Last night's news was like a stone, weighing heavily on the Alchemy Workshop.
Laurina stood before the workbench, mortar in hand, mechanically grinding medicinal herbs.
But Lu Yuan noticed her actions were much slower than usual; her gaze drifted outside the window from time to time, clearly distracted.
She was lost in thought.
Lu Yuan did not speak up to remind her, simply processing the silver leaf grass in his hands in silence.
The morning passed slowly, neither of them speaking, with only the sound of the mortar's friction and the occasional clink of jars echoing in the room.
A knock on the door sounded around ten o'clock.
It was very urgent.
Lu Yuan put down what he was doing and walked to the door.
Through the crack, he saw a Nightwatcher standing outside; the face was somewhat familiar, and his expression was weary.
He pulled open the door.
The Nightwatcher did not come in, simply standing at the doorway and speaking in a low voice, "The news has arrived."
Lu Yuan's expression remained calm as he stepped to block the doorway, signaling for him to continue.
"The Polymath Tower's attitude is very firm." The Nightwatcher's expression was somewhat ugly, and his voice dropped even lower, "They cited imperial regulations, claiming those three students are suspected of stealing Polymath Tower secrets and must be handed over for investigation."
He paused and continued, "There is a meeting going on internally to discuss it, and the pressure is immense. No final conclusion has been reached yet, but the tide is not turning in our favor."
Lu Yuan was silent for a few seconds before following up with a question, "What is the worst-case scenario?"
The Nightwatcher did not answer immediately.
He glanced at Lu Yuan, then looked toward the interior of the room, and finally sighed, his voice very soft, "Handing them over. But we are still fighting for them."
"Of course, if it really comes to that, we will notify you in advance. Don't think too much about it; we've done our best."
Lu Yuan's expression did not change; he simply nodded, "I understand."
The Nightwatcher did not linger, turning and leaving hurriedly, his footsteps gradually fading into the distance.
Lu Yuan closed the door and turned around.
Laurina was standing not far away, still clutching that mortar in her hand.
She did not speak, simply looking at him quietly, clearly having heard everything.
Her gaze was very calm.
Lu Yuan said nothing more, walking back to the workbench and picking up the silver leaf grass again to continue his work.
Laurina also lowered her head and continued grinding, but her movements were even slower than before.
The rest of the morning passed in silence.
Near noon, Laurina put down her tools, her voice very soft, "I'm going upstairs to rest for a bit."
Then she turned and walked toward the stairs.
Lu Yuan watched her figure disappear at the top of the stairs, remained silent for a while, and then followed her up.
The rest area on the second floor was very quiet. Laurina sat on a chair by the window, looking at the street outside.
The sunlight fell on her face, highlighting the dark circles under her eyes, which were even deeper than yesterday.
Lu Yuan sat down opposite her.
Neither of them spoke. From outside the window came the distant noise of the city, the rattling of passing carriages, and the cries of street vendors.
Everything seemed so normal.
The silence lasted for a long time.
Finally, Laurina was the first to speak.
Her gaze remained fixed outside the window, her voice very soft, "Lu Yuan, I want to tell you something."
Lu Yuan looked at her and did not speak, waiting for her to continue.
Laurina turned her head, her gaze falling on him, "If the Nightwatchers really can't hold out... I don't want to drag you down."
Lu Yuan still did not respond.
"You've already helped me so much," Laurina continued, "Taking me away from the Polymath Tower, letting me live here. I can't let you get caught up in this because of my affairs."
She paused and then spoke again, "Actually..."
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly.
"I came to the Polymath Tower when I was fifteen; it's been three years now. I remember everything from these three years very clearly—every day, every class, every experiment. But..."
She paused for a moment, her gaze somewhat vacant, "Before I was fifteen, I don't remember anything at all."
Lu Yuan's expression shifted slightly.
"Parents, childhood, hometown... it's all a blank," Laurina continued, "I don't know where I came from, how I survived until I was fifteen, or even how I arrived at the Polymath Tower."
"I always thought it was normal." She gave a bitter smile. "Maybe I was just an orphan, or maybe the things before fifteen weren't worth remembering. I never thought deeply about it."
She turned her head, her gaze falling on Lu Yuan, "But that letter of yours... it made me start to feel that something was wrong."
"The contents written in that letter, I have absolutely no memory of them. But the strange thing is, it gives me a very familiar feeling. Like... I should know it, but I just can't remember."
She paused, her voice becoming very soft, "I don't know if there's something wrong with me, or if there's something wrong with my memory. So, I came with you."
Lu Yuan looked at her and remained silent for a while.
He did not say any words of comfort.
He simply stood up, his tone indifferent, "It's not the end yet."
Then he turned and walked downstairs.
Medicinal refining continued in the afternoon.
Laurina seemed to have temporarily suppressed those troubles, regaining her focus. Her technique remained steady and precise, every step performed meticulously.
The two had no unnecessary conversation, each doing their own work.
【Medicinal Herbology: +0.2...】
At the edge of his vision, greyish-white text flickered gently.
The sun gradually dipped into the west, and the light outside the window began to turn amber.
At dusk, the knock on the door sounded again.
This time, the person who came was someone Lu Yuan had never seen before.
He was a man in his thirties, wearing a Nightwatcher uniform.
"Materials." He handed over a wooden box, his tone brief.
Lu Yuan took it and weighed it. It was significantly lighter than yesterday.
"Is this all?"
"This is all that could be mobilized." The Nightwatcher's tone was somewhat helpless, "A portion of our supply routes has been cut off because of this matter."
He paused and lowered his voice, "The high-level meeting is still ongoing, but the Polymath Tower has issued a final ultimatum; an answer must be given by noon tomorrow."
Lu Yuan's expression remained unchanged, "And our side's attitude?"
The Nightwatcher was silent for a few seconds before shaking his head, "Hard to say. The Polymath Tower has a handwritten decree, and since it's an internal matter, our reasons for intervening are becoming harder to justify."
"And it seems the high-ranked imperial officials are aware of this as well. Sigh, you shouldn't get involved when the time comes."
He did not linger, collected the completed potions, and left in a hurry.
Lu Yuan closed the door and turned around.
Night fell. The lights in the Alchemy Workshop were lit, casting a warm glow, but the atmosphere was like the calm before a storm.
Laurina did not go upstairs to rest.
She was organizing her things, her movements light and careful.
She packed some small bottles into her bag and neatly arranged several notebooks to the side.
It looked as though she was making some kind of preparation.
Lu Yuan watched her back and did not speak.
He walked to the window, looking at the night scene outside. The streetlights of Bronze City were lit, scattered like stars.
In the distance, the silhouette of the clock tower was lost in the darkness.
There would be a result by noon tomorrow.
Behind him, light footsteps sounded. Laurina walked to his side and also looked out the window.
Neither of them spoke.
"Tomorrow..." Laurina spoke softly.
"We'll talk about tomorrow when it comes," Lu Yuan interrupted her.
Laurina was silent for a while, then nodded and turned to walk upstairs.
Lu Yuan stood by the window, his gaze fixed on the distant darkness.
Tomorrow.
Everything would be revealed tomorrow.
When the morning sunlight just hit the Alchemy Workshop, Lu Yuan woke from a light sleep.
At the edge of his vision, greyish-white text slowly surfaced.
【Sanity: +12... 96/120】
He had slept very lightly last night, but his mind was relatively clear.
A knock on the door rang out.
It was very urgent, not following the agreed-upon rhythm.
Lu Yuan stood up from his chair and walked to the door. Through the crack, he saw two people standing outside, both wearing Nightwatcher uniforms; the rank on their epaulettes was higher than anyone who had come before.
He pulled open the door.
Leading them was a man in his forties with a serious face and sharp eyes, possessing an air of authority even without being angry. Standing behind him was a younger Nightwatcher, whose expression was equally solemn.
"Lu Yuan?" the middle-aged man spoke, his tone steady.
"It's me."
The middle-aged man nodded, dispensing with pleasantries and getting straight to the point, "The high-level decision has been made."
Lu Yuan's heart sank slightly, but he did not show it on his face, simply waiting for him to continue.
"The three students will be transferred according to procedure." The middle-aged man paused, "The people from the Polymath Tower are already on their way; they will arrive before noon."
Lu Yuan's expression did not change; he simply followed up calmly, "Is there no other way?"
The middle-aged man shook his head, his expression helpless, "The Polymath Tower pushed too hard, citing imperial regulations, and people from headquarters are also exerting pressure. We... can't hold out."
"When will it be executed?"
"Noon today." The middle-aged man sighed, "As I said, the Polymath Tower's people are already on their way."
He glanced at Lu Yuan as if wanting to say something, but ultimately just shook his head, "Sorry, we did our best."
Then he turned and left, his footsteps gradually fading away.
Lu Yuan closed the door and turned around.
The Alchemy Workshop fell into a deathly silence.
Laurina was standing at the top of the stairs, though he didn't know when she had come down. She was wearing yesterday's clothes and clearly hadn't slept well; the dark circles under her eyes were even deeper.
She did not speak, simply looking at Lu Yuan quietly.
She had heard everything.
Her expression was surprisingly calm, even carrying a hint of relief, as if she had expected this result long ago.
"I'll go pack my things," she said softly, her tone very light, as if speaking about something that had nothing to do with her.
Then she turned and walked upstairs.
Her back looked very thin and fragile.
Lu Yuan watched that back disappear at the top of the stairs and remained silent for a few seconds.
There was no turning point left.
The Nightwatchers couldn't hold out.
He reached into his robe and took out that black leather envelope.
The material of the envelope was very special, feeling strangely warm to the touch, like the skin of a living creature.
Lu Yuan opened the envelope and took out the item inside.
A contract, made of parchment, with its edges glowing with a faint golden light.
The text on the contract was written in some special ink that seemed to flow slightly under the light, as if it were alive.
Lu Yuan's gaze fell upon that piece of parchment.
At the edge of his vision, greyish-white text slowly surfaced:
【Target detected: Promise (An extremely rare existence)】
【A contract using blood and soul as a medium. The moment a name is written, the vow will be etched into the souls of all witnesses.】
【Warning: This item is no ordinary object. Its power originates from some... even more ancient existence.】
Lu Yuan stared at that text for a few seconds.
A more ancient existence.
He thought of the history of the Nightwatchers and the legends regarding the founding of the empire.
The Nightwatchers never broke a promise; this was not just an empty phrase, but a constraint etched into their very bones.
A constraint locked by some ancient power.
He pulled his thoughts back and found a pen nearby.
The parchment was spread out; the "protected person" column was blank.
Lu Yuan gripped the pen and wrote a name on that blank space:
Laurina Castor.
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