Folded up the "Fool," Caine drew forth "The Hunger That Crawls" from the void and donned it on his left hand, activating the "Transmission." Upon returning to the shrunken municipal library, he immediately addressed his "Secret Servant," Arianna: "I've deposited it inside the abandoned palace at the summit of the Hornachis Mountains." That was one of the entry points to the Mist Town. As for how to proceed with "0–02" thereafter, that was now the Night Church's responsibility. "Very well," Arianna nodded, said nothing further, and instantly entered her "Secret" state, vanishing as if erased by a pencil eraser from a sketch. She never thanked him, nor mentioned any compensation—just as she had never done before, each time assisting Caine. Did Arianna know that I had now acquired the "Fool" card? Caine thoughtfully surveyed the room, and sighed slowly as the night deepened. Although the extraordinary event was resolved within less than two hours, many lives were still lost under the stringent "rules." The Belland citizens involved had made some mistakes, yet the penalties they faced far exceeded the severity of their offenses. The most innocent were travelers who came to or passed through Belland—mere outsiders who were now subjected to nightmares simply for being foreign. Kline made significant efforts to protect many of these outsiders, including Roy, but, constrained by the same rules, his actions were limited, and the opportunities for maneuvering were few. He could not make it seem as though nothing had happened. Moving forward, the focus would be on treating the survivors... Kline turned his gaze, preparing to "transport" himself to Byers' home to address lingering concerns. At that very moment, Renette Tiniocer, her four golden-red-headed forms holding steady, her long, somber, elaborate gown flowing behind her, bit into a black goat's horn and stepped forth from the void. "He..." "has escaped..." "The spiritual realm..." The remaining three of her heads spoke in sequence. "Indeed, no surprise," remarked Celine, who had already sensed it, with quiet admiration. Then, he pointed to the black goat's horn. "Did Lorian leave this behind?" When Celine took the object, the head that had remained silent until then spoke up. "Yes." To have endured the curse of transformation and still break through, escaping the spiritual realm—truly impressive. Is this the very angel most skilled in direct combat, a Sequence 2 angel? Celine gave a swift flick of his wrist, shattering the black goat's horn into countless scattered points of light, releasing a notable residue of spirit. — The limbs left behind after the extraordinary ones were transformed still carried a portion of their exceptional traits, and could not return to their original state. When the dots reorganized into one share each of Sequence 9, Sequence 7, and Sequence 4's exceptional traits, Caine selected the Sequence 8 "Fighter" share, smiled, and returned the rest to the messenger lady: "Here is your prize; I'll only take the information fee." Renee Tiniel did not hesitate, lifting one of the golden-haired, red-eyed heads and opening her mouth to absorb the exceptional traits of the "Warrior" path from Sequences 9, 7, and 4. After watching the messenger lady depart from Beltham, Caine "transmitted" back to Roy's home, and smiled at the others: "The issue is resolved—now you are no longer strangers viewed with hostility." The four extraordinary beings had just begun to smile with genuine relief, ready to respond, when suddenly the magical gentleman summoned a stranger from the air. He was an older man wearing a dark red necktie, a shirt, a vest, a suit, and blue-striped trousers. His hair, completely white, was still thick and lush, and he carried a gentle, refined demeanor. This was Hervin Lambis, one of Klein's former secret duplicates, whom he now intended to use as a "controller" to seal off Bayles's memory of his contact with "0–02." The fact that Bayles's memory had not yet been tainted by the source substance did not guarantee that he wouldn't encounter that terrifying experience upon recalling it later. Since Bayles's memory of the event was limited to a single segment and he lacked a solid understanding of the truth, Klein's required procedure was relatively straightforward. Therefore, he did not seek assistance from the "Justice" lady and instead planned to complete the task using the historical footage of his own secret duplicate. "Did you not mention to them what you did at the municipal library?" Klein asked as he guided Hervin Lambis to stand beside him, while looking at Bayles. Bayles hurriedly shook his head. "I remember you telling me to." "Very well. I'll now begin psychological treatment to help you forget those things. Otherwise, you'll be pursued by '0–02' and will never find peace, until your death. Believe me—this kind of seal is absolutely capable of achieving such results, even if it has already been removed." Caine stated his purpose with calm assurance. Byers' lips moved several times. "Alright." He chose to obey and believe. After inviting Roy, Pascha, and Phil out of the rental apartment, Caine guided Hewin Lambis through a series of mental domain operations, successfully helping Byers forget both the bronze book he had seen and its contents. Having completed this, Caine carefully produced the "Mirror" and gazed at it, saying: "Arhodes, are there any other lingering concerns with this matter?" "On the surface of the ancient silver mirror, a gentle shimmer of water flowed, reflecting a series of silver words: 'My noble master, Beltrand has no further concerns. As for Ruin and Fosse, due to the very nature of '0–02,' I cannot see clearly. Perhaps you could verify this yourself?' 'Yes,' said Cline, gently nodding, and producing a gold coin, softly reciting the corresponding incantation. With a crisp sound, the coin leapt upward, rolling through the air into the sky. Throughout this, scenes naturally unfolded in Cline's mind—a series of chimneys, streets, and cities—broad and general, lacking specific details. Frowning slightly, he calmed his thoughts, reached out, and caught the coin just as it settled. Then, he invited Pasah and the others back to Byers' home, and smiled at Roy, saying, 'Didn't you wish to obtain your next potion? Now is your chance to make your wish.'" Roy's eyes lit up with surprise and he asked hesitantly, "Can we make another wish?" "This is a gift," Klein replied with a smile. Roy was struck by this and decided not to ask further. Seizing the opportunity, he made a wish for the next potion. Klein then handed him the exceptional trait of the "Fighter" path at level 8, the "Combatant": "This is essentially already a potion, but for safety's sake, I recommend you find the corresponding recipe and gather the appropriate supporting materials." "Your magic is truly marvelous," Roy said, deeply moved and grateful. His first potion had, in a sense, been consumed directly—the Fighter's exceptional trait—thanks to the approaching end of days, his relatively low level, and good fortune, which had allowed him to remain stable without experiencing any serious psychological issues. Only afterward did he gradually come into contact with other extraordinary beings, truly grasp the esoteric disciplines, and realize just how dangerous his previous actions had been—never daring to attempt anything similar again. Pascha exchanged glances with each other, hesitated to raise any objections, and as before, held onto one another's hands. Then, Caine transported them to the outskirts of Belthar. "The magic of wishes has been performed—it's time to say goodbye," he said, removing his hat and bowing with the grace of a true itinerant magician. This was his established performance habit. Upon seeing this, Pascha asked immediately, "May we know your name?" Caine smiled and replied, "I have many names—different people call me different things. You may call me 'The Miracle Magician' Merlin Hermes." "Mr. Hermes, are you a devotee of the 'Goddess of Night'?" Roy asked hesitantly. ...Caine found himself momentarily at a loss for words, as he longed to say that he had once been, but was no longer. After a moment's thought, he decided to adopt the role of the 'Mysterious Servant' earlier than expected. He immediately smoothed out the smile on his face and spoke solemnly: "I serve the 'Fool, the Master of Mysteries, the Great Ruler above the Spirit Realm.' If you wish to believe in this great being or learn more about Him, you may journey to the Sunia Sea Islands, where the missionary Daniz is currently preaching." Moreover, the Silver City surely holds all the potion recipes from the 'Warrior' path prior to Sequence 2...克莱恩 silently added this to his thoughts, but did not mention it aloud. Roy nodded slightly: "I had never known there was such a great presence in this world until now—your wonders have revealed His splendor." He did not directly respond to Mr. Merlin Hermes, as he still felt uncertain. Pasah, Byers, and Phile shared the same hesitation. Without further words, Caine turned and left the four extraordinary beings, taking a different route back to Berdan. He didn't forget the purpose for which he had gotten off at this small town, and intended to find a room right away to study the "The Fool" card above the gray mist. ... In the city of Maken, in another city, within a library. A young legal researcher pulled a book from the shelf and sat down at a table by the floor-to-ceiling window. As he carefully turned the pages, he noticed a yellow-brown sheet of paper tucked inside. "What is this?" the young legal researcher murmured, reaching out to pull the paper out.