Isabella stared at him for a few breaths.
Her expression shifted slightly, though she looked as if she had expected this answer from the very beginning. In the end, the corners of her mouth curled up into a faint smile.
“I knew it.” She picked up her teacup and gestured toward Lu Yuan. “Kraus said you were incredibly stubborn, and he was certainly right.”
Just as Isabella finished speaking, she clapped her hands.
The heavy clanking of metal echoed from outside the courtyard gate, and a group of people marched in.
Armored knights.
There were three of them, clad in silver-and-red armor. The interlocking plates of their suits clanked sharply with every step they took. Large swords hung at their waists, their hilts longer than Lu Yuan's forearm, with the tips of the scabbards nearly brushing the backs of their knees.
The leader walked up to Isabella's side and bowed slightly.
“Everything is ready.”
Lu Yuan's body tensed instantly.
He swept his gaze between the knights and Isabella. The aura radiating from these knights was exceptionally strong; he was no match for them.
Isabella noticed his reaction, let out a chuckle, and waved her hand.
“Don't be nervous.”
She held her teacup, her tone casual, but the weight behind her words was unmistakable.
“Kraus ordered me to hold you back for at least two days. I'm afraid you won't be able to leave today.”
Lu Yuan stared at her face.
“Kraus's order?”
“His exact words were, ‘Once Lu Yuan arrives in Oakwood City, find a way to hold him back for two days before letting him go.’” Isabella set her teacup down and spread her hands. “I'm only following orders.”
Lu Yuan did not reply immediately.
He lowered his head, staring at the half-empty cup of tea on the table, his mind spinning rapidly.
Four days since leaving the city.
Held back for two days made it six days.
The return journey would be faster without the burden of the citizens, but traveling light would still take at least three days.
That meant he would arrive back in the city on the ninth or tenth day at the earliest.
During the last ghoul disaster, the entire event—from the outbreak to the stabilization of the situation—had lasted about ten days. Kraus was timing this window perfectly to prevent him from running right back into the worst of the crisis.
He began connecting this with several other incidents.
Margaret's parting words: “A hero is also a target.” A.M. twice advising him to leave the city, dropping hints for him to go as far away as possible. Kraus suppressing the report of his method of treating the Guardian, fearing that exposing his abilities at Rank 2 would draw unwanted attention, forcing him to advance prematurely and ruining his future.
A Rank 2 who could cure a Rank 5 whose pathway had gone berserk—could a second person like that be found in the entire empire? If word of this ability got out, the factions within Bronze City wouldn't be the only ones targeting him.
These people had paved the way for him from start to finish; the only thing left was to tie him down in Oakwood City to keep him from moving.
Much of his urge to force his way back dissipated.
Lu Yuan looked up and glanced at Isabella.
“Two days.”
“Two days.” Isabella held up two fingers, smiling candidly. “If you want to leave after two days, I won't stop you.”
Lu Yuan nodded, saying no more. Kraus had calculated everything for him, so staying for these two days was inevitable.
Seeing that he was no longer resisting, Isabella stood up and waved toward the outside of the courtyard.
“Come on. Since you can't leave, don't just sit here. I have something to show you.”
She led Lu Yuan out of the manor, walked a short distance along the stone-paved road in the south of the city, and stopped in front of an open shed.
Several carriages were parked under the shed, their beds stacked with jars and bottles, each wrapped tightly in thick cloth to prevent them from breaking on the bumpy road.
“Oakwood Potions.” Isabella gestured toward the carriages. “A specialty of Oakwood City, primarily used for Sanity recovery and fatigue relief. These carriages are prepared for Bronze City. Take them with you when you leave.”
Lu Yuan scanned them.
The quantity was substantial, filling three carriages. They were all in dark green glass bottles with rough finishes, clearly mass-produced.
Isabella walked to the lead carriage and took a few small bottles from a separate wooden box. These bottles were far more refined than the mass-produced ones, their mouths sealed with wax.
“These few are different.” She handed the small bottles to Lu Yuan. “Premium grade. The yield is extremely low, but the effects are far superior to the ones outside. Keep them on you; don't mix them in with the carriages.”
Lu Yuan took them and weighed them in his hand. The bottles were light, and the liquid inside sloshed gently, casting a dark golden luster through the glass.
He opened a bottle and brought it close to sniff. The herbal fragrance was rich but not cloying, with a refreshing coolness underneath. It differed from Margaret's customized potions; this was more like a traditional herbal decoction, but the formulation was solid and crafted with care.
“The ones on the carriages are mass-produced. Their effects are average, but they make up for it in quantity.” Isabella pointed to the carriages behind her. “Bronze City is perpetually short on Sanity potions. Sending this batch over should help tide things over for a while.”
Lu Yuan weighed the matter in his mind. While these potions might not be exceptionally precious under normal circumstances, they were indeed a timely salvation for Bronze City right now. Kraus's reserves of Sanity potions had always been tight, and the customized ones Margaret could brew were limited to below Rank 3, with high-end quantities being pitifully scarce.
Sending these carriages from Oakwood City would at least ease the strain on the branch brothers for a while. This was a substantial form of aid.
“Thank you.” Lu Yuan tucked the small bottles into his personal tool pouch.
Isabella waved her hand, not dwelling on the matter.
For the rest of the day, Isabella took Lu Yuan on a tour around the outskirts of the city.
The fields on the outskirts of Oakwood City were even larger than he had estimated from afar yesterday. Endless paddy fields bordered herb gardens, which in turn bordered irrigation canals. People dressed in coarse cloth walked along the ridges, bending over to tend to the crops. Upon seeing Isabella, they waved and greeted her, and she smiled and responded.
The people here were different from those in Bronze City.
In Bronze City, various professions mingled together—merchants, craftsmen, scholars, and transcendents walked the same streets, and the air was permanently thick with bustle and tension. In contrast, most people in Oakwood City revolved around the fields. They lived slow, grounded lives, and even the tempo of their speech was half a beat slower than that of the city dwellers.
They had lunch at the manor. The vegetables were fresh, which was a pleasant relief for his palate after chewing on dried meat for days.
Isabella only let him leave after lunch. As they parted, she gestured with her head toward the two armored knights behind her.
“These two will accompany you.”
Lu Yuan glanced at them.
The leader spoke directly, his tone neither polite nor hidden.
“I'm here to keep an eye on you. Don't even think about running away during these two days.”
Lu Yuan looked at him, then at Isabella. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly as he turned and walked toward the branch.
He was followed by two hulking figures in silver-and-red armor, the metallic clatter of their armor plates echoing all the way down the street for everyone to hear.
By the time he returned to the branch after midday, Bo Er had already sorted out the remaining affairs.
Seeing the two armored knights behind Lu Yuan, he was taken aback for a moment before a knowing expression crossed his face.
Lu Yuan was led back to his quarters, where Dunn was also present, sitting in the courtyard. The old bandages on his right arm had just been removed and laid beside his leg. The scabs were almost completely gone, revealing a patch of tender, reddish new flesh underneath.
Once the door closed, Lu Yuan looked at Bo Er.
“Did you also know I had to stay for two days?”
Bo Er rubbed his nose, smiling somewhat helplessly.
“Kraus explicitly instructed before we left that you are not allowed to return to Bronze City immediately.” He spread his hands. “You're only Rank 2, not even Rank 3 yet. Returning now wouldn't be of much help anyway. You might as well rest for two days to recover your full condition before leaving.”
Lu Yuan didn't reply, casting a glance toward the doorway.
The two knights left by Isabella stood outside, their silver-and-red armor gleaming faintly in the sunlight as they stationed themselves on either side of the courtyard gate.
Even his own brothers were following Kraus's arrangements.
Knowing what he was thinking, Bo Er spoke up again.
“If you want to leave in two days, all of us brothers will head back with you. If Bronze City needs us, we won't hesitate. But for these two days, don't overthink it.”
He patted Lu Yuan's shoulder and gestured to Dunn. Dunn stood up, gave him a pat as well, and left with Bo Er without a word.
The courtyard fell silent.
Lu Yuan stood where he was, listening to the sound of the two pairs of boots fading away before turning around.
He returned to his second-floor room and shut the door.
The breeze blowing in through the window carried a fresh scent of vegetation, and the two potted plants on the windowsill glowed a vibrant green in the afternoon sun.
Full Sanity, full condition, and every thought flowing smoothly.
He wanted to use this state to probe that thing on his left leg.
If he could deal with it, he would; if not, he would at least figure out its current state.
Lu Yuan bolted the door, checked the window again, and scanned the room to ensure he was completely alone.
He sat on the edge of the bed and rolled up his left pant leg.
He poked the Knowledge Worm through their symbiotic link.
Deep within his left eye, the Knowledge Worm lit up. Having recovered over the past few days while resting near the key, its light was significantly brighter than it had been on the road, and it could sustain itself for longer.
Instantly, the entire world dissolved into mottled patches of color.
Lu Yuan first swept his gaze out the window.
Under his color-patch vision, the outside of the window was filled with vast, lively stretches of yellow-green. It was incredibly clean, entirely different from the heavy, oppressive gray that hung over Bronze City.
This city was indeed a suitable place for retirement.
He withdrew his gaze and focused on his left leg.
That pale human face was still there.
Adhered to the skin on the outer side of his left leg, its facial features were blurry, and its hollow black eye sockets faced outward. It was in the exact same spot he had seen on the road, having not moved an inch.
However, the black aura had expanded once again.
When he had checked it on the road last time, the ink-like stain had expanded from the size of a palm to cover the area from his knee to the middle of his thigh. Looking at it now, that circle of black had spread outward once more, nearly creeping past his upper thigh and completely covering his knee below.
It was growing. Growing in absolute silence.
Lu Yuan focused his mind and directed the Knowledge Worm to draw closer.
The worm had encountered this thing before; both originating from the Sea of Knowledge, it was neither resistant nor afraid. It flew out from the depths of his left eye and, following Lu Yuan's intent, landed directly on that pale face.
The moment it landed, a hint of emotion suddenly surfaced on those pale facial features adhered to his skin.
Within the hollow black eye sockets, something seemed to solidify.
It turned.
Those hollow eyes were now staring directly in Lu Yuan's direction.
A chill ran down Lu Yuan's spine. He stared at the face, completely motionless.
In the corner of his vision, the grey-white text emerged.
【The Suspended Drowner (Parasitizing) (Growing)】
【It seems to have found a path forward.】
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