Undercurrents

Morning light filtered through the gaps in the curtains, carrying a gloomy, greyish hue.

Lu Yuan woke from his light sleep, and the greyish-white text slowly surfaced at the edge of his vision.

【Sanity: +8...120/120 (Total)】

Sanity had finally returned to its maximum value.

He massaged his stiff neck and sat up straight in the chair.

To let Laurina sleep in the bed, he had made do with the chair for the night, leaving his back somewhat sore.

A slight movement came from the bed.

Laurina was already awake, leaning against the headboard with the book she had obtained from somewhere last night spread across her knees.

She held a quill in her hand, and next to her were several sheets of paper covered in dense notes.

Seeing Lu Yuan wake up, she looked up, her light brown eyes filled with a hint of apology.

"Did I wake you?"

"No."

Lu Yuan stood up, walked to the window, and lifted a corner of the curtain to look outside.

The sky was overcast, with thick clouds pressing down on the Polymath Tower as if it could rain at any moment.

The corridor was quiet; occasionally, footsteps hurried past but never stopped.

"How did you sleep?" Lu Yuan dropped the curtain and turned around.

Laurina's complexion looked much better than it had last night.

"Much better." She looked down at the book in her hand. "At least I have books to read."

Lu Yuan didn't ask further.

For a student who had nearly been used as an experimental subject by her own mentor, being able to sleep at all was no small feat.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Three times, neither hurried nor slow.

Despite knowing the current situation, Laurina still instinctively tensed her body.

Lu Yuan raised a hand to signal her not to worry, then walked to the door and opened it slightly.

Standing outside was the same Nightwatchers member who had delivered breakfast yesterday, holding a tray with two portions of bread and two bowls of meat soup.

"Breakfast."

The Nightwatcher's attitude was the same as yesterday, carrying a sense of unspoken understanding.

Lu Yuan took the tray and was about to close the door when the Nightwatcher added another sentence.

"By the way, today's assignment has changed."

Lu Yuan's movements paused slightly.

"The Alchemy Department corridor area needs extra patrol personnel; gather in the front hall in a moment."

After saying this, the Nightwatcher turned and left, his footsteps gradually fading away.

Lu Yuan closed the door and placed the tray on the table.

The mission had changed again.

The arrangements from above were being constantly adjusted, indicating the situation was still unclear.

"What happened?" Laurina noticed his expression was somewhat solemn.

"It's nothing." Lu Yuan picked up a piece of bread. "Eat something; I have to go out in a bit."

Laurina didn't press him, silently picking up another piece of bread and taking small bites.

After finishing breakfast, Lu Yuan stood up and straightened his clothes.

"I'm going to carry out the mission. Stay in the room and don't go anywhere."

His tone was calm but carried an indisputable authority.

"If anyone knocks on the door these next few days, don't open it unless it's me. As long as the Nightwatchers' attitude doesn't change, it's safe here."

Laurina put down her book and pulled the silver medal from under her pillow, clutching it in her palm.

The metal felt cold, but it seemed to give her some sense of security.

"I understand," she said softly. "Be careful."

Lu Yuan nodded slightly and turned to walk out of the room.

The door closed gently behind him.

The atmosphere in the corridor was even more oppressive than yesterday.

The magic lamps emitted a ghostly blue light, but in this weather, the light seemed dim.

Occasionally, a few students hurried past from the other end of the hallway with their heads down, clearly realizing something was wrong.

Lu Yuan walked along the corridor and arrived at the front hall.

About a dozen Nightwatchers had already gathered there, standing in small groups and talking in low voices.

Lu Yuan scanned the room and noticed there were significantly fewer people than yesterday.

"Lu Yuan, right?"

A Nightwatcher in his thirties walked over, his gaze sweeping over him.

"You're with our group. We're responsible for patrolling the Alchemy Department corridor area."

Lu Yuan didn't ask questions and followed him toward the squad.

The patrol squad consisted of three people: Lu Yuan, the Nightwatcher from just now, and another taciturn young man.

The three of them walked along the connecting corridor, passed through several archways, and entered the Alchemy Department area.

The architectural style of the Alchemy Department was slightly different from the outer areas.

The walls were embedded with various metal pipes and rune arrays, and the air was thick with a faint smell of sulfur.

There were still many students in the corridor, but they all looked terrified, walking quickly with their heads down and not daring to meet the Nightwatchers' eyes.

"Are there still this many students?" Lu Yuan asked.

The Nightwatcher leading the way shook his head, his tone indifferent.

"We can only do so much. The rest is not for us to worry about."

The three continued forward.

As they passed a laboratory, Lu Yuan and the others slowed their pace.

The laboratory door was ajar, and the sound of low-voiced arguments came from within.

"...Those damn Nightwatchers, they are resisting the decree by doing this!"

"And the samples..."

"...There isn't enough time..."

"...The higher-ups are pushing..."

Several keywords drifted into his ears.

The leader walking in front showed a look of disgust upon hearing this.

"Pick up the pace," the Nightwatchers leader said, intentionally raising his voice.

The laboratory inside instantly fell silent.

Lu Yuan observed the leader's expression.

Clearly, the events occurring in the Polymath Tower could no longer be entirely hidden.

At the very least, Nightwatchers of the captain level knew something.

Furthermore, from the conversation just now, the suspicions in Lu Yuan's heart were further confirmed.

Right then, a line of greyish-white text suddenly jumped out at the edge of his vision.

【Detected: source of mental contamination】

Lu Yuan's footsteps paused slightly as his gaze quickly swept over the surroundings.

The corridor was empty, with no apparent abnormalities.

But that line of text remained hovering at the edge of his vision, flickering in and out like a warning.

"What's wrong?" The Nightwatcher in front looked back.

"It's nothing." Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze. "Let's keep going."

The three continued their patrol.

At a corner in the corridor, Lu Yuan suddenly noticed a figure.

A middle-aged man was standing in the shadows, looking their way.

He wore a monocle and a striking set of deep blue robes; his hairline was receding, and his face looked sharp and mean.

His gaze lingered on Lu Yuan for a few seconds, carrying a sense of scrutiny and investigation.

Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes at the man in the shadows.

"Who's there?"

Lu Yuan's shout immediately drew the attention of his companions.

The leader looked toward the shadows.

Apparently, the man standing in the shadows hadn't expected Lu Yuan to call out like that.

A flash of anger crossed the eyes hidden in the darkness.

He then turned and walked away quickly, his deep blue robes vanishing at the end of the corridor.

The leader had clearly seen him as well.

He immediately led the team to give chase.

But by the time they reached the spot, the corridor was empty.

"Heh, an Alchemy Department mentor." The leader turned back to look at Lu Yuan.

"Do you know that person?"

"I don't." Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze. "Is he a mentor from the Alchemy Department?"

"Yeah." A trace of disdain appeared on the leader's face.

"Deep blue robes are the attire of an Alchemy Department mentor. Unfortunately, he's a piece of trash."

The leader's voice was not obscured in the slightest.

"Alright, let's continue patrolling."

Lu Yuan said nothing more and followed the team forward.

But he knew in his heart that the mentor's target just now was Laurina.

Since he was just a newly arrived Nightwatcher.

To be noticed by an Alchemy Department mentor.

Even if he wasn't Laurina's mentor, he was likely one of the participants in their plan.

The patrol lasted the entire morning.

At noon, the three returned to the Nightwatchers' temporary rest area in the outer area.

The rest area was small, furnished with a few tables and chairs, with about a dozen Nightwatchers sitting in small groups, some eating and others chatting.

Lu Yuan found a corner to sit down, closing his eyes to rest while listening to the conversations around him.

"We cleared seven in total last night, one more than yesterday."

A Nightwatcher lowered his voice, a hint of solemnity in his tone.

"Sigh, how could such things appear in the Polymath Tower? Good students, all of them..."

"Who knows?" another Nightwatcher said with a frown. "Let's wait for orders from headquarters."

Lu Yuan frowned slightly upon hearing this.

How could there be so many?

How many people were actually involved this time?

"I heard the people from above are arriving tomorrow."

Another voice came from the other side, sounding somewhat apprehensive.

"From the Polymath Tower at the imperial headquarters. Apparently, it's some big shot."

"Once they arrive, things will get complicated," someone added. "After they get here, we'll probably have to leave."

"Sigh, let's just follow the arrangements."

The Nightwatchers looked at each other, all showing helpless expressions.

Lu Yuan silently noted this information, not participating in the discussion.

The people from the imperial headquarters would arrive tomorrow.

Clearly, someone wanted to kick the Nightwatchers out of the game as soon as possible.

'No, as soon as I can leave tomorrow, I need to get out fast.'

In the afternoon, Lu Yuan returned to the room.

He stood at the door and knocked using the agreed-upon signal.

Knock—knock.

"It's me."

The room was silent for a few seconds, followed by the sound of light footsteps.

The lock turned, and Laurina's face appeared in the crack of the door.

She looked nervous and only sighed in relief after seeing it was Lu Yuan, stepping aside to let him in.

Lu Yuan entered the room and closed the door behind him.

"What happened?" He could see that Laurina's expression wasn't right.

Laurina's fingers twisted together unconsciously.

"Someone came to knock on the door this morning."

Her voice was very low.

Lu Yuan's brow furrowed slightly.

"Did you open it?"

"No." Laurina shook her head, her chestnut-colored hair swaying gently on her shoulders. "I didn't open it, and I didn't make a sound."

She paused before continuing.

"There was silence outside for a while, and then the footsteps left."

"I took a look through the crack in the door." Laurina's voice was solemn. "I don't know which mentor from the Alchemy Department it was."

Lu Yuan's heart sank.

"Did you see clearly?"

"Yes." Laurina tightly gripped the silver medal in her hand.

Lu Yuan was silent for a moment.

The other party had already pinned down Laurina's location.

Or rather, they had known she was here from the very beginning.

Today's patrol assignment and the knocking at the door were no coincidences.

"They're looking for me," Laurina said softly, her voice carrying a suppressed fear. "Right?"

Lu Yuan looked at her and did not deny it.

"There's only one more day." He spoke with a calm tone. "Everything will be fine."

Laurina looked up, her light brown eyes full of unease, but she struggled to steady herself, taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling.

"Okay."

Lu Yuan walked to the window and lifted a corner of the curtain.

Outside, the sky had already darkened. Thick clouds obscured the setting sun, leaving the Polymath Tower shrouded in shadows.

In the distance, the silhouette of the main tower loomed, its peak glowing with a ghostly blue light.

He thought of what the principal had said.

"The Polymath Tower is no longer pure."

It was indeed no longer pure.

And those impure things were slowly closing in.