Lu Yuan looked at the Dean. Gray hair, gaunt face, wearing the standard robes of the Polymath Tower, hands resting on his knees, sitting there quietly.
Upon entering, the grey-white text had provided a scan: “Pseudo-believer.” There was far more to this old man than what appeared on the surface.
The Great Ascendant interjected at that moment.
“It has indeed sprouted.” A metallic grinding sound emanated from behind his metal plates. “I am not entirely sure of the exact location, but it should be within the bounds of the Polymath Tower.”
Arthur’s expression darkened further.
He had spearheaded the entire harvesting plan within the Polymath Tower. The Inspector’s authority, the authorization from imperial headquarters, the modifications to the harvesting apparatus—all of it had been pushed forward by him. He had spent so much time in the Polymath Tower, walked nearly every floor, and seen almost every laboratory.
A seed had sprouted right under his nose, and he didn't know?!
Arthur remained silent for a few seconds.
His gaze moved from Kraus, swept over everyone present, and then fell back onto the map on the table. It was as if he were contemplating something, or perhaps suppressing it.
“We must retrieve the seed first.”
Kraus smiled.
“My thoughts exactly.”
He glanced at Arthur.
“Didn’t we say we were going to the Polymath Tower to take a look? This is the perfect chance to verify it, isn't it?”
The meeting room fell silent for a moment. The flame of a march lamp flickered, and the oil lamp’s wick let out a soft crackle.
“Then let us go...”
The Count’s attendant moved first, walking to the door and pushing open the heavy bronze gate for the old man.
A cold wind from the corridor rushed in, causing the march lamp’s flame to dance wildly.
Lu Yuan stood up and followed behind Kraus, exiting the meeting room.
Three carriages were parked at the branch entrance.
The Count and his attendant boarded the first; Adrian and Agnes followed into the second. Kraus, Arthur, and the Dean took the third, with Glock driving. The Great Ascendant did not board; the rhythmic clanking of his metal joints followed the convoy, his pace matching the horses.
Lu Yuan sat in the back of the third carriage, facing Kraus. Beside them, Arthur supported the Dean. The old man kept his eyes closed, his graying hair plastered to his temples, his complexion even worse than it had been in the meeting room.
The convoy traversed several streets before turning onto the main road leading to the Polymath Tower district. The silhouette of the Polymath Tower appeared outside the window. Five towers stood at varying heights, with the Main Tower in the center, its white marble body gleaming with a pale, cold hue in the afternoon light.
Lu Yuan had been to the Polymath Tower more than once. He had sneaked into the Third Tower with Agnes, followed Kraus during the forced entry, and participated in the harvesting mission. He had been here several times.
However, he had only entered the Main Tower once—the very first time, with Laurina.
The moment he had stepped through the bronze gate, the grey-white text had begun jumping frantically. In less than a minute on the first floor, he had lost two points of Sanity.
At the time, he had felt something watching him from above. An invisible pressure had weighed down from the top of the tower, resting on the back of his neck, only dissipating once he left the Polymath Tower.
If he had a choice, Lu Yuan didn't really want to come to the Polymath Tower. Every time he neared this place, the thing hidden in the Main Tower subjected him to a check. Although he could withstand it... Wait. Lu Yuan suddenly thought of something.
The group entered the Polymath Tower’s outer area. Since the tower had been sealed, the area was completely deserted. The corridors were empty, and only half of the wall lamps were lit. The runestones on the copper walls, which had glowed with an eerie blue luster before, were now dull, as if something had been siphoned out from within.
Arthur was very familiar with the place. Without hesitation, he walked straight through the corridors of the outer buildings toward the Main Tower. Lu Yuan followed the group, his gaze sweeping across the empty classrooms and deserted hallways on either side.
After passing through the final stretch of the corridor, the Main Tower appeared at the end of the path.
A massive bronze gate stood ahead, over ten meters high and covered in runes.
Those runes emitted a faint, eerie blue light, but it was far dimmer than when Lu Yuan had first visited.
The patterns that had once flowed slowly across the door’s surface like living things were now nearly stagnant. Only a few lines moved with great effort, like dying insects making their final struggle.
The grey-white text leaped out at the edge of his vision.
【You have been hit by a Sanity impact... Performing Sanity check... Success】
【Target Detected: The Man on the Wall (Incomplete Form)】
【The defeated; perhaps there is still a time to see the light of day again.】
【Sanity IV: +3... 36/140】
Lu Yuan’s footsteps faltered.
The Man on the Wall.
The target detected by the grey-white text was clear, and it simultaneously confirmed Lu Yuan’s suspicion. What if the object of the check was indeed The Man on the Wall?
He looked up toward the top of the tower. In the afternoon light, the spire vanished into the pale horizon, revealing nothing. But the grey-white text would not be mistaken.
The giant head Arthur had mentioned during the meeting was at the top of the tower. Kraus had also said the seed was there. The will of The Man on the Wall resided within that head.
The gaze he had felt the first time he entered the Main Tower, that invisible pressure weighing down from above...
That was the will of The Man on the Wall.
When he had spoken with The Man on the Wall in the pipe network layer, He had said, “When the Sea of Knowledge trembled, I knew of you,” and “Yet there is something upon you that I cannot reach.”
He had been watching Lu Yuan for a long time. The first time he entered the Main Tower, then later when he sneaked into the Third Tower—every time he approached the Polymath Tower, He had been trying to make contact. But He couldn't touch him, so He had never succeeded.
This theory made sense.
Approaching the Polymath Tower meant being affected by the will of The Man on the Wall.
And after this head arrived here...
The students being contaminated, the mentors going astray, the Grey Covenant taking root in the Polymath Tower—everything was explained. The longer one stayed in this tower, the deeper the influence of The Man on the Wall became.
Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze.
Up ahead, Arthur had already reached the bronze gate and taken out a token. It was copper, the size of a palm, and engraved with runes identical to those on the door. He raised his hand to press the token into an indentation on the surface.
“Wait a moment.”
Lu Yuan spoke up.
Everyone stopped in their tracks and turned to look at him.
“How does The Man on the Wall communicate with you?”
Lu Yuan looked at Arthur.
“Do you know if The Man on the Wall can actively establish contact with others?”
Arthur’s hand paused on the token. He turned his head to look at Lu Yuan, his brow furrowing.
Lu Yuan did not stop.
“If we all go up together and approach the top of the tower—approach Him—what if He can actively pull people in? What if everyone present gets dragged into His space?”
The corridor fell silent.
Kraus looked up. He had been looking down at a small map booklet in his hand, but his fingers stopped flipping the pages when he heard those words. He glanced at Lu Yuan, his brow slowly knitting together.
Kraus clearly realized the problem as well. Lake had been dragged into His space by The Man on the Wall during an interrogation in the pipe network layer. Now, they were all heading toward the top of the tower, getting closer and closer to the physical body of The Man on the Wall.
If He truly could pull people in actively, everyone present would be lost.
Arthur looked at Lu Yuan, his face darkening slightly.
He removed the token from the indentation and turned to face the group.
“There are only two ways The Man on the Wall connects with the outside world.”
“First, physical contact. Approaching it directly and touching it will drag you into its space. Everyone confirmed to have entered that space did so through this method.”
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the faces of those present.
“Second, associative summoning. Using a true name, a clear memory, or an object connected to it as a medium. The Man on the Wall uses this as a bridge to pull the other party into its space to conduct a trade.”
Arthur stopped there.
“You are asking if it can pull people in actively.”
His gaze returned to Lu Yuan.
“The answer is no.”
“During the second Sea of Knowledge leak, when the harvesting channel collapsed and knowledge fragments scattered, the Dean was present, I was present, and so were the rank 4 transcendents arranged by the Nightwatchers. The location of that leak was less than three floors from the top of the tower. If The Man on the Wall possessed the ability to actively pull people in, that would have been enough to drag everyone present inside.”
“But it didn't.”
“So, as long as you do not actively touch the head, do not carry items directly associated with The Man on the Wall, and do not actively recount memories related to it in its presence, He cannot act against us.”
Silence lingered in the corridor for a moment.
Adrian stood near the back of the group, with Agnes supporting his arm. The old man’s expression didn't change after hearing this; his gaze lingered on Arthur for only a brief moment before moving elsewhere.
Kraus closed the map booklet and tucked it into an inner pocket. He looked down in thought for a while but did not refute it, essentially agreeing with Arthur’s explanation. The Great Ascendant remained silent throughout.
Lu Yuan noted these reactions.
Arthur’s explanation sounded reasonable. The second Sea of Knowledge leak was a strong counterexample. If The Man on the Wall truly could act of His own accord, that would have been the best opportunity—proximity, numbers, and rank 4 transcendents present. The fact that He didn't act suggested He indeed lacked the ability.
But Lu Yuan was not reassured.
He remembered the incident with Lake very clearly. Lake hadn't actively touched the head, nor was he carrying any associated items. He had simply been interrogating a rank 3 member of the Grey Covenant when his Swarming Worms encountered a mental image of The Man on the Wall in the other’s memory. Just a fragmented memory was enough to drag his consciousness directly into His space.
A mere afterimage in someone else’s mind was enough.
Such methods were certainly not something Arthur could summarize with simple phrases like “physical contact” and “associative summoning.” Arthur spoke of The Man on the Wall’s means of contact as if they were rules with clear boundaries, but Lake’s experience proved that His reach was longer than anyone imagined. If a fragmented memory could serve as a medium, how many invisible threads were still connected to Him among those present?
Lu Yuan did not press further.
Arthur pressed the token back into the indentation. The runes glowed faintly before spreading outward across the door’s surface, an eerie blue light bleeding out from the indentation.
The heavy bronze gate began to move slowly.
A low rumble echoed through the corridor.
Rate on N.U.
