Lu Yuan put away Flame and the bandolier, hanging them from his waist. The familiar weight of the gun resting against his hip made him feel a bit more at ease.
He opened the wardrobe and changed into a new Nightwatchers uniform.
It was a dark grey, thick cotton coat with new buttons at the cuffs, their copper surfaces embossed with the faint patterns of the Nightwatchers. It fit much better than his previous one; Margaret’s efficiency in restocking was as reliable as ever.
The electric lamps outside the window were already lit.
Faint yellow light spilled through the glass and onto the desk by the window, carrying a hint of warmth.
The corridors of the branch were mostly empty, with only the occasional soft sound of a door opening or closing in the distance.
Lu Yuan walked down the hallway toward Allen Kraus’s office.
Light shone from beneath the door crack.
He knocked twice.
“Come in.”
Kraus’s office was the same as before: a large oak desk, piles of unopened document files in the corners, and an oil lamp sitting on the windowsill next to a half-finished pot of cold tea. However, two cups of red tea had been freshly brewed on the desk, steam still rising from the surface.
Kraus sat behind the desk and gestured for Lu Yuan to sit.
Lu Yuan didn't stand on ceremony and sat directly in the chair opposite him.
Kraus’s mood didn't seem too bad—at least better than the “grim expression” Bol had described. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then looked at Lu Yuan.
“What do you want to know?”
Lu Yuan organized his thoughts.
“How is Lake doing?” he asked first, prioritizing his greatest concern. “And what about that group from the Grey Covenant? Were any of them caught afterward? Also, I suspect there’s something wrong with the Ascension Society. Beyond that, how are we going to investigate things that the Bronze City arrays can’t detect?”
Kraus raised an eyebrow.
“The Ascension Society?”
“When we were chasing the tree man on the streets earlier, someone let the wooden men go,” Lu Yuan continued. “They clearly didn't want us to know. The Ascension Society always acts like this—claiming to cooperate while always playing their own game.”
Kraus didn't respond immediately, watching Lu Yuan for a few seconds over his teacup.
“One at a time.”
“First, about Lake.”
Kraus set down his teacup, a rare hint of gratification in his tone.
“It turned out to be a blessing in disguise for him.”
Kraus didn't offer too many details about Lake’s condition, but a few sentences were enough: Lake’s Swarming Worms talent had been nearly exhausted. To preserve his human identity, he had been forcibly maintaining his rank 4 status, stuck in a position where he could neither advance nor retreat.
However, the battle underground had completely liberated the Swarming Worms, allowing them to devour a massive amount of flesh. Most importantly, his compatibility with the Swarming Worms had taken another step forward.
“Perhaps he managed to cross a mental hurdle within himself,” Kraus said.
Lake was currently stabilizing his power. If all went well, his strength would soon reach a new level.
“He might even have a chance to push for rank 5 in the future.”
Rank 5.
Lu Yuan’s fingers paused on the rim of his teacup. That was already a level of power considered top-tier within the Empire.
Kraus shifted the topic and looked at Lu Yuan.
“But as for you...” His gaze held a scrutinizing quality. “I didn't expect that after being separated by ‘9’, you would not only survive but also cause him significant trouble. A rank 2 Knowledge transcendent facing a rank 4 mutation transcendent... you’ve given me a new understanding of your combat capabilities.”
Lu Yuan didn't respond.
“Moreover, your usage of the Timekeeper seems to far exceed that of any previous owner.”
Kraus set down his teacup, his tone turning serious.
“Are you interested in going to the Knight Academy for advanced study?”
The Knight Academy.
Lu Yuan was slightly stunned. He had never heard of the name.
“It’s called the Knight Academy because it inherits a professional tradition from the Middle Ages,” Kraus said dismissively, offering only a brief explanation. “You might find things of interest there.”
He paused.
“And I’ve heard that one of the Deans there is also a user of the Timekeeper. You might be able to seek his guidance.”
Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered.
Another Timekeeper user?
Lu Yuan still remembered the description of the Timekeeper: 【The shell left behind after the death of a high-level creature, forcibly modified into a pocket watch by a grandmaster craftsman. It craves to devour Sanity to briefly ‘come alive’】.
Logically, there shouldn't be only one of these things. He hoped to gain more information.
“Once the matter with the seeds here is handled, I might go take a look.”
Kraus nodded and picked up his teacup.
“Now, about the Grey Covenant.”
Kraus’s movement as he set the cup down was a beat slow, and his smile vanished.
“It’s not optimistic.”
By the time he arrived with the Count, the Grey Covenant had already retreated. The underground hall contained only battle scars and the remains of withered vines. The altar inscriptions and the wooden men had all been taken away.
“The most troublesome part is that the Bronze City detection arrays are completely ineffective against these things,” Kraus said, his fingers tapping lightly on the desk. “Whether it’s the Grey Covenant or those woodenized constructs, the wall inscriptions can’t detect them at all.”
At this point, the corner of Kraus’s mouth twitched.
“So, the Count has come up with a plan. To put it nicely, it’s a screening; to put it bluntly, he’s flushing them out.”
“He plans to summon all the inner city nobles together. Anyone who doesn't show up will be charged with violating imperial regulations, conspiring in mutation, and abandoning their human identity.”
Lu Yuan frowned.
“Aren't you worried about a cornered dog jumping over a wall?” he asked directly. “If someone actually refuses to come, can the Count handle it?”
Kraus laughed. There was a meaning in that laugh that Lu Yuan couldn't quite put into words.
“If someone acts out of desperation, that’s even better.”
The Imperial Iron Guard and the Holy Armored Army had already been deployed, and the nobles’ private armies had been suppressed. The Church and the Ascension Society would also participate.
“The Count isn't planning to maintain the facade anymore. Everyone outside already knows; there’s no point in hiding it.”
Kraus looked at Lu Yuan.
“When the time comes, you’ll go with them. Help keep an eye on things. We’ve also invited specialists to come over; they should be here in a day or two.”
Lu Yuan nodded.
“And the matter with the Ascension Society?” he asked, not forgetting his earlier question.
Kraus leaned back in his chair, rotating his teacup half a turn.
“The Ascension Society...” He thought for a moment. “I’ll have someone look into what you mentioned. But without hard evidence, it’s difficult to move against them. The Ascension Society has a formal residency agreement in the Bronze City and is on file with the Empire, unlike the Grey Covenant, who can be treated as enemies directly.”
He glanced at Lu Yuan.
“However, the Ascension Society will also be present during this flushing-out operation. We just don't know who they’ll send. Keep a close watch then; your perception is sharper than most. If they really are hiding something, they’re more likely to show their tails in that kind of setting.”
Lu Yuan committed the matter to memory.
He remained silent for a few seconds before asking another question.
“What about the owner of the cargo station?”
Kraus shook his head.
“All dead.”
His tone was flat.
“By the time we found them, they had all been turned into nourishment.”
Lu Yuan didn't ask further.
He remembered the bodies pierced by branches on the walls of the underground hall, the spines twisted into spirals, the ribs pushing through the cracks in the skin, and those whimpers that were nothing more than wheezing breaths.
The owner of the cargo station had likely met the same fate.
How long had the Grey Covenant been lurking in the inner city? The cargo station was just a shell; the true owners had been gone for a long time.
Kraus seemed to remember something and added, “By the way, regarding the status of the seed...”
Over the past two days, the seed ‘Hope’ had shown no new changes. Its pale gold amber shell and warm orange sprouts remained the same, and the isolation inscriptions were functioning normally. However, the Church had sent another letter, with phrasing even more earnest than the last.
“The Ascension Society, on the other hand, has been quiet for two days, making no further attempts to approach the seed.”
Kraus spoke with a very casual tone.
But Lu Yuan heard the subtext. The Church was still fixated on the seed in logistics, and the Ascension Society’s sudden silence was equally unsettling. Neither situation was reassuring.
“The matter with the seed is stable for now. Focus on your recovery first.”
Kraus picked up his teacup and took a shallow sip.
Lu Yuan sat in his chair, his fingers pressing against the rim of his cup.
Currently, the wooden men had been taken by the Grey Covenant—at least five of those kneeling constructs, their purpose unknown. The altar had been destroyed, but the core was gone, meaning those things could be moved and rebuilt.
The black tubular veins that had surged from the ground during ‘9’s rampage had been described by the greyish-white text as “rewritten by external power.” Was there something beneath the ground pumping power into ‘9’ through those veins? Was that ‘9’s own trump card, or was someone controlling him remotely?
As for Q.
Q had clearly been watching the entire time. From the moment they stepped underground, the communication crystals had been blocked.
This wasn't a plan one person could carry out. While ‘9’ was holding out against Lake on the front lines, Q was waiting in the shadows. At the exact moment the tubular veins activated ‘9’s rampage to draw Lake’s attention, Q had appeared from behind.
Most importantly, why let Lake live? If they had launched a sneak attack, theoretically, they should have been able to take Lake down.
And the Knowledge Worm. What exactly was that aura it had sensed at the time? Why hadn't it been there before?
Finally, there was the Count’s flushing-out operation involving four parties. If the Grey Covenant had truly infiltrated the inner city noble circles, then this gathering itself could become a target.
These thoughts swirled in his mind.
Kraus undoubtedly had his own arrangements.
He picked up his teacup and took a drink.
The light from the electric lamps outside reflected on the glass, an orange glow that flickered slightly.
“Alright, I’ve finished asking everything I wanted to know.”
Lu Yuan set the cup down and looked at Kraus. His meaning was clear: he shouldn't have been called here just for this.
“A new round of Nightwatchers recruitment is about to begin. I want you to lead a team alone to Gubo Town.”
“There are two promising prospects there. I want you to help bring them back.”
“Of course, what the Nightwatchers need is not just ability, but also character. You’ll observe them and make the arrangements. How does that sound?”
Lu Yuan looked at Kraus, frowning slightly.
“Will I be back in time for the Count’s gathering?”
“Yes. The Count’s gathering will take some time to organize. It should only take you about three to five days to go to Gubo Town and back. You’ll return just in time.”
Hearing this, Lu Yuan nodded.
“I have no problem with that.”
“Good. You’ll depart tomorrow. Bol will accompany you and explain the recruitment rules and procedures.”
Rate on N.U.
