"Don't save me... Don't save me..." Though克莱恩, now dwelling in the "Spire of Origins" and embodying the stature of an Angelic King, was no longer directly affected by the "Gate" man's desperate cries, the words still sent a shiver down his spine, widened his pupils, and stirred a sudden, uncontrollable sense of dread. He had originally believed the "Gate" man was calling for help, but now he heard: "Don't save me!" In silence, the faint, ethereal voice—like needles piercing his spiritual being—continued for over a dozen seconds before shifting: "Help me... Help me..." This time, the language itself had subtly changed. ...克莱恩 remained expressionless, leaning back against the chair's backrest, and listened for another ten seconds. Then, he released the sustained imagery of the historical rifts of the "Universal Key" and the "Deep Crimson Coronet," allowing the space above the gray mist to settle into complete stillness. Hmph. He exhaled, his fingers instinctively tapping gently along the weathered edge of the long table, murmuring silently: "The 'Gate' Lord is indeed half-mad—but the madness isn't evident in His frantic outbursts. It's present in the one who appears calm, rational, capable of engaging in reasoned conversation with mortals. Isn't it strange that this composed version can, to some extent, influence the more agitated one, even distorting the content of His cries? During moments of clarity, the 'Gate' Lord is calling out, 'Don't save me.' For an Angel King exiled and sealed for over a thousand years, that is absolutely not a normal reaction—unless He believes that his return to reality will bring upon a disaster He himself doesn't wish to witness. A completely uncontrolled Angel King?" Considering that throughout his conversations with the Emperor, the Lord of the Door has consistently been guided toward the Moon—the domain occupied by the Outer Gods—there is another possibility: The exiled Lord of the Door, no longer protected by the original Creator’s barrier, has been eroded by one or more of the Outer Gods, losing most of his rational faculties, and now exists only slightly better than the Bound God. The "Apprentice" path allows for celestial wanderings even at Sequence 3, and the Lord of the Door’s title itself includes the designation "Guide of the Infinite Sky." Does this suggest that, even before his exile, the Angelic King may have encountered the Outer Gods and been influenced by them? Ah, and what does the deep red land, the pyramid-like structures, and the varying positions of the stars, last seen by the Magician, signify? This doesn't feel like something that would occur within our current galaxy, nor does it align with the mausoleum the 'Black Emperor' requires... It seems more like the ancestral home of a foreign deity that influences the 'Gate' Lord, or perhaps the legend left behind by the 'Gate' Lord when he became a 'Traveling Magician' on other worlds inhabited by life—his anchor point? Likely the latter, since when the 'Magician' lady witnessed that scene, she did not experience any contamination from the stars... As Klein pondered further, his mood grew heavier, for this might genuinely reflect the arrival of the end times. The end is not something that simply fades away if we simply stop thinking about it or pretend it doesn't exist! It's no wonder that the "yellow light" prophet Winitan had foretold that the very day the curse was lifted would mark the true beginning of disaster for the Abraham lineage... The constant pleas of the "Gate" gentleman had prevented the Abraham family from producing another half-god—perhaps a form of protective measure. Though this would mean the family would lose its status and most of its precious assets, becoming ordinary, at least the bloodline would be preserved. Hah! In the prophecy, the means to lift the curse lay in the hands of a "student" who received secret aid. Now, with a quiet chuckle, Klein had a clear plan on how to respond to the "Magician" lady. He intended for the "Magician" Folsom, when informing her teacher, to share only partial truths: first, to emphasize that the "Gate" gentleman was already half-mad, extremely dangerous, and that even engaging in conversation with him carried significant risk; second, to omit the more accessible second ritual for lifting the curse, and instead only mention the more demanding one—sacrificing one half-god each from the Prophet, the Thief, and the Student. With the first point, Abraham-like figures can understand why the ancestors persisted in their appeals, since God had lost His senses and could do anything terrible. This effectively alleviates the anxiety of Abraham-like figures, preventing them from assisting the "Gate" gentleman and enabling them to begin embracing the "Fool" more swiftly and enthusiastically. The second point dispels the lingering sense of optimism among a few more extreme Abraham-like figures, who feel incapable of performing such a ritual. At the same time, informing them about the ritual itself strengthens the Abraham family's trust in the magician, Foulth. "As for how many existing 'Secret Magi' remain, the question is simply that the 'Mystic Magi'—the semi-deities—have become increasingly elusive, with each one harder to capture than the last, and most of them concentrated within the Monastic Order. Engaging them is tantamount to challenging Chalatu. Even if the Abraham family itself harbors semi-deities and can temporarily deploy 'Level 0' seals, it still proves difficult to prepare the necessary rituals swiftly. Indeed, the 'Parasites' pose the greatest threat—should one misstep, the Amun duplicate becomes the target, effectively serving as a sweet treat for Amun. "...The damage is quite severe..." After getting off the train and stepping out of the station, Caine stood on a raised vantage point, gazing at this purely industrial city. Though it was his first visit, he had seen numerous photographs of Constanton in newspapers and magazines. Those were all black-and-white images capturing various aspects of the city. Three impressions stood out most vividly in Caine's memory: first, the towering chimneys and blast furnaces stood in dense clusters, resembling an artificially created forest, creating a powerful visual impact—more representative of industrial life than Beckland; second, buildings made extensive use of concrete and steel, standing taller, broader, and more densely packed than those in Beckland; third, coal dust was visible in many areas, even on human skin, though the air quality was slightly better than in Beckland, thanks to the strong sea breezes. Now, however, those towering furnaces and chimneys, along with the high-rise buildings, appeared scattered and sparse, with vast stretches of ruins stretching everywhere. Yet, relatively speaking, the industrial districts suffered less damage than residential areas, since many of the steel and arms factories there were equally vital to the Fussak people. "The number of people who have died here is absolutely in the tens of thousands..." Klein sighed quietly, carrying his suitcase and descending the steps of the steam train station, finally entering the city of Konstanz. On the way to his hotel, he continued to embody his role as a 'Magician,' randomly selecting a sturdy man in his thirties. "I am a wandering magician whose specialty is fulfilling every wish you present to me—would you like to try it?" Now, Klein, who had once been known for his thin face, could naturally initiate conversations with others. The man glanced at him, then waved impatiently: "Can you bring back my father, mother, two brothers, and one child?" "Having said that, he didn't wait for the magician across the way to respond, instead moving with a slightly impatient air toward the nearest public station, and then punched his left chest with his right fist. Along the way, he heard many pedestrians discussing which nearby spots were haunted and which had recently seen terrifying monsters: "When I passed by the Maris River earlier, I heard people crying and shouting from the water—so I didn't dare look, and I ran back into the city like the wind..." "That's nothing! At No. 9 Fengxin Street, I saw something even more terrifying! There was a face stuck to the window—so pale!" "Right behind my house, several passersby have gone missing, and their bloodstains stretch all the way to the nearest ruins, yet the police haven't found any bodies..." "What a horror! May the goddess protect us!" "May the storm drive these ghosts and monsters away from us!" "By the way, the city hall has issued an announcement, reporting similar incidents, and urging people to immediately report to the police station." "It seems the relentless war that unfolded earlier left many corpses too late to be laid to rest, transforming them into ghosts. Heh, often, the deceased may not even have bodies to preserve... Indeed, among these, there must be many extraordinary ones who suffered mental collapse or bodily disintegration, losing control. Furthermore, the majority of those who failed to take their magic potions according to the standard protocol have also lost control." The "Night Watchers" and "Penitents" will inevitably begin to resolve these incidents, but in Constancia, people may have to endure such extraordinary events for a considerable period. After all, some ghosts and monsters are adept at concealment and evasion, displaying an innate cunning. As Klein walked steadily without looking aside, he gained a clearer understanding of the city's overall condition. Here, encountering extraordinary events is no longer a mere coincidence—it has become a regular occurrence with a certain probability. At this very moment, Klein observed a group of "Night Watchers" passing through the intersection ahead—each wearing red gloves and black coats—but he didn't recognize any of them. Indeed, the Church of Silence sent over a more agile "Red Glove" unit for assistance...uh, what's unusual nearby? Klein gave a barely perceptible nod, following a spiritual intuition, directing his gaze toward an apartment building behind a pile of rubble. On the fourth floor, through a projecting window, a face highly decayed was pressed against the glass, gazing outward, with a pale yellow-to-brown liquid dripping one by one down the windowpane.