Lu Yuan's heart skipped a beat. From the moment he had entered the branch until now, Margaret had always been in a logistics role—checking supplies, writing manifests, and handling logistics. Not once had she given the impression of being related to combat. Kraus had hidden a rank 4 in the logistics department so deeply that even Lu Yuan hadn't noticed.
Kraus continued.
“Externally, there is the Church. They recently stationed an Archbishop here, so the Church has at least one rank 4 combatant in Bronze City. The existence of the Grey Covenant is also a threat to them, and I don't believe they are uninterested in the seed held by the Grey Covenant. Plus, we have a basis for cooperation.”
“Then there is the Count's Mansion, which has at least one rank 4. The Grey Covenant acted openly in the main hall of the inner city, threatening the Count's order. If we can persuade the Count, we can borrow at least one rank 4 from him.”
“The Guardian is also here,” Kraus paused for a moment. “And we actually have two more rank 4 transcendents within our ranks; they will be joining us this time as well.”
He looked at Lu Yuan.
“I will take you to meet the Guardian.”
Lu Yuan nodded without asking further questions. Kraus had a direct relationship with the Guardian, so it was most appropriate for him to handle it. Lu Yuan had also had contact with the Guardian before, so it made sense for him to go along.
Glock counted on his fingers. “So that makes three lines: the Church, the Count's Mansion, and the Guardian?”
“Four,” Kraus glanced at him. “Including ourselves. Even if all the external aid arrives, we will still be the main force. Others won't risk their lives for the Nightwatchers.”
Glock fell silent.
Lu Yuan continued.
“Jie and Nine were both heavily injured, and their recovery status is unknown. Our best chance of winning is to act before they have fully recovered.”
He pointed to the map.
“The tracking marks can locate Jie and Nine. We'll set up a prepared ambush, not a head-on collision. The key is to prevent them from gathering. We strike them separately and take them down one by one.”
Kraus nodded. “J, Q, and that rank 4 in the pipe network are the variables. When we move, we must consider the possibility of them appearing at any time.”
Lake straightened up from the doorframe. “Can the tracking marks tell if Jie and Nine are together? If they've split up, we should take out the isolated one first.”
“Yes. Once the marks are activated, we can determine their approximate distance and direction. If the two marks are separated, that is our opportunity.”
Kraus pulled his hand back from the map.
“We'll finalize the specific plan tomorrow. Tonight, get your own affairs in order.”
He began assigning tasks.
“Margaret, double-check the supply reserves in the pipe network layer. Give me the equipment manifest for the dive tomorrow.”
“Got it,” Margaret replied curtly. She flipped a page in her manifest and jotted down a few notes.
“Glock, double the patrol frequency in the pipe network layer. Change the outposts around the copper wall to double-sentry duty.”
Glock nodded, already pressing buttons on his communication crystal.
“Bo Er, arrange for a messenger to deliver the inscription rubbings to Bolen at headquarters.”
Bo Er looked up from the map and glanced at Lu Yuan. “Leaving tomorrow morning?”
Lu Yuan took the folded rubbings from his inner pocket and handed them over. “The sooner, the better. Remember to keep a backup and transmit it to the Nightwatchers headquarters.”
Bo Er took them, carefully tucking them into his logbook.
Kraus finally looked at Lake.
“Has the tracking crystal reacted tonight?”
Lake pulled the green crystal from his coat and spun it between his fingertips.
“No.”
Kraus nodded. “It seems they're hiding quite deep.”
Neither possibility was good news.
“We'll set the plan tomorrow. Everyone, go rest tonight.”
The group stood up one after another.
Margaret reached the door and looked back at Kraus. There was something subtle in her expression, and her lips moved slightly, but in the end, she said nothing. She opened the door, stepped out, and closed it behind her.
Bo Er packed up the map and left, followed by Glock.
Lake stopped at the door and looked back at Lu Yuan.
“Is your Sanity holding up?”
“I'm fine. I haven't reached the point where I need medicine yet.”
Lake watched him for two seconds, gave a nod, and pushed the door open to leave.
Only Lu Yuan and Kraus remained in the meeting room.
The oil lamp cast a steady circle of light on the table where the map was still spread. Kraus stood where he was, his finger pressing down on the location of the copper wall.
“Do not speak of today's events to anyone,” he said in a low voice. “Not a single word of the Polymath Tower's deduction must be leaked.”
“I know.”
Lu Yuan walked to the door and pulled it open.
As his hand rested on the doorframe, he paused.
“Kraus.”
Kraus looked up.
“The Man on the Wall said something. I can't repeat the exact words, but I can convey the meaning.”
Kraus watched him, not rushing him.
“He said that I would eventually seek Him out of my own accord.”
Silence filled the meeting room for several seconds. The oil lamp's flame flickered slightly in a faint draft.
“And what do you think?”
Lu Yuan leaned against the doorframe, his gaze falling on the opposite wall.
“I don't know. But I'm wondering what kind of situation would force a person to proactively seek a deal with something trapped behind a wall.”
Kraus looked at him.
“I hope we never have to find out the answer.”
Lu Yuan didn't speak again. He stepped out and gently closed the door behind him.
The moment the door shut, the sliver of light from the oil lamp vanished from the gap.
When he walked out of the meeting room, the hallway was lit only by the dim glow of the march lamps.
Lu Yuan walked a few steps down the corridor. He heard a door close behind him, followed by footsteps.
Kraus emerged from the meeting room. He had a dark coat in one hand and an unlit march lamp in the other. He threw the coat over his shoulders and walked past Lu Yuan without looking back.
“Let's go.”
The two of them exited through the branch's side door.
“The Guardian is clearly so strong, so why doesn't he stay at the branch?”
Lu Yuan asked, voicing the doubt in his heart as he followed Kraus.
After all, having the Guardian stationed near the center of Bronze City would be the optimal solution by any measure.
If danger arose, he could intervene immediately.
At the very least, Kraus wouldn't have had to suffer an ambush.
“The Guardian cannot stay in the city.”
Kraus didn't turn around. He looked at the street ahead, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness.
“One who hasn't gone berserk is called a Guardian; one who has is called an eerie.”
“The inscriptions in Bronze City aren't just for trapping eeries; they are also for restricting the Guardian.”
Lu Yuan understood and said no more.
The outer city late at night was so quiet that only the sound of the wind remained. The light from the gas lamps fell on the grey stone walls, one every few paces, their dim yellow halos stretching the two men's shadows long across the ground.
The footsteps of patrolling Nightwatchers could be heard in the distance, two streets away. The sound of boots on stone slabs echoed and then faded.
Kraus turned on his march lamp, keeping the brightness low, just enough to see the path beneath their feet.
Lu Yuan spoke first.
“You hit the Grey Covenant pretty hard. Can they even recover?”
Kraus walked a few more steps before replying. “Nine took the heaviest blow; with the cracked armor on the ribs plus the crystalline erosion, they won't be able to go all out for a while. Jie was the most severely wounded; I can guarantee that unless Jie has some special means, her strength has dropped significantly for the time being. J is basically unaffected.”
His pace faltered for a moment as he stepped around a loose stone in the road.
“What really concerns me is the one in the pipe network who hasn't shown their face. If even Lake sensed danger, they are very likely approaching rank 5.”
Lu Yuan frowned slightly upon hearing this. “Why are there so many rank 4s? And isn't rank 5 supposed to be very difficult?”
“Rank 4 isn't actually that difficult, especially for mutation transcendents,” Kraus continued.
“But depending on the pathway and compatibility, their strength can be worlds apart. The difference in combat power between two rank 4s can be greater than a rank 2 Knowledge transcendent facing a rank 3 Knowledge transcendent.”
“But rank 5 is indeed a qualitative change, and it's not that easy to achieve.”
“The copper wall is also deteriorating,” Kraus's voice grew half a tone deeper. “We can't afford to wait, so the sooner we move, the better.”
‘Tonight, then?’
They walked in silence for a while, their footsteps echoing one after the other on the empty street at a steady pace. As they passed a residence with tightly closed doors and windows, Lu Yuan spoke again.
“Margaret... I never would have guessed a rank 4 was hidden in logistics.”
Kraus didn't look back. “She has been heavily eroded by her own pathway. The fewer times she has to act, the better, but she is very strong.”
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow at that.
If even Kraus said Margaret was strong, then her strength and pathway must be truly extraordinary.
The street grew quieter as they moved forward. The occasional lit window gave way to total darkness, and the distance between gas lamps grew, leaving the light thin and sparse.
Lu Yuan asked a third question.
“How is the Guardian doing now?”
Kraus was silent for even longer this time. It took several steps, his footsteps echoing in the empty alley, before he spoke.
“He has been in Bronze City longer than I have. He was already here when I first arrived at the branch.”
That was all he said.
Lu Yuan didn't press for more. Kraus had told him about the Guardian in the pipe network—a senior Nightwatcher, a true genius who had reached rank 5 but was also on the verge of turning completely into an eerie.
Lu Yuan glanced at Kraus's profile. The light from the march lamp shone up from below, casting deep shadows across his face. It was rare for Kraus to speak with such gravity.
Ahead, the silhouette of a stone building emerged from the night.
It was four stories high, with a large bell hanging at the top. The inscriptions on the bell's surface had long since faded, their outlines blurred. There were no residents around the clock tower, and the doors and windows of the nearby buildings were all sealed shut, looking as if they had been abandoned for a long time.
Kraus walked toward it.
The stone steps on the outside of the clock tower were narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time.
Kraus led the way, the light from his march lamp dancing across the grey stone walls. Moss grew on the stone, and the air smelled of old copper rust and dampness.
Lu Yuan followed him up, step by step.
The higher they climbed, the more he could feel a change. The air grew heavy, and each breath he took felt heavier than usual. The light from the march lamp on the stone walls began to tremble at the edges; the light itself hadn't changed, but its boundaries were flickering.
The last time he had felt something similar was when he was carrying Kraus through the narrow streets. The Guardian had approached from the outer city, and even from that distance, Lu Yuan's breathing had grown heavy.
Now they were heading toward the source. With every stone step they climbed, that heaviness increased.
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