The attendant’s expression remained unchanged, but his fingers tightened slightly on his left arm—his only response.
“The Great Ascendant didn’t fare well either.” Kraus’s gaze shifted slightly. “Even an anti-pollution alloy of special material couldn’t block its pollution.”
The Great Ascendant’s mechanical eye flickered. He looked down at his right wrist as his gears whirred twice, but he remained silent.
“Yet, even with four Rank 4s attacking together, they failed to kill it.” Kraus’s voice dropped an octave. “I have reason to suspect that thing might have some sort of connection to a Forbidden existence.”
He paused for a moment.
“Finally, there’s that sudden heartbeat. The object sealed beneath Bronze City... the heartbeat’s owner is likely what’s down there...”
The room fell silent for a moment, the air heavy and tense.
Standing by the door, Lu Yuan’s expression didn't change much, but his mind was racing.
The attendant and the Great Ascendant had both been injured. Before he left, either of these two would have been considered among the most capable fighters in this city.
They were incapacitated by a single clash, suffering corrosion that even silver-alloy couldn't block. The pollution from this thing was no longer something that could be described as merely “strong.”
What concerned him even more were those two heartbeats.
Kraus said it sounded “like a heart beating” from even deeper down.
The fragmented thoughts of the entity in the fog immediately surfaced in Lu Yuan’s mind.
“Something is about to wake up.”
Coupled with the fragments of imagery that had appeared when he touched the bronze pillar earlier, it was clear that the piece of flesh was about to wake up completely.
“I just don't know the capabilities of that flesh, or its weaknesses... If I can see it and figure it out, maybe our chances of winning will increase significantly.”
“Three objectives for this descent,” Kraus said, holding up his fingers.
“First, attempt to hunt and kill the special individual.”
“Second...”
His gaze swept across everyone’s face.
“Confirm how many special individuals there are.”
When Kraus reached this point, a brief silence fell over the meeting room.
That silence was clearer than any verbal response: everyone had considered this possibility, but no one had wanted to be the first to say it aloud.
The last time, a single one had nearly caused four Rank 4s to perish. If there was more than one down there...
Adrian rested his hand on his tome, his fingertip lightly tapping the cover. He didn't speak, but the gesture itself showed he was taking the hypothesis seriously.
“Third, confirm the exact nature of the sealed object below, and simultaneously reduce the total number of ghouls.” Kraus lowered his hand. “I believe the number of ghouls is finite. As long as we handle it properly, we can greatly reduce the pressure on Bronze City’s seal.”
The three objectives weren't hard to guess, but what left everyone feeling helpless was the nature of that special individual.
Adrian was the most troubled. When Agnes had come back up, she mentioned that during the encounter, when she tried Calling upon the Angel, she was subjected to extremely strong pollution that directly severed the connection.
Since when did Greater Ghouls possess that level of pollution? Even without special means, it was extremely difficult for even a Rank 5 to sever the connection between a Believer transcendent and the object of their faith.
Furthermore, they were talking about the Angel, a transcendent existence that connected all parts of the empire.
Just as Kraus said, that thing was very likely a product related to some Forbidden existence.
But which one was sealed beneath Bronze City?
Adrian actually felt like running away. The records hadn't said anything like this when he first arrived in Bronze City.
Wasn't this supposed to be a stable, peaceful place, one of the safest major cities in the empire’s West?
But now that a Forbidden existence was involved, even if the possibility was faint, Adrian couldn't stay out of it according to the Angelic Decree.
Fortunately, he had brought some things with him before coming...
“Next is the roster for the third descent.” Kraus’s tone became brisk, clearly not intending to negotiate with the group.
“I will lead the team personally. Joining me will be the Great Ascendant, Adrian, the Blue Knight, the attendant, and Margaret.” His gaze swept over each person mentioned before finally stopping on Lu Yuan. “Plus Lu Yuan. Seven people in total.”
He turned toward the corner.
“Lake, you stay on the surface.”
The corner remained silent for two breaths.
Lake didn't look up, his muffled voice emerging from beneath his hood. “Understood.”
However, anyone could hear the suppressed frustration in that single word.
During the last trip, he had been at the very front. His Swarming Worms had turned to ash the moment they touched that thing’s pollution. He knew better than anyone what he could do down there. He could do nothing but be another person who needed protection; Swarming Worms were naturally incapable of dealing with such high-pollution units.
But there were exceptions to everything. If he could reach Rank 5, the Swarming Worms Lake controlled would undergo a qualitative change. But there were no “ifs.”
Lake knew himself; he might never reach Rank 5 in his life.
“You’ll keep an eye on the sinkholes and defense lines on the surface.” Kraus didn't linger on the subject. “If anything goes wrong anywhere, you’ll be the first to move and block it.”
Lake didn't speak again, which was taken as silent agreement.
“As for the other Rank 4 Nightwatchers, since they are all close-quarters combatants, they won't be going down for now.” Kraus spoke decisively. “Do you have any other questions?”
The group shook their heads one after another.
There were at most ten Rank 4s in all of Bronze City. Now, seven people were going down at once. If they still couldn't manage the kill, there really was nothing else they could do except rely on the Guardian.
But Lu Yuan thought back to the previous prompts; the Guardian couldn't come out right now. Fortunately, the collapse was in the inner city, so the Guardian should be able to strike there, right?
Furthermore, looking at the current personnel configuration, most of them had long-range capabilities, and each could hold their own for a while. Kraus’s abilities and the bone ring allowed him to fight at any range; the Great Ascendant had long-range by default; and the holy light of Adrian’s tome naturally countered pollution.
Although the Blue Knight’s sword style was for close-quarters, her rapier was incredibly tricky and fast. Most importantly, she was immune to the bronze pillar’s pressure, allowing her to do things others couldn't in that special environment.
Then there was the attendant’s purple light long-range strikes and Margaret’s water-elemental suppression.
It was a very logical lineup. This trip would bring him one step closer to collecting all the keys.
As for whether they could kill that so-called special individual, Lu Yuan already had an answer in his heart.
If they still couldn't win, it would be time to consider running away.
As the meeting dispersed, everyone went to make their own preparations.
Kraus was the last to leave. Before going, he gave Lu Yuan a nod, signaling him to get ready. After all, Lu Yuan currently had the lowest rank. If Lu Yuan hadn't repeatedly emphasized that he had special methods, Kraus would never have brought such dead weight along.
Lu Yuan was well aware of Kraus’s thoughts. He was indeed the weakest, but he had the Timekeeper. If it really came down to running, he definitely wouldn't be the slowest one.
He quickly returned to his quarters on the east side of the branch.
Pushing open the door, he saw that the table and windowsills were clean. Clearly, someone had been coming to tidy up during the days he was away.
Lu Yuan didn't pay much attention to that. He went straight to the second floor, walked to the alchemy table, and dug out a pile of eerie materials related to ghouls from the bottom.
He grabbed a large handful of ghoul brain cores. This time, Lu Yuan planned to use only the larger Greater Ghoul brain cores as raw materials to inscribe eerie inscriptions upon.
In the underground full of ghouls, wrapping himself in this layer of aura would allow him to blend in with the masses of his “kind,” making it harder for him to be singled out.
Therefore, the brain cores were a must-have for this trip.
And it wasn't just for safety; Lu Yuan had another reason he couldn't mention to anyone.
The bronze pillars.
During the previous two descents, the key fragments left by the City Builder were embedded within them. Out of the five fragments, he had already obtained two. The remaining three were scattered among different bronze pillars.
If they encountered a new bronze pillar this time, he would have to get close enough to touch it.
Of course, Lu Yuan planned to look at the information on that special individual first. If he confirmed it was related to the Forbidden, he would immediately seek Kraus’s help and explain the existence of the fragments.
Then he would hurry to collect them all. Otherwise, Bronze City might really be doomed. But considering the Guardian and the promise from the Man on the Wall, there might still be hope.
However, if it had nothing to do with a Forbidden existence, then it wouldn't really matter. The weaknesses revealed by the grey-white text would make him their most severe father.
Lu Yuan held the copper needle with steady fingers, his steps practiced and without a single wasted motion.
Halfway through, he paused.
His gaze fell on his left leg.
The Suspended Drowner was still there, resting quietly against his skin without the slightest movement.
But he knew the thing wasn't truly behaving.
When the aura of that passing entity had swept over them in the fog on the way back to the city, it had become restless for a moment.
It had been suppressed by Authority on the spot, but that reaction showed it was sensitive to external eerie auras.
The underground was full of the eerie and pollution. Would it be drawn by something again when they were down there?
Lu Yuan stared at his left leg for two breaths.
The aura of the brain cores could mask a human’s transcendent fluctuations, but he wasn't sure if it could cover the Suspended Drowner as well. Still, an extra layer of concealment was better than nothing.
If anything really happened, Authority would keep it pinned; it wouldn't be able to cause any trouble.
He pulled his thoughts back and continued his work.
As time passed, seventeen brain cores appeared on the table. Their grey-brown shells were covered in dense eerie inscriptions, emitting a faint ghoul aura.
He checked them one by one for flaws before tucking them into his leather pouch.
Footsteps sounded outside the door as someone came to call for him, saying everyone had gathered and they were only waiting for him.
Lu Yuan followed them downstairs.
The main hall on the first floor of the branch had been cleared, and the members of the diving team had arrived one by one. Several items were spread out on the long table, and Kraus stood by the table, waiting for the last person to arrive.
In the center of the table was a long alloy case, greyish-white and rectangular, about as long as a person and half as wide.
It looked like a coffin.
“Arthur rushed to make it.” Kraus raised his hand.
Arthur Heinz was standing by the table, arms crossed. Without much in the way of pleasantries, he reached out and flipped open the lid.
The interior was lined with a full layer of mithril, its silver-white light shimmering softly under the lamps. Several silver-plated dividers split the inside into independent compartments. The walls were covered with sealing and suppression inscriptions, several of which were written in an older style—Arthur’s own handiwork.
“If we catch that thing, stuff it in here,” Arthur continued. “It can block most of the pollution and restrict its self-healing ability. It can hold for a short time, but don’t count on it for the long term.”
Someone complained that this thing would be inconvenient to carry.
“It can’t be helped.” Arthur closed the lid. “To contain that kind of thing, only this can hold up.” He paused, his gaze sweeping over the Rank 4s present as he spoke bluntly. “One more thing. If even this can’t contain it, then it’s an existence you shouldn’t be touching. Report it immediately and consider whether to abandon Bronze City.”
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