The man in the photo with Lady Lamia was named Giuseppe Castiya—this was something Ebner had already learned from Lady Closfia.
According to his speculation, Giuseppe, as a member of the Castiya family, had likely perished while exploring the ruins where the "Red Angel" wraith resided, and his body had subsequently been occupied by a transmigrator brought by the "Pure White Eye"…
Now, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity toward the Giuseppe in the photograph, just as he did toward the man in the "retraced" scene…
Could this mean that the man in the "retraced" vision was also a transmigrator? And if he shared a similar presence to Azik…
The author of the Book of the Dead, Jane's ancestor, the Death Consul, His Highness Miranda?
As Ebner pondered these thoughts, the "retraced" scene grew silent once more following the departure of the severely injured man, who was presumably Miranda.
Notably, he had left through a hidden stream outside the dreamscape courtyard…
After an indeterminate amount of time, a knight bearing a resemblance to Azik entered the nightmare. His expression was resolute yet tinged with sorrow.
Nonetheless, the knight pressed on into the ancient castle and, after some time, emerged holding a crown covered in rust and bloodstains. He then followed the same stream to depart.
"Is that Azik's son? The sorrow… is it because, by this point, he had already learned that his friend, Kolg, had perished in another ruin, while the one still alive was an imposter arranged by the Loen royal family?"
"And that rust-covered, blood-stained crown… that must be the 'Conqueror' characteristic!"
"In the original story, Amon stole a portion of the 'Conqueror' characteristic for the 'Red Angel,' and it was described just like this."
"So, the Loen royal family was indeed using Azik's son to search for the Sequence 1 characteristic that the 'God of Death' had hidden away!"
After quickly analyzing the implications of the "retraced" scene, Ebner barely had time to dwell on his thoughts before continuing to observe what came next.
Because at that moment, a familiar figure appeared.
It was a man with chestnut hair and blue eyes, a high nose bridge, thin lips, and a neatly groomed mustache. In his hand, he held a crimson seal, as red as blood.
This was none other than the legendary figure from over a hundred years ago—the self-proclaimed "Caesar," Emperor Roselle Gustav of Intis.
Or rather, Huang Tao.
Ebner watched as Roselle seemed to converse with the seal in his hand before confidently knocking on the castle doors and stepping inside.
When he emerged again, his eyes carried a contemplative glint. He then set up an altar in the courtyard, placing a "Five-Colored Radiant Stone" upon it. The stone connected to the "dusk" power of the castle, allowing its influence to spread across the entire courtyard.
At the same time, the giant and half-giant souls, who had been deeply trapped in the darkness and nightmares, suddenly regained a slight sense of clarity—though they still wandered in confusion, unable to wake up…
After completing this ritual, Roselle once again spoke with the crimson seal, his face lighting up in excitement as if he had been enlightened about something. Then, he donned a pale metallic mask and vanished from the courtyard in an instant.
Having uncovered many lingering questions—such as why the formation of the "barrier" seemed out of place for the Fourth Epoch—Ebner rubbed his chin in thought.
"That crimson seal must be the 'Calamity Seal' I've always heard about but never actually seen before…"
"It seems to have a good relationship with Roselle… But when I look at it, I don't get much of a 'familiar' feeling. Is it because it doesn't have a human form?"
"So, transmigrating into a Sealed Artifact versus transmigrating into a person really does make a significant
So, there really is a big difference between transmigrating into a Sealed Artifact and transmigrating into a person…
Also, the 'Five-Colored Radiant Stone' was actually placed here by Roselle… And combined with the lion's voluntary brain offering from before… That can't be a coincidence!
Did Roselle already know that future transmigrators would be on the 'Reader' pathway? Or did the 'Calamity Seal' tell him? Or was it something he 'prophesied'?
Looking at this scene, even the nightmare Q&A sessions earlier feel like part of his 'arrangement'… Though I think it's more likely the Goddess was using his hands to complete the setup.
And before he left, Roselle had a look of eager anticipation… Could it be that his inspiration for creating the 'Dream Labyrinth Tower' came from these various nightmare scenarios?
Lastly, none of the 'retraced' scenes so far have been able to reproduce sound… Maybe it's due to the residual 'darkness' power lingering in the courtyard. After all, 'silence' is one of the authorities of darkness.
At that moment, the 'retraced' scene shifted once more. A man stepped out of the castle, holding a notebook in his left hand and a painting in his right. He was none other than Azik Eggers.
Yet, unlike the gentle man Ebner knew, this version of Azik had eyes filled with cold indifference, as if he were overlooking all living beings.
At the same time, a woman wearing a "Greed" mask entered the nightmare from the stream outside the courtyard. Upon seeing Azik emerge from the castle, she assumed he had taken all the benefits of the ruins and, driven by "greed," immediately underwent "dragonification" and launched an attack.
However, a Sequence 3 "Dream Weaver" was no match for a near-peak "Death Consul." She was swiftly and peacefully slain at the courtyard entrance. Her body rapidly decayed, flesh sloughing off until only a skeleton remained, while her blood pooled beneath her into a crimson pond.
Her Extraordinary items, materials, gold coins, and other belongings scattered everywhere—some within the courtyard, but the majority outside.
Meanwhile, her Extraordinary characteristic, after being extracted, fused with a mystical book she carried, forming a new Sealed Artifact.
Only the mask she had worn vanished without a trace.
Azik, however, showed no interest in any of it. He stepped over her massive skeletal remains, tossing the painting in his right hand outside the courtyard before following the hidden stream to leave the dreamscape.
Not long after, a fisherman, his eyes clouded with confusion, stumbled into this place. The moment he saw the dragon skeleton and the Sealed Artifact book beneath it, his mind was polluted. He vanished in a frenzy of screams, likely returning to reality…
"But he lost his sanity in the process…" Ebner sighed. Recalling the scene, he shook his head at the foolishness of the woman who had worn the "Greed" mask. How desperate did she have to be to attack an angel voluntarily?
That woman was most likely the missing teacher of the "Greed" lady I encountered earlier… Judging by her mask, she was probably the previous or even earlier "Greed" of the "Psychological Alchemy Society" council.
These persona masks are truly sinister. Wear them for too long, and you won't be able to take them off… He chuckled. In this world, are psychiatrists actually the most insane? After all, the one at the top doesn't even have humanity left…
After a few sarcastic thoughts, Ebner considered the painting Azik had discarded and the items "dropped" by the reckless "dragonified" woman.
"Those must be the 'treasures' that the recently lost merchant caravan found here…
"A demigod's legacy… That's definitely a major treasure."
"But what happened to the mystical book fused with the characteristic?
"Did someone from the merchant caravan take it?
"But none of them, even the Extraordinary ones, should be able to handle a Sealed Artifact of that level, right?
"No… They aren't Roselle or Azik. They probably couldn't even pass through the barrier made with the 'Five-Colored Radiant Stone'!"
"Could it be that the book developed 'sentience,' 'came alive,' and controlled someone to escape?"
The next "retraced" scenes confirmed Ebner's speculation…
The only thing that truly surprised him was that, after the first fisherman and before the merchant caravan, Closfia had actually entered this place with another fisherman.
And it was her who had taken away the mystical book fused with the "Dream Weaver" characteristic!
…"