Knowledge Path Guide

The carriage gradually drove away and disappeared at the end of the street.

Lu Yuan stood at the door, watching them leave until they were no longer in sight.

He withdrew his gaze, turned, and walked back to the base.

Old Morgan was still in the conference room.

Several documents were spread out on the table, and a pipe sat to the side, unlit.

Lu Yuan walked in, sat down, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke.

"Old Morgan, I'm dreaming again."

Old Morgan raised his head, his cloudy eyes looking at him.

Lu Yuan briefly described the dream: the void space, the eerie color in the distance, and the two words that finally coalesced.

"Danger."

Upon hearing this Old Morgan frowned and remained silent for a long time.

"To be honest, I don't know what this means either."

Old Morgan's voice sounded tired.

"After that mission on the island, Strange Dream should have disappeared by now."

"Those Night Watcher who were infected by the Strange Dream, after being sent to the province for treatment, at least all survived."

He looked at Lu Yuan, his gaze complex.

"Logically, the effects of those Strange Dream should have ended. I didn't expect you to have such a dream again..."

Lu Yuan remained silent.

Actually, he wasn't particularly worried.

That word "danger" is more like a warning.

Because after entering that void of dreams, one's rational experience increases, but the upper limit doesn't decrease.

If you can maintain this state, then having "Strange Dream" indefinitely isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Old Morgan sighed, clearly having misunderstood Lu Yuan's concerns.

"Alright, don't overthink it." His tone softened a bit. "I've already requested support for Grim Port. This time, they've brought in the Captain stationed in the province; he'll arrive tomorrow."

"Once he arrives, we'll probably have a pretty good idea of what happened in Grim Port."

As Old Morgan finished speaking, at the edge of Lu Yuan's vision, gray and white text quietly danced:

[Grim Port Status: +1,45/50]

Lu Yuan looked at the message, his confusion growing even stronger.

"This experience... could it change based on the future?" Lu Yuan wondered to himself, "Or is everything pre-planned, waiting for me to trigger it step by step..."

Composing himself, he nodded to Old Morgan and then got up to take his leave.

"I'll go look at something first."

Old Morgan waved his hand. "Go ahead, I'll call you if I need anything."

He went to the base's Library, where Lu Yuan was the only person present.

Lu Yuan found a corner to sit down.

I subconsciously glanced at the lamps overhead.

Well, the Mo Shui's gone, and the sudden silence is a bit unsettling.

Lu Yuan paused for a moment, then shook his head and took out the book that Mo Shui had given him before he left.

<Knowledge Path Guide>.

The pages are yellowed and the edges are curled, clearly indicating that it is quite old.

The first page contains a preface written in Ancient Imperial Language.

"When you open this book, it means you have chosen the most difficult path on the Transcendence Path. On this path, only knowledge and reason will accompany you. You will face the truth of the world and bear unimaginable pressure. May you remain clear-headed in the darkness and hold onto yourself on the edge of madness."

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow as he read the passage.

The most difficult road...

But with a cheat code, it doesn't seem so difficult.

As he continued reading, he found that the book was written in Ancient Imperial Language, which was extremely obscure and difficult to understand. Lu Yuan had to read a passage several times before he could barely make out its meaning.

This book mainly discusses how Transcendence individuals who Knowledge Path can maintain their rationality on their journey forward, and also includes a basic meditation method.

One of these skills is called "Defense," which can accelerate the recovery of sanity while slowing down the loss of sanity.

And this is exactly what I need.

Lu Yuan began to study it carefully. Time passed slowly, and he became more and more engrossed in it, almost forgetting everything around him.

After some time, there was a knock on the door.

Lu Yuan raised his head.

Valentin stood in the doorway, as elegant as ever, a faint smile playing on his lips, his green eyes appearing exceptionally deep in the light.

"Excuse me." He nodded slightly. "I've come to say goodbye."

Lu Yuan was somewhat surprised. "Saying goodbye?"

"It's time to go back to the family." Valentin walked in, his gaze sweeping over the furnishings on the bookshelf before finally choosing a reasonably clean-looking chair to sit down, his movements natural yet elegant. "We've reached a critical point; dragging it out any longer will only make things worse."

"You want to advance?"

"Hmm." Valentin nodded. "I've been stuck at Second Order for a long time. Now the time has come, and I have to seize it."

He paused, then explained, "Furthermore, advancing requires a family inheritance ceremony and some special resources; it can't be done just anywhere."

"The Pathway I've taken is one born from our family." His tone was calm, as if he were chatting casually. "My family is located in the eastern border of the empire. The things passed down from our ancestors have continued to this day. To advance, one must return."

Lu Yuan nodded without asking any further questions.

Inheritance ceremonies, special resources... Lu Yuan had never thought about these things.

But now that I think about it, it makes sense. Even Grim Port has resource monopolies, let alone the Transcendence Path within the Empire.

"The path to Transcendence becomes increasingly difficult as you ascend," Valentin remarked, his smile fading slightly. "Resources and luck are both indispensable. Without them, relying solely on oneself will most likely lead to getting lost along the way."

He looked at Lu Yuan, a hint of emotion in his green eyes. "Just like the Knowledge Transcendent you've chosen, it's important to maintain a sense of awe."

Lu Yuan nodded. "Yes."

Valentin didn't say anything more, stood up, and dusted off non-existent dust from the corner of his clothes.

"There's nothing I can do to help with things in Grim Port," he said apologetically. "Take care of yourself."

Lu Yuan smiled and shook his head slightly, "Hans and Mary are still at the base. I wish you all the best."

"I hope so." Valentin smiled, regaining his elegant and composed demeanor. "See you again sometime."

Valentin nodded slightly to Lu Yuan, then turned and left.

His back remained upright, and his steps were still composed, as if he were not facing a life-or-death advancement, but rather attending a noble banquet.

Lu Yuan stood at the door, watching the figure disappear at the end of the corridor.

Another person has left, but that's alright.

Lu Yuan felt a headache coming on as he considered his current situation. The being in his dream was likely at a higher level than his offspring, and it seemed to have no hostility. He couldn't ignore the "danger" warning it was giving him.

"If I dream of that color again tonight, I need to leave immediately, and try to take Hans and Mary with me, and Old Morgan too, but will they agree..."

Lu Yuan didn't have a better solution at the moment, and could only take it one step at a time.

I sat back down in the corner and continued flipping through the book, "Knowledge Path Guide."

After watching for most of the afternoon, I finally understood the principle behind one of the meditation techniques.

He closed the book and tried to adjust his breathing, clear his mind, and regain his rationality according to the methods described in the book.

At first, he didn't feel anything, but as his breathing gradually became steady, Lu Yuan vaguely sensed a change.

The feeling was subtle, like something was rapidly activating in my mind, and my previously tense mind relaxed a bit.

Most importantly, the repair speed of the Sanity Barrier... seems to have increased slightly.

A moment later, a line of grayish-white text popped up at the edge of the field of vision:

[Learned Passive Skill: Defense]

[Defense I:0/10]

[Current effect: Sanity recovery speed is slightly increased; this effect strengthens with level.]