Since it was unclear what state Amun was currently in, Caine didn't dare delay. Once his mental issues were preliminarily resolved, he immediately traveled to Caldrón to collect water from the River of Eternal Darkness. However, since this involved the Primordial Substance, he could only make limited divinations and predictions, seeing only vague images and unable to form precise judgments. Surveying the surroundings, Caine raised his hand to summon the historical image of the spatial rift he had created just a few minutes earlier, returning his physical form to the Source Citadel. His consciousness then transferred to the projection, endowing it with tangible presence. Next, he reached out into the void and drew forth the historical projection of the Star Staff. To be frank, after mastering the majority of extraordinary abilities below Sequence 0 through the "Apprentice" pathway accessible from the Source Citadel, Caine no longer relied as heavily on the Star Staff—the very "0"-level seal artifact. The Staff's remarkable qualities were now largely replicable by him, with minimal negative effects. Yet he always believed that an angel needed a close-combat weapon—there was no telling when he might find himself caught in the predicament of an active divine ability failing unexpectedly. In the mystical realm, such a scenario was absolutely possible, whether due to the limitations imposed by the "Judge" path's rules or the partial divine failure brought about by a particular Outer God. In such cases, simply lifting a sturdy staff that offered passive benefits and delivering a decisive blow to an enemy's head proved to be a highly effective strategy. As a King of Angels of the "Seer" path, being fully prepared in all aspects was an instinctive reflex. After considering the "Star Staff," he touched his crown resting on his head, then retrieved a golden bird-shaped ornament from within the "Source Citadel" and fastened it to his left chest pocket. With that, he took a single step and entered the city of Caldrum—the ancient realm of the deceased god, the primordial immortality bird, Gracelya. First striking his eyes was an immense, bottomless depression, surrounded by buildings of all shapes and sizes that spiraled downward in concentric layers, forming a city far beyond ordinary human comprehension. Some buildings stood atop slender, pale stone pillars as standalone houses; others were long, rectangular, colossal coffins, devoid of windows, with doors opening directly into the roofs. Some were simply burial pits, marked by stone monuments at their entrances, while others were constructed from a variety of white bones, appearing rather haphazard. The closer one approached the base of the depression, the more intact the buildings became; the nearer one got to the upper levels, the more they had collapsed, worn down and weathered by time. Upon merely glancing at the scene, Caine caused a faint gray-white mist to rise around him, directly countering through the inherent nature of the "Source Keep" the rule by which Caldrun transformed all living beings into the dead. To him, becoming a deceased was not particularly negative—merely that he disliked the cold, detached atmosphere. "The 'gray-white flood' that had risen before has now receded..." thought Cline, the man in a hat, a windbreaker, and a walking cane, as he stepped forward and entered the visible depths of Caldrón. This time, he employed the extraordinary ability of the "Thief's Path," directly stealing the spatial distance within his perception range, thus avoiding entanglement with the various dangerous creatures active throughout the mysterious city. He wasn't afraid—those creatures were what he feared. If he hadn't wanted to spare time, he would have gladly gathered a batch of secret figures to compensate for the losses caused by the destruction of Utopia. Beyond this reason, Kline remained cautious about another factor: Caldrun was a city of the dead, and deep beneath its surface, the "River of Eternal Darkness" might flow. By nature, the spectral beings were already the departed; as they approached the depths, they risked undergoing transformation. As Kline progressed step by step, he found himself overthinking: the various monsters hidden within this strange city dared not emerge—the very atmosphere of the "Source Keep" triumphed over their instinct for survival, overcoming both their tendencies toward frenzy and their predatory habits. The deeper he ventured into the earth, the more silence surrounded him. Though the buildings remained intact, they seemed as though they had long since passed into dormancy, their air growing cold, dim, and decaying. Now it feels just like watching black-and-white silent films. If I hadn’t been able to hear my own "breathing" and "heartbeat," I’d have doubted whether I’d gone deaf. Klein cleared his throat, murmuring internally to counteract the deathly silence. He instinctively believed that once he adapted to this environment—where both body and mind grew increasingly still—he would truly and irrevocably fade away, one quiet step at a time. The stronger this sensation became, the deeper he ventured underground. For a long time, Klein moved forward, steadily drawing closer, until he finally reached the bottom of the deep chasm. Not quite the true bottom, though—there stood a vast, dark palace blocking the way downward. This palace was supported by towering pillars, adorned with bones and bodies from various parts of the anatomy, some still covered in fresh, blood-soaked skins belonging to different races. Klein gazed for several seconds, then without hesitation, lifted the "Staff of the Star" and stepped through the open door into the palace. Along both sides of the hall stood a series of coffins of varying shapes and colors, quietly resting there as if even their very existence had been weathered by time and death. As Klein entered, subtle sounds emerged from within the coffins—like rusted joints slowly opening one by one. The gray-white mist surrounding him grew denser, and all the coffins suddenly fell silent. Ignoring these objects, Klein took a single step toward the deep end of the hall, where a gray-white stone staircase descended, and a massive stone tablet stood at the entrance. At the summit of the tablet stood a tall, slender statue of a great bird, crafted as though from bronze, its wings inscribed with various pale symbols. On the surface of the stone tablet beneath the bird-shaped bronze statue, characters derived from the "Language of the Dead" appear as simplified birds of various shapes and as serpentine forms coiled in different patterns, forming two enigmatic phrases: "Even the gods cannot escape; even death will be imprisoned." This seems to be a warning to all living beings arriving in Caldrun—not to descend the staircase, which leads directly to the "River of Eternal Darkness." Klein pondered the inscription carefully and interpreted the words. In his view, it suggested that even the true gods of Sequence 0 would succumb to the "River of Eternal Darkness" and be unable to escape once they approached it, and that even death itself would be captured by this primordial essence—this abstract river—though it would never vanish, it would also remain imprisoned, unable to find liberation. Thus, just as with the "Chaos Sea," without the protection of Source Substance, even approaching the "Eternal River of Darkness" brings about terrifying transformations. Caine withdrew his gaze, adjusted the golden bird-shaped ornament pinned to his chest pocket, passed around the stone pedestal bearing a bronze statue, and descended step by step along the gray-white staircase. He maintained a safe distance, avoiding a direct collision with danger. In the dim, silent, and cold environment, the golden bird ornament on Caine's chest emitted a pale glow, illuminating a small patch of area—much like a lifeboat struggling through a tide of death. After descending for an indeterminate length of time, the "Source Citadel" atmosphere around him naturally expanded and grew remarkably dense, as if enveloping him in a gray-white chrysalis. At the same time, Caine slightly tilted his head and heard a faint, ethereal rustling sound. This seemed to indicate that, not far beneath, a hidden river was flowing gently at the site. The next instant, Caine looked down, toward the ground. There, a deep, intangible flow of water had risen without him noticing. Its surface could not even hold light. "This is different from what I saw last time," Caine furrowed his brow. Previously, during his hunt for the "Soul-Stealers" in Caldrun, he had triggered certain changes, causing a large volume of pale, ethereal tidal waters to rise from the bottom of the crater. The two observations differed markedly in color. As Caine's thoughts shifted, a delicate gray-white mist began to rise from where the deep, dark water surged at the base of the stone steps, blending with the ethereal liquid and expanding into a more misty, gray-white "light" water. The flow reached the edge of Caine's feet and then quietly receded, as if undergoing a periodic rise and fall. This delicate gray-white mist felt familiar—Caine's expression immediately grew serious. After pausing for a few seconds, he continued descending. This time, the seemingly rising tide of illusion submerged him, making his body light and buoyant, his emotions swiftly grow cold, and his thoughts gradually fade. Had it not been for the protective aura of "The Source Fortress" surrounding him, Kline doubted he would have passively, effortlessly been absorbed into the tide. Next, the gray-white "spider's cocoon" rose and fell gently within the current, slowly making its way to the end of the staircase as the tide receded. Beyond the end lay an expanse of emptiness, within which flowed a straight, broad, ethereal, colorless river of profound darkness. This river appeared so hazy and indistinct that it was difficult to make out, as a thin, pale mist—like a barrier—enveloped its surroundings. "Indeed..." Kline murmured, struck by the sight. He was not unfamiliar with this mist at all. He had seen it behind the door in the Bansi ruins, in the far eastern reaches of the God-Abandoned Lands, and beneath the "Source Fortress" itself! Unlike elsewhere, portions of the "River of Eternal Darkness" penetrate through the gray-white mist, blending with it at times deepening into darkness and at others turning pale. This flowing water continuously rises and falls, as if forming a tributary surging through the void. Along the sides of this tributary, towering, pale stone pillars rise one after another, as though supporting something, preventing it from collapsing. Within the spaces between these pillars, along the edges of the tributary, countless semi-transparent, slightly blurred figures move back and forth, lingering slowly yet ceaselessly. Among them, the most striking is a figure that periodically enters the depths of the tributary, then turns back, yet remains unable to escape the river's embrace. It is immense, nearly as tall as the stone pillars, draped in a deep black robe, its side showing signs of age. Suddenly, it turns its head and gazes toward Caine. Its face bore clear South Continent features, yet patches of decay had spread across it, with white feathers streaked in pale yellow grease growing out one after another. Cain knew it—It was Mr. Azk's father, the "Death God" of the Fourth Age: "The Emperor of the Underworld," Sarin格尔.