"Already dead..." Edwards turned his head, his pale blue eyes fixed on Bernadette's "invisible servant." The gaze no longer cold or detached, now shimmered with a strange light, charged with disbelief. Only at this moment did he seem to realize that he had been dead, then revived—no different from William, Perry, and Green, whom he had always had to watch out for. This transformation lasted only a few seconds before Edwards' face suddenly twisted. The already pale skin rapidly grew dull, inch by inch tearing apart. Beneath it, the patches of fresh red flesh began to rot visibly, dripping a faint, sour yellow liquid. With a sharp crack, Edwards raised the iron-black axe in his hand. *Plung!* He drove the axe hard into his own head, as if trying to silence the unwelcome thoughts forming in his mind. The axe was both heavy and sharp, cleaving straight through Edward's skull and splitting all the way to his brow and eyes. Drip, drip—drops of pale brain matter slid down the axe's edge, cascading from Edward's distorted, torn face, like a few spoonfuls of milk poured over fresh red strawberries. "No, no—don't come near me..." Edward managed, his voice hoarse and strained, as he spoke to Bernadette's "invisible servant" after receiving the blow to his head. Before the words fully settled, his expression grew rigid, his gaze growing dull, and he turned his body, walking steadily back toward the forest from which he had come. His slender, gaunt figure slightly bent, as though his back had instantly curved. Bernadette had hesitated in her questioning, driven by numerous concerns and uncertainties about entering the mausoleum, and thus had only indirectly hinted at issues concerning Edward's own standing, hoping to glean further clues from his response. Yet, to her surprise, the knight, once renowned across the northern continent during the Roxel period, reacted with such intense and strangely unusual vigor. After a pause of two seconds, Bernadette instructed her "invisible servant" to address Edward's back: "Your descendants are doing well; each has achieved notable accomplishments." Edward, facing away from the mausoleum, paused briefly before continuing forward, crossing the invisible boundary and vanishing into the forest. His destination appeared to be the stone pillar cemetery, where the deceased could attain a form of rebirth. Meanwhile, Bernadette raised her gaze toward the sky. The faint, pervasive blackness had noticeably lessened, yet a sense of something indescribable had emerged—giving the entire primordial island a subtle, yet unquantifiable transformation. Suddenly, Bernadette reached back, brushing her spine at the edge of an invisible boundary. She felt a heavy presence there, as though something had been added. When her left hand made contact with the target, she realized what had been added—a length of hair. At that moment, she wore an Indis-style women's blouse with large lace blooms at the neckline, a navy-striped captain's coat, cream-colored long pants, and knee-length boots, and a triangular hat adorned with feathers—dressed exactly like a captain of a pirate ship. Her chestnut hair had previously been tied into a half-ponytail, just reaching her chest, but now, though her hairstyle remained unchanged, a long new section of hair had grown, cascading down to her waist. Immediately afterward, Bernadette lowered her head and looked at her right hand, where all five fingernails were growing outward simultaneously. The "Mysterious Queen" showed no surprise or agitation. Following her instinct as the Prophet and drawing upon years of accumulated experience, she took a few steps forward, crossing the invisible boundary and fully stepping out of the primeval forest into the open expanse where the Black Emperor's tomb stood. During this transition, Bernadette also returned the "Invisible Servants" to the spiritual realm. A few seconds later, she felt the ground begin to tremble, and the tomb itself started to resonate with clear vibrations. Subconsciously, Bernadette turned back toward the primeval forest. For a brief moment, her gaze froze. The towering trees, their leaves deep green and nearly black, swayed their branches and gradually pulled their roots free, then, like humans, advanced steadily toward Bernadette. The entire primeval forest came to life! Watching the trees surge in a tidal wave, densely packed and nearly blotting out the sky, Bernadette felt as though the end of the world had arrived, with forests engulfing every corner. The colossal red dragon, its skin flowing like flames, soared swiftly into the upper air, while the eight-legged magical wolf began galloping between the trees. Every extraordinary and mutated creature on the island grew restless, converging toward the tomb. Though she was the "Master of Prophecy," Bernadette hadn't anticipated that a single, unspoken question of hers would trigger such profound transformation—much as if it had been a key unlocking the gateway to the depths. Klein, above the gray mist, saw more and, drawing upon his knowledge of mysticism, formed certain speculations: "Edward's condition differs from that of William and Green—it resembles a flaw in the original order of this island, or perhaps, a shadow. "When Edward became aware that he had already died, this flaw, this shadow, was detected by the order and began to undergo 'repair.' "The process of repair strengthened the order, causing widespread changes throughout the island. "I sense a certain presence of the 'Black Emperor' influencing Edward, enabling him to retain part of his original will even after his rebirth. Where, then, did the original order of this island originate? "Ah—"as Klein's thoughts raced, he suddenly noticed that Bernadette herself had also undergone subtle changes. A soft thud, a thud, a thud—Bernadette faintly heard her own heartbeat. The rhythm of the heartbeat was quite disordered, as though two distinct sounds were blending together. Two... Bernadette's mind stirred, and she calmly refocused her attention on herself. The very next moment, she confirmed that she was hearing two sources of heartbeat: one from her heart, and another originating from her abdomen. It seemed as though an extra heart had taken up residence within her belly, expanding and contracting steadily. Moreover, this "heart" was growing steadily! No longer needing to use her "divining" ability to observe her abdomen, Bernadette directly sensed the presence of a fetus within her. It had grown from the size of a raisin all the way up to the size of a typical human palm, and was still growing—seemingly destined to mature soon, then rupture through her abdominal wall, emerging bloodied and fully formed. Unaware of it, Bernadette had unexpectedly become pregnant, and neither her spiritual intuition nor the seals upon her had been able to detect the change or intervene—seeming powerless against this influence. "The Earth Mother"... "The Primordial Moon"... "The Mother Tree of Desire"... three divine names flashed through Bernadette's mind. As far as she knew, such rare phenomena were not common, and most originated from domains connected to "Earth" and "Moon." —The Sequence 0 of the "Farmer's Path" was itself named "Mother"; the Primordial Moon granted stones the capacity to reproduce; and the Mother Tree of Desire was believed to hold certain high-sequence extraordinary traits associated with the "Moon's Path." Bernadette did not immediately act to address the child within her. Instead, she deepened her gaze once more, using her prophetic ability to discern her next best course of action. This time, she received the prophecy in just one second: "The hope of survival lies within the Tomb." Without hesitation, Bernadette extended her right hand and swiftly sketched one after another glowing words in the air. These words, resembling those on the "Sacred Stone," quickly interwove into an extraordinary symbol, opening a "secret door" that seemed to lead deep into the realm of the spirit. Immediately thereafter, the "secret door" unfolded, and a strong wind surged forth, taking the form of a man with a human upper body and a flowing current below, wrapped in a white cloth. "The Sage's forehead ornament," Bernadette said calmly, her voice dignified. The man bowed respectfully and retrieved a pendant from the white cloth wrapped around his body. At the heart of the pendant was a vertical eye set in diamond, radiating a pure, sacred light that evoked a sense of wisdom and holiness, yet felt notably cold and lifeless. Bernadette then took the pendant and affixed it to the center of the man's forehead. This is a "0"-level sealed item—Bernadette normally carries it nowhere, as its negative effects are simply too severe. However, at this very moment, one particular ability of the "Wise One's Crest" is of paramount importance to Bernadette, and she is willing to endure all the drawbacks—such as the inability to use any atypical or deviant magic, and the gradual infiltration of her body by its exceptional traits—thereby accepting the consequences. —If Bernadette cannot remove the "Wise One's Crest" within a relatively short timeframe, she will effectively be drenched in a Sequence 2 potion, much like someone who has been blessed by luck to ascend to the rank of "Wise One"; otherwise, she will spiral into uncontrollable chaos and transform into a monster. Without auxiliary materials or the appropriate rituals, the likelihood of the former outcome is so low that it can be practically disregarded. After the diamond vertical eye appears on her forehead, Bernadette's body begins to fade, decomposing into cascading streams of complex knowledge. In an instant, she becomes a pure information-flow entity. Yet the fetus within her did not attain this state—it dropped with a soft snap to the ground. It was about half the size of a normal infant, with fully formed features and limbs, its skin wrinkled and oozing a thick, viscous pus. As it detached from the mother’s body, the still-forming entity gradually deteriorated, swiftly dissolving into the air. The infant clearly refused to give up, struggling to open its eyes sealed by mucus, widening its mouth, sharp teeth gleaming, as it made one final effort. At that moment, Kline, standing atop the gray mist, gently tapped the edge of the weathered long table with his finger. Tap. He increased the probability of the infant’s struggle failing. Eventually, the infant could no longer maintain itself and completely dispersed before the dense forest pressing steadily toward them. Meanwhile, the information stream of Bernadette flowed through the heavy stone door, entering the inner sanctum of the "Black Emperor’s" tomb, and reassembled into her original form. During this process, she seemed to glimpse a dark shadow.