Conversation

Lu Yuan nodded, making no effort to hide it.

The injury to his abdomen was indeed serious.

Marcus's overheated mechanical exoskeleton had burned straight through his clothing, scorching a large patch of flesh. At the time, the intense heat felt like a branding iron being pressed repeatedly against his stomach—quite a unique experience.

Fortunately, Gray had treated it in time, and Philip's holy light had accelerated the healing process.

While there was still a lingering dull ache, it wasn't a major problem as long as he avoided intense combat.

What truly concerned him was something else.

"The physical wounds are manageable." Lu Yuan's gaze drifted toward the edge of his vision. "But the Sanity consumption was a bit high."

【Sanity III: 31/70】

It had dropped from its maximum value all the way to the bottom. During the return journey, he had only managed to crawl back up to thirty-one points by relying on holy water.

Though he had escaped the danger zone, he was still far from the safety line.

The strange thing was that his head didn't hurt this time.

In the past, whenever his Sanity dropped by half, the piercing pain—like being stabbed by countless needles—made it almost impossible to think. But this time, even though it had once plunged into the single digits, his head only felt heavy and groggy, without that agonizing, tearing sensation.

Was it because of that amulet? It hadn't felt like it was doing much. Or was it because of the stack of blessings Philip had placed on him?

Lu Yuan had no answer.

He only knew that his sanity barrier had shattered. If he were to rely on natural recovery to reform it, it would likely take a very long time.

Furthermore, the effectiveness of holy water was diminishing. After continuous use, the amount recovered by each bottle was decreasing. Unless he consumed advanced holy water, he could only drink small amounts of intermediate holy water in the short term.

However, he hadn't tried advanced holy water yet. He would go find Old Morgan to ask for some later.

Ink fell silent for a moment upon hearing the word "Sanity."

She didn't speak.

Instead, she floated in front of Lu Yuan and extended her tiny hand, pressing it against his forehead.

"Don't move."

A warm power seeped from Ink's palm.

It wasn't the searing heat of holy light, but a gentle, soothing sensation carrying the scent of ink.

Then, what seemed like a long-buried ancient book flipped open, and the characters on the Knowledge Page slowly emerged.

A low chanting echoed in Lu Yuan's mind, like the flow of ancient knowledge or the whispers of countless ancient sages.

【External force intervention detected... Blessing of the book spirit, a knowledge-type transcendent creature】

【Effect: Sanity recovery speed significantly increased for one day; mental resistance slightly increased.】

【Warning: This blessing has a weak repulsion with holy light abilities. It is recommended to avoid holy light treatment for 24 hours.】

Lu Yuan was slightly stunned.

He hadn't expected Ink to have a move like this up her sleeve.

Ink withdrew her hand, the ink stains on her body fading a bit more as she huffed.

"This is much more useful than those things from the Holy Church."

Her tone carried a hint of pride.

"That holy light stuff is fine for treating physical wounds, but when it comes to recovering Sanity... it can't compare to me."

"Furthermore, my blessing can increase your Sanity recovery speed to a certain extent. The Holy Church couldn't learn this even if they worked themselves to death."

Ink floated closer to Lu Yuan, her voice dropping lower.

"But for now, you'd better behave yourself and stay put."

"Stop touching those messy, dangerous things."

A trace of imperceptible worry flashed in her bead-like eyes.

When she had approached him just now, she had caught a whiff of a dangerous scent on Lu Yuan.

It was very faint, but it definitely existed.

It was the trace left by some... existence that should not be touched.

But she didn't say it aloud.

Lu Yuan watched the slowly pulsing text at the edge of his vision, a slight smile touching the corners of his mouth.

"Thanks."

"Hmph."

Ink turned her head away, drifting back into the middle of the papers that were slowly settling on the ground.

"If you really want to thank me, bring me some stories or ink blocks."

Lu Yuan nodded at her words.

"I will."

The library still smelled of old paper. Black metal bookshelves reached up to the ceiling, and the occasional flickering of the lamps cast a chilly, lonely atmosphere.

Everything looked the same as usual.

But Mina's words from earlier were still echoing in his mind.

"He is about to awaken..."

Lu Yuan's gaze fell toward the corner.

Mina was leaning against Brent's shoulder, seemingly already asleep.

Her face was pale, the dark circles under her eyes were alarming, and she had clearly lost a significant amount of weight.

Echo of All Things.

This talent had caused her to hear too many things she shouldn't have.

Those whispers from the bottom of the sea, the roars of the mutants, the wails of the dead...

Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze. His face remained calm, but his heart felt heavy.

The core forces of the Deep Sea Church had yet to reveal themselves.

The true storm was still to come.

He needed to hurry and rest. There were a few small beds in the corners of the library, which were clearly being used as temporary resting places.

Lu Yuan chose a bed and fell into a deep sleep shortly after lying down. He hadn't had a good rest in a long time.

Some time later, Lu Yuan woke from his light slumber.

The sound of gunfire outside was much more sporadic, though it hadn't stopped completely.

At the edge of his vision, the gray-white text pulsed slightly:

【Sanity: 31 → 35/70】

Ink's blessing was indeed effective. After just one nap, he had recovered four points, and that was only from a light sleep.

Supporting himself as he sat up, a sharp pain shot through the wound on his abdomen, but it felt much better than before.

"Awake?"

Ink's voice came from nearby, sounding somewhat lazy.

"Old Morgan told me to tell you to go to the meeting room as soon as you woke up. They're waiting for you there."

Lu Yuan nodded and straightened his clothes. He then noticed Mina was hugging a book and nibbling on its corner, while Brent was dozing off beside her.

He walked to the corner and leaned down.

"Didn't sleep all night?"

"I slept for a little bit..." Mina said softly, her eyes drifting toward the sleeping Brent. "It was a bit noisy outside."

She didn't want to wake her brother.

Lu Yuan sighed softly.

The Echo of All Things talent allowed her to hear far more than just the noise from "outside."

"I'll prepare a few potions for you later," Lu Yuan said in a low voice. "If you really can't stand it, just drink one. It'll block it out for a while."

"Things will get better. Just endure a little longer."

Mina blinked, her eyes still a bit red, but she nodded obediently.

Lu Yuan ruffled her hair and then looked at the dozing Brent.

He didn't wake him, only whispering, "Take good care of your sister."

Brent gave a muddled 'mm' in response, though it was unclear if he had actually heard him.

Lu Yuan stood up, pushed open the library door, and walked toward the meeting room.

The corridor was quiet, with only the sound of his footsteps echoing.

Lu Yuan had actually managed to get a decent rest.

Even though it was just a light sleep, Ink's blessing had restored a fair amount of his Sanity, leaving his mind much clearer than before.

Because of this, he suddenly noticed something.

In the corner of his vision, a progress bar hadn't moved for a long time.

【Gelimu Port Status: 41/50】

Lu Yuan's footsteps faltered slightly.

Ever since he first stepped into this city, he had been gathering intelligence, learning about the distribution and movements of various factions.

During that time, this progress bar had increased almost every day.

But thinking back now...

It had been stuck at '41' for a long time.

This meant there was still something critical about Gelimu Port that he hadn't touched upon.

Was it the true goal of the Deep Sea Church?

Or was it something else?

Lu Yuan frowned, unable to think of an answer for the moment.

But one thing was certain: this city still harbored many figures hidden in the shadows.

Lost in thought, Lu Yuan reached the meeting room.