Silence reigned behind the door.
The internal structure of the Main Tower was exactly as Lu Yuan remembered. A massive spiral staircase in the center coiled upward, stretching into the unseen heights.
Azure stained-glass windows were embedded in the walls on both sides. Outside light filtered through, casting cold-toned traces upon the floor.
However, the luster was much dimmer than last time. A layer of dust coated the glass surfaces, which had clearly not been cleaned for a long time.
Arthur led the way without hesitation, stepping directly onto the spiral staircase. He partially supported the Dean; the old man’s eyes were open, but his gaze was somewhat vacant, as if lost in thought.
Kraus followed second, with the Count in the middle, while Adrian and Agnes trailed behind the Count. The Great Ascendant was the last to head upstairs.
Glock stayed outside to guard the door. This had been Lu Yuan’s idea; considering their initial deductions, leaving someone outside served as a fallback.
At least he could call for help, couldn't he?
Lu Yuan walked behind Kraus. The higher they ascended, the denser the inscriptions on the walls became, layer upon layer, covering the stone walls.
After ascending two floors, Kraus slowed his pace.
His stride narrowed, the distance between him and Arthur widening while the gap between him and Lu Yuan closed.
Lu Yuan understood. He slowed down to walk alongside Kraus. Once the group ahead turned past the curve of the spiral staircase, they were temporarily out of sight.
“The Nightwatchers and the Count’s Mansion have reached an agreement.”
Kraus’s voice was kept very low, audible only to those right beside him.
“We talked it out before coming.”
Lu Yuan wasn't surprised. The unspoken understanding between Kraus and the Count during the meeting had been too obvious; that kind of coordination wasn't improvised on the spot.
“You suspect Arthur too.” It wasn't a question.
Kraus didn't deny it.
“He might be leading us to the top on purpose. But the problem is, if we don't go, we can't confirm if he's lying.”
His voice dropped even lower.
“We have no choice but to go.”
Lu Yuan waited for him to continue.
“A backup plan has been arranged.” Kraus lifted his left hand and lightly traced a line on the handrail with his index finger. “Hilde Winter, the imperial headquarters Inspector invited by the Count, is currently in the pipe network layer. She isn't here.”
Lu Yuan remembered the name. Someone who hadn't appeared at the meeting.
“She is a rank 3 Knowledge transcendent with deep research into Inscription. The Count invited her ostensibly to screen for remnants of the Grey Covenant’s infection, but in reality, she’s investigating the inscription system.”
Kraus’s finger stopped on the handrail.
“Lake is also in the pipe network layer, along with two other rank 4s.”
Lu Yuan’s brow furrowed slightly.
“There are two worst-case scenarios,” Kraus continued. “First, Arthur leads everyone to the top of the tower, and we all fall into The Man on the Wall’s trap. Hilde and the three rank 4s in the pipe network layer would discover the anomaly, alert the outside, and provide support.”
He paused.
“Second, if K tries to move on the things in the pipe network layer while we’re all concentrated in the Polymath Tower, three rank 4s will be there to block that path.”
The spiral staircase curved, and Arthur’s back reappeared in their line of sight. Kraus resumed a normal pace, and his voice went silent.
Lu Yuan followed without saying a word.
Kraus was far more cautious than he had thought. He had only dared to step forward after setting his fallback plans. The cooperation between the Nightwatchers and the Count’s Mansion also proved one thing: the “neutrality” Kraus had displayed during the meeting had been an act for the others from the start.
He and the Count had been on the same side all along.
The group continued upward.
Arthur explained as he walked, his voice echoing against the stone walls of the spiral staircase.
“The giant head brought back from the North Sea is placed above. The inscription seals of the Polymath Tower can greatly limit the radiation of its will, but there is still a risk of contamination if one stays close for too long.”
He didn't slow his pace.
“We only approach when opening the harvesting channel. Normally, we don't come up here.”
“I truly don't know about the seed.” Arthur paused for a moment. “If it really is at the top of the tower, I wasn't the one who put it there.”
Kraus didn't respond.
The higher they went, the heavier the air became. Lu Yuan could feel his Sanity slowly dropping—not by much, but continuously.
The grey-white text flickered in the corner of his vision before sinking again.
【Sanity: -1... 75/140】
Adrian suddenly stopped on a certain floor.
Agnes supported his arm and whispered something. The old man didn't answer, his gaze sweeping over a section of inscriptions on the wall. He paused for two or three seconds before looking away and continuing upward.
Lu Yuan noticed but didn't linger on it. The Church members were more sensitive to inscriptions than he was; Adrian was identifying something.
The staircase grew narrower the higher they went, and the light dimmed. The azure windows became narrow slits at these heights, and the light barely squeezed through, leaving only a faint blue smear on the stone steps.
There was a faint scent in the air, though it was hard to describe.
Up ahead, Arthur stopped.
“We're here.”
At the end of the spiral staircase was a heavy bronze gate.
Arthur took out a token and pressed it into the indentation in the center of the gate.
Runes extended from the indentation in all directions. The bronze gate let out a dull vibration before slowly parting to both sides.
The space behind the door was much larger than Lu Yuan had expected.
The top of the Polymath Tower featured a spire dome structure. The dome was extremely high, and the surrounding walls and floor were densely covered in inscriptions. At this moment, only the faintest light flowed within the runic grooves.
The space was broader than he had imagined when looking at the tower’s tip from the outside. Stone railings enclosed a circular walkway, with an open circular platform in the center.
Two red rings were carved into the floor of the platform, one large and one small, spaced a few steps apart and facing each other.
A giant skull was mounted above the large ring.
It was greyish-white and larger than an adult’s body. The eye sockets were empty, but something moved slowly within the hollows—it was hard to see clearly, only vague dark shadows churning inside.
The grey-white text didn't trigger a new scan. It had already been triggered at the entrance.
But his Sanity was dropping.
【Sanity: -1... -1... 73/140】
Two drops in rapid succession. Twice as fast as on the stairs.
Lu Yuan didn't stop, following the group into the tower’s peak.
Arthur’s gaze lingered on the skull for a moment before moving away to scan the surrounding inscriptions and the corners of the floor.
Adrian’s expression turned grave when he saw the skull. His gaze stayed on it longer than anyone else's.
The Dean stood quietly, showing no reaction.
The Count’s cloudy eyes swept the area once before he looked away, leaning on his cane. The always-smiling face of the attendant beside him finally turned serious, one hand resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
Kraus stood at the edge of the platform, his gaze moving back and forth between the skull and the inscriptions on the floor. He didn't approach.
“Where is the seed?” Kraus asked.
Arthur scanned the area, his expression darkening. Aside from the skull and the inscription rings, nothing else was visible on the platform.
“It's not out in the open.”
He walked forward a few steps, crouching down to inspect the seams of the floor inscriptions. His finger traced along the path of a runic groove for a bit, but he found nothing.
The Great Ascendant moved at that moment.
A light flashed in his silver-grey pupils, and a faint sound of gears meshing emanated from his mechanical body. His gaze locked onto the skull, and he strode toward it.
Arthur looked up and immediately spoke out.
“Do not touch the head itself.”
The Great Ascendant’s pace didn't falter.
“Once contact is made, you will be pulled into The Man on the Wall’s domain. Someone was pulled in before and never returned.”
The Great Ascendant nodded in understanding. He didn't stop but bypassed the front of the head and walked to the side and rear.
Then he crouched down.
His metal arm reached into the gap under the head’s jaw, searching for a few seconds.
When he pulled it back, he held something in his hand.
A black sphere, slightly larger than a fist. Pale yellow sprouts had grown on the surface, and tiny roots spread out from the bottom of the sphere, digging into a thin layer of greyish-white powder.
“Found it.” The Great Ascendant held the sphere in his palm, his silver-grey pupils scanning the sprouts. “It really has sprouted.”
As he said this, the grinding of his mechanical joints paused.
Kraus walked over and looked down at the seed.
“What caused it to sprout?”
The Great Ascendant didn't answer. He turned the sphere over to show Kraus the other side.
Lu Yuan saw it—the layer of greyish-white powder the roots were dug into had the exact same texture as the skull. This seed had sprouted by taking root in the remains of The Man on the Wall.
Lu Yuan stepped closer.
The grey-white text was still appearing.
【Target Detected: Unknown Seed (Resurrecting)】
【A seed that has absorbed the defeated. What will it grow into??】
Lu Yuan’s eyes suddenly tightened.
Absorbed the defeated.
This seed had been feeding on the remains of The Man on the Wall. The layer of greyish-white powder beneath the roots wasn't soil; it was the residue after digestion.
A seed using a forbidden existence as nourishment was now being held in the Great Ascendant’s hand.
“Drop that thing!”
Lu Yuan spoke sharply, then turned and shouted to Kraus, “Get back!”
Kraus didn't ask questions; his gaze stayed on Lu Yuan’s face for less than half a second before he began to retreat.
But it was too late.
The black sphere in the Great Ascendant’s palm suddenly moved.
The sprouts curled violently, and the roots at the bottom snapped straight, piercing through the outer casing of the Great Ascendant’s metal arm like steel needles and burrowing inside.
The Great Ascendant looked down at his own palm.
His reaction was incredibly fast. The silver light in his eyes flared, and the rotation of the gears throughout his body hit its limit. A massive amount of white steam billowed from his shoulder and elbow joints.
He directly detached the parasitized arm from the shoulder joint, his right hand grabbing the severed arm by the elbow and throwing it away with a violent swing.
The arm flipped through the air twice. Before it even hit the ground, black roots erupted frantically from inside, enveloping the entire metal limb.
The metal let out a faint creak as it was dismantled bit by bit from within. Within seconds, the precision mechanical arm turned into a mass of black-green fibrous residue, crawling slowly on the ground.
Rate on N.U.
