Chapter 262 | Transmigrated with a Sanity Gauge

A moment later, the last two arrived.

Raymond pushed the door open, followed by another person.

Raymond's face showed signs of fatigue, but his spirit was good.

He sat down next to Bo Er and caught Lu Yuan’s eye, giving him a look that said, "We'll talk later."

Now, everyone was present.

Kraus, Lu Yuan, Bo Er, Hoguer, Glock, Lake, Raymond, Franz, and Conrad.

Nine people in total.

Kraus set down his teacup.

There were no pleasantries.

"Everyone is here."

His voice wasn't loud, but the meeting room fell silent immediately.

Kraus picked up the opened letter from the table and flipped it between his fingers.

"This arrived early this morning. It's from the Church."

He handed the letter to Glock.

"Pass it around."

Glock took it, scanned it, his brow furrowing slightly, and then handed it to the next person.

The letter made its way around the table.

When it reached Lu Yuan, he read it carefully.

The envelope was pale gold, and the wax seal bore the holy emblem of the Church.

The stationery was of high quality.

There were three main points.

First, the Church commended the Nightwatchers for their contribution to maintaining order in the Bronze City and expressed a desire for deep cooperation in the Sea of Knowledge Harvesting Plan.

Second, the Church had established a special research team to evaluate the stable operation of the Sea of Knowledge branch channel and hoped the Nightwatchers would appoint a liaison to coordinate.

Third...

And this was the final paragraph.

The wording was extremely indirect, taking several turns before reaching the point.

The gist was: "The Church has recently been conducting a systematic evaluation of transcendent remnants within the Bronze City, specifically involving a batch of unique items from ancient times. Should the Nightwatchers possess such items, the Church is willing to provide professional evaluation and storage assistance to ensure these items do not have uncontrollable effects on the residents of the Bronze City."

Lu Yuan placed the letter back on the table.

Unique items.

From ancient times.

Evaluation and storage.

To put it bluntly, they were talking about the Seed.

The Church knew.

Once the letter had finished its circuit, Kraus pulled it back and slapped it onto the table.

"You've all read it."

He leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

"Give me your thoughts. But before you speak, I have another matter to address."

He looked toward Hoguer.

Hoguer pulled an organized file from his coat and placed it on the table.

"We've made progress on the inner city investigation."

Kraus signaled for him to continue.

Hoguer opened the file, his tone concise.

"Bo Er’s people and mine followed the trail from Baron von Klein. We’ve identified several inner city figures who provided assistance during the Grey Covenant's operations."

He tapped his finger on the document several times.

"Logistics, information relay, and safe houses. Everything is traceable."

"The ringleader is Baron von Linde. On the surface, he's a respectable inner city noble, but in reality, he provided significant convenience during the Grey Covenant's infiltration, including the use of at least two locations."

Hoguer pushed the file to the center of the table.

"In addition, there are two merchant members. Their records are filthy; they weren't just involved with the Grey Covenant, they were also playing both sides when the Church entered the city. Their stance is clear: they follow whoever gives them the most profit, with zero regard for the survival of the Bronze City."

Kraus listened, but didn't immediately state his position.

"Is the evidence sufficient?"

"It is," Hoguer said firmly.

"Bo Er found direct evidence through memory extraction. Baron von Linde had face-to-face contact with Codename '8' on two occasions."

Bo Er added softly from the side.

"It wasn't a coincidence. They were pre-arranged meetings. The time, location, and content all match up."

Kraus nodded.

"Then we won't wait."

His tone turned cold.

"Deal with them. Just like last time."

Hoguer nodded.

"Understood."

Last time.

Baron von Klein.

Everyone remembered that process: a newspaper report, four bodies, a "tragic accident."

Clean, efficient, and leaving no loose ends.

Having finished with the inner city business, Kraus’s gaze returned to the pale gold letter.

"Now, to the main topic."

He picked up the letter and flicked it with his finger.

"You’ve all seen the Church's letter. It's polite, but the meaning is clear: they’re coming for the Seed."

"But they’re quite clever." A trace of coldness entered Kraus’s voice.

"First, they invite us to join the Sea of Knowledge Harvesting Plan, pulling us into a cooperative framework. Once that cooperation is established..." He paused.

"The Church’s methods have always been like this. They speak of the Angel while their hands are stained. Oppressing the people, expanding their congregation—their methods are the most disgusting."

"However..."

He tapped the table.

"The Church’s presence in the Bronze City is a reality. The branch channel for the Sea of Knowledge is right above the Polymath Tower, and Church personnel are already involved. This situation won't change in the short term."

"The matter of the Seed will have to be discussed openly sooner or later. The question is, what stance will we take when we do?"

Kraus’s gaze swept over the room.

"Before we talk, I need you all to understand what the Seed actually is."

He looked at Lu Yuan.

"You explain."

Lu Yuan did not hesitate.

He stood up and looked at everyone at the table.

Bo Er and Raymond knew a fair amount about the Seed.

Hoguer and Glock knew a portion.

Franz and Conrad were completely in the dark.

Lu Yuan organized his thoughts and began.

"The origin and age of the Seed are unknown, but it is likely connected to the founding of the Bronze City."

"There were four in total. Two were taken by the Grey Covenant, and one lost control and sprouted, eventually being destroyed along with the hyphae sub-core. The final one is in our hands."

"The Seed is related to 'Wish.'"

The meeting room went silent for a moment. Franz’s eyelid twitched, but he didn't speak.

"The one that was destroyed... we don't know what kind of 'Wish' it absorbed, but its sprouting lost control, directly leading to the hyphae incident in the North Ward."

Lu Yuan’s tone was flat.

"During that incident, the Seed demonstrated incredible cognitive ability, survival instinct, control methods, and extremely potent Sanity pollution."

He paused.

"And that was only its primary state."

"Therefore, the potential of the Seed is beyond doubt. We must treat it with the gravity it deserves."

As soon as he finished, Hoguer spoke up.

"If the Seed is so unstable, why are we holding onto such a hot potato?"

He crossed his arms and looked at Lu Yuan.

"Can't we just destroy it? If one could be destroyed, why can't we destroy this one too? Keeping this thing will only invite more trouble."

He had hit the nail on the head.

Glock’s pen stopped. Raymond also looked over.

Franz remained silent, but his gaze shifted from the table to Kraus.

Clearly, Hoguer wasn't the only one with this question.

Kraus didn't let Lu Yuan answer.

He took over the explanation himself.

"Anything related to 'Wish' represents potential."

His tone grew heavier.

"The pollutant from the hyphae incident was fine to destroy. But this Seed must not be destroyed. At least, not by the hands of the Nightwatchers."

"Because the value of this thing is far beyond your imagination."

He paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully.

"But you are right about one thing. The 'Wish' this Seed received is indeed unusual."

Kraus glanced at Lu Yuan, signaling him to continue.

Lu Yuan picked up where he left off.

"My pathway allows me to observe the aura of eerie pollution and other transcendent matters. Therefore, during the Seed's sprouting stage, I already saw it."

His gaze swept across the room.

"The 'Wish' this Seed received is highly likely related to the Bronze City residents' longing for safety."

"Its aura possesses a warmth I have never seen before."

The meeting room fell silent.

A long silence followed.

Bo Er sat with his head down, fingers interlaced over his knees, deep in thought.

Glock’s pen began moving again, writing rapidly in his notebook.

Hoguer’s expression shifted from skepticism to contemplation.

Franz still didn't move, but his eyes had changed from indifferent to cautious.

Beside him, Conrad opened his mouth slightly as if to speak, but ultimately remained silent.

Everyone realized what this meant.

If the Seed's potential was truly that vast, a Seed grown under the nourishment of a 'Wish' like "longing for safety" could become a powerful new trump card for the Bronze City.

Provided it was—controllable.

Kraus allowed several seconds of silence.

Then he spoke.

"The purpose of this meeting is to discuss our plan for handling the Seed."

He stood up, bracing himself against the table's edge.

"I want to emphasize one point here."

"Even if the Seed truly matures, we might not be able to hold onto it."

His tone was level, but the pressure was heavy.

"The Nightwatchers are already under enough pressure. The Church, the Ascension Society, the remnants of the Grey Covenant—all three are watching us, not to mention the Polymath Tower’s own schemes. In this situation, having one more thing that needs protection is not good news."

"But if the Seed's potential is truly as Lu Yuan described..."

He paused.

"Then it is worth the gamble."

"So, this isn't a decision I can make alone. I need to know where you stand."

He turned his gaze to Bo Er.

Bo Er took a stack of cut slips of paper and several short pencils from a side drawer, silently handing them out to everyone.

"Three options: Protect, Abandon, or Abstain."

Kraus looked around.

"When you're finished, fold them and give them to Bo Er."

The sound of pencils scratching against paper filled the room.

Some finished quickly. Others hesitated for a few seconds.

Franz was the slowest.