Danger and Farewell

After thinking for a while without finding any leads, Lu Yuan simply stopped dwelling on it.

Things had already reached this point; he could only hope that the doctors in the outer city were alright.

Lu Yuan glanced at Mina, who was still fast asleep, then at the whitening sky outside the window, and decided to rest for a bit first.

Tonight's exertion had been too great; he needed to recover.

Finding a relatively quiet spot in a corner of the library, Lu Yuan leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

Fatigue surged over him, and his consciousness gradually blurred.

A dream descended once more.

But this time, it was different.

There was no black ocean, nor was there that dead, silent island.

There was only a void.

Lu Yuan's consciousness floated within this empty world, surrounded by endless darkness, completely devoid of any sense of space.

Just as Lu Yuan was trying to move to figure out exactly where he was, he suddenly noticed a light in the distance.

It was a mass of ever-shifting colors, like a rainbow condensed into a ball, yet it was far more eerie and dreamlike than any rainbow.

Deep blue, dark purple, phantom gold... colors that shouldn't exist simultaneously were intertwined, constantly twisting and recombining.

Lu Yuan couldn't see the shape of the mass of color, but he could feel something surging within it.

It was as if something was trying to convey information.

Those colors twisted more and more violently, finally condensing together to form two words.

"DANGER!"

Lu Yuan snapped his eyes open before he could even figure out what had happened.

At the edge of his vision, greyish-white text pulsed quietly:

【Sanity III: +10, 32.2/70】

Lu Yuan stared at the number with a grave expression.

Ten points.

Strange Dreams usually added only five points a night, but this time it had actually doubled.

What exactly had he seen just now? He had just gotten rid of the previous Strange Dreams, so when did a new one arrive?

He recalled the eerie mass of colors in the dream and the two words that had finally formed.

Danger.

A sense of unease rose in his heart.

"You're awake?"

Old Morgan's voice came from nearby.

Lu Yuan turned his head to find Old Morgan standing not far away, his face looking much worse than before he had left.

"Meeting room, we're having a meeting," Old Morgan said in a tired tone, "Hans is already waiting."

Inside the meeting room, the atmosphere was heavy.

Hans stood by the table, his face ashen, with a bit of blood seeping through the bandages on his left arm; the wound had clearly reopened.

Old Morgan sat in the head seat, holding his pipe but not lighting it.

Lu Yuan walked in and sat down beside him.

"Speak," Old Morgan said.

Hans remained silent for a moment and sighed: "The doctors in the outer city... are all dead."

Lu Yuan's brow furrowed.

"Not a single soul was left alive," Hans continued, "Some died in their clinics, some on the roadside—the methods of death varied, but they were all efficient. They were clearly silenced."

Old Morgan nodded without showing much surprise; he had clearly already prepared himself mentally.

"I've already arranged for people to handle the inner city," Old Morgan said, holding a report, "Torches are being used to supplement light in areas where the electric lights were destroyed, and the corpses are being burned. The city lockdown order has been issued, so there shouldn't be any major issues for the time being."

He paused, his tone growing even heavier: "But I just received word that the Holy Church suffered heavy losses."

"Aside from us Nightwatchers, the Holy Church was the place hit the hardest," Old Morgan rubbed his brow tiredly, "The Holy Armored Army stationed there suffered significant casualties, and several priests were seriously injured, making them unable to perform duties in the short term."

"And then there are the nuns and priests..." He sighed, "They were specifically targeted. Since they don't have many ways to protect themselves, a large number of them died."

Lu Yuan realized the gravity of the situation upon hearing this and asked, "In other words... ninety percent of the doctors in Gelimu Port are dead?"

Old Morgan nodded.

"Perhaps more. The doctors in the inner city have all disappeared, those in the outer city are all dead, and the Holy Church's clergy suffered heavy casualties."

He looked at Lu Yuan, his voice heavy: "Right now, in the entire Gelimu Port, the number of capable doctors... with the few remaining priests in the Holy Church and any private doctors, there are ten people at most."

"Including you, of course."

Lu Yuan didn't say anything.

There were tens of thousands of people in Gelimu Port, and they had to rely on about ten doctors?

If a plague or further injuries occurred... though from the reports, it didn't seem like there would be many places where doctors would be needed, since most people were simply dying outright.

"The Deep Sea Church's objective is very clear," Old Morgan's voice interrupted Lu Yuan's thoughts, tinged with suppressed fury, "From start to finish, they've been targeting the doctors to completely paralyze Gelimu Port."

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down: "For now, we must settle the wounded first. The remaining clergy from the Holy Church must be mobilized in advance, and those few doctors in our base have already joined the rescue efforts."

"Patrols in the outer city must also be strengthened to prevent people from stirring up trouble amidst the chaos." He looked at Hans, "Go and arrange it."

Hans nodded and turned to leave.

After Hans left, Old Morgan called out to Lu Yuan.

"There's something I want to discuss with you."

"What is it?"

"The girl, Mina," Old Morgan said, "While there's still a chance, send her to the Nightwatchers headquarters."

Lu Yuan was slightly stunned for a moment, then understood Old Morgan's meaning.

"Gelimu Port is too chaotic; it's not suitable for someone with her talent to grow here," Old Morgan continued, "The headquarters has better resources and teachers who can help her control that ability."

"Ink will go along, and Brent will go too—he can look after Mina. Alice happens to be heading to the headquarters to report on the situation, so she can provide an escort. Of course, I have to ask for your opinion first."

Lu Yuan thought about it and nodded: "No problem. I'll go talk to her."

He agreed readily because Mina really couldn't help much right now; even while hiding in the underground library, she was still being affected by the outside world.

Most importantly, Gelimu Port was dangerous. If things took a turn for the worse, he might have to retreat early as well.

In the library, Mina had already woken up.

Her condition was a bit better than the previous night, but her face was still pale, and the dark circles under her eyes were heavy.

Brent stood guard by her side, and Ink floated in mid-air, staring at an even larger number of light orbs with its bead-like eyes, looking like it had already overeaten a bit.

Old Morgan followed Lu Yuan inside but stayed by the door without approaching, simply nodding to Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan walked up to Mina, knelt down, and briefly explained what he had just discussed with Old Morgan.

Going to the Nightwatchers headquarters meant better resources and teachers to help her control her talent. Ink and Brent would go with her, and Alice would escort them.

After listening, Mina fell silent.

"I don't want to go," she said softly, looking up at Lu Yuan, "I want to stay and help you."

Lu Yuan shook his head, his tone firm: "No."

"Gelimu Port is too dangerous right now. You can't control your talent yet, and staying here will only result in you being drowned out by those voices."

"He's right," Ink floated over, "This place isn't suitable for you. It's too noisy."

Mina bit her lip and didn't speak.

Brent, standing to the side, hesitated for a moment before speaking up: "Dr. Lu... can I stay?"

Lu Yuan looked at him.

"I... I want to help," Brent's voice was a bit nervous, "Since you took me in, I've just been hiding in the base. I haven't done anything..."

"Your mission is to take care of Mina," Lu Yuan interrupted him, his tone calm but brook no argument, "She needs you."

He looked at Mina: "Do you want your brother not to be by your side?"

Mina was stunned and instinctively looked at Brent.

Brent also looked at her, his eyes filled with a bit of apology.

"Go to the headquarters and study hard," Lu Yuan's tone softened a bit, "When you become stronger and can control your talent, then come back and help me."

"Besides, don't you want to save patients like your uncle? You'll only have a chance if you go there."

Mina remained silent for a long time before finally nodding slowly.

Old Morgan stepped forward at this point: "I've already arranged the carriage and the escorts. Alice happens to be going to the headquarters to report, so you'll go with her."

Clearly, he had long expected Lu Yuan to agree and had prepared in advance.

Packing didn't take much time.

Mina and Brent didn't have much luggage anyway, and Ink didn't need to bring anything at all.

Before leaving, Ink floated in front of Lu Yuan.

"Wait."

Its body twisted slightly, as if it were performing a difficult movement.

Then, it spat a book out from its belly.

It was a very thin book with a yellowed cover and slightly curled edges, but it had been well-preserved, as if someone had cherished it for a long time.

"This is from my collection," Ink's voice was unusually serious, "I know your Sanity talent is very high, so this book is very suitable for you."

Lu Yuan took the book. The moment his fingers touched the pages, he could feel a faint scent of ink lingering on them.

The writing on the cover was in the ancient Imperial Language; he could barely make out the words "Knowledge Pathway Guide".

"I was planning on giving it to you later," Ink's voice dropped a bit, and those bead-like eyes showed a rare moment of earnestness, "But I'm leaving."

It paused, then added: "Remember to read it often and protect yourself."

Lu Yuan looked at the book in his hand and didn't say anything overly sentimental, simply nodding: "Thanks."

Ink turned away and floated toward the door: "I'll wait for you in the main city."

The carriage was parked at the base entrance.

Alice was already waiting, fully armed, her warhammer polished to a shine.

Mina and Brent boarded the carriage.

Mina leaned her head out of the window and said softly: "Dr. Lu... take care."

Lu Yuan nodded: "Study hard when you get there. Don't cause trouble for Ink."

Ink's voice came from inside the carriage: "She won't cause trouble for me. A little noise is actually quite nice."

Brent also poked his head out: "Dr. Lu, I'll take good care of my sister."

"Mm. Once you arrive, the Nightwatchers will have everything arranged for you."

"They will, though with Sister Ink around, I probably won't be needed for much."

Brent scratched his head awkwardly.

"Well, obviously."

Ink rubbed its belly with a look that said 'exactly'.

Mina couldn't help but smile at Ink's expression.

Alice, after checking the team and their supplies, waved her hand and drove the carriage away.

The carriage gradually receded into the distance, disappearing at the end of the street.

Lu Yuan stood at the entrance, watching them leave.