Lu Yuan found himself inexplicably thinking of Ink.
That sharp-tongued book spirit who could be relied upon at critical moments. The one who had shoved the 《Knowledge Pathway Guide》 into his hands with a look of pure disdain.
How was she doing at the headquarters? As a book spirit, she was destined to never move like a normal person—Lu Yuan had known that since the first time he saw her in the Laisen Clinic library.
As a transcendent creature, she was bound by countless imperial rules and regulations.
And what about Mina? And Brent?
Did they still remember him?
Lu Yuan held his pen, silent for a long time. The ghostly blue light from the inscriptions outside the window illuminated his desk.
Then, he finally set pen to paper.
"Ink, I wonder how you are doing? I also don't know if you'll even remember the person who wrote this by the time you receive it.
If you don't remember, just burn this letter. But before you do, please check on those two children for me, as a request from a stranger."
In the middle of the letter, Lu Yuan wrote about his life in the Bronze City, saying everything was fine. He mentioned he had read the guide many times and had already reached rank 2.
As he reached the final line, his pen slowed down.
"If you still remember, please write back.
Bronze City, Nightwatcher Lu Yuan."
He set the pen down.
Lu Yuan looked at the handwriting on the paper for a few seconds, then folded the letter, placed it in an envelope, and sealed it with wax.
Outside the window, the sky was gradually beginning to pale.
Faint sounds of movement came from the corridor—someone was moving things.
Lu Yuan pushed his door open. A carriage was already parked at the side entrance. The back of the carriage was lined with thick cotton cushions. Franz was being carried out on a stretcher and secured under a layer of blankets.
Bolen stood by the carriage, leaning on his cane, giving instructions to a Nightwatcher from the South Ward sub-squad.
Kail was nearby, a small travel bag on his back. The silhouette of the inscription direction tablet was faintly visible in his outer pocket.
Bolen stopped talking when he saw Lu Yuan approach.
"Awake?"
"Yeah." Lu Yuan took the letter from his coat and handed it over. "Help me find someone named Ink. Oh, she's not human; she's a book spirit. She should have arrived at headquarters with two children—one named Mina and the other named Brent."
Bolen took the letter and weighed it in his hand, his brow twitching slightly.
"A book spirit?"
"You'll find out once you ask around at headquarters," Lu Yuan said, offering no further explanation. "If you find her, give it to her. If not, burn it."
Bolen glanced at him but didn't press further, tucking the letter into his inner pocket.
Kail walked over and stood before Lu Yuan, giving a slight bow.
"Captain Lu, we're leaving."
Lu Yuan looked at him. The youth was standing a bit straighter than he had the night before.
"Listen to Bolen on the road."
Kail nodded seriously.
Bolen hauled himself into the passenger seat with his cane, and Kail climbed into the back, sitting beside Franz's stretcher.
The driver flicked the reins, and the carriage lurched forward.
The sound of wheels grinding against the stone floor echoed through the morning courtyard of the branch base. Bolen did not look back.
Lu Yuan stood at the side entrance, watching the carriage turn the corner of the alley and disappear into the street.
The wheel ruts pressed deep into the stone road.
He stood there for a few seconds, then turned back inside.
Grey-white text surfaced silently at the edge of his vision.
【Sanity: 130/140】
He would be heading to the meeting tomorrow; his Sanity would be back at its peak by then. After a quick breakfast, Lu Yuan headed to the branch office.
People were already busy on the first floor. The night shift Nightwatchers were heading out after their handover. Bo Er was crouching by the logistics warehouse door, checking a manifest.
Dunn and Jurgen were also awake. Dunn stood at the end of the corridor, flipping through a small booklet that looked like the Nightwatchers code of conduct. Jurgen leaned against the wall, frowning as he stared at a book in his hands.
Lu Yuan didn't stop.
The gathering at the Count's Mansion was tomorrow. There was one more thing he needed to do today.
He crossed the backyard and walked down the stone steps along the side of the branch building. Kraus had mentioned where Lake would be during his recovery.
At the end of the first basement level was a cleared-out storage room. A bed and an oil lamp had been added. The door was open, and the lamp was unlit.
Lu Yuan knocked on the doorframe. Hearing no response, he pushed the door open.
The room was dimly lit, and the air carried a scent that didn't belong in a human living space.
Lake sat on the edge of the bed, his dark coat buttoned neatly. The lines of his face were softer than they had been before the battle in the underground.
The last time Lu Yuan had seen Lake, he hadn't been human at all—he was a mass of thick meat-worms with two dark red eyes suspended at the top.
The concentration of biological aura in this room was still far higher than that of a normal person, but at least the thing sitting here had a face.
Lu Yuan leaned against the doorframe. "How are you doing?"
Lake looked up, his dark red pupils flashing in the gloom. "I can maintain my human form."
"The Swarming Worms are stabilizing. The compatibility is higher than before. After that battle, they stopped rejecting the human form. I used to have to force them, but I don't need to anymore."
"And rank 5?"
"Still a long way off." Lake's gaze returned to the floor. "But perhaps there's hope now."
Lu Yuan nodded.
"Right, there's something I wanted to discuss with you. We brought back two newcomers from Gubo Town. One is named Jurgen, eighteen years old, a hunter's son."
Lake gave no reaction.
"He's an eerie transcendent, already on a pathway. No one guided him; he figured it out himself. He's aggressive, has fast reflexes, and isn't stupid." Lu Yuan paused.
"A year ago, a deep forest individual broke out. His father died, but he survived. He's been on the eerie pathway ever since."
The room fell silent for several seconds.
"You want me to train him?"
"Your experiences are similar. Someone like him won't get anywhere in a regular squad, but he might with you."
Lake was silent for a moment.
"Let's wait until I've stabilized on my end."
Lu Yuan nodded. "After his probationary period ends. I'll have him stay with Bo Er for a few days to adjust first."
As he turned to leave, Lake spoke again.
"Kids who come up through the eerie pathway... their minds don't work like normal people's."
"I know," Lu Yuan said without turning back. "That's why I came to you."
The door clicked shut behind him.
Lu Yuan returned to the branch and signaled to Bo Er that everything was settled. Bo Er signaled back, then pulled several books from nowhere and tossed them to Jurgen. It seemed Jurgen would have plenty to read over the next few days.
Returning upstairs, Lu Yuan took out the three Inscription Silver Plates Bolen had given him and spread them on his desk. They were so thin they were almost transparent, the inscription patterns shimmering faintly in the light. Bolen had only mentioned their general functions—each plate could be used three times, and their effects could be concentrated if used together.
However, he hadn't specified the triggers, the gestures, or the limitations.
Drawing on his foundation in Inscription, Lu Yuan began to identify the patterns on each plate. He recognized the structures, which were from the same lineage as the city wall inscriptions. After a while, he figured out the activation logic: simply by gripping them, one could sense the aura of the Bronze City.
Most importantly, Lu Yuan realized that if he wanted to, he could even influence the inscription conduction of the Bronze City to a certain extent.
He just didn't know how powerful the effect would be.
He put the items away and then dug out the 《Illustrated Guide to Transcendent Weapon Exchange》 from beneath a pile of books. He hadn't had the chance to look at it yet.
He had bought the book on a whim for 5 points while exchanging supplies, and it had been gathering dust on his experimental table for months while he was busy with inscriptions.
Passing by Bo Er just now had reminded him of it. The book wasn't thick, the paper was yellowed, and the ink was dull, but the content was more substantial than he had expected.
The first chapter categorized transcendent weapons into two major types.
The first type was "Forged," which meant man-made.
These were designed and crafted by imperial inscriptionists and blacksmiths according to specific requirements. They could be customized or mass-produced, and their effects were stable and controllable.
The two items in Lu Yuan's possession—the Timekeeper pocket watch and the Flame revolver—both belonged to this category. The book specifically noted that the overall performance of most Forged transcendent weapons was actually higher than that of Natural ones for a simple reason: controllability.
Designers could precisely plan the functions, users could master the rhythm of the output, and there were established procedures for maintenance and care.
The second type was "Natural," also known as "original transcendent objects." These were not created by humans but existed naturally in the world or were harvested from certain transcendent creatures.
The book gave an example: the Stone-man's Heart... a natural armor source extracted from the heart of a petrified goblin corpse. When the wearer took damage, their skin would automatically petrify for protection. The effect was powerful but completely uncontrollable; the range and duration of the petrification depended on the "compatibility" between the wearer and the Stone-man's Heart.
The defining characteristic of this category was that they could not be replicated, and their stability and power varied wildly.
Lu Yuan flipped through several pages of weapon examples.
There was something called the "Weeping String," a bowstring made from the silk glands of an Abyssal Weaver Spider. When drawn, it could convert the user's Sanity into arrows. Upon impact, the arrows would cause a brief mental breakdown within the target. The cost was that with every shot, the user would hear weeping that polluted their Sanity.
Then there was the "Embers' Grip" gloves, covered in the scales of a Volcanic Lizard. Gripping any metal weapon would coat it in a layer of ash-like flames. The temperature wasn't high, but it could sear eerie spiritual structures.
Lu Yuan's gaze stopped on one entry.
"Bone Demon Ring: A ring-type transcendent weapon refined from the bones of a Bone Demon. The holder can change the ring's form through mental commands, extending it into a blade, shield, or any other shape.
The transformation speed is extremely fast, with almost no delay between offense and defense. Acquisition: Rank 4 transcendents may be issued one by designated personnel after submitting an application to Nightwatchers headquarters."
Clearly, this was most likely Kraus's bone ring.
So it was made from a Bone Demon. But only rank 4s were eligible to receive it. Lu Yuan felt a twinge of envy; theoretically, that thing could even become a suit of armor.
He happened to be lacking something that could improve his close-combat skills or physical stats.
Well, he would just have to save up more points and exchange them for something even better when the time came.
With that thought, Lu Yuan closed the book, folding the corners of the pages for a few key entries so he could refer to them later.
Rate on N.U.
