The door opened.
It was not locked, and it made no sound.
The scent of dust rushed toward him, mingled with the smell of old paper and ink.
It was much stronger than the faint hint of ink he had smelled outside.
Lu Yuan stood at the doorway, letting his eyes adjust to the dimness of the interior.
The bookstore was much larger on the inside than it appeared from the street.
Two rows of wooden bookshelves stretched from the entrance to the back wall, packed with books.
Most were old editions of bound Imperial literature, with occasional travelogues and maritime records scattered among them.
The aisles between the bookshelves were narrow, only wide enough for one person to pass through sideways.
Lu Yuan did not rush inside.
His gaze first swept across the inner side of the doorframe.
The wood was old, but the door hinges had been freshly oiled.
Then he looked at the floor.
The dust was even—too even—as if a layer had been deliberately spread to cover up the original tracks.
At the edge of his vision, greyish-white text appeared:
【Environmental Detection: Multiple weak knowledge auras detected... Exploration suggested】
'Multiple?'
Lu Yuan was visibly stunned.
'Is this really a base? Isn't that a bit too arrogant?'
Lu Yuan's right hand moved close to the revolver at his waist as he lightened his footsteps, walking deeper into the aisle.
The books on the shelves were neatly arranged.
As Lu Yuan passed a row of bookshelves, his fingertips accidentally brushed against the spines of several books.
The texture was smooth, with no dust.
These books had never been flipped through, but they hadn't been sitting there for long either.
This wasn't a closed-down bookstore.
This was a place that had only been set up recently.
At the end of the aisle was an old wooden table, upon which sat a burning oil lamp.
The light was very dim, illuminating only a small area around the table.
In the chair behind the table sat a person.
A young man, seemingly twenty-five or twenty-six years old.
He wore a dark grey overcoat with dark green satin piping on the cuffs.
His hair was combed neatly, with a few stray strands hanging over his forehead.
His left hand rested on an open book, and his right hand held a cup of tea.
His posture was very relaxed.
Seeing Lu Yuan enter, he did not speak immediately.
He only looked up, watching him with a gaze filled with a touch of curiosity.
Lu Yuan was also watching him.
At the edge of his vision, greyish-white text slowly emerged:
【Target Detected: ? (knowledge transcendent)】
【Status: Beyond Cognition...】
Beyond Cognition?
Lu Yuan's pupils constricted almost imperceptibly.
The last time this prompt had appeared was with the Guardian, and the prefix then was "Unknown," indicating he truly had no contact with that individual's faction.
His fingers twitched slightly at his waist before he relaxed them.
In the face of such a gap, drawing a gun was meaningless.
The young man seemed to notice that subtle movement, and the corner of his mouth twitched ever so slightly.
"Sit down."
His voice was peaceful, like an invitation to an old friend.
He pointed to an old wooden stool across the table.
Lu Yuan did not sit down immediately.
His gaze fell upon the open book on the table.
It was an old edition of Northern Sea Voyage Records, opened to page seventy-three.
On the page, a passage of text had been lightly underlined with a pencil, describing the waters near the abyssal rift.
It was exactly the same as the origin written on the nameplate of the shell from the Viscount's manor.
It was opened deliberately.
It was for him to see.
Lu Yuan retracted his gaze and walked over to sit down.
The two sat across from each other, separated by a table and a lamp.
The edge of the lamplight cast a line between light and shadow on their faces.
Silence lasted for a few seconds.
Lu Yuan spoke first.
"Andre Morris."
The young man raised an eyebrow.
"An alias," Lu Yuan's voice was flat. "But you've used it more than once. You aren't afraid of being tracked."
"It's not that I'm not afraid," the young man picked up his teacup and took a sip. "It's that there's no need to be afraid."
He set the teacup down, his gaze becoming more serious.
"You arrived faster than I expected."
"Weren't you worried that if the letter was sent to the branch, it would be torn up as waste paper?" Lu Yuan asked, looking at the man before him.
"Only those who have seen the colors understand that line," the young man said unhurriedly. "To anyone else, it would just seem nonsensical."
After a pause, he added:
"And you were there."
Lu Yuan did not respond.
Because the effects of Specialized Research had already allowed Lu Yuan to see.
The man carried a lingering knowledge aura.
It was very faint.
But it was definitely there.
No, it wasn't just a lingering trace; it was integrated into his bones and blood, a color left behind after long-term immersion.
This person hadn't just "contacted" the Sea of Knowledge.
He had long kept company with that forbidden place.
【Forbidden Lore: Knowledge Seeker: +0.1...0.2/100】
Lu Yuan suppressed the turmoil in his heart, his expression remaining unchanged.
"Last night at the abandoned house," Lu Yuan continued, "the Ascension Society and the black-robed men. Were you there too?"
The young man's finger tapped lightly on the rim of the teacup.
"Just an observer."
"You were watching me."
"I was watching everyone," the young man smiled slightly. "It's just that you are much more interesting than the others."
He leaned back, the chair making a slight creaking sound.
"To be honest, I didn't expect the Nightwatchers to have someone like you in their ranks."
"What do you mean by that?"
The young man did not answer directly.
He took something out from the inner pocket of his coat and placed it gently on the table.
It was a badge.
Circular, made of metal, and about the same size as a Nightwatchers medal.
The pattern on it was an open shell.
The interior of the shell was engraved with fine lines that shimmered faintly under the lamplight.
At the edge of his vision, greyish-white text appeared:
【Target Detected: Special Material Badge】
【Attached with an extremely weak aura of the Sea of Knowledge】
Lu Yuan looked at the badge but did not reach for it.
"An invitation," the young man said.
"To join what?"
"Something you will inevitably come into contact with sooner or later."
The young man's tone was casual, but his gaze never left Lu Yuan's eyes.
That gaze was not a threat, nor was it a test.
It was a type of evaluation.
Lu Yuan did not like that gaze.
"You know a lot about me?" Lu Yuan's eyes remained calm.
"Not much," the young man shook his head. "Only that you are rank 1, your path is very unorthodox, and you can see things that ordinary transcendent cannot."
He paused.
"And you used a Nightwatchers Promise to protect Laurina Castor."
When he said this, there was no fluctuation in his tone.
Lu Yuan caught that tone.
She was no longer important.
Laurina was no longer important to them.
It wasn't because the Nightwatchers Promise had stopped them.
It was because they no longer needed her.
Lu Yuan did not press further.
But he remembered this point.
"What answer do you want from me?" Lu Yuan asked.
The young man laughed.
"No need to answer today."
He stood up and straightened his coat.
"Keep this badge. When you've made up your mind, go to any establishment with a ripple marker and take it out."
He walked around the table and passed by Lu Yuan's side.
His footsteps were steady and light.
After taking two steps, he suddenly stopped.
"By the way."
He did not turn back.
"The shell you're carrying—when it was activated the night before last, the sealing patterns of the entire city trembled."
Lu Yuan's back stiffened slightly.
"Be more careful next time."
The young man's tone was like that of a teacher reminding a student who had accidentally knocked over an ink bottle, carrying a hint of condescending casualness.
"In this city, I am not the only one who can sense those fluctuations."
Rate on N.U.
