The four of them quickly returned the way they had come.
Lake's tentacles constantly probed the passages on both sides, ensuring they weren't being followed.
They returned to the relay point.
Glock was still there.
The march lamps at the relay point were burning brightly, and several Nightwatchers were maintaining a perimeter guard.
Kraus walked up to Glock and briefly explained the situation.
After listening, Glock's brow furrowed into a knot, but he didn't interrupt.
Kraus began to issue the subsequent arrangements point by point.
"First, use the Grey Covenant base as the center and search outward in all directions to see if you can find any additional clues."
"I've also arranged for a Grand Captain to come over. They'll bring the logistics team down to haul away whatever ghoul corpses can be moved. Burn whatever can't be moved, and clear out everything else in the base to bring back."
"The greater ghoul corpses might contain decent alchemy materials; let the logistics team pick through them."
Glock nodded, taking quick notes.
"Second, I don't want a single word of today's events to get out. Also, I'm taking the seed."
Kraus glanced at Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan understood immediately.
He reached into his toolkit, took out the greyish stone, and handed it over.
Kraus took it, weighed it in his hand, and tucked it into his personal bag.
"It's safer at the branch than on your person."
"Third, I'm taking Wolf with me as well. His condition needs a separate evaluation."
Glock glanced at Kraus upon hearing Wolf's name but didn't press further.
Kraus then turned to Lu Yuan.
"Your assignment at the North Ward alchemy workshop has come to an end for now. Remember to move back to the branch."
His tone was flat as he officially transferred Lu Yuan back to the branch, then added a follow-up.
"Whether you want to lead a team on missions or work in logistics, it's up to you. A new batch of points has been issued, and the amount should be quite good. You can head to the branch warehouse to see if there's anything that catches your eye."
Kraus patted Bolen on the shoulder.
"I'm counting on you for the analysis report on the connection between the copper plate and the copper pillar."
Bolen nodded to indicate there was no problem.
"Within three days."
Kraus looked at everyone.
"Dismissed."
The group began to withdraw.
Glock was the first to leave, heading to the surface to coordinate the logistics team.
Not far away, a Grand Captain Lu Yuan hadn't seen before stepped out from the shadows.
He was in his thirties, heavily built, and a man of few words.
His Nightwatchers uniform was spotless, looking as if he had just arrived from the branch.
He led Lake and dozens of logistics personnel, marching grandly into the depths of the pipe network. The light from their march lamps cast a long trail of brightness through the passage until they gradually faded into the distance.
Bolen set off alone toward the branch. Before leaving, he looked back at Lu Yuan.
"If there's anything about Inscription you don't understand, feel free to ask me anytime."
Lu Yuan gave a nod.
The old man leaned on his cane, walking step by step for once; he was clearly exhausted today.
Kraus took Wolf and the seed into another carriage and drove toward the branch.
The entrance to the pipe network gradually grew quiet.
Lu Yuan was the only one left standing at the exit.
Sunlight spilled down from the surface, hitting the copper steps with a warm glow.
Having spent so long in the pipe network, the sudden light made his eyes ache.
Lu Yuan squinted slightly.
'Time to pack up and head back to the branch.'
With Kraus's orders issued, the Nightwatchers moved quickly.
Case in point: a black Nightwatchers carriage was already waiting right before Lu Yuan's eyes.
Two young Nightwatchers were waiting by the carriage. Seeing Lu Yuan at the entrance, they stepped forward quickly.
"Captain Lu, we're here to help you move your supplies. Shall we head to the alchemy workshop first?"
Lu Yuan nodded.
As soon as Lu Yuan boarded, the carriage set off. After a while, it pulled up in front of the alchemy workshop.
Lu Yuan stepped out. The number of Nightwatchers stationed here had dropped significantly; clearly, the alchemy workshop was transitioning from a temporary base back to its original function.
Lu Yuan pushed open the door to the workshop.
The air on the first floor was heavy, thick with the smell of copper dust and medicinal fluids.
The sunlight filtering through the cracks in the windows cast several long, slanted beams across the floor.
Lu Yuan stood at the door and scanned the room.
The worktables had been pushed against the walls, covered in a thin layer of dust.
The map was still pinned to the wall, its red markings having already begun to darken.
The camp beds were stacked in the corner, the bedding unmade.
Several crates of ammunition remained in their original spots.
Lu Yuan walked to the corner and opened the ammo crates to check.
Three boxes of silver-plated bullets and half a box of copper-cased incendiary rounds.
Everything was loaded onto the carriage.
Next were the alchemy tools.
Only the original set of old, basic equipment remained; Laurina had long since taken the professional-grade equipment.
Lu Yuan glanced at them but didn't move to pack them.
'The branch should have them; if not, I'll just use my points to exchange for a new set.'
Lu Yuan thought to himself as he moved on to check the potions.
Only a few bottles of Excellent Sanity potions remained; he had exhausted all his other supplies.
Finally, there were several critical items.
Lu Yuan inventoried them one by one.
The consciousness crystal—its sampling bottle was wrapped in two layers of cloth, its pulse steady, with a flickering glow of greyish-green and dark gold hidden within.
The Knowledge Oyster—tucked into a hidden pocket in his vest, colors surged within its cracks as if it were constantly active.
The Sealing Disc—two of the three crystals had turned grey, leaving only one use left. Even if it broke later, he could take it apart and perhaps learn something from it.
The stone plate given by the Dwarf—the four symbols related to Inscription were glowing faintly. Lu Yuan had essentially made up his mind; now that things had mostly settled, he could finally consider specializing in Inscription.
Then there was the copper whistle; he would eventually need to call that old man over.
The revolver, "Flame"—he had emptied the cylinder in the pipe network last time, so he refilled it from the ammo crate and returned it to his waist.
Lastly, there was a copper sword.
Once the count was finished, Lu Yuan realized he didn't have much besides his badge and books.
The two young Nightwatchers had already finished loading the ammo crates onto the carriage.
"Anything else?" one of them asked.
"That's it. Let's go," Lu Yuan said, stepping out of the alchemy workshop.
At the doorway, he paused.
He looked back at the first floor one last time.
The dusty worktables, the faded map, the empty camp beds.
From the moment he arrived in the North Ward, everything—Laurina, the ghouls, the hyphae—had happened within this building.
"Oh, right. There's also that greater ghoul."
Lu Yuan suddenly remembered the greater ghoul he had almost forgotten about.
It was likely near death if not dead already, but it was better to deal with it.
"By the way, there's a greater ghoul behind the alchemy workshop. Dispose of it and send it to logistics."
"Yes, sir."
One of the Nightwatchers hopped off the carriage to handle it.
The other young Nightwatcher was already waiting in the carriage.
Lu Yuan didn't linger any longer.
He locked the door.
He boarded the carriage.
With a slight sway of the cabin, they set off.
In less than ten minutes, the carriage arrived at the branch.
It was a grey stone building, three stories high, and several times larger than the alchemy workshop.
The two Nightwatchers on duty at the entrance nodded as the carriage approached.
The carriage stopped at the side entrance.
A clerical Nightwatcher carrying a key and a sheet of paper came out to meet them.
He was in his twenties, wore glasses, and had a very polite expression.
"Captain Lu? Vice Director Kraus has already given the word. Follow me."
The clerical Nightwatcher led Lu Yuan through the main branch building's hallway and turned into a small building in the side wing.
"Independent quarters for captains. Two floors."
The clerical Nightwatcher pushed open the door.
The room wasn't large, but the layout was efficient.
The first floor was the living area.
A bed, a desk, a wardrobe, and a chair.
The window faced north, offering a view of the branch inner courtyard.
It wasn't big, but it was enough for one person.
A narrow staircase led to the second floor, which was a separate, partitioned area.
An experimental table stood against the wall.
The tabletop was copper, polished very smooth, and was much better than the old worktable at the alchemy workshop.
Next to the table was a small locked storage cabinet and a set of empty shelves.
Simple, but functional.
Lu Yuan placed his toolkit on the experimental table, while the young Nightwatcher carried the ammo crates up to the second floor and tucked them into the storage cabinet.
"One more thing," the clerical Nightwatcher said, waiting downstairs.
Lu Yuan went back down.
"Vice Director Kraus mentioned that any special items you need to keep safe are to be stored in the logistics department's special storage room. C-District, Room 7."
He placed a copper key in Lu Yuan's hand.
"Only you and Vice Director Kraus have one."
Lu Yuan took the key and weighed it; it was copper, heavy, with a serial number engraved on the handle.
"I understand."
After confirming the move was complete, the young Nightwatcher and the clerical Nightwatcher left together.
Lu Yuan did a quick cleaning of the room and put his personal belongings away.
Then, carrying the copper key, he headed out.
The logistics department was in the wing of the main branch building.
Lu Yuan was no stranger to this place.
When he first arrived in Bronze City, he had been assigned to help in logistics and had spent quite a while preparing potions under Margaret.
He walked through the main hall of the logistics department.
The hall was busy, with several Nightwatchers changing shifts and others checking documents.
Lu Yuan didn't stop, following the corridor deeper inside.
C-District was at the very back of the logistics department.
It was much quieter than the front.
The corridor was empty, and while the lamps hanging on the walls were lit, the light was dim.
The copper decorative strips on the walls glinted with a cold light.
Room 7.
There was an iron door here with no windows.
The door frame was embedded with a ring of dark red copper patterns—clearly inscriptions.
They were basic isolation inscriptions, capable of blocking the leakage of eerie auras to a certain extent.
He inserted the copper key and turned it twice.
The door opened with a low, metallic grinding sound.
The room inside wasn't large.
About ten square meters.
All four walls were covered in copper plates, their surfaces densely etched with inscription patterns.
In the center of the room stood a copper-topped experimental table.
The tabletop was twice as wide as the one upstairs, its surface etched with shallow drainage patterns, looking like grooves pre-cut for some kind of alchemical operation.
In one corner of the table sat a sealed copper box.
Lu Yuan walked over and opened the box.
It was the seed.
The fist-sized grey stone lay quietly inside the copper box.
Heavy and dull, it didn't look like much.
On a nearby cabinet sat several eerie materials, including keratin layer slices from a greater ghoul, stored in sealed glass dishes.
Lu Yuan looked at the seed before him but didn't rush to study it.
His Sanity wasn't particularly high at the moment, and the greyish-white text hadn't provided a detailed description yet.
He was content just knowing it was here. Whether in terms of security or protection, this place was excellent; at the very least, he wouldn't have to worry about the aura leaking and being noticed while conducting experiments here.
He locked the storage room and tucked the copper key into an inner pocket.
On his way back, he passed through the logistics department's main hall.
Margaret was taking inventory, a stack of folders spread out before her as her pen moved rapidly across the paper.
Hearing footsteps, she looked up and saw Lu Yuan, though her pen didn't stop.
"Oh? You've moved back?"
"Yeah."
"We've been short-handed lately. Come help out when you have time."
Margaret's expression looked much better than when they first met. She gave a small smile after speaking, then lowered her head to continue her work.
Lu Yuan didn't linger and returned to his room.
He closed the door.
He drew the curtains.
He sat on the edge of the bed.
He glanced at the numbers at the edge of his vision.
【Sanity: 55/120】
The continuous recovery effect of the potion had worn off.
His Sanity had returned to 55 points.
It wasn't high, but it was barely enough.
Too much had happened today.
Lu Yuan lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.
Rest first.
Everything else could wait until tomorrow.
Rate on N.U.
