Logistics Department

When Lu Yuan woke up, it was already daylight outside the window.

At the edge of vision, gray and white text quietly emerged:

[Sanity: 92/120]

After a night's rest, my senses returned to normal by midnight.

He sat up, quickly washed up, and checked his equipment.

The Revolver was still at his waist.

The Time Bestower Pocket Watch had become part of my body, and I felt a faint warmth in my chest.

The letter was still in my arms, a little soggy at the creases, but the handwriting was still fairly clear.

Lu Yuan walked to the window and glanced outside.

Someone is sweeping the yard.

His movements were slow, and his eyes occasionally glanced this way.

Lu Yuan didn't look any longer and turned to leave the room.

Being watched was to be expected.

There's no use in rushing.

The Logistics Department was located on the flank of the main building of the stronghold.

Lu Yuan pushed open the door, revealing a spacious hall inside.

Several long tables were piled high with various supplies.

Herbs, bandages, instruments, medicine bottles...

A middle-aged woman was taking inventory of supplies when she heard the door open and looked up.

"Are you new here?"

"Yes." Lu Yuan nodded. "Lu Yuan, report to the logistics department."

"Margaret," the woman put down the list and walked over, "Is also the logistics supervisor."

She looked to be in her thirties, wearing a gray work uniform, her hair casually tied back, and she had noticeable dark circles under her eyes.

"Finally, someone's here." Margaret breathed a sigh of relief. "We've been incredibly busy lately; two pharmacists are sick, and we're severely understaffed."

She pointed to the room next door.

"You know how to prepare medicine, right?"

"Meeting."

"That's great." Margaret's tone lightened. "The number of wounded has surged recently, and our medication consumption is three times the usual amount."

She complained, "It's all because of that damned disappearance case; it's taken everyone away."

Lu Yuan didn't reply, he just nodded.

"There's a lot of commotion at the Tower of Erudition," Margaret continued. "Three students have gone missing this month, Night Watcher has sent several squads to investigate."

She shook her head.

"Come on, I'll take you to the Potion Room."

Margaret led Lu Yuan inside.

The Potion Room is located at the very back of the Logistics Department.

The room was very large.

Rows of cabinets were filled with various medicinal herbs and utensils.

A recipe booklet hangs on the wall, and Mortar, distillation apparatus, and measuring cups are placed on the table.

"These are commonly used medicinal herbs," Margaret said, pointing to the cabinet. "Hemostatic Grass, anti-inflammatory root, analgesic flower... their names are all on the labels."

She then pointed to the manual on the table.

"The recipe is all here; just follow the steps."

Lu Yuan nodded.

"Clear."

"Then make a few bottles first, and I'll come back to check on them later," Margaret said. "I have other things to take care of; come find me if there are any problems. Some wounded soldiers will be brought over this afternoon; I'll call you then."

The door closed.

Lu Yuan stood in the Potion Room, looking around.

The variety of medicinal herbs in Bronze City is far greater than in Grim Port.

Some of them were things he had never seen before.

He walked to the cabinet and began to organize the medicinal herbs.

The first cabinet contains various root and rhizome medicinal herbs.

Lu Yuan picked up a dark brown root and brought it close to his nose to smell it.

It has a pungent aroma with a hint of bitterness.

The label reads: Bitterroot, used for anti-inflammatory purposes.

He put it back in its place and continued reading.

Silverleaf Grass, Purpleheart Flower, Desert Thistle...

One by one, categorized by type.

Hemostatic agents, anti-inflammatory agents, analgesics, detoxifiers...

At the edge of my field of vision, gray and white text kept flashing:

[Pharmacognosy: +0.1...7.1/50]

[Pharmacognosy: +0.1...7.2/50]

Lu Yuan's movements were very practiced, and remembering the properties of these medicinal herbs was not difficult for Lu Yuan.

Since his sanity level increased, Lu Yuan discovered that his memory and learning abilities had reached an astonishing level.

While it hasn't reached the level of having a photographic memory, it's actually not that far off.

After tidying up the first cabinet, Lu Yuan walked to the second cabinet.

There were some medicinal herbs here that he had never seen before.

A pale blue petal, slightly cool to the touch.

The label reads: Frostflower, from the Northern Territory, can cool and reduce fever.

Lu Yuan picked it up and examined it carefully.

The petals have fine veins that resemble the shape of ice crystals.

He put it back and continued tidying up.

Time passed little by little.

Lu Yuan sorted through all the medicinal herbs, gaining a general understanding of the Bronze City's Herb Repository.

Then, he began preparing the standard medicines.

Hemostatic drugs.

Analgesics.

These are all basic medicines; they don't require herbs with special properties.

Therefore, even without the Gray-White Text prompts, Lu Yuan was able to complete the task with ease.

Follow the steps in the recipe manual one by one.

Grinding, mixing, heating, filtering...

Grayish-white text kept appearing in his field of vision, correcting Lu Yuan's mistakes.

And so it went, bottle after bottle.

[Pharmacology: +0.1...17.7/50]

[Pharmacology: +0.1...17.8/50]

[Pharmacology: +0.1...17.9/50]

As his experience grew, Lu Yuan's movements became faster and faster.

Around noon, Margaret came in carrying a tray.

"I noticed you hadn't come out all morning, so I brought you some food."

The tray held bread and broth.

Lu Yuan snapped out of his daze, put down the medicine bottle in his hand, and took the tray.

"Thanks."

Margaret sat down in the chair next to her and looked at the neatly arranged medicine bottles on the table.

"You did all of this? Excellent technique!" She nodded approvingly. "It seems Captain Hogger made the right choice."

Lu Yuan didn't speak, he just lowered his head and drank his soup.

Margaret leaned back in her chair and sighed.

Did you know that all the missing students were Alchemy Department students?

Lu Yuan paused for a moment.

"The first one was half a month ago, the second one was ten days ago, and the third one was three days ago," Margaret continued. "The intervals are getting shorter and shorter, and the people upstairs are getting extremely anxious."

She shook her head.

"They all disappeared at night, and there were no signs of a struggle in the dormitory."

"It's like... walking out on my own."

Lu Yuan frowned and asked:

"Is the Tower of Erudition's defenses really that weak? And isn't this the Bronze City? Strange things shouldn't be able to get in, right?"

"The guards of the Tower of Erudition are no less capable than those of Night Watcher, and it's located at the heart of the Bronze City, which is precisely why it's so strange."

"There's a lot of panic going on at the Tower of Erudition right now. Many students are afraid to go out at night," Margaret continued. "Especially the Alchemy Department students; they've all applied to change dorms, but the tower won't approve them."

She lowered her voice.

"I've heard that the Night Watcher suspects it's some kind of ritual."

"It requires specific individuals... Alchemy Department students might meet certain criteria."

"But what exactly it is, how would we logistics personnel know?"

She paused, then looked at Lu Yuan.

"By the way, you're so young, why don't you go and study at the Tower of Erudition?"

"If I remember correctly, we Night Watcher have training requirements? Would you like to give it a try?"

Lu Yuan raised his head.

"It's so dangerous now, and you still recommend I go?"

"Don't worry, you can't go to the Alchemy Department. The Night Watcher can only audit some courses related to your Transcendence at the Tower of Erudition."

"I see. I'll give it a try if I have the chance."

"That's good." Margaret smiled. "The Tower of Erudition has far more knowledge than we logistics personnel do."

She stood up and picked up the tray.

"Wounded soldiers will be brought in this afternoon, remember not to leave yet."

The door closed.

Lu Yuan sat there, looking at the bread in his hand.

Laurina is Alchemy Department.

Those who went missing were all Alchemy Department students.

The intervals are getting shorter and shorter.

He must go to the Tower of Erudition as soon as possible to check on Laurina's condition.

You can also take this opportunity to explore what you can learn from the Tower of Erudition.

Lu Yuan recalled Lausen's several reminders, as well as that large handful of Gold Shield.

This is what he owes Lausen.

Lu Yuan then thought of Mina, Mo Shui...

I wonder how they are doing now.

After Mina's talent awakens, she should be able to receive better protection.

Besides, Mo Shui is with her, so no one would dare to mess with her.

And Brent...

Lu Yuan shook his head.

Thinking about these things is useless.

Grim Port has sunk.

Those memories are sealed away; they can't be spoken of, and they can't be retrieved.

He could only keep walking forward.

First, fulfill Lausen's request.

Then... let him see what else this world has to offer.

After dinner, as Lu Yuan was engrossed in grinding experience points again, the door was pushed open.

Four Night Watcher carried in two stretchers.

"Where's the doctor?! There are wounded here." One of the men in front called out before even entering the room.

Lu Yuan stood up and walked over.

There were two people on a stretcher.

One person had a broken arm, and the other had a visible laceration on their abdomen.

However, none of the injuries appear serious; at least there are no casualties, such as those caused by Contamination.

That makes sense, though. My own abilities are still unknown, so I can only deal with these kinds of wounded soldiers.

"Put it here." Lu Yuan pointed to the bed next to him.

The Night Watcher laid the wounded down. "The doctor is now in your care."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Lu Yuan walked over to the injured man with the broken arm.

At the edge of vision, grayish-white text appeared:

[Target of detection: Patients with fractures]

[Status: Radius fracture in the forearm, clean fracture line, no signs of comminuted fracture]

[Treatment Recommendation: Repositioning and immobilization, use a splint to stabilize the affected area, administer hemostatic medication, take precautions to prevent wound deterioration, and it is recommended to rest for one week and then have a follow-up examination.]

Lu Yuan began treating the wound.

First, check the location of the fracture to confirm that there is no displacement.

Then secure it with a splint and wrap it with bandages.

Skilled movements, experience bar ticking:

[Basic Medical: +0.1...2.4/20]

"Not bad." The wounded man's clenched teeth gradually loosened. "Better than those two who fell ill."

While securing the splint, Lu Yuan asked, "As long as it doesn't hurt. By the way, where were you attacked?"

"The alley behind the Tower of Erudition." The Night Watcher, his arm broken, shifted slightly. "Damn it, that thing is incredibly fast. I think it's some kind of Alienated Transcendent. Don't let me catch him!"

Another wounded soldier added, "The dark figure suddenly rushed out from the corner of the wall; I didn't even have time to react."

"Did you see what it looked like?" Lu Yuan asked.

"No, it was too fast," the man with the broken arm shook his head. "But that thing had a strange smell."

What does it taste like?

"I can't quite put my finger on it... it smells like something rotting, very pungent."

Lu Yuan thought for a moment, "Rotten? Isn't this place supposed to be immune to Contamination and strange things? Then it's most likely that the smell of decay is caused by long-term contact with something."

Lu Yuan continued bandaging, his tone calm. "Where's your strength?"

"It was huge; it sent me flying with a single blow," the injured man continued. "It was definitely Transcendence, and not a low-level one."

After treating the fracture, he went to another injured person.

The knife wound to the abdomen was not deep, and the bleeding was not excessive.

[Detection Target: Night Watcher (Cut)]

[Status: Abdominal laceration, shallow wound, no internal organs damaged.]

[Treatment recommendations: Stop the bleeding, prevent the wound from worsening, and guard against internal bleeding.]

Lu Yuan began cleaning the wound.

Apply hemostatic medication, clean the blood and dirt around the wound, and then re-bandage.

[Basic Medical: +0.1...2.5/20]

"Are you on a missing persons case?" Lu Yuan asked while tending to his wounds.

"Yes." The one with the abdominal injury nodded. "We were ordered to patrol around the Tower of Erudition, and that's how we ran into them."

"Any other discoveries?"

"No, that thing came and went quickly," said the one with the broken arm. "But I think it was purposeful; it didn't seem like a random attack."

Lu Yuan finished wrapping the bandage with the last layer of bandage.

"It's best not to leave the base at night if there are no missions lately," the man with the broken arm warned. "It's very dangerous over there right now."

Lu Yuan nodded.

"Understood, thank you for reminding me."

After treating the wounds, the four Night Watcher took the two wounded men back.

Lu Yuan stood still, looking out the window.

Tower of Erudition.

Alchemy Department student.

A shadowy figure.

These clues were pieced together in my mind.

But that's not enough.

He needs more information.