At the crack of dawn, Old Morgan returned to the Nightwatchers base and sought out Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan had rested briefly, and his condition had improved considerably.
【Sanity: 49/71】
"The results of the meeting," Old Morgan said, getting straight to the point. "A joint maritime investigation. The Ascension Society will provide the ship."
Old Morgan then unfurled a nautical chart and pointed at the markings on it.
"There are two targets."
"First: the sea area where the Iron Whale was lost. We need to confirm the state of the ship and search for clues."
"Second: confirm the location of the island, determine if it is a Deep Sea Church base, and search for traces of rituals."
"And the timing?" Lu Yuan asked.
"We depart at dawn tomorrow," Old Morgan said with a serious expression. "The situation is urgent; we can delay no longer."
Lu Yuan was silent for a moment before standing up and speaking of his own accord.
"I want to go."
Old Morgan looked at him and did not immediately answer.
Lu Yuan looked Old Morgan straight in the eye.
"Part of the intelligence this time was provided by me, so I must be on the roster for this operation. Furthermore, the source of the Strange Dreams is there. If I don't resolve it, it will remain a permanent threat."
Old Morgan looked at the young man before him with a complex gaze.
He knew that he was essentially pushing Lu Yuan into a fiery pit, which was a far cry from the original promise the Nightwatchers had made to Lu Yuan.
But the duty of the Nightwatchers was to protect the people and the security of the Empire. Since the Strange Dreams involved those entities, Old Morgan had to disclose all the intelligence.
Finally, he nodded.
"Fine, but you must prepare for the worst."
Old Morgan's voice was low.
"This time... the chances of survival are slim."
Lu Yuan nodded, his expression calm.
Only he knew that choosing to be honest about the details of the Strange Dreams from the beginning had been a deliberate decision.
He did not want to wait passively forever.
The Strange Dreams were eating away at his Sanity limit every night. If he continued to sit and wait for death, it wouldn't be long before he completely collapsed.
Rather than waiting to die, it was better to take the initiative.
Since the source of the Strange Dreams pointed toward that sea area, and since the Nightwatchers would eventually investigate the Iron Whale and that island, he had to be a part of the operation.
Only by setting foot on that land himself would it be possible to find the key to unraveling the Strange Dreams.
This was the only opportunity he had fought for himself.
"Go back and rest first," Old Morgan said as he rolled up the nautical chart. "I still need to discuss the personnel allocation with Alice and Mary. I'll call you when the equipment arrives."
Lu Yuan nodded and turned to leave.
Just as he stepped out the door, he saw Alice and Mary walking toward him.
They passed each other. Alice glanced at him, said nothing, and walked straight into the meeting room.
Lu Yuan did not linger and continued walking forward.
Old Morgan, Alice, and Mary sat around a dim light and began to finalize the personnel for the voyage.
"On the Nightwatchers' side, I'll lead the team," Alice spoke first, her tone brook no argument.
Old Morgan glanced at her and did not object.
Alice was the First Team Captain, a rank 2 Flesh transcendent, and the wielder of the transcendent weapon Thunder Warhammer. In terms of combat power, she was among the top three in the entire Gelimu Port branch of the Nightwatchers.
"Mary, you shouldn't go," Old Morgan said after a moment of thought. "You fought the Deep Sea Church members at the base, and your Sanity was damaged. You need to recover. I have a lot to handle these next few days and need an assistant..."
Mary knew that Old Morgan was protecting her, as this operation was clearly extremely dangerous.
But before Mary could say anything, a massive hand pressed down on her shoulder.
"Alright, listen to Old Morgan. Stay at the base and recover properly!"
Alice knew what Mary was thinking—she was worried about her.
But the mission was indeed dangerous. If Mary forced herself onto the ship in her current state, she would only become a burden.
Mary ultimately said nothing more and simply nodded.
"Don't be the first to rush into danger. Since the people from the Ascension Society are there..."
"Don't worry." Alice smiled and continued, "I'll pick three more people. I want veterans with solid psychological fortitude."
"Is that enough?" Old Morgan asked.
"It's enough." Alice's tone was calm. "Numbers are useless. This enemy... isn't something that can be resolved by a crowd."
Old Morgan said nothing more.
He knew Alice was right.
"And that newcomer, Lu Yuan." Alice looked at Old Morgan. "He's going too?"
"He volunteered."
Alice raised an eyebrow. "The reason?"
"Strange Dreams," Old Morgan said briefly. "The source is on that island. If he doesn't resolve it, a problem will arise sooner or later."
Alice was silent for a few seconds before nodding. "Fine, I'll look after him."
"Yeah." Old Morgan silently lit a rolled cigarette, his expression complex. "Do your best to take care of him."
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan had arrived at the entrance of the safe house.
After leaving the meeting room, he did not return to the temporary lounge but instead headed toward the safe house.
Mina and Brent were still there; he had to explain a few things.
The safe house was on the basement level of the base, a place specifically used to protect non-combatants.
Pushing open the door, he saw Brent sitting in a corner checking something. Brent instinctively became alert at the sound of movement.
"Doctor Lu!" Brent stood up after seeing who it was. "Are you alright? Is the fighting outside over?"
"It's over." Lu Yuan nodded. "But I'm going on a long trip."
Brent was stunned. "A long trip?"
"To sea." Lu Yuan did not go into detail and simply looked at Brent, saying seriously, "While I'm away, stay at the base. Don't go anywhere."
"Once the Holy Armored Army arrives, Gelimu Port will be safer. We'll talk about returning to the clinic then."
Brent's expression became solemn, and he nodded gravely. "Don't worry, I will definitely take good care of Mina!"
Lu Yuan patted his shoulder and then walked further inside.
Mina was lying on a makeshift small bed, clutching that black notebook. She was not sleeping peacefully.
Lu Yuan walked to the bedside and sat down gently.
The movement woke Mina. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, her small face filled with worry upon seeing Lu Yuan.
"Doctor Lu... are you leaving?"
Lu Yuan was a bit surprised that she had already guessed it.
"Yeah, I have to go out for a while."
"Will you come back?" Mina's voice was very soft, carrying a hint of anxiety.
Lu Yuan stroked her head. "I will."
His voice was calm, as if he were stating a matter of course.
Ink poked half of her body out from the notebook.
She stared at Lu Yuan, her dark, bead-like eyes showing a much more complex expression than usual.
"Hey."
"Hmm?"
Ink opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something biting, but in the end, she only sullenly spat out a few words.
"Come back alive."
Lu Yuan stood up and nodded.
"I will."
He turned to leave, with Mina's soft calls and Brent's comforting voice following behind him.
By the time he returned to the surface, the sky was already beginning to lighten.
Old Morgan was waiting for him in the corridor.
"The equipment has arrived. Come with me."
Lu Yuan followed Old Morgan through the corridor to a basement.
Upon pushing open the door, a scent of metal mixed with potions hit him.
This was the Nightwatchers' armory.
Alice was already inside, selecting something.
Rate on N.U.
