Bol drove the carriage while Dunn sat in the passenger seat, the two of them making idle conversation.
Bol asked if he knew how to ride a horse. Dunn said he had ridden a packhorse in town when he was a kid, but it wasn't so much riding as it was hanging on. Bol chuckled and remarked that he’d have plenty of chances to learn once they were in the city.
Jurgen sat in the back of the carriage, leaning against a wooden box. He didn't join the conversation, nor did he look toward Bol and Dunn.
His gaze remained fixed behind them, watching the dirt road as it receded and the clear forest line at its end.
Gubo Town grew smaller and smaller behind them.
As they passed the Church checkpoint, Bol’s laughter died away.
There were significantly more people present than before.
When they had first arrived, there were only three or four people on a shift. Now, that number had more than doubled. The roadblocks hadn't been removed; in fact, several more had been added.
The inspectors were a different group, and the style of their visors and robes had changed. The extra men weren't standing at the front to conduct the searches—they stayed in the back, silent and spaced far apart, their eyes scanning every passing carriage.
Bol looked back at Lu Yuan, the smile completely gone from his face.
“Something might have happened.”
Lu Yuan gave a small nod.
The inspection was much more thorough than it had been on the way there; even the boxes of medicinal herbs on the carriage were opened and checked.
Dunn sat quietly without speaking out of turn. Jurgen kept his hand on his hunting knife, his eyes sweeping over the Church personnel.
Once they were through the checkpoint, Bol snapped the reins.
The horses shifted from a leisurely walk to a trot. The rhythm of their hooves quickened, and the wooden boxes in the carriage began to rattle.
They had rested for a night on the way out, but they didn't stop on the return journey.
Bol let the two horses take turns resting their legs, continuing to travel even after dark. They could just barely make out the road under the moonlight, and where they couldn't see, they relied on the horses to find their own way.
He stopped chatting with Dunn. He gripped the reins tightly, his shoulders tense and unyielding.
Dunn didn't ask why. He likely sensed something was wrong and sat quietly in the passenger seat, occasionally helping Bol spot potholes in the road. Jurgen remained silent the entire time.
As dusk fell, a ghostly blue light flared up on the distant horizon.
The inscriptions on the walls of Bronze City were exceptionally clear in the twilight.
The moment they entered the city, Lu Yuan felt that familiar layer of suppression settle over him again.
It felt heavy, as if it were clinging to the surface of his skin.
The streets were empty.
At this hour during the day, the main thoroughfares should have been filled with transport caravans and the constant back-and-forth of carriages. On the day Lu Yuan had left the city, he had seen women carrying vegetable baskets walking at the intersections, and the patrols of the Imperial Iron Guard had just finished their shift change.
Now, there was nothing. Half of the shops had their shutters closed. Occasionally, a pedestrian would pass by on the sidewalk, walking quickly with their head down.
A patrol passed by on a distant street, heading toward the inner city.
Bol’s grip on the reins tightened further, but he didn't slow the carriage.
Neither of them spoke. When they had left the city three days ago, this street hadn't looked like this.
When the carriage turned into the side gate of the branch, Bol jumped down with a swift motion.
“You two, follow me.” He jerked his chin at Dunn and Jurgen, his tone much more clipped than before.
Bol led the two of them to an empty room at the end of the first-floor corridor. “Stay here for now and don't wander off,” he instructed before turning to leave.
Dunn nodded, while Jurgen didn't respond but took a seat.
The smell of medicine permeated the corridor.
Lu Yuan and Bol walked further inside. The corridor was more crowded than usual, with several unfamiliar faces walking at a brisk pace.
Some people were moving dark, wax-sealed emergency supply boxes. Those boxes were usually locked away on the second floor and weren't brought down lightly.
Lu Yuan slowed his pace, the ominous premonition in his heart growing stronger.
He remembered Kraus’s appearance in his office the night they set out—his tone had been perfectly normal.
But on the second day after he left, the city had turned into this.
Kraus had known in advance that something would happen.
They ran into Glock at a corner.
When Glock saw them, his gaze landed on Lu Yuan first. His expression relaxed for a brief moment before he immediately pulled it back.
Seeing Bol following behind, he gave a nod.
“You’re back.”
“What happened?” Bol was the first to speak.
Glock glanced at him, his voice low.
“Kraus wants you to go straight to him once you’re back.”
He paused.
“The Count’s gathering begins the day after tomorrow, but before that, there are things you need to know.”
Glock left as soon as he finished speaking, his footsteps rounding the corner of the corridor and quickly fading away.
Lu Yuan and Bol didn't linger and went straight to the end of the hallway.
The door to Kraus’s office was half-open.
As Lu Yuan reached the doorway, he saw the desk first. There were four or five potion bottles on it; two were already empty, with remnants of a dark green liquid still clinging to the glass. A stack of papers was pinned down beside them, and the top sheet was half-written, the ink still wet.
Kraus sat behind the desk, leaning back in his chair with his hands resting on the armrests. He wore a dark shirt with the sleeves rolled up.
But Lu Yuan could tell at a glance.
Kraus’s complexion was wrong. He was much paler than the last time they met, and there was an unnatural flush across his cheekbones. His right wrist was wrapped in gauze, wound several times and tied tightly. Beneath the gauze, faint green patterns could be seen slowly flowing.
They had already spread to his wrist, and the traces of their movement were visible even through the fabric.
Lu Yuan took a closer look.
Grey-white text jumped into the corner of his vision.
【Target Detected: Kraus (Eerie Transcendent) (Injured)】
【A human who has contracted an extremely rare eerie entity while still retaining his humanity; perhaps he is about to face a choice.】
Injured. Clearly, Kraus had encountered something during the days Lu Yuan was away—something that had managed to wound him.
At the same time, Specialized Research activated within Lu Yuan’s sight.
【Analyzing target status: Kraus (Eerie Transcendent)】
【Status Analysis: Glazed Corrosion and Knowledge Erosion; the eerie within his body is currently fluctuating.】
【Calculating solution...】
【Solution Generated: Extraction (Optimal Solution)】
【Principle: Introduce the Knowledge Worm into the body to consume the glaze and knowledge. Combined with simple recuperative potions, the condition can be eradicated.】
【Note: Please keep your Knowledge Worm under control. Entering the body of the human before you is no different from entering a kitchen.】
【Estimated Success Rate: 99%】
【Solution Generated: Absorb 'Hope'】
【Principle: Gentle, high-level hope contains the power of 'Wish.' If a human devours it, there will be unexpected subsequent changes.】
【Estimated Success Rate: 11%】
【Note: It might even turn him into an eerie entity.】
Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze.
Ninety-nine percent.
He would bring this up with Kraus privately once Bol left. He didn't want too many people to know about the Knowledge Worm, but Kraus was different.
What kind of thing could have injured Kraus?
Kraus saw the two of them enter and raised his right hand, gesturing for them to sit.
“How was Gubo Town?”
He asked about their mission first.
Bol spoke first, reporting that the procurement was finished. The manifest had been left at the base, and the herb stock and quality were all fine.
He had also spoken with the Mayor, and they would proceed according to the old rules.
Lu Yuan followed up, stating that Dunn and Jurgen had been brought back and settled. Dunn was qualified and had reacted normally to the copper box test.
However, Jurgen was an Eerie Transcendent. His personality was indeed a bit aggressive, but he was very smart and would be a good fit for Lake to train.
Additionally, there was a girl in town who seemed to have some talent, though not much; she had been recorded. Finally, the Mayor reported that the ancient forest had been unsettled lately, with animals fleeing outward, and he hoped the branch could supplement their equipment.
Kraus’s finger tapped lightly on the armrest.
“An Eerie Transcendent? It seems his talent is quite good.”
Kraus continued, “Keep a close eye on him during the probationary period. We’ll discuss Jurgen’s matter separately later.”
He looked at Bol.
“Go handle the follow-up for Gubo Town with logistics.”
Bol understood. He stood up without asking further questions, giving Lu Yuan a look as he reached the door.
The door closed.
The office fell silent for a couple of seconds.
Kraus didn't speak immediately.
He moved his gaze from Lu Yuan’s face to the stack of half-written papers on the desk.
His finger lightly rubbed the armrest in a slow, deliberate motion.
Lu Yuan waited.
“The day after you left, the Polymath Tower initiated the second harvest.”
Lu Yuan’s back straightened slightly.
As he suspected.
Kraus had known the time of the harvest in advance and had arranged for him to go to Gubo Town specifically to miss that day.
He didn't ask why.
“The configuration was the same as last time. The Polymath Tower personnel were in the core zone, the Church provided blessing support, and our people guarded the barrier zone. Franz was leading the team.”
Franz was a captain transferred from the southern squad. Lu Yuan had met him during the pipe network operation; he was a man who got things done efficiently.
“It started out normally.”
Kraus paused here.
He picked up an unopened potion bottle from the desk, twisted off the cap, took a sip, and set it back down.
“Then something went wrong with the channel.”
“What kind of problem?”
“The Polymath Tower is being very tight-lipped about the specifics. They haven't provided a decent report even now,” Kraus said in a flat tone. “But the result is that everyone involved was injured.”
Lu Yuan remained silent.
“Not a single person escaped. Our people, the Church’s people, the Polymath Tower’s core personnel—everyone. To this day, not one of them has woken up. Franz was injured the most severely; his Sanity was almost completely stripped away.”
The medical ward. The smell of medicine in the corridor. The emergency supply boxes being moved. It all clicked together.
“Two nuns from the Church were heavily injured. I’m not sure exactly how many were hurt in the Polymath Tower’s core zone, but I know at least four or five were carried out on stretchers.”
After Kraus finished this segment, the office fell silent once more for several seconds.
The ghostly blue light from the distant wall inscriptions filtered through the window, casting a blurred shadow on the desk.
“The casualties are secondary; the headquarters will always find a way to handle that.”
Kraus looked at him, his gaze deepening.
“Something has flowed out of the Sea of Knowledge.”
Lu Yuan instinctively raised his voice slightly.
“What kind of thing?”
“It’s hard to say.” Kraus’s voice dropped an octave. “Pollution. And some... other things. Most importantly, they seem to have disappeared.”
He didn't continue.
But the green patterns beneath the gauze on his wrist became more active than before, their flow visibly quickening.
Rate on N.U.
