The footsteps continued.
The door was pushed open, and sunlight flooded in for an instant.
Then the door closed, and the world darkened once more.
Only Lu Yuan remained in the bookstore.
And the badge on the table.
Lu Yuan sat on the old wooden stool, not leaving immediately.
Silence.
The flame of the oil lamp flickered gently, its shadow swaying against the bookshelves.
He was thinking about the conversation they just had.
The information the other man had released was sparse, but every detail had been carefully chosen.
The matter of the shell, he knew.
The matter of the Sea of Knowledge, he knew.
The fact that Lu Yuan could see "colors," he knew that too.
But he did not know that Lu Yuan was already rank 2, nor did he know about his new abilities.
This meant that while this person was powerful, his intelligence was not omniscient.
What he knew was limited to things that could be observed from the outside.
The shell's activation at the Viscount's manor had triggered fluctuations in the seals; although strange, that could be explained if he could sense them.
Lu Yuan's performance at the abandoned house had been mediocre, but an observer in the shadows could still have noticed something.
It seemed there was always an eye in the dark, watching the Nightwatchers involved with the inner city.
Lu Yuan reached out and picked up the badge.
The metal was slightly cool.
Turning it over to look at the back, he found it wasn't smooth; there were faint inscriptions engraved upon it.
As Lu Yuan's fingertip brushed over them, a trace of knowledge surrounded them.
At the edge of his vision, greyish-white text slowly pulsed:
【You have touched new knowledge... Special Inscription Lore...】
【Forbidden Lore: Knowledge Seeker: +0.2...0.4/100】
【Bronze City Status: +1...2/50】
Lu Yuan remained silent for a moment before tucking the badge into his coat.
He would not join, at least not now.
But he would not throw the badge away either.
There was one more thing.
When Morris mentioned Laurina, his tone carried a casual dismissiveness, as if it were already a closed chapter.
This meant the Polymath Tower's plan had already moved to the next step.
A replacement had already been found.
Though he didn't know if the so-called replacements were the three missing noble students.
But what was certain was that the Nightwatchers Promise he had bought for eight hundred points had protected Laurina, but it had not stopped anything else from happening.
'I really am weak... to let that man act with such impunity...'
Standing up, Lu Yuan swept his gaze across the bookstore one last time.
The books on the shelves were neatly arranged, with no signs of having been read.
The teacup on the table was already cold, with light brown tea stains remaining at the bottom.
Beside it, the Northern Sea Voyage Records remained open.
Page seventy-three. The Abyssal Rift.
He committed the page number to memory, then pushed the door open and stepped into the sunlight.
The Nightwatchers hiding their presence on the street outside saw Lu Yuan emerge; after confirming he was safe, they resumed their act and left as if nothing had happened.
When he returned to the branch, it was just after eleven in the morning.
Less than an hour had passed since his departure.
Raymond was waiting in the meeting room.
Helen was there as well, her notebook flipped open.
Seeing Lu Yuan enter, Raymond set down the documents in his hand.
"Did you meet him?"
"I did."
Lu Yuan sat down across from them.
He recounted the entire conversation.
Every word the man said, every action, the layout of the bookstore, the book on the table, the ripples on the wax seal, and the badge.
But he omitted two things.
First, the man's mention of the sealing patterns trembling when the shell was activated.
Lu Yuan believed someone within the Nightwatchers must have noticed it; with a little investigation, they could trace it back to him.
However, as long as the Nightwatchers didn't bring it up, he wouldn't either.
Since the shell had fallen into his hands, it was his.
Second, his analysis of the aura on Morris's body.
That involved the perception abilities of Forbidden Lore: Knowledge Seeker; explaining it would require too much detail.
The rest, he told them without missing a word.
Raymond listened throughout, never interrupting.
Helen's pen moved rapidly across the paper.
Once Lu Yuan finished, the room fell silent for a while.
"What was his attitude when he mentioned Laurina?" Helen asked first.
"Indifferent," Lu Yuan said. "Like he was talking about something that had already ended."
Helen's pen paused for a second before she continued writing.
Raymond stood up and walked to the window.
The sunlight outside shone on his face, but his expression was heavy.
"A Knowledge Pathway transcendent of at least rank 3, moving through the inner city under a pseudonym, directly related to the disappearances, and backed by an organization..."
He didn't finish the sentence.
"There's a high probability he's not from the Polymath Tower," Helen added.
"Correct," Lu Yuan nodded. "The Polymath Tower still has some reservations."
"This person is different. He makes direct contact with his targets, and it seems more like he is... recruiting."
'And he might be more than rank 3,' Lu Yuan thought silently.
Raymond turned around, looking at Lu Yuan.
"What do you think his relationship is to the disappearance cases?"
"A direct one," Lu Yuan said. "All three missing persons received invitations involving 'knowledge.' And everything about this man is related to the Sea of Knowledge."
He continued.
"But I'm not sure if he's the executor or the mastermind."
"The two people in the abandoned house last night weren't Morris; their auras were different."
"However, the information I got from Morris suggests he's at least in a cooperative relationship with those two."
"Or perhaps he's using them," Helen chimed in.
"Both are possible."
Raymond remained silent for a long time.
Finally, he spoke, his voice returning to a calm tone.
"Keep the badge."
He glanced at Lu Yuan.
"There's a meeting this afternoon. We'll report this along with the previous clues."
"Your status will remain unchanged for now; you're still a team consultant. But from now on, you'll be monitoring the lead on Morris."
He paused.
"Regardless of the attitude from above, we must do what needs to be done."
Lu Yuan looked at him.
There was no anger on Raymond's face, nor was there any helplessness.
There was only a quiet, steady determination.
"Go back and rest first. Come back for the meeting at three o'clock."
"Alright."
Lu Yuan stood up and walked out of the meeting room.
It was nearly noon when he returned to the Alchemy Workshop.
Laurina was at the workbench, holding a mortar, her movements light and focused.
Hearing the door, she looked up.
Her gaze lingered on Lu Yuan's face for a moment.
"You're back?"
"Yeah."
Laurina didn't press for details.
She simply handed him a new bottle of Sanity potion.
"Drink this."
Lu Yuan took a look and then consumed it.
【Sanity: +10...83/120 (Total)】
Fifteen points had recovered naturally last night, exceeding his usual recovery rate; it was likely an additional effect of the perfect potion.
Laurina merely checked Lu Yuan's expression before turning back to continue her grinding.
A few bottles of freshly made potions sat on the workbench, all of Excellent quality, with her handwritten labels affixed to them.
Lu Yuan sat down by the window.
Sunlight streamed in, falling on Laurina's profile.
Her expression was calm as usual. Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze, took the badge from his coat, and flipped it in his palm.
The metal reflected a small patch of light that hit the ceiling, wavering slightly.
Then he put the badge away, picked up a mortar, and began processing the medicinal herbs for the afternoon.
The sound of the mortar echoed in the room. Clink. Clink.
【Medicinal Herbology: +0.1...19.1/50】
【Pharmacology: +0.1...32.3/50】
Experience points ticked up slowly.
Outside the window, the sunlight was just right.
He wondered how many more days it would last.
Rate on N.U.
