Dark Currents Stirring

The morning light streamed in through the gaps in the curtains, casting a hazy, gray hue.

Lu Yuan awoke from a light sleep, and Gray-White Text slowly appeared at the edge of his vision.

[Sanity: +8...120/120 (Total)]

My sanity has finally returned to full.

He stretched his stiff neck and sat up straight in the chair.

He slept in a chair all night so that Laurina could sleep in the bed, and his back was a little sore.

A slight noise came from the bed.

Laurina was already awake, leaning against the headboard with the book she'd gotten from somewhere the night before spread out on her lap.

She held a quill pen in her hand, and next to her were several sheets of paper covered with dense notes.

Seeing Lu Yuan wake up, she looked up, her light brown eyes filled with a hint of apology.

Did I wake you up?

"No."

Lu Yuan stood up, walked to the window, and lifted a corner of the curtain to look outside.

The sky was overcast, with thick clouds pressing down on the Tower of Erudition, as if it were about to rain at any moment.

The corridor was quiet, with only the occasional hurried footsteps passing by, none of which stopped.

"How did you sleep?" Lu Yuan lowered the curtains and turned around.

Laurina looked much better than last night.

"Much better." She looked down at the book in her hand. "At least I still have books to read."

Lu Yuan didn't ask any further questions.

For a student who almost got used as a subject in an experiment by their advisor, being able to fall asleep was already quite an achievement.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Knock knock knock.

Three strokes, neither hurried nor slow.

Despite knowing the situation, Laurina still instinctively tensed up.

Lu Yuan raised his hand to signal her not to be nervous, then walked to the door and opened it slightly.

The Night Watcher who delivered breakfast yesterday stood outside the door, carrying a tray with two loaves of bread and two bowls of broth.

"Breakfast."

The Night Watcher's attitude was the same as yesterday, carrying a tacit understanding.

Lu Yuan took the tray and was about to close the door when the Night Watcher said something else.

"By the way, there's been a change in today's tasks."

Lu Yuan paused slightly.

"We need to increase patrols in the Alchemy Department corridor area. Meet in the front hall shortly."

Having said that, the Night Watcher turned and left, his footsteps fading into the distance.

Lu Yuan closed the door and placed the tray on the table.

The task has changed again.

The fact that the above arrangements are constantly being adjusted indicates that the situation remains unclear.

"What's wrong?" Laurina noticed that his expression was somewhat serious.

"It's nothing." Lu Yuan picked up a piece of bread. "Have something to eat; I'm going out in a bit."

Laurina didn't ask any further questions, silently picked up another piece of bread, and took a small bite.

After finishing breakfast, Lu Yuan stood up and straightened his clothes.

"I'm going on a mission. You stay in the room and don't go anywhere."

His tone was calm, but carried an undeniable air of authority.

"Don't open the door if anyone knocks these next few days, unless it's me. As long as the Night Watcher's attitude remains the same, this place is safe."

Laurina put down her book, took the silver medal from under her pillow, and held it in her hand.

The medal's metallic feel was cold to the touch, but it seemed to give her a sense of security.

"I understand," she said softly. "Be careful."

Lu Yuan nodded slightly, turned around and walked out of the room.

The door closed gently behind me.

The atmosphere in the corridor was even more oppressive than yesterday.

The magic lamp emitted a faint blue light, but it appeared somewhat dim in this weather.

Occasionally, a few students would walk by from the other end of the corridor, hurrying along with their heads down; they were clearly aware that something was wrong.

Lu Yuan walked along the corridor and arrived at the front hall.

A dozen or so Night Watcher had already gathered there, standing in twos and threes, talking in hushed tones.

Lu Yuan glanced around and noticed that the number of people was significantly less than yesterday.

"Lu Yuan, right?"

A Night Watcher in his thirties walked over and looked him up and down.

"You'll be with our group, responsible for patrolling the Alchemy Department Corridor area."

Lu Yuan didn't ask any further questions and followed him into the group.

The patrol team consisted of three people: Lu Yuan, the Night Watcher from before, and another taciturn young man.

The three walked along the connecting corridor, passed through several archways, and entered the Alchemy Department area.

The architectural style of the Alchemy Department differs slightly from that of the surrounding area.

The walls were inlaid with various metal pipes and rune arrays, and a faint smell of Sulfur permeated the air.

There were still many students in the corridor, but they all looked fearful, walking quickly with their heads down, not daring to make eye contact with the Night Watcher.

"There are still so many students?" Lu Yuan asked.

The Night Watcher walking ahead shook his head, his tone indifferent.

"That's all we can do; the rest is none of our concern."

The three continued on their way.

As they passed a laboratory, Lu Yuan and his group slowed their pace.

The laboratory door was ajar, and the sound of hushed arguing could be heard coming from inside.

"... Damn the Night Watcher, they're defying the decree!"

"And the samples..."

"... There's not enough time..."

"... it's urgent from above..."

A few keywords entered my ears intermittently.

The team leader, who was walking in front, showed a look of disgust upon hearing this.

"Hurry up," the Night Watcher leader said, deliberately raising his voice.

The laboratory fell silent instantly.

Lu Yuan observed the expression on the leader's face.

Clearly, the story of the Tower of Erudition can no longer be kept secret.

At least captains of the Night's Night Watcher know something.

Moreover, those conversations just now confirmed some of Lu Yuan's suspicions.

Just then, a line of gray-white text suddenly appeared at the edge of my field of vision.

[Mental Pollution Source detected]

Lu Yuan paused slightly, his gaze quickly sweeping over his surroundings.

The corridor was empty, and there was nothing unusual about it.

But that line of text remained hovering at the edge of his field of vision, appearing and disappearing intermittently, like some kind of warning.

"What's wrong?" The Night Watcher walking ahead turned around.

"It's nothing." Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze. "Let's keep going."

The three continued their patrol.

At the corner of the corridor, Lu Yuan suddenly noticed a figure.

A middle-aged man stood in the shadows, looking this way.

He wore a monocle, a striking Deep Blue robe, had a receding hairline, and a harsh expression.

The gaze lingered on Lu Yuan for a few seconds, carrying a sense of scrutiny and inquiry.

Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes as he looked at the man in the shadows.

Who is there?

Lu Yuan's shout instantly attracted the attention of his accomplices.

The team leader looked into the shadows.

The man standing in the shadows clearly hadn't expected Lu Yuan to shout that.

A flicker of anger flashed in his eyes, hidden in the shadows.

He then turned and walked away quickly, his Deep Blue robe disappearing in a flash at the end of the corridor.

The team leader obviously saw it too.

He led his team and gave chase.

But by the time everyone caught up, the corridor was already empty.

"Heh, Alchemy Department instructor." The team leader turned to look at Lu Yuan.

Do you know that person?

"I don't recognize her." Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze. "Is she an Alchemy Department instructor?"

"Hmm." The team leader's face showed a hint of disdain.

"The blue robe is the attire of the Alchemy Department instructor, but unfortunately it's a worthless piece of junk."

The team leader's voice was completely undisguised.

"Alright, let's continue patrolling."

Lu Yuan said nothing more and continued forward with the group.

But he knew in his heart that the mentor's target was Laurina.

Because he was just a newcomer to the Night Watcher.

They can attract the attention of the Alchemy Department instructors.

Even if she isn't mentor Laurina, she's probably someone involved in their plan.

The patrol lasted all morning.

Around noon, the three returned to the Night Watcher's temporary rest area in the outer area.

The lounge was small, with a few tables and chairs. A dozen or so Night Watcher sat in twos and threes, some eating and some chatting.

Lu Yuan found a corner to sit down, closed his eyes to rest, and listened to the conversations around him.

"We cleaned seven in total last night, one more than yesterday."

A Night Watcher lowered his voice, his tone tinged with seriousness.

"Ugh, how could something like this appear in the Tower of Erudition? Such good students..."

"Who knows?" another Night Watcher frowned. "Let's wait for orders from Headquarters."

Lu Yuan frowned slightly upon hearing this.

How can there be so many?

How many people are actually involved this time?

"I heard the people from above will arrive tomorrow."

Another voice came from the other side, its tone tinged with trepidation.

"They're from the Imperial Headquarters' Tower of Erudition; they seem to be some important figure."

"It'll be troublesome if they come," someone chimed in. "Once they arrive, we might have to leave."

"Sigh, let's just do as we're told."

The Night Watcher looked at each other, all with helpless expressions.

Lu Yuan silently kept this information in mind and did not participate in the discussion.

The people from Imperial Headquarters will arrive tomorrow.

Clearly, someone wants to get rid of the Night Watcher as soon as possible.

"No, I have to leave quickly if I can leave tomorrow."

In the afternoon, Lu Yuan returned to his room.

He stopped at the door and knocked using the pre-arranged code.

Thump-thump.

"It's me."

There was a few seconds of silence inside the door, then soft footsteps could be heard.

The lock turned, Laurina's face appeared through the crack in the door.

She looked a little nervous, but breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was Lu Yuan, and stepped aside to let him in.

Lu Yuan entered the room and closed the door behind him.

"What's wrong?" He noticed that Laurina's expression was off.

Laurina's fingers unconsciously twisted together.

Someone knocked on the door this morning.

Her voice was very low.

Lu Yuan frowned slightly.

"You opened the door?"

"No." Laurina shook her head, her chestnut hair swaying gently over her shoulder. "I didn't open it, and I didn't make a sound."

She paused, then continued.

There was silence outside the door for a moment, then the footsteps faded away.

"I peeked through the crack in the door," Laurina said, her voice grave. "I don't know which Alchemy Department instructor it was."

Lu Yuan's heart sank.

"Did you see clearly?"

"Hmm." Laurina gripped the silver medal tightly in her hand.

Lu Yuan remained silent for a moment.

The enemy has located Laurina's position.

Or rather, they knew she was here from the very beginning.

Today's patrol mission, including knocking on doors to probe, was not a coincidence.

"They're looking for me," Laurina said softly, her voice tinged with suppressed fear, "Aren't they?"

Lu Yuan looked at her and did not deny it.

"There's still a little over a day left," he said calmly. "Everything will be alright."

Laurina looked up, her light brown eyes filled with unease, but she tried to calm herself, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

"Good."

Lu Yuan walked to the window and lifted a corner of the curtain.

Outside the window, the sky had darkened, and thick clouds obscured the setting sun, casting the Tower of Erudition in shadow.

In the distance, the outline of the Main Tower was faintly visible, its top glowing with a ghostly blue light.

He remembered what the principal had said.

"The Tower of Erudition is no longer pure."

It's definitely not pure.

And those impure things are slowly approaching.