"Who I am is not important," He said, wearing a chilling smile. Inwardly, he can't help but chuckle,' Since when have I become such a professional charlatan?'

  "What is important is that I have the answer to your question."

  Gu Lan remained silent, he didn't respond immediately.

  It seems that despite Ulrich's attempt to mystify and paint himself as someone with great knowledge, Gu Lan remained skeptical.

  Seeing this, Ulrich recalled the theological knowledge he once gathered in Belham. Truthfully speaking, back then, he didn't believe it was useful, merely dabbling in a little doctrine of every church out of curiosity. To think that at this moment, it would come in handy.

  "Indeed, the Deities once walked the land." Ulrich paused to think about the history of the second epoch, then continued as he borrowed a line from the churches of the Night Mother, "Due to a certain event in the past, the Gods disappeared from the land and only occasionally responded to their believers. This, I can say for certain."

  Immediately, Gu Lan was shocked,

  His eyes started at Ulrich, feeling the air of mysteries surrounding him expand.

  Could there be a reason involving this question that cannot be answered directly?

  While Gu Lan fell into his own thoughts, Ulrich was a little lost. Quite frankly, he wasn't sure of the reason himself.

  He didn't directly name the churches, or known deities, as well as historical turning points. The reason is that he did not know what this dream world's relation to the real world was. At least, not yet.

  Could they be the same world, but separated by time? Possibly. Seeing as the Shadowfins exist in both world, as well as ancient Hermes, now, mentions of Gods, anything is possible at this moment.

  However, until he was sure, Ulrich preferred being vague about the details. He didn't want to preemptively throw his words around without knowing the entire truth, which in turn causes Gu Lan to treat him with suspicion, resulting in time wasted!

  What he needed right now was information from Gu Lan. This way, he could further bridge the gaps of knowledge between the dreams and the real world. In the same manner, Ulrich could accurately perform a series of observations and tests to verify his own theory.

  At this moment, Ulrich could notice a subtle change in Gu Lan's expression, who remained silent.

  He didn't let this moment pass and let out a light chuckle, startling Gu Lan.

  "That female figure mentioned in your journal, what do you know about her?"

  Gu Lan's fingers twitched at his sides.

  The question had clearly struck a nerve—Ulrich could see it in the way the older man's jaw tightened, in the brief flicker of his eyes toward the door before returning to meet Ulrich's gaze.

  "I..." Gu Lan began, then stopped. He removed his wire-rimmed glasses, cleaning them with the edge of his shirt—a stalling tactic. "I don't know much about her. That's the nature of the gathering. Anonymity is paramount."

  "Yet, you consulted her specifically," Ulrich pressed, taking a measured step forward. "Multiple times, clearly, you trusted her knowledge above all others in that gathering."

  "Trust is a strong word." Gu Lan replaced his glasses, his composure slowly returning.

  "I recognized expertise when I saw it. The way she spoke about the lost histories, about the principles governing spirituality—it wasn't the rambling of a fraud. She understood the fundamental mechanisms."

  "What did she look like?"

  "A clown mask. White porcelain with red markings around the eyes and mouth." Gu Lan gestured vaguely at his own face. "Her voice was feminine, cultured. She wore gloves—always gloves. Black silk, I think."

  Ulrich pressed further, leaving him no time to gather his breath. "Where does this gathering take place?"

  "It moves. Different locations each time." Gu Lan hesitated, seeming to weigh his words carefully.

  "Who organizes it?"

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  "I don't know." His answer came too quickly, almost rehearsed.

  Ulrich's eyes narrowed slightly, and Gu Lan must have sensed the skepticism.

  "Truly, I don't. The whole deal of the gathering is anonymity. Without this, the number of members in the gathering would be halved!"

  Gu Lan let out a bitter laugh.

  Ulrich considered this and immediately understood. When he was reading the journal, didn't he, too, ridicule this group of superstitious people?

  "This woman," Ulrich said, returning to his primary target. "What specific topics did she discuss?"

  Gu Lan moved toward his desk, his movements careful, non-threatening. He picked up one of the scattered papers—a different page than the journal entries Ulrich had read.

  "She spoke of the Epochs," Gu Lan said quietly. "The divisions of history that most scholars treat as mythology. She described them as if she'd witnessed them herself." He paused.

  "She was a strange person. I mean, when was the last time someone used the word epoch? Doesn't she mean era? Or age? Why specifically Epochs? I once asked her this question, but received no answer."

  Hearing this, Ulrich was startled. However, outwardly, he maintained a calm and composed expression, as though it did not affect him.

  'Epochs… Gods, Ancient Hermes… Shadowfins… Except for modern technology, this world is becoming more and more aligned with the real world! The only thing is… the moon. The real world has no moon, yet this one does… Could it truly be the same world?'

  The room seemed to grow colder.

  Ulrich's mind raced through the implications. If, and however far-reaching his guesses were, this dream world and the real world is one and the same. Then, for what reason did the moon appear?

  "She also spoke of the Paths," Gu Lan continued, seemingly eager to please Ulrich's attitude.

  "The runes I mentioned in my notes—she confirmed their existence. She described them as fragments, yes, but fragments of something greater. A whole that was deliberately shattered."

  "By whom?"

  "She wouldn't say. Or couldn't." Gu Lan met Ulrich's eyes.

  "But she warned me. She said that pursuing the Paths without proper guidance was... inadvisable. That there were consequences to carving incomplete runes, to channeling spirituality without understanding its source."

  Ulrich glanced at the glass tank containing the Shadowfins. "Yet, you continued your research."

  "Knowledge demands sacrifice." Gu Lan's voice took on a fanatical edge. "The chance to transcend human limitations, to touch the divine—how could I not pursue it?"

  "Even if it meant becoming a monster?" He said, recalling the horror stories that spread among the lower classes of Belham. They were stories of heretics and of lunatics, who perform strange and unorthodox rituals. Despite varied sources and differences in the stories, they all shared one common end — gruesome deaths.

  Meanwhile, the question hung in the air. Gu Lan's expression flickered—shame, defiance, resignation, all passing across his features in rapid succession.

  "The gathering," Ulrich said, changing tack. "When is the next one?"

  Gu Lan's eyes widened. "You want to attend?"

  "I want to meet this woman."

  "That's..." Gu Lan shook his head. "That's impossible. You need an invitation. You need to be vouched for by an existing member. Not to mention, the gathering occur 4 times a year with a three-month gap."

  Hearing this, Ulrich's face darkened, realizing that with the reset each midnight, it was impossible to attend such a gathering.

  Besides the questions relating to the mysterious woman, as well as the gathering and 'lost histories', Ulrich questioned him about the Shadowfins as well as the ancient Hermes book.

  The answer he received was rather reasonable. For one, Gu Lan obtained the fish through a rather questionable source. Hearing this, Ulrich was in disbelief, as this shadowfin was quite authentic. He didn't know whether to consider the man blessed or cursed.

  As for the book, it was found in the underworld black market. This answer didn't provide him with much insight.

  Beyond these two questions, Ulrich was able to learn the incomplete knowledge regarding the shadow rune. Surprisingly, one of the core materials for the shadow rune happened to be the shadow gem embedded on the forehead of the shadowfins.

  Though the research was incomplete, Ulrich was interested. He wanted to see if he could study this so-called 'shadow rune' himself.

  Other than missing the opportunity to meet the mysterious woman, Ulrich was satisfied. Most of his goals were achieved, and with the new wave of information provided by Gu Lan, Ulrich had his theories.

  'I want to know if this and the real world are one and the same!' Although in his mind, there was an answer tugging for his attention, he remained skeptical. After all, there were too many inconsistencies to consider.

  For example, the difference between a world with a moon and one without. Or another example, the gaps in technology and land. Even if the two worlds are the same, and that they separated by time, a gap in time alone cannot explain such differences!

  With that in mind, Ulrich walked past Gu Lan toward the dead Shadowfins and plucked the gems off its head.

  'That cost me five hundred thousand yuan!' This startled Gu Lan, however, he merely watched without daring to utter a word.

  Then, without another glance at Gu Lan, Ulrich walked off with the black book in his hand while stuffing the gem into his bag.

  'I still have some time left, enough to visit Zheng San. If there's a chance to meet this 'client' by offering a direct delivery... Then my time won't be wasted.' He thought, waving the book in the air.

  Meanwhile, Gu Lan stood rooted on his feet, watching as Ulrich disappeared through the hallway, then — Click.

  The doorknob twisted, then closed, leaving behind a dull thud.

  The appearance of Ulrich, as well as subsequent interaction, left him stunned and speechless.

  "..."