A knock sounded at the door.
Lu Yuan opened his eyes, the grey-white text at the edge of his vision not yet faded.
【Sanity: 116/120 (Total Value)】
Dawn had just broken, and the light outside the window was still faint.
Laurina was also startled awake. She sat up abruptly, the blanket sliding down to her waist, a look of vigilance flashing in her eyes as she quickly swept her gaze toward the door.
Lu Yuan raised a hand to signal for her to remain quiet.
He stood up and walked to the door, making almost no sound.
The knocking sounded again, slow and steady, carrying a routine rhythm.
Lu Yuan opened the door a crack, his body blocking the view into the room.
A Nightwatcher in his thirties stood outside, his expression relaxed, holding a tray.
When the Nightwatcher saw Lu Yuan, he raised an eyebrow, his eyes holding a look that said "I understand."
He glanced through the crack in the door, the corners of his mouth curling upward into a knowing smile.
"Breakfast."
The tray was handed over.
On it were two servings of bread and two bowls of meat soup, steam curling upward from them.
"I didn't see that coming," the Nightwatcher lowered his voice, his tone teasing. "But she's certainly good-looking."
Lu Yuan didn't explain, simply taking the tray with a blank expression.
Seeing this, the Nightwatcher didn't say more, his smile fading as his tone became official:
"Your mission has changed today. You won't be participating in the west tower patrol tonight."
He paused as if recalling something, then continued:
"Captain Hoguer will call for you this afternoon. Just follow him when the time comes."
Having said his piece, he didn't linger and turned to leave.
The sound of footsteps gradually receded, disappearing at the end of the corridor.
Lu Yuan closed the door, locked it, and returned to the center of the room.
Laurina was now fully awake. She threw back the covers and sat on the edge of the bed, her gaze falling on the tray in Lu Yuan's hands.
Two servings of bread.
Two bowls of meat soup.
Her expression became complex, and her brow furrowed slightly.
She had indeed been exposed.
The Nightwatchers knew she was here.
But there was a meal for her too, hot and steaming.
This indirectly proved that she was safe for the time being.
"Eat something," Lu Yuan placed the tray on the table, his voice steady.
Laurina nodded slightly, reaching out to take a piece of bread and taking small bites.
Her movements were somewhat mechanical, her gaze vacant, clearly not focused on eating.
"The Nightwatchers have permitted it," Lu Yuan sat back in his chair, leaning against the backrest. "At least for now, it's safe."
Laurina swallowed the bread in her mouth and spoke after a moment of hesitation:
"This isn't secure."
Her voice was somewhat raspy, carrying the fatigue of a sleepless night, but her articulation was clear.
"Just because the Nightwatchers permit it doesn't mean others will."
Lu Yuan looked at her but said nothing.
Laurina put down the bread and looked up. Her light brown eyes met Lu Yuan's directly, filled with plea but also a hint of determination:
"While there aren't any missions yet, can you accompany me to the Main Tower to find the principal?"
She clasped her hands together.
"I have the authority to enter the Main Tower."
Lu Yuan was silent for a few seconds, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest of the chair.
With his current abilities, he indeed could not protect Laurina.
The principal was the highest authority in the Polymath Tower. If he stepped in, Laurina should be safe.
But a flicker of doubt remained in Lu Yuan's heart.
The principal couldn't also be involved in this, could he?
"Then let's go find him." Lu Yuan rose to his feet without hesitation.
Laurina's eyes lit up, as if seeing a spark of light in the darkness.
The two did a quick cleanup and left the room.
The corridor was empty, much quieter than yesterday, and even the air felt stagnant.
An occasional student hurried past, their steps quick as if avoiding something.
They kept their heads down, refusing to meet anyone's eyes, their footsteps echoing through the corridor.
"The area clearance really was a success," Laurina said softly, her voice laced with bitterness.
Lu Yuan looked around, remaining vigilant.
The Polymath Tower was composed of five interconnected towers.
In the center stood the tallest, the Main Tower, while the other four surrounded it: the Alchemy Department, the Rune Department, the Potion Department, and the History Department.
The Main Tower was the administrative center and the location of the principal's office.
The two made their way along the connecting corridors.
The magic lamps on either side of the corridor were still lit, emitting a faint blue glow, but the atmosphere was oppressive, like something was weighing down on them.
They occasionally saw Nightwatchers on patrol. Their gazes swept over the two of them, but no one spoke or stopped them.
The entrance to the Main Tower was a massive bronze door.
Standing about ten meters high, it was covered in runes that emitted a faint blue light, resembling some ancient seal.
Those runes seemed to flow slowly, like living things.
Laurina stood before the door, closed her eyes, and placed her folded hands over her chest, whispering an incantation.
The sound was very light, like a whisper, but it carried a strange rhythm.
The blue light flickered a few times.
The bronze door slowly opened with a low rumble.
They stepped into the Main Tower.
The internal structure of the Main Tower was completely different from the other towers.
At the center was a massive spiral staircase winding upward, stretching to an unseen height and disappearing into the blue light and shadows.
All the rooms were paired opposite each other, with each floor's position offset to leave enough space for massive stained-glass windows.
The faint light from the outside was reflected and amplified through some unknown method.
It poured through the azure glass, casting dreamlike shadows across the floor.
The light flowed over the spiral staircase, making it look like a stairway to the heavens.
But at this moment, this dreamlike beauty was pierced by an eerie silence.
The interior of the Main Tower was empty; not a single soul could be seen.
Just as the two were about to head up,
Lu Yuan's footsteps came to a sudden halt.
At the edge of his vision, grey-white text flickered frantically:
【Extreme danger knowledge source detected!】
【Get away! Get away as fast as possible!】
【Sanity: -1…115/120】
Lu Yuan's expression changed instantly.
This was the first time he had seen such a prompt.
He hadn't even seen anything yet, and he was already losing Sanity?
In the same instant his Sanity dropped, Lu Yuan suddenly felt an invisible sense of pressure, as if something was watching him from above.
【Sanity: -1…114/120】
Without a word, Lu Yuan grabbed Laurina's wrist and turned to leave.
"What's wrong?" Laurina was startled, stumbling a step as she was pulled.
"It's very dangerous here. We can't go up."
Lu Yuan's tone carried a rare tension, and his voice was kept very low as if afraid of disturbing something.
This tension made Laurina realize something was wrong as well. She didn't resist and followed Lu Yuan's lead.
At that moment,
Footsteps sounded from the spiral staircase.
A white-robed old man descended from the stairs.
He had white hair and a kind face, but his eyes carried a deep exhaustion. His eye sockets were sunken, as if he hadn't rested well in a long time.
Wrinkles covered his face.
This was the principal of the Polymath Tower.
When the principal saw Laurina, he froze for a moment, his footsteps pausing, and then his expression turned grim:
"What are you doing here?"
His tone was filled with anxiety and confusion, his brow tightly knit.
"I arranged for Mentor Valo to pick you up?"
Laurina was bewildered and shook her head. "I didn't see Mentor Valo?"
She followed up, her voice urgent, "What happened to Mentor Valo? Where is he?"
The principal's face grew even more grim, as if the strength had been drained from him. He shook his head.
"I don't know either. I've been inside the Polymath Tower."
He muttered a low curse, "Damn it..."
Then he looked at Lu Yuan, then back at Laurina, his gaze lingering on Lu Yuan's hand gripping Laurina's wrist. His expression was complex.
"You can't go up. Leave quickly."
The principal's tone was firm and allowed no room for argument.
"The Polymath Tower is very dangerous right now. According to the plan, you should have been sent out."
Laurina opened her mouth to ask more, but seeing the principal's expression, she swallowed her words.
The principal gave a bitter smile, one full of helplessness and guilt.
"The Polymath Tower is no longer pure, and I cannot intervene either."
His voice was low, as if stating an unchangeable fact.
"All I can do is send the students out first."
He raised a hand and rubbed his temples.
"Someone is holding a written order from the Imperial headquarters of the Polymath Tower, all because we are in the Bronze City."
Laurina looked confused and wanted to press for more.
But the principal raised a hand to stop her, his palm facing her in a gentle but firm gesture:
"Don't ask. The more you know, the more dangerous it becomes."
"You only need to know that you are safe for now."
He turned to Lu Yuan, his gaze lingering on him for a few seconds as if assessing him. "Do you Nightwatchers know about Laurina?"
Lu Yuan nodded slightly, his voice steady. "They permitted me to take her."
Hearing this, the principal's tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and he let out a long breath.
"That's good then."
His tone softened, his exhaustion tinged with a hint of comfort.
"Don't worry about the rest. Stay quietly in the outskirts; it's still relatively safe there."
"During this time in the Polymath Tower, no one will come looking for you."
He paused as if organizing his thoughts, then continued:
"In two days, the patrolling Nightwatchers will be allowed to leave."
"At that time, take Laurina and leave directly."
After speaking, he walked up to Laurina and reached out to rub her head.
The gesture carried the affection of an elder, gentle and warm.
"Don't worry. Nothing will happen to me, and nothing will happen to you."
Laurina's eyes began to redden.
The principal pulled a silver medal from his robe and handed it to Lu Yuan.
"If anyone tries to detain Laurina during your departure, show them this medal and then simply ignore them."
Lu Yuan took the medal, holding it in his palm.
The silver metal was cold and heavy, engraved with complex patterns and emitting a faint glow.
That light seemed to have a life of its own, flowing between his fingers.
The principal turned and walked back up the spiral staircase, his white robes fluttering in the blue light.
"Leave quickly. It is not safe here."
His back gradually blurred into the blue shadows.
Lu Yuan lightly tugged on Laurina's sleeve, his voice calm. "Let's go. Now is not the time to talk."
Driven by necessity, Laurina followed Lu Yuan out.
The bronze door slowly closed with a low rumble, sounding like the sigh of some great beast.
With a heavy thud, the door sealed completely.
As the bronze gates shut, the frantically flickering grey-white text in Lu Yuan's vision finally vanished.
But Lu Yuan did not relax in the slightest.
It was obvious that the principal knew exactly what was going on.
Furthermore, he was a very powerful transcendent.
Otherwise, why was Lu Yuan the only one of the three who sensed that gaze?
Lu Yuan took a deep breath to settle his emotions.
Just staying on the first floor of the Main Tower for a short while had cost him four points of Sanity.
【Sanity: 112/120 (Total Value)】
What on earth was up there?
Laurina clearly hadn't noticed Lu Yuan's grim expression.
Her mind was still on the principal's words. "A written order from the Imperial headquarters of the Polymath Tower..."
She murmured to herself, her voice very soft.
"So it was approved by the Empire?"
Lu Yuan didn't answer.
The answer was self-evident.
The two returned to the outskirts along the connecting corridor.
The corridor remained empty, the glow of the magic lamps appearing somewhat cold and lonely.
Laurina remained silent for most of the way.
Lu Yuan looked at her and said softly, "At least you are safe now."
Laurina gave a slight nod.
"But the principal..."
Her voice was solemn, and she didn't continue.
Because the principal was an extremely special third-rank peak Knowledge transcendent.
Yet even he could not intervene in what was happening at the Polymath Tower.
Laurina didn't dare think any further about what was truly going on here.
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