Climbing the final few stone steps, the view suddenly opened up.
The top of the clock tower was a semi-open platform with low walls on three sides and one side open, facing the outer city. The great bell hung from an iron frame overhead, the inscriptions on its surface completely dark, leaving only a few blurred etchings. The night wind rushed in from the open side, carrying the scent of earth and the dampness of night dew.
There was only one person on the platform.
The Guardian sat on the stone railing of the platform. His aged body was hunched over, his white hair fluttering gently in the night wind.
A pitch-black aura enveloped his entire body, spreading from his shoulders down to his ankles. It was so thick it had almost solidified, far heavier than what Lu Yuan had seen from a distance before.
Black eyeballs bobbed within the aura; some were closed, some half-open, their gaze wandering aimlessly, not looking at anything in particular.
Grey-white text jumped out at the edge of his vision.
【Detection Target: Guardian (eerie transcendent) (Beyond Cognition)】
【A human who has reached the end, being swallowed bit by bit by the path he chose.】
Lu Yuan's gaze lingered on that line for a moment. Reached the end...
The judgment given by the grey-white text pointed in the same direction as what Kraus had said back then.
The Guardian might not have much time left.
Kraus had already walked up to the Guardian.
His tone held a hint of respect.
“Sir.”
The Guardian slowly raised his head. The pitch-black aura surged slightly with his movement; a few black eyeballs sank while others floated up. Two or three turned toward Lu Yuan, swept over him aimlessly, and then turned away.
A raspy voice spoke, very low.
“Speak.”
Kraus did not give a long-winded report.
“The Grey Covenant has at least four rank 4s, possibly six. The copper wall is deteriorating, and the bronze pillars are accelerating. We must deal with the Grey Covenant before the dive.”
He paused for a moment.
“Our rank 4 count is sufficient. However, the Grey Covenant will inevitably have means for a desperate struggle, and Lake judges that he might not be a match for that extremely strong rank 4 who appeared in the pipe network layer.”
“We need you to act, sir.”
The Guardian did not respond immediately.
The black eyeballs turned slowly within the pitch-black aura. Silence lasted for several seconds as the night wind blew across the platform from the open side, his white hair fluttering slightly in the breeze.
Then he spoke.
“Fine.”
A single word.
Kraus's shoulders relaxed slightly.
The Guardian's gaze moved from Kraus to Lu Yuan.
The floating black eyeballs in the aura all tilted to one side; the Guardian looked at him with his own eyes.
The pitch-black aura thinned slightly in front of the old man, and for the first time, Lu Yuan saw the Guardian's face clearly.
Deep wrinkles were etched into skin that looked like stone. His eye sockets were sunken, and the color of his pupils was indiscernible, mostly obscured by the surrounding black aura.
Those eyes were observing him as if they were seeing something specific.
“So you are Lu Yuan.”
Lu Yuan nodded.
The Guardian watched him for a few seconds.
The black eyeballs floating in the aura all lowered during those seconds; not a single one looked in Lu Yuan's direction.
“You are quite good. Stay alive.”
After the Guardian finished speaking, he withdrew his gaze and looked back at the night toward the outer city, speaking no more.
Kraus did not explain why the Guardian said that. Lu Yuan did not ask.
The two of them stood on the platform for a while longer. The night wind blew from the direction of the outer city, causing the flame of the march lamp to flicker and tilt. The Guardian's white hair and pitch-black aura swayed gently in the wind, and the black eyeballs sank deep into the aura until none were visible.
With the Guardian's agreement, and adding Kraus, Lake, Margaret, and the two other rank 4s Kraus had mentioned, their internal trump cards were now sufficient.
The two of them descended from the clock tower.
The heavy sensation on the stone steps weakened step by step. By the time they reached the bottom, their breathing had returned to normal. The night wind was colder than when they had gone up, and the gas lamps of the distant outer city formed a string of warm yellow light specks, shining quietly.
Kraus paused at the base of the clock tower.
“Go to the Church now.”
Lu Yuan looked at him.
“You have dealt with Agnes before. The Church has at least one rank 4 in Bronze City, and the Grey Covenant is equally a threat to them. The reason is sufficient.”
Lu Yuan nodded. “What about the Count's Mansion?”
“I'll handle the Count's Mansion,” Kraus's tone returned to his business-like calm. “The attendant is a rank 4. The Count might not be willing to lend him, but we can negotiate.”
He paused.
“I have already notified those two; they will join us when the time comes.”
The two walked back along the path they had come.
Lu Yuan glanced back at the top of the clock tower. The pitch-black aura still shrouded it, looking exceptionally thick in the night. The black eyeballs flickered in and out of view within the shadows.
Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze.
When they returned to the branch entrance, Kraus stopped outside the door.
“There is no need to speak of tonight's events to others.”
“I know.”
Kraus pushed the door open and walked inside.
Lu Yuan stood outside the door and took a deep breath of the cold night air.
The grey-white text floated quietly at the edge of his vision.
【Sanity: -1... 83/140】
Within the symbiotic link, the Knowledge Worm was curled up deep in his left eye, motionless. The little worm at the bottom of the key flickered slightly with a faint luster, then grew quiet again.
The image of those black eyeballs all lowering stayed in his mind. They were avoiding something.
After Kraus went inside, he stood outside for a few seconds, took another deep breath of cold air, and turned to walk toward the cathedral in the outer city.
Since the Church had moved into Bronze City, only one major cathedral had been completed. The path from the branch to the cathedral was not far, and after a short time...
The silhouette of the cathedral emerged from the night. The black stones were polished and new, clearly not yet weathered by wind and rain. The copper decorations on the spires glinted with dark reflections under the dim light of the gas lamps.
Monks stood guard on both sides of the entrance, their gazes lowered and hands folded in front of them.
Seeing a visitor late at night, the two monks looked up. Lu Yuan stated his identity, and one of them went inside to report.
He didn't wait long.
Agnes walked out from the side corridor, her black hood pulled up, her moon-white long hair tucked inside. Having been called up late at night, her expression showed no impatience. Seeing Lu Yuan, she gave a slight nod.
“Follow me.”
Lu Yuan did not beat around the bush, speaking as they walked. He told her the Nightwatchers were preparing to move against the Grey Covenant tonight and needed the Church to provide manpower.
Agnes just nodded after hearing him.
“I cannot make the decision, so you need to ask the Archbishop for instructions.”
“Follow me.”
Agnes led Lu Yuan through the corridors, down a flight of stone steps, and into a narrow passage in the cathedral's wing. At the end of the passage was an unmarked wooden door. Agnes knocked twice and pushed it open.
The side hall was not large, with a row of bookshelves against the wall and a long table in the center with an oil lamp lit on it. A man sat by the table with several documents spread before him, appearing not to have rested yet.
He wore purple robes embroidered with gold patterns that ran from the collar to the cuffs. Lu Yuan had seen Samuel's Archbishop robes in the old city, but those had lacked this layer of gold embroidery.
He was a middle-aged man with a kind face, regular features, and a clean jawline. When he looked up, his gaze was gentle, but for the briefest moment it lingered on Lu Yuan, his brow furrowing slightly.
【Detection Target: Church Archbishop (believer transcendent)】
【A human who believes in Angels and strange things; in any case, he counts as a believer transcendent, doesn't he?】
Lu Yuan looked at the prompt, and the corner of his eye couldn't help but twitch. What was that supposed to mean?
Agnes stood to the side, not sitting.
“This is Lu Yuan of the Nightwatchers.”
Lu Yuan repeated what he had just told Agnes: the Grey Covenant, their hiding spot, tonight's operation, and the need for Church support.
After the man finished listening, his fingers tapped lightly on the table twice.
“The Grey Covenant has two seeds in their possession?”
Lu Yuan nodded. Since he wanted the Church to act, the seeds were the simplest incentive.
The man glanced at Agnes, then stood up.
“No problem.”
His voice was not loud, but after he spoke, Agnes did not ask further or add anything.
“Adrian,” he nodded to Lu Yuan, serving as a self-introduction.
Adrian walked to a corner of the side hall and opened a wardrobe. He took off his purple robes, folded them neatly, and changed into an ordinary dark grey coat. He fastened the buttons to the very top, and the gold-patterned robes were tucked away in the wardrobe.
When he closed the cabinet door, he looked like an ordinary middle-aged man.
“Let's go.”
The two of them exited through the cathedral's side door. Only the sound of Lu Yuan's and Adrian's footsteps echoed on the streets of the outer city deep at night.
By the time they returned to the branch, the horizon had begun to turn grey.
There were twice as many people in the corridors as usual.
Kraus had already returned. The Count's attendant was also there, standing near the meeting room door. He was tall and broad-shouldered, wearing a dark uniform with a narrow-bladed longsword hanging at his waist, his face expressionless.
Lake leaned against the corridor wall with his arms crossed and eyes closed. Margaret stood by the supply room door holding a manifest but wasn't looking at it. Bo Er was crouched on the floor checking communication equipment, and Glock had a map spread out beside him.
Two people stood in the shadows at the end of the corridor. Their hoods were pulled low, obscuring most of their faces. They were silent and stayed away from the crowd. This was the first time Lu Yuan had seen them from such a close distance.
Seeing Lu Yuan return with someone, Kraus nodded toward the meeting room.
Everyone filed inside.
The meeting room door closed.
Kraus stood at one end of the table, not sitting. Those present were Lake, Margaret, the two hooded figures, Adrian, the Count's attendant, Bo Er, Glock, and Lu Yuan. Aside from the Guardian, everyone who could come was there.
“The Grey Covenant's tracking marks are still active.”
Kraus didn't waste time on pleasantries and spoke directly.
“The marks on Jie and Nine have not disappeared. The tracking crystal can locate them, but there is one problem.”
He glanced at Lake.
Lake picked up the thread. “The moment the crystal is activated, they will notice.”
Kraus nodded. “Therefore, we cannot activate it ahead of time. We will first rely on the crystal's passive signal to judge the approximate direction, then activate it. We only have one chance.”
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