"Why were you chosen for the mission?"
Laurina's voice came from the workbench, a hint of confusion in her tone.
Lu Yuan leaned against the window and did not answer.
He thought to himself.
It was probably because of the incident at the Polymath Tower.
He had used Timekeeper in the Polymath Tower, directly stripping that mentor of his time.
There were other retreating Nightwatchers nearby at the time, so it was bound to be discovered.
Furthermore, the records of Timekeeper should have been registered at the headquarters, though looking at it now, all data related to Timekeeper had been twisted.
Therefore, the Nightwatchers' report must have mentioned this incident.
A logistics staff member had demonstrated combat power on par with a Team Captain.
Add to that the fact that he had recently activated the Nightwatchers Promise.
While he wasn't sure how the Nightwatchers viewed this matter internally, if this mission was related to Laurina or the Polymath Tower, they indeed had reason to seek him out.
"Let's wait for news tomorrow," Lu Yuan said.
Laurina did not ask further and continued to organize the workbench.
The night grew deeper.
Lu Yuan returned to his room and soon fell asleep.
The next day.
The morning sunlight shone through the curtains.
Lu Yuan opened his eyes, feeling much more refreshed than the previous few days.
At the edge of his vision, greyish-white text quietly appeared.
【Sanity: 120/120 (Total Value)】
It was full.
After several days of natural recovery combined with the perfect-quality Sanity potions Laurina had brewed, his Sanity had finally returned to its maximum value.
But Lu Yuan noticed something else.
【Sanity IV: 1/120 (Experience)】
Since the last level-up, it hadn't increased by a single bit.
Whether it was drinking potions, natural recovery, or coming into contact with new things, combined with the fact that Eerie things and mutated objects were almost non-existent within the Bronze City.
The experience for Sanity remained at 1.
Clearly, the growth of Sanity experience was restricted.
Lu Yuan stared at the text for a few seconds, having no clue for the time being.
Perhaps it required a specific stimulus, or certain conditions had not yet been met.
He withdrew his thoughts and went downstairs to wash up.
In the first-floor workspace, the scent of medicinal herbs remained strong.
Laurina was already there, standing before the workbench with several small bottles in front of her.
Seeing Lu Yuan come down, she tilted her chin, gesturing for him to look at the workbench.
Two bottles were already filled.
One contained a pale purple liquid that shimmered with a faint fluorescence under the morning light.
The other was deep red, with a handwritten label stuck to the bottle.
Lu Yuan's gaze swept over them, and greyish-white text emerged at the edge of his vision:
【Target detected: eerie inhibitor (perfect quality)】
【Capable of suppressing the ability release of Eerie Pathway transcendents for a short time, lasting approximately thirty seconds. Ineffective against transcendents of non-Eerie Pathways.】
【Target detected: high-efficiency healing potion (perfect quality)】
【Laurina's masterpiece. Capable of repairing a large amount of damage in an extremely short time, but cannot restore lost limbs. Leaves a brief feeling of weakness after use.】
Both were of perfect quality.
"Prepared for me?" Lu Yuan asked, looking at the potions.
"Yes." Laurina packed the two bottles into a small leather pouch and placed it on the workbench. "You are not the type to stay safely in the rear."
Lu Yuan did not argue.
In the morning.
A knock came from downstairs at the Alchemy Workshop.
Lu Yuan went down to open the door.
Standing outside was a man in his thirties wearing a Nightwatchers uniform, with a steady temperament and an air of authority in his brow.
His gaze lingered on Lu Yuan for a moment, and then he nodded.
"Lu Yuan?"
"That's me."
"My name is Raymond," the man introduced himself. "Hoguer sent me to find you."
He skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.
"Regarding the matter at Blackstone Street last night, you participated in the reception?"
"Yes."
"The wounded were handled very cleanly," Raymond said, his tone devoid of much emotion.
Lu Yuan did not respond, waiting for him to continue.
Raymond did not beat around the bush either.
"Something happened in the inner city district," he continued. "Several nobles have come to our door."
"What's the matter?"
"A disappearance case." Raymond's voice lowered slightly. "Three people, all of whom disappeared two days ago."
He paused, then added:
"The son of a Great Merchant Association representative, the son of a baron, and the daughter of a viscount."
Lu Yuan's brow furrowed slightly.
Three people, disappearing on the same day.
And all of them were people with backgrounds.
"Any clues?"
"Nighttime disappearances, no signs of a struggle." Raymond spoke quickly. "It was as if they walked out on their own."
Lu Yuan's expression changed slightly.
Raymond clearly noticed his reaction, a cold smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"You thought of it too?"
Lu Yuan nodded.
"It is exactly the same as the disappearances of the Polymath Tower students," Raymond said, his voice laced with sarcasm. "It seems it's a case of dog-eat-dog."
At this moment, Laurina handed over the small leather pouch.
"Remember to use them. Materials are a bit scarce, so there are only two bottles for now," she added. "Be careful."
Lu Yuan took the leather pouch and tucked it into his robe.
"Don't worry."
Seeing this, Raymond nodded slightly toward Laurina to show his respect.
"Miss Laurina, I'll have to trouble you with the potions during this period. Lu Yuan will be fine, don't worry."
"Mm."
Laurina stood there, watching Lu Yuan depart with Raymond.
Outside the Alchemy Workshop, a black carriage was already waiting.
Raymond sat in the carriage cabin, lifting the curtain to glance at him.
"Get in."
Lu Yuan climbed into the carriage, and it immediately started moving.
The wheels rolled over the stone-paved road, making a rhythmic sound.
There were only two people in the cabin.
Raymond leaned back in his seat, silent for a moment before speaking.
"There are several reasons we sought you out for this mission."
Lu Yuan looked at him without saying a word.
"First, you activated the Nightwatchers Promise." Raymond spoke with a hint of gratification. "Not many people can obtain a Nightwatchers Promise, even fewer use it, and for the Nightwatchers, it is an extremely special thing. The higher-ups take this very seriously."
He paused, then continued.
"Second, the report from the Polymath Tower has come back. You killed an Eerie Pathway mentor inside."
Lu Yuan's brow furrowed slightly.
As expected, it had been officially recorded.
Raymond seemed to see through his thoughts and waved his hand.
"Don't worry, there won't be any issues. The Nightwatchers' internal attitude toward the Eerie Pathway is complex, and he wasn't a good person to begin with."
"But it is a fact that you have actual combat capability."
He glanced at Lu Yuan.
"Initially, we just wanted you to be a team doctor. But after the Polymath Tower report came back, the higher-ups changed their minds."
"Third..." Raymond's tone gained a hint of meaningfulness. "While it's unclear what your relationship with Laurina is, you used the Nightwatchers Promise on her. This disappearance case is inseparable from the Polymath Tower. Since it involves matters related to her, it's better to tell you."
Lu Yuan remained silent for a while.
"What are the specifics?"
Raymond took a document from his coat and handed it to Lu Yuan.
"Three missing persons, all disappeared during the night two days ago."
Lu Yuan took the document and scanned it quickly.
The first missing person, Allen Victor, son of a Great Merchant Association representative, nineteen years old, an Alchemy Department student at the Polymath Tower.
The second missing person, Philip Klein, son of a baron, twenty years old, a History Department student at the Polymath Tower.
The third missing person, Elena Sophia, daughter of a viscount, eighteen years old, a Literature Department student at the Polymath Tower.
All three were students of the Polymath Tower.
Lu Yuan closed the document.
"They were all studying at the Polymath Tower?"
"Yes." Raymond nodded. "That is the most suspicious part."
"The Polymath Tower's experiments originally used students without backgrounds. Now they've suddenly targeted the children of nobles..."
"Either something went wrong with the experiment and they need higher-quality materials."
"Or someone is stirring the pot."
He gave a cold laugh:
"No matter which it is, the nobles can no longer sit still. They were the ones who took the initiative to seek out the Nightwatchers this time."
Lu Yuan put the document away.
"What kind of experiment is the Polymath Tower using students for?"
Raymond looked out the window, silent for a few seconds.
"The Empire is searching for a piece of lost knowledge," he said, his voice low, as if telling a secret. "Coincidentally, someone just happened to discover something that allows one to set foot in the Sea of Knowledge and fish that knowledge out from within."
Lu Yuan frowned.
The Sea of Knowledge.
He had a slight impression of it; Ink seemed to have some small connection to that place.
Rate on N.U.
