Early morning.
The sky was not yet bright.
Lu Yuan walked downstairs and spread the items from his toolbox one by one across the table in the Alchemy Workshop.
The enchanted revolver, Flame.
A box of copper-cased incendiary rounds.
A copper sword, potions, and the necessary oil lamp.
He slipped the stone tablet into the inner pocket of his coat.
Since the copper pillars were down there, it was a good time to see if the tablet would react.
His finger brushed against the sealed glass bottle at the corner of the table.
The consciousness crystal.
Inside the sampling bottle, the fragment he had broken off from the hyphae core lay quietly.
It lacked luster and pulse; its surface, a weave of greyish-green and dark gold, was as dull as an ordinary stone.
‘Bring it.’
He couldn't leave it here.
Especially after learning that the Knowledge Worm could gnaw on this thing, Lu Yuan was eager to keep it on him at all times. It was just a pity that the Knowledge Worm hadn't shown any desire to eat again in the short time since its last meal.
He didn't feel comfortable leaving it unattended while he was away.
He placed the consciousness crystal in a new bottle, tucked it into the innermost layer of his toolbox, and wrapped it twice in cloth.
With his equipment packed, Lu Yuan stood up and glanced around the first floor.
The workbench had been pushed against the wall, now covered in a thin layer of dust.
Laurina had taken the alchemical equipment box when she left, and no one had touched the remaining items since.
There were still a few crates of ammunition in the corner.
The army cot was folded up.
The map was still pinned to the wall, the red ink circles having faded over time.
The traces of when Glock used this place as a temporary command post remained.
Lu Yuan didn't linger on them.
He turned off the lights, locked the door, and set out.
5:20 AM.
The storage room next to the branch's underground entrance.
The door was slightly ajar.
When Lu Yuan pushed the door open, Kraus was already inside.
The lights were off.
The storage room was small, containing a narrow table, two chairs, and a few old uniforms hanging on the wall.
The air smelled of copper rust.
Kraus leaned against the wall, twirling a bone-colored ring in his hand.
“Come in. Close the door.”
Lu Yuan closed the door.
“I’ve been thinking about Wolf all night.”
Kraus’s tone was measured, the same as it had been during the meeting.
“Practitioners of the Furnace Pathway are more sensitive to their own aura than typical transcendents. It’s impossible for him to be completely unaware of a low-level infection like hyphae invasion.”
Lu Yuan did not respond.
“You think he knows?”
Lu Yuan considered it.
After the meeting yesterday, he had walked quickly to catch up with Wolf.
He had asked, “How have you been feeling lately?”
“I tested him. There’s a high probability he knows.”
Kraus’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“The Furnace Pathway emphasizes purity.”
He slid the ring back onto his finger.
“Either he’s planning something himself, or someone else is planning something through him.”
“Whichever it is, I need someone watching him.”
Kraus looked at Lu Yuan.
“Among the people Glock drew, there’s one named Lake. From the Third Team.”
Lu Yuan thought back.
He remembered the name.
One of the two people Glock had drawn from the Third Team; the files listed him as a rank 2 Nightwatcher.
He had very little presence.
“Lake is not rank 2.”
Kraus’s voice was flat.
“He is my man. Rank 4. Eerie transcendent.”
Lu Yuan’s expression didn't change.
A rank 4 Eerie transcendent.
Hiding in the team disguised as a rank 2 Nightwatcher.
“He will keep an eye on Wolf. If the issue is Wolf’s own, he can contain it... that won’t be a problem. But if there’s someone behind Wolf...”
Kraus didn't finish the sentence.
“You don’t need to worry about Lake. And you don’t need to let anyone else know who he is. In your team, he is just an ordinary Nightwatcher.”
Lu Yuan nodded. He had no reason to refuse; besides, this was a rare bodyguard. Next time he encountered something like those green vines, he wouldn't have to risk himself.
Kraus turned and pulled an item from an iron box in the corner of the storage room.
It was a bronze disc the size of a palm.
The surface was covered in intricate runes, and three dark red micro-crystals were embedded in the edge.
The crystals were dull and did not reflect light.
“Sealing Disc.”
Kraus placed it on the table.
“This is a headquarters item. I used personal connections to borrow it this time. You performed well last time, and as your mission report showed, you are quite the adventurer at heart.”
“This is for you. With your Timekeeper ability and this, you’ll be able to handle most dangers.”
Kraus proceeded to explain its use.
It had three uses.
Each crystal corresponded to one use.
Press a thumb against a crystal and channel your Sanity.
Once activated, it would suppress all transcendent activity within a ten-meter radius centered on the disc.
For thirty seconds.
It did not distinguish between friend and foe.
The disc would become hot after each use and required about ten minutes to cool down.
“Three times. Once they’re used up, it’s just a piece of scrap copper.”
Kraus’s gaze fell on Lu Yuan.
“One use is prepared for Wolf. The remaining two are for your own survival.”
“I suspect you might encounter certain resistance during this operation. Lake is one of my hidden moves. I hope we can end this quickly.”
Kraus paused.
“Remember, don’t waste it.”
Lu Yuan nodded and picked up the disc.
The bronze felt cold to the touch and was heavier than it looked.
【Target Detected: Sealing Disc (Eerie alchemical product)】
【An imitation made to mimic a special item, possessing a strong suppression effect against pathways. Perhaps you could consider dismantling it to learn from it.】
Lu Yuan ignored the greyish-white prompt.
He tucked it into his inner pocket, keeping it close to his body.
“One more thing.”
Kraus tapped his finger on the table twice.
“Glock doesn't know about Lake either.”
Lu Yuan frowned.
‘Only he and Kraus knew? How did Kraus manage to hide such a powerful unit?’
But in the end, he simply nodded.
“Understood.”
5:50 AM.
The underground tunnel entrance.
The light from the march lamps filtered up from below, casting long, thin shadows on the stone steps.
Everyone had arrived.
Bo Er was already there.
Before departing, Lu Yuan had specifically asked Glock for him.
At the moment, Bo Er was leaning against the wall, waiting.
He nodded when he saw Lu Yuan approach.
Glock stood by the entrance, holding a checklist and marking it off.
The three members of the Imperial Iron Guard stood together.
Wolf was in the middle, dressed in his dark red uniform and wearing gloves, his face expressionless.
The two Iron Guard members beside Wolf were ones Lu Yuan had seen during the previous pipe network operation.
Heinrich and two Holy Armored Army knights stood on the other side.
The Holy Armored Army’s equipment was even more streamlined than what he had seen last time.
They weren't wearing full sets of armor, only breastplates and bracers, with leather buckles replacing metal rivets at the joints.
Clearly, this was Heinrich’s arrangement.
The Church nun stood in the furthest corner.
She wore greyish-white robes with tightened sleeves.
A small holy water flask hung at her waist.
Bolen walked over, leaning on his cane.
Then there were the two men from the Third Team.
One was someone Lu Yuan hadn't seen before, wearing standard Nightwatcher gear and appearing quite conventional.
The other.
Lake.
He stood in the corner. Dark grey uniform, medium build, short brown hair.
His expression was indifferent. He looked exactly like the kind of person in a team who would go unnoticed.
Lu Yuan walked past him.
At the edge of his vision, the greyish-white text flickered.
【Target Detected: Lake (Eerie transcendent)】
Lu Yuan didn't stop. He walked straight past.
Lake lowered his head slightly, as if checking his ammunition belt.
Glock cleared his throat.
“Time’s up. I’ll keep this brief.”
He unfolded a pipe network map that had been folded several times.
“The original plan was to follow the North Ward route back to the copper pillar and continue pushing downward. However, Mr. Bolen has performed further analysis over the past two days, and we have adjusted the plan.”
Glock’s finger pointed to the location of the North Ward copper pillar on the map.
“Before we go below the copper pillar, we need to clarify a few things.”
He looked around at everyone.
“The pipe network in the North Ward has been basically cleared, hyphae removed, and tunnels restored. But two problems remain unresolved.”
Glock held up one finger.
“First, did the hyphae only appear in the North Ward? Are they in the pipe networks of other districts? If they are only in the North Ward, it might be an isolated incident. If they are in other areas...”
He didn't finish, nor did he need to.
He then extended a second finger.
“Second, the copper pillars.”
Glock glanced at Bolen.
Bolen took a step forward, his cane tapping on the floor.
“The distribution of the conduction pathways is not random.”
Bolen’s voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.
“The position of the copper pillar in the North Ward aligns perfectly with the flow of the pathways. The branch’s inscription group and I have made preliminary calculations.”
He walked to the map with his cane, pointed to the North Ward copper pillar, and then, following a certain symmetrical relationship, drew a circle in three other directions.
“If the copper pillar is part of an array structure, then based on the flow and symmetry of the conduction pathways, there should be more at roughly these three locations.”
He paused.
“If copper pillars also exist at the other three nodes, then it isn't a single pillar sealing one thing. It’s a complete sealing system.”
Silence fell for a few seconds.
Glock took over again.
“Today’s mission: enter the pipe network through the branch’s underground entrance, take the northwest branch line, and investigate the first calculated location.”
His finger traced a route marked with a red arrow on the map.
“Phase one: advance along the main pipe network to the first calculated coordinate. Estimated time: one and a half to two hours. Phase two: confirm if a copper pillar exists; Mr. Bolen will perform an on-site inscription analysis. Phase three: check for any signs of hyphae along the way and clear out as many ghouls as possible.”
He folded the map away.
“I will go with you and then stay at the relay point. That was the limit of our advance a few days ago. After that, I will be responsible for coordinating communications and withdrawals. We will have contact once every hour.”
Glock looked at Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan nodded.
“Move out.”
Exactly six o'clock.
Everyone entered in sequence.
The iron grate at the pipe network entrance had already been opened and secured to the sides.
The stone steps led downward, with a march lamp placed every ten steps, providing steady light.
Lu Yuan walked in the middle of the team.
Bo Er was on his right.
Wolf was near the front, walking with a steady pace.
Heinrich and the two knights walked ahead of Wolf, forming the vanguard.
Bolen and the nun were in the middle-rear of the team.
The old man’s cane tapped lightly against the copper surface.
Lake was at the very back, his presence extremely faint.
The first half of the journey was along the main pipe network.
It was different from the direction of the North Ward.
The tunnels here were wider, the copper plating was well-preserved, and the light from the march lamps reflected off it with a piercing glare.
No hyphae.
No smell of acid or rot.
The condition of the copper conduction pathways on the walls was noticeably better than in the North Ward.
In some areas, they even retained a faint luster.
When they had taken the North Ward route last time, the way was littered with combat traces and hyphae remains.
Here, it was spotless.
Bo Er whispered, “It’s much cleaner than last time.”
Lu Yuan hummed in agreement.
But he noticed something else.
Silence.
It was too silent.
There wasn't even the sound of water seeping or rats scurrying, common in the pipe network.
They walked for about forty minutes.
They reached the relay point.
It was a small platform at a junction of the main pipe network.
Copper plates covered the floor, and several fixed march lamps were embedded in the walls.
A few crates of supplies were stacked in the corner.
It was a temporary station set up in advance.
Glock stayed behind here.
“The environment has been purified. For this kind of short-distance communication, these communication crystals will suffice. Lake will keep the crystal and be responsible for reporting and communicating once every hour.”
As Glock spoke, he patted Lu Yuan on the shoulder, saying no more.
Continuing down from the relay point.
The team went from thirteen people to twelve.
Rate on N.U.
