Shortly after, a Nightwatcher stood at the door and began reading names.
“Otto, Victor.”
The two of them responded and stepped out of the line, heading toward Kraus’s office first.
A captain standing nearby spotted Lu Yuan and leaned in.
“You’re Lu Yuan, right?”
Lu Yuan blinked, then nodded.
The man extended a hand with a grin. “I’m Casper. I didn’t expect to actually meet the legend in the flesh.”
“I’m that famous?”
“Among all the Nightwatcher captains in Bronze City, you’re the only one with black hair. How could you not be famous? How could you be hard to recognize?” Casper sized him up. “Most importantly, the things you’ve done... word has already spread like wildfire through the grapevine among us brothers.”
He lowered his voice and added, “I’m telling you, this time things have probably truly blown up. Even someone like me, who’s stationed outside the city year-round, was called back by a sudden order. Watch your back.”
Lu Yuan’s heart sank.
Even the external units were being recalled—this was no small matter. He was about to ask more when the Nightwatcher at the door called his name along with another person’s.
The two of them were summoned into the office one after the other.
The Nightwatcher entering with Lu Yuan was quite short, barely reaching his shoulder, but he was built like a tank. His face was set in a stony, expressionless mask. At Kraus’s door, the two exchanged a glance, nodded, and entered together.
Inside the office, a mountain of planning maps was spread out before Kraus, covered in a dense web of lines and markers.
He looked up at the two newcomers and began giving instructions.
“Lu Yuan, people from the East Ward need to leave the city.” Kraus pointed to a spot on the map. “The destination is Oakwood City, a small town in the forest to the east. It’s not a short trip; the furthest one-way trek will take four days. Everything has been arranged there in advance. You lead this group over, and someone will take over the handover once you arrive. After the job is done, you can come back immediately or stay there for a few days if you like.”
Lu Yuan gave an affirmative response, but he felt a faint sense of unease growing within him.
Kraus was transferring people away at a time like this—had things in Bronze City spiraled completely out of control?
The most critical issue was that he still hadn't collected all the Bronze City fragments. If he could complete the collection, he might be able to provide significant help.
While Lu Yuan was lost in thought, Kraus turned to the short Nightwatcher. “Bruno, you’re also heading east, but to a different location. The town there can’t hold this many people, so you’ll travel separately.”
The man didn’t say much, accepted his orders, and stepped out first.
As the man left, Lu Yuan followed but paused at the doorway, hesitating before turning back.
“Kraus,” he began, choosing his words carefully. “I... might have a way to help out here in the city. I could stay.”
He was vague about what that 'way' was. If the two key fragments in his left eye were gathered, they might be of great use.
Kraus looked up and fixed him with a stare.
“What rank are you now?”
“Rank 2.”
“Rank 2,” Kraus repeated flatly. “No matter how powerful your pathway is, you aren’t a combat asset I can just throw onto the battlefield at a moment’s notice. No matter how many tricks or strengths you have, you’re leaving the city first. If we truly pinned the hopes of Bronze City on a Rank 2 Knowledge transcendent, then this city wouldn't be worth defending anyway. We have Margaret, Lake, and several other hidden cards you can’t see holding the line. It’s not your turn yet.”
Lu Yuan opened his mouth but found himself unable to argue.
Kraus’s tone suddenly softened.
“Just do your job,” he said, his voice changing. “Most of the people you’re escorting are skilled craftsmen. Other teams escorting such people are led by Rank 3s. Yours is the only one led by a Rank 2, so your burden is the heaviest. Make absolutely sure you deliver them safely.”
He paused, then added a final note. “When you’ve finished the delivery and come back, if we still need you then, we’ll talk. Besides, things are unstable lately; it’s better for you to be far away.”
Lu Yuan remained silent for a moment, pushing down the bit of frustration in his chest.
Everything Kraus said was logical. Right now, he was indeed just a Rank 2, and nothing more...
“I understand.” He nodded, accepting the transfer order.
“We’ll talk when you get back.” He committed those six words to memory.
Leaving Kraus’s office, Lu Yuan first returned to his room to pack a few essentials.
He kept a few of the ghoul brain cores for himself in case they were needed on the road, and gathered the rest to be distributed within the Nightwatchers.
He tucked the consciousness crystal that the Knowledge Worm had gnawed on close to his body and stuffed several other vital items into his bag.
The Timekeeper pocket watch was already integrated with his being; he could use it with a thought, though it drained Sanity, so he had to be frugal. The enchanted revolver “Flame” was tucked into his waist, and several eerie inscription tools were wrapped and tucked into an inner pocket.
There was also parchment, Holy Light Stones...
Once finished, he called a Nightwatcher and asked him to deliver the pile of brain cores to Margaret for uniform distribution.
The East Ward wasn’t far from the branch—only about a thousand meters. When Lu Yuan arrived, several Nightwatchers were already waiting.
Two hundred and ten residents were lining up, being ushered onto carriages one by one. Lu Yuan scanned the crowd; many were clearly skilled craftsmen. Their faces bore the dazed look of people woken in the middle of the night, but they were fairly compliant and didn’t cause a fuss.
It was clear that Kraus’s so-called transfer plan had been organized long ago.
There were over a dozen large carriages, each capable of seating about a dozen people.
The Nightwatchers’ vehicles were separate—six in total. One lead carriage, four troop transports for the men, and a final one for weapons and ammunition.
Among the crowd, besides a few familiar faces, Bo Er was there, standing next to Dunn, whom they had brought back from Gubo Town. A Nightwatcher squad was pacing through the area, maintaining order.
Seeing him, Bo Er walked over to greet him.
“Captain Lu.” He stood tall and began his report with a serious expression. “You are leading this operation, and I will serve as your deputy. Everyone is accounted for and currently boarding. We depart as soon as they’re all in. We’re escorting two hundred and ten people to Oakwood City, that small town in the eastern forest. It’s a four-day journey at most.”
Lu Yuan nodded and asked, “Medicine and weapons all ready?”
“All set and loaded,” Bo Er replied. “It’s enough to handle small groups of eerie entities.”
“Good.” Lu Yuan offered a small smile.
He and Bo Er were close friends, but in a public setting like this, the basic protocols of the Nightwatchers had to be maintained. Their titles and tone were carefully measured, keeping things professional.
Lu Yuan’s gaze swept over the dozen or so civilian carriages, and he noticed something. None of them were being driven by Nightwatchers.
“Why aren't we assigning men to drive those carriages?”
“Not enough manpower,” Bo Er explained. “The residents drive and manage themselves. Everyone in a single carriage is an acquaintance, organized into groups to look out for one another on the road. If anything happens, they report to us. With our numbers, we can only manage the overall escort, keep an eye on the big picture, and fend off any eerie threats.”
Lu Yuan nodded, accepting the arrangement. The Nightwatchers truly couldn't spare anyone else right now.
Once every resident was aboard, the Nightwatchers gathered.
Sixteen brothers stood together looking at him, about half of whom had worked with him before.
Lu Yuan’s speech was brief.
“This mission isn’t light. Over the next few days on the road, make sure you protect the people we’re escorting.” He scanned the group. “Move out.”
At his command, the Nightwatchers boarded their vehicles. Only Dunn and Bo Er remained by his side. Lu Yuan and Bo Er boarded the lead carriage. Bo Er cracked the whip, and the lead vehicle lurched forward. The others followed in a line, heading toward the east of the city.
The carriages swayed along the road, and the silhouette of Bronze City grew shorter and more distant behind them.
Lu Yuan sat in the lead carriage, chatting idly with Bo Er and Dunn. Once they were out of the city, the tension that had been pulled tight began to slacken slightly, but it couldn't fully relax. The situation in the city still weighed heavily on his heart.
“Dunn, how have you been lately?” Lu Yuan turned his head. “Getting used to living at the Nightwatchers? Keeping up with the training?”
“It’s fine, Captain Lu,” Dunn answered briefly, just as he had in Gubo Town—one question, one answer. “I’m slowly getting used to it. The training is going well.”
Bo Er, driving the carriage up front, joined in.
“The kid’s good,” he grinned. “Just like his dad. He’s a natural.”
Lu Yuan nodded. These were the true future of the Nightwatchers.
“What about the one recruited with him?” Lu Yuan asked. “Jurgen. Where is he? Why didn't he come along?”
“Ah, Jurgen,” Bo Er said. “He was handed over to Lake’s side. Lake picked a mentor for him and is personally keeping an eye on him too.”
Lu Yuan nodded.
This was exactly what he had planned. With Jurgen’s reckless streak—that tendency to draw his blade at the slightest provocation—he would have eventually run into trouble without someone to suppress him. Lake’s methods and personality were the perfect match; handing him over was the safest bet.
After the carriage had traveled a bit further, Bo Er’s tone suddenly shifted, and his expression turned grave.
He kept his eyes on the road ahead and lowered his voice.
“Captain Lu, there’s something you might not know yet.” Bo Er paused. “The four bronze pillars in the pipe network layer... they’ve all run into trouble.”
Lu Yuan’s attention snapped toward him.
“The surfaces of the pillars are covered in dense scratches and bite marks,” Bo Er continued, his face grim. “We estimated those things were a thousand meters long, and they’ve only emerged a few meters so far. Just the section exposed to the outside has been gnawed like that.”
He shook his head.
“The situation underneath... it’s not optimistic.”
Lu Yuan didn’t speak, but his heart sank. No wonder Kraus was moving so fast. However, given the visible strength of Bronze City, if it were to fall in just a few days, then there really was no point in Lu Yuan coming back at all.
He turned his head and took one last look at the increasingly distant Bronze City.
The runes on the city walls still glowed with a ghostly light. From afar, it looked no different than usual.
Lu Yuan let out a soft sigh.
“Yeah,” he said, withdrawing his gaze. “But Kraus and the others are still in the city. They should... be fine, right?”
The words were half to comfort the others and half to reassure himself.
The wheels ground against the night road, turn after turn, carrying the full carriages further and further away from that city.
Rate on N.U.
