Has the knight lady who married into the countryside fallen into depravity today?

Karen's shoulders relaxed slightly, but he remained in a posture awaiting orders. He looked directly at Klein, his eyes filled with trepidation and fervent anticipation. "Lord Klein, what do you need me to do? My life is yours; I'll do anything to get rid of that thing."

Klein chuckled softly, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest of the leather sofa. Instead of answering directly, he asked, "You're quite straightforward. You've already given your life, and only now you think to ask what to do?" His tone was teasing, but not oppressive, which made Karen's tense nerves relax slightly.

Karen's cheeks flushed slightly, and he scratched his head awkwardly. He knew Klein was joking with him; the relaxed atmosphere felt unfamiliar yet strangely reassuring. In Silverscale Harbor, no one, except Lyra, would speak to him like this.

Seeing Karen's expression, Lyra felt much relieved. She held Karen's hand tightly, her fingertips gently tracing his palm, offering silent support. Ophelia stood behind Klein, her gaze calmly sweeping over Karen and Lyra, finally settling on Klein's profile. A barely perceptible smile played at the corners of her lips, clearly indicating that she had no objection to Klein's approach of first "trapping" people in and then explaining, even showing a hint of tacit approval.

Klein's smile faded, and he sat up straight. He picked up an empty glass from the coffee table and twirled it gently in his hand. "It sounds like you understand that thing inside you better than I thought. Yes, it's still there, just suppressed by the environment here."

He placed the cup back in its place with a crisp sound. "Right now, I need some of your blood. Don't be nervous, it's not for any sacrifice, just for analysis." Klein's gaze fell on Karen's left chest, the spot Karen herself had punched. "Your blood contains the primal information of that power. It will tell me many things. For example, its composition, its activity, and... how we can completely extract it from your body."

"There will certainly be times when you're needed," Klein paused, his tone becoming serious. "But that's a matter for later. You've just endured a long and arduous ordeal, and you're exhausted, both physically and mentally. Right now, what you need most is to rest and recuperate. After all, what lies ahead won't be much easier than directly fighting the sirens."

A flicker of realization crossed Karen's eyes, followed by a deeper resolve. He nodded vigorously. "I understand, Mr. Klein. I'll do as you say. Just tell me what you need." He looked at Lyra, his eyes filled with clarity and hope. Lyra returned a reassuring smile.

Klein looked at Karen with satisfaction; her resolve and fervor were even stronger than he had anticipated. The navigator's innate yearning for freedom, coupled with her aversion to the allure of the deep sea, was the perfect catalyst. He could even detect a long-suppressed anger deep within Karen's eyes. Klein knew he had found the right person.

"Raymond." He gestured, and the attendant, understanding, brought over a tray with a complete set of silver blood-drawing tools and a glass bottle engraved with intricate runes. This was no ordinary vessel; the bottle shimmered with a faint light, clearly imbued with alchemical magic to preserve special substances.

Karen tensed when he saw the tools. He wasn't unfamiliar with blood, but there was something strange about this kind of blood collection for "research." Lyra tightened her grip on his hand again, offering silent reassurance.

“Not too much, just a few drops will suffice,” Klein explained gently, as if discussing something trivial. “While the power within you is immense, its information is highly concentrated. We only need a ‘catalyst’.”

Karen took a deep breath and extended his left arm. Without hesitation, he rolled up his sleeve, revealing the crisscrossing old scars on his forearm. Raymond moved with practiced ease, wiping the area with an alcohol swab, then precisely locating a vein and piercing the skin with the needle. Karen's muscles tensed for a moment, then relaxed. He stared intently at the few drops of dark red blood, slowly settling in the rune vial, merging with some liquid at the bottom and emitting a faint glow.

"Alright, you can rest now." Klein took the bottle and nodded in satisfaction. He didn't begin his study immediately, but instead handed the bottle to Ophelia, indicating that she should keep it safe. Ophelia took it, and as her fingertips touched the bottle, curiosity flashed in her eyes. She could sense the profound and ancient power within the bottle, something extraordinary.

"Now, Raymond will arrange your accommodations." Klein turned to Karen and Lyra, a sly smile playing on his lips. "The estate has the best doctors and cooks. Just relax and recuperate for the rest of your days. Of course, if Mr. Karen gets bored, there are plenty of chores to help out at the estate, like… trimming the flowerbeds or tending the horses. It's certainly easier than battling the waves at sea, isn't it?"

Karen understood the deeper meaning in Klein's words. He was giving him something to do to keep him from overthinking and to let him experience the life of a "normal person." A long-lost,憨厚 smile appeared on his face, and he nodded repeatedly: "Not boring! As long as I can work, that's fine! As long as I'm not idle, I'll do anything!" Lyra also breathed a sigh of relief. Klein's arrangement gave her hope that Karen would fully recover and no longer be that useless madman.

Klein gazed at the childhood sweethearts, a surge of emotion welling up within him. He wasn't entirely a benevolent person, but seeing the light rekindle in Karen's eyes made his investment worthwhile. He had a premonition that these few drops of blood would open a door to a higher realm for him. And Karen would be the most crucial key to that door.

Raymond led Karen and Lyra out of the side hall, their footsteps fading into the distance until they disappeared at the end of the corridor. The room returned to its previous tranquility.

Ophelia turned her gaze from the direction Karen had left towards Klein. She crossed her arms casually, yet her posture subtly revealed a knight's caution.

"You collected his blood again." She began, her tone flat, not as a question, but more as a statement of fact, yet subtly posing a hidden inquiry: "Didn't we already take a sample before?"

Klein was examining the teacup in his hand when he heard Ophelia's words. He gently turned the rim of the cup, his movements composed. He knew Ophelia's personality; she didn't like beating around the bush, nor did she need to hide anything.

"That's right, I took it again." He put down the cup and tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, making a rhythmic sound. This habitual little gesture always helped him clear his mind. "The initial sample was not many. You should remember, I used quite a few back then to research the potion to deal with the siren."

Although the last dose of medicine was never used.

He paused briefly, observing Ophelia's expression. She simply listened quietly, her golden eyes reflecting the sunlight outside, like flickering golden flames, which made him feel comfortable.

"More importantly, I want to see if anything has changed during this time." Klein leaned forward slightly, his voice tinged with a hint of inquisitive interest. "Karen's condition isn't simply a matter of mental instability. That power, or rather, that curse, resides within him like a living thing. It's been suppressed because it's far from the deep sea, but it might also be trying to adapt, or even transform."

He pointed to the rune-covered glass bottle on the table. The dark red blood inside had completely fused with the liquid at the bottom of the bottle, emitting a faint, eerie glow.

"His blood is like a mirror reflecting this power. Every change, every struggle, leaves its mark. Only through these marks can we more accurately sketch the outline of this power, find its weaknesses, or rather... find a way to completely strip it away." Klein's fingertips lightly traced the bottle, his eyes deep, as if he could glimpse some ancient and profound secret through the bottle's walls. "The first collection was to understand its initial state. Now, it's to track its dynamics. Only in this way can we truly know ourselves and our enemy."

Ophelia walked to his side, picked up the bottle, and examined it for a moment. The light flowing within the bottle danced at her fingertips; she could sense that it contained not merely the aura of flesh and blood, but something far more complex and profound. Her fingers lightly touched the bottle, feeling the subtle yet powerful energy fluctuations.

"So, you need more samples?" she asked, her tone revealing a hint of understanding.

Klein chuckled and shook his head. "No, this is enough for now. What Karen needs most right now is rest, not repeated blood draws. What we need is his 'heart.' This blood is just a key to unlock that door."

He rose, walked to the fireplace, and reached his hand into the flames, feeling their warmth. Ophelia put down the bottle, walked to his side, and stood beside him.

"This force is far more complex than I initially imagined," Klein said softly, his gaze fixed on the flickering flames. "The embodiment of the concept... what it is and what it wants to do are all mysteries."

He turned to look at Ophelia, and the light in his eyes was familiar to her—the focus and excitement of being immersed in exploring the unknown.

"And that's exactly what interests me most," he added, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Ophelia didn't speak, she just looked at him quietly.