Plumpness
Old Morgan didn't offer any explanation, he simply nodded.
"Yes."
Lu Yuan stood to the side without saying a word.
He could understand Old Morgan.'s situation.
This incident was indeed a huge loss, but no matter who was in charge, the outcome wouldn't have been much better.
Moreover, the Deep Sea Church has been operating for so many years, and the Viscount is the actual controller of the inner city; it is already quite an achievement that they have been able to stabilize the situation.
But reason is reason, and responsibility is responsibility.
As the head of the Night Watcher in Grim Port, Old Morgan must take responsibility for this loss.
However, seeing that the man only mentioned punishment and then stopped talking about it, Lu Yuan understood that the so-called punishment was probably just a lot of noise and little action, and would be over after a while.
The man looked away, his tone softening slightly.
"However, we'll discuss your punishment after that. I've come here mainly for three things."
"First, in response to your request, I will help you thoroughly investigate the Deep Sea Church's hidden plans. If there are Contamination exceeding a certain threshold, I will take action to clean them up."
"Second, assess the current state of Grim Port and decide whether to allocate Imperial resources to aid its reconstruction."
Third, take the Viscount with you.
"Old Morgan, you must remember this." The man spoke in a low voice, then continued:
"No matter who comes to question you later, insist that you know nothing. The Viscount's actions have been discovered by those in the empire. Although he won't die, his status may be stripped and passed on to his son."
"You must not get involved. The current situation in the empire is not optimistic. You must not get involved with anything that involves such entities."
Old Morgan nodded. "I will. The Viscount is also under control and can be handed over at any time."
"Good."
The man paused, then looked at Old Morgan.
Is there anything else?
Old Morgan didn't stand on ceremony; he took a folded map from his pocket and handed it over.
"Please make the trip."
The man took the map, unfolded it, glanced at it, and frowned slightly.
"You suspect there's something wrong with these places?"
"It's just speculation," Old Morgan said, "But I can't confirm it with my current abilities, and if it's true, the price we pay if it comes to light will be devastating."
The man remained silent for a moment, then carefully put the map away.
"Headquarters is taking this very seriously," he said, "And specifically asked me to bring some things over."
He didn't offer any further explanation, and turned to walk into the rain.
"Wait for my news."
The figure quickly disappeared at the end of the street.
Lu Yuan watched him leave.
Who is that?
"Allen Klaus, a member directly under Headquarters," Old Morgan said in a low voice, "Eerie Transcendence at the peak of the Fourth Order; one more step and he'll be at the Fifth Order."
"He belongs to the powerful group throughout the entire western part of the empire."
Lu Yuan memorized the name.
After the supporters left, Old Morgan turned to Lu Yuan.
"The screening point in the inner city is ready. Go there now."
Lu Yuan nodded without asking any further questions.
A temporary screening point set up in the inner city.
The drizzle was still falling, but the line of people stretched all the way to the street corner.
Inside the tent, a sphere the size of a fist sat on a simple table.
The sphere emitted a soft glow, and something seemed to be slowly flowing on its surface, making it look quite strange.
This is the Night Watcher's screening tool.
According to Old Morgan, this thing is made of a variety of metals and special materials, and is extremely sensitive to the supernatural and Contamination. The sphere will react if there is any problem.
The church clergy were in charge of the first checkpoint, allowing residents to touch the spheres one by one.
Lu Yuan was in charge of the second route.
As someone with Transcendence Knowledge Path, I can sense the aura of other Transcendence, so I can simply stand aside and observe to avoid the possibility of any members of the Deep Sea Church lurking among the crowd.
Let's also see if any of these people unknowingly embarked on the path to the Transcendence.
The process is very simple.
One by one, residents stepped forward to touch the sphere. The sphere did not react, so the Deacon nodded and let them pass. Lu Yuan glanced at it to confirm.
[Observation Target: Residents of Grim Port]
[Status: Healthy]
Next.
[Observation Target: Residents of Grim Port]
[Status: Healthy]
Next one.
[Observation Target: Residents of Grim Port]
[Status: Healthy]
This process is very tedious.
"Next."
A middle-aged woman stepped forward, looking somewhat nervous.
She reached out and touched the sphere.
The sphere did not react at all.
"No problem, you can go now." The Deacon waved his hand.
The woman breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave.
Lu Yuan's gaze swept over her, but this time the words appeared a little slower.
[Observation Target: Residents of Grim Port]
[Status: Believer Transcendent (Fecundity)]
[Analysis: The individual has been passively entered the Transcendence realm, possessing faint fluctuations of life force within their body, the origin of which is unknown.]
Lu Yuan frowned.
It's different from before.
This woman... has she entered the Transcendence?
"Wait a moment."
Lu Yuan spoke up and called out to the woman.
"You stay here and wait over there."
The woman paused, a look of panic crossing her face. "I... Is there something wrong with me? The ball wasn't responding, was it...?"
"It's just a routine check-up, no need to worry."
The Deacon glanced at Lu Yuan, asked no further questions, and gestured for the woman to go to the waiting area nearby.
Perhaps it's just an isolated case.
Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze and continued the screening.
"Next."
[Observation Target: Residents of Grim Port]
[Status: Healthy]
Normal.
"Next."
A young man stepped forward and touched the sphere.
The sphere did not react.
Lu Yuan looked at him.
[Observation Target: Residents of Grim Port]
[Status: Believer Transcendent (Fecundity)]
Another one.
"Leave."
"Next."
[Status: Believer Transcendent (Fecundity)]
"Leave."
Lu Yuan's expression gradually changed.
Not everyone has problems, but the number of people with problems is increasing.
One, five, ten, twenty...
He began questioning those who had been left behind.
Have you been sick before?
"I've had a baby; I caught a cold last year."
Who treated you?
"Dr. Bulin."
Lu Yuan then asked a few more people.
Who treated you?
"Uh... it seems to be a doctor named Evans, from the inner city."
"Dr. Roberts is in charge of my area; he's a very skilled doctor."
"I remember he was Dr. Bulin's apprentice, what was his name again..."
The answers vary.
But they have one thing in common.
These doctors were all among the doctors who disappeared from the inner city.
Lu Yuan's heart sank.
Unbeknownst to them, all of these people had stepped into the Transcendence?
Moreover, they are all Believer Transcendent.
He didn't know what this meant, but it was definitely not a good thing.
Lu Yuan dared not make a sound, immediately ordered the screening site to be suspended, and hurried back to the base.
Old Morgan was processing documents in the conference room when he saw Lu Yuan enter and looked up.
"What's wrong?"
Lu Yuan closed the door and lowered his voice.
"Some of those who pass the sphere test possess a Transcendence aura."
Old Morgan stopped what he was doing and looked up at Lu Yuan.
"Are they from the Deep Sea Church? Or what?"
"It's not the Deep Sea Church, but rather that they possess Transcendence energy fluctuations," Lu Yuan continued. "I've screened less than fifty people, and at least half of them exhibit Transcendence energy fluctuations! This is abnormal!"
"And they all have one thing in common: they all received treatment from the doctors in the inner city."
Old Morgan's expression changed instantly.