequence-1 extraordinary traits from the Storm Sovereign and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, resulting in their downfall." "And Amun is a god who acts with capriciousness." The dream projection of the Goddess of Night gently nodded. "You're doing well in preserving your humanity." After making up his mind,克莱恩 shed his earlier somber tone and smiled. "If my humanity were to falter and my divinity gain the upper hand, I would still make a similar choice, because the nature of divinity is inherently centered on me." The dream projection of the Goddess of Night softly chuckled. "Make preparations, and go see Antigonus as soon as possible." 克莱恩 nodded, then suddenly remembered something and asked quickly: "Has Amun already utilized the Master of the 'Gate'’s ritual to incorporate the uniqueness of the 'Apprentice' path?" "The projection of the Goddess of Night" responded slowly: "If it were any other being, certainly not. But if it were Amun, there's a fifty-fifty chance. He naturally enjoys adventure and thrives on excitement." Yet, prior to that, Caine’s spiritual intuition had told him that something further should be done. He surveyed the room, gathered up the altar, and pulled from the historical haze the study of Dauin Tangates. Seating himself at the desk, Caine unfolded the paper and began writing a letter to Mr. Azk. Having just finished the previous letter, this one was brief—he merely mentioned the “Eternal River” beneath Caldrón and the death seals lingering along its tributaries, emphasizing his sightings of several Azk Egges and his speculations about them. Folding the letter, Caine produced the Azk copper whistle, brought it to his lips, and blew once. The bone messenger materialized at human size, knelt on one knee, and spread out his hands. Caine handed the letter to it, then reached into the “Source Keep” and produced a gold coin: “This is my enduring gratitude for your persistent service. If you are unable to take it personally, deliver it to your master, and let Him decide.” This coin is one of the five that have been imbued with the "Astral Citadel" essence and have thus undergone certain mutations. He has already used one of them to pay the courier's messenger fee, and lost another to Mariqi during their game of cards. The White Bone Messenger stood motionless for nearly five seconds before finally folding her bone fingers in obedience to Kline's words, simultaneously grasping the letter and the coin. Instantly, she dissolved, cascading like a waterfall onto the ground and sinking into it. Then, Kline produced another coin and placed it into his own coat pocket. In the meantime, he allowed the currently on-duty "Spirit Insects" of the "Astral Citadel" to gaze upon a deep red star. Yet, he gained nothing at first, for the half-gods of the Rosicrucian order seemed to have sensed the danger in the air and had all, without exception, withdrawn into concealment. As a result, Leonard had to remain patient, ready at any moment to receive new assignments. While waiting for something to happen, he donned his red gloves and entered the great chapel, performing his daily prayers with a certain devotion. In the quiet, dimly lit atmosphere, he seemed to have fallen asleep. After an indeterminate length of time, Leonard opened his eyes, rose, and walked down the aisle toward the door. At that moment, he spotted a familiar figure—Cain Moretti, wearing a hat and a formal suit, with dark hair and brown eyes. Leonard's pupils dilated and his eyebrows arched slightly. Cain, who was also praying, lowered his hands and stood up, then walked past him, stepping steadily toward the altar. Throughout this process, neither of them spoke, as if the other were a complete stranger. After placing a gold coin into the offering box near the altar from his pocket with a serious expression, Caine turned and exited the church through a different door. Leonard stood aside in the main aisle, looking at the scene with mild confusion, his brow slightly furrowed. At that moment, the voice of Palis Soloyasde, slightly weathered, echoed in his mind: "Seize the opportunity to take that coin into your hands." "As he spoke, he produced a coin and pushed it toward Will Auncent: "Here's your lucky coin." Will paused for a moment, then mumbled, "Birth gifts are lucky amulets, birthday gifts are lucky coins—you really have no creativity." As he spoke, he extended his plump little hand and quickly snatched the coin back. Kline smiled and stood up, then disappeared.