When Lu Yuan woke up, the sky outside the window was already bright.
At the edge of his vision, greyish-white text quietly emerged:
【Sanity: 92/120】
After a night of rest, his Sanity had recovered by 12 points.
He sat up, performed a simple wash, and checked his equipment.
The revolver was still at his waist.
The Timekeeper pocket watch had merged into his body, and his chest felt a faint warmth.
The letter was still tucked in his shirt; the folds had softened, but the handwriting remained clear.
Lu Yuan walked to the window and glanced outside.
Someone was sweeping the courtyard.
Their movements were slow, and their eyes occasionally drifted toward him.
Lu Yuan did not linger, turning to leave the room.
Being watched was expected.
There was no use in rushing.
The Logistics Department was located in a side wing of the base's main building.
Lu Yuan pushed open the door to find a spacious hall.
Several long tables were piled with various supplies.
Medicinal herbs, bandages, instruments, medicine bottles...
A middle-aged woman was counting inventory, looking up when she heard the door open.
"Are you the newcomer?"
"Yes." Lu Yuan nodded. "Lu Yuan, reporting for duty at logistics."
"Margaret." The woman set down her checklist and walked over. "I'm the logistics supervisor."
She looked to be in her thirties, wearing grey overalls with her hair tied casually behind her head, and obvious dark circles under her eyes.
"Finally, someone has arrived." Margaret breathed a sigh of relief. "It's been murderously busy lately; two pharmacists fell ill, and we are severely short-staffed."
She pointed to a room nearby.
"You know how to prepare medicine?"
"I do."
"That's excellent." Margaret's tone lightened. "The number of wounded has surged recently, and medicine consumption is triple what it usually is."
She complained, "It's all because of those damned disappearance cases; they've pulled everyone away."
Lu Yuan did not join in the conversation, only offering a nod.
"The Polymath Tower side is in an uproar," Margaret continued. "Three students have gone missing this month, and the Nightwatchers have sent several teams over to investigate."
She shook her head.
"Come, I'll take you to the pharmacy room."
Margaret led Lu Yuan further inside.
The pharmacy room was at the very back of the Logistics Department.
It was a large room.
Rows of cabinets were filled with various herbs and equipment.
Formula manuals hung on the walls, and mortars, distillers, and measuring cups sat on the tables.
"These are the common herbs." Margaret pointed to the cabinets. "Blood-stanching grass, anti-inflammatory root, analgesic flower... they're all labeled."
She pointed to the manuals on the table.
"The formulas are all here; just follow the steps."
Lu Yuan nodded.
"Understood."
"Then make a few bottles first; I'll come check later," Margaret said. "I have other things to handle. If you have questions, find me. Wounded will be sent in this afternoon; I'll call for you then."
The door closed.
Lu Yuan stood in the pharmacy, looking around.
Bronze City's medicinal herb variety was far richer than that of Gelimu Port.
There were some he had never seen before.
He walked to the cabinets and began organizing the herbs.
The first cabinet contained various root and stem herbs.
Lu Yuan picked up a dark brown root and sniffed it.
The scent was pungent with a trace of bitterness.
The label read: bitter root, for anti-inflammation.
He put it back and continued looking through the rest.
Silverleaf, purple-heart flower, desert thistle...
He sorted them one by one by category.
Blood-stanching, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, detoxifying...
At the edge of his vision, the greyish-white text flickered continuously:
【Medicinal Herbology: +0.1... 7.1/50】
【Medicinal Herbology: +0.1... 7.2/50】
Lu Yuan's movements were practiced; memorizing the characteristics of these herbs was not difficult for him.
Since his Sanity level had increased, Lu Yuan found that his memory and learning ability had reached an astonishing level.
While he hadn't reached the point of photographic memory, he wasn't far off.
After finishing the first cabinet, Lu Yuan moved to the second.
This one held herbs he had never encountered.
A pale blue petal felt cold to the touch.
The label read: frostflower, from the North, used to lower temperature and reduce fever.
Lu Yuan picked it up, observing it closely.
The petals had fine patterns like the shape of ice crystals.
He put it back and continued organizing.
Time passed slowly.
Lu Yuan organized all the herbs, gaining a general understanding of the Bronze City medicinal storehouse.
Then, he began preparing routine medicines.
Blood-stanching medicine.
Analgesics.
These were basic medicines that did not require specialized herbs.
Thus, even without the prompts from the greyish-white text, Lu Yuan handled the task with ease.
Following the steps in the manual, he went through the process.
Grinding, mixing, heating, filtering...
The greyish-white text constantly emerged to correct his errors.
One bottle after another.
【Pharmacology: +0.1... 17.7/50】
【Pharmacology: +0.1... 17.8/50】
【Pharmacology: +0.1... 17.9/50】
As his experience grew, Lu Yuan's movements became faster.
It was around noon when Margaret entered with a tray.
"I saw you didn't come out all morning, so I brought you something to eat."
On the tray were bread and meat broth.
Lu Yuan snapped out of his focus, set down the medicine bottle, and took the tray.
"Thank you."
Margaret sat in a nearby chair, looking at the neatly arranged bottles on the table.
"You made all of these? Your technique is good!" She nodded with approval. "It seems Captain Hoguer didn't misjudge you."
Lu Yuan did not speak, only lowering his head to drink the soup.
Margaret leaned back in her chair and sighed.
"Did you know? All of the missing persons were students from the Alchemy Department."
Lu Yuan's movements paused slightly.
"The first was half a month ago, the second was ten days ago, and the third was three days ago," Margaret continued. "The intervals are getting shorter, and the higher-ups are frantic."
She shook her head.
"They all disappeared at night, and there were no signs of a struggle in the dormitories."
"It's like... they just walked out on their own."
Lu Yuan frowned and asked, "Is the defense of the Polymath Tower that weak? And isn't this Bronze City? Eerie entities and the like shouldn't be able to get in, right?"
"The guards at the Polymath Tower are no worse than us Nightwatchers, and it's the core of Bronze City. But because of that, it's even stranger."
"Now there's a panic at the Polymath Tower; many students don't dare go out at night anymore," Margaret continued. "Especially those in the Alchemy Department. They've all applied to change dorms, but the Tower won't approve it."
She lowered her voice.
"I've heard that the Nightwatchers suspect it's some kind of ritual."
"Specific people are needed... Alchemy Department students might meet certain criteria."
"But as for what specifically, how would we in logistics know?"
She paused, looking at Lu Yuan.
"By the way, you're young; why don't you go study at the Polymath Tower?"
"If I remember correctly, the Nightwatchers have advanced study requirements. Do you want to try?"
Lu Yuan looked up.
"It's so dangerous right now, and you're recommending I go?"
"Don't worry, you can't join the Alchemy Department. Nightwatchers can only audit some courses related to your transcendent abilities."
"I see. I'll try when there's a chance."
"Good." Margaret smiled. "The knowledge at the Polymath Tower is much richer than what we have here in logistics."
She stood up and picked up the tray.
"Wounded will be arriving this afternoon. Remember not to leave for a while."
The door closed.
Lu Yuan sat in place, looking at the bread in his hand.
Laurina was in the Alchemy Department.
The ones missing were all students from that department.
The intervals were getting shorter.
He had to go to the Polymath Tower as soon as possible to check on Laurina's situation.
Along the way, he could investigate what could be learned there.
Lu Yuan thought of Lawson's several reminders and that large handful of gold shields.
This was a debt he owed Lawson.
Lu Yuan also thought of Mina, Ink...
He wondered how they were doing now.
After Mina's talent awakened, she should have received better protection.
And with Ink by her side, no one without eyes should dare provoke her.
And then there was Brent...
Lu Yuan shook his head.
There was no point in thinking about it.
Gelimu Port had already sunk.
Those memories were locked away, unable to be spoken or recovered.
He could only move forward.
First, finish the task Lawson entrusted to him.
Then... see what else this world had in store for him.
After eating, as Lu Yuan immersed himself in grinding experience again, the door was pushed open.
Four Nightwatchers carried two stretchers inside.
"Where's the doctor?! We have wounded!" One of the men leading the way shouted before he had even fully entered.
Lu Yuan stood up and walked over.
He saw two people on the stretchers.
One had a fractured arm, and the other had a visible gash on his abdomen.
However, they did not look severe; at least no signs of contamination were present.
That made sense; since his own abilities were still unknown, he was only suited for treating these kinds of wounds.
"Put them here." Lu Yuan pointed to the nearby beds.
The Nightwatchers set the wounded down. "Doctor, they're in your hands."
They turned and left.
Lu Yuan walked to the wounded man with the fractured arm.
At the edge of his vision, greyish-white text emerged:
【Target Detected: Wounded with fracture】
【Status: Radius fracture of the forearm, clean break, no signs of comminuted fracture】
【Treatment Advice: Reduction and immobilization, use a splint to fix the area, coordinate with blood-stanching medicine, beware of wound deterioration, recommend rest for one week before re-examination】
Lu Yuan began treating the wound.
He checked the fracture position first, confirming there was no displacement.
Then he used a splint to immobilize it and wrapped it in bandages.
His movements were practiced, and the experience bar flickered:
【Basic Medicine: +0.1... 2.4/20】
"Good technique." The wounded man, who had been clenching his teeth, gradually relaxed. "Stronger than those two who fell ill."
As Lu Yuan fixed the splint, he asked, "As long as it doesn't hurt. By the way, where were you attacked?"
"In the alley behind the Polymath Tower." The Nightwatcher with the broken arm shifted his body slightly. "Damn it, that thing's speed was incredible. I felt like it was some kind of mutated transcendent. Don't let me catch him!"
The other wounded man added, "A dark shadow suddenly rushed out from the corner. I didn't even have time to react."
"Did you see what it looked like?" Lu Yuan asked.
"No, it was too fast." The one with the broken arm shook his head. "But that thing had a strange smell on it."
"What kind of smell?"
"Hard to say... like something was rotting. Very pungent."
Lu Yuan thought for a moment. Rotting? Wasn't this place supposed to isolate pollution and eerie entities? Then it was likely a rotting smell caused by long-term contact with something.
Lu Yuan continued bandaging, his voice calm. "What about its strength?"
"Huge. It knocked me flying in one hit," the wounded man said. "Definitely a transcendent, and not a low-rank one."
After finishing the fracture, he walked to the other patient.
Abdominal knife wound; it wasn't deep, and the bleeding wasn't excessive.
【Target Detected: Nightwatcher (laceration)】
【Status: Abdominal laceration, shallow wound, no internal organ damage.】
【Treatment Advice: Stanch the bleeding, prevent wound deterioration, beware of internal bleeding.】
Lu Yuan began cleaning the wound.
He applied blood-stanching medicine, cleaned the soiled blood around the wound, and re-bandaged it.
【Basic Medicine: +0.1... 2.5/20】
"Are you on the missing persons mission?" Lu Yuan asked while treating the wound.
"Yeah." The man with the abdominal injury nodded. "The higher-ups had us patrolling around the Polymath Tower, and we ran into it."
"Any other findings?"
"None. That thing came fast and left fast," the one with the broken arm said. "But I think it has a purpose. It didn't seem like a random attack."
Lu Yuan wrapped the final turn of the bandage.
"If you don't have a mission, it's best not to leave the base at night lately," the one with the broken arm warned. "It's very dangerous over there now."
Lu Yuan nodded.
"Understood. Thanks for the warning."
After the wounds were treated, the four Nightwatchers came back and took the two patients away.
Lu Yuan stood in place, looking out the window.
Polymath Tower.
Alchemy Department students.
The dark shadow.
These clues pieced together in his mind.
But it wasn't enough.
He needed more information.
Rate on N.U.
