Compromise and Oath

Last night's news weighed heavily on the Alchemy Workshop like a stone.

Laurina stood in front of the workbench, holding Mortar, mechanically grinding the medicinal herbs.

But Lu Yuan noticed that her movements were much slower than usual, and her gaze kept drifting to the window, clearly indicating that she was not paying attention.

She was lost in thought.

Lu Yuan didn't say anything to remind him, but silently continued to process the Silverleaf Grass in his hands.

The morning passed slowly; neither of them spoke, only the sound of the mortar and pestle Mortar and the occasional clinking of bottles and jars echoed in the room.

The knocking sounded around ten o'clock.

Very urgent.

Lu Yuan put down what he was holding and walked to the door.

Through the crack in the door, he saw a Night Watcher standing outside. His face looked somewhat familiar, and he appeared weary.

He opened the door.

The Night Watcher didn't come in; he simply stood in the doorway and said in a low voice, "There's news."

Lu Yuan remained calm, stepping aside to block the doorway, signaling him to continue.

"The Tower of Erudition's stance is very firm." The Night Watcher's expression was somewhat grim, and his voice lowered even further. "They cited Imperial regulations, stating that the three students are suspected of stealing Tower of Erudition secrets and must be handed over for investigation."

He paused, then continued, "We're having an internal meeting to discuss this, and the pressure is immense. There's no final decision yet, but the winds aren't blowing well."

Lu Yuan was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "What about the worst-case scenario?"

The Night Watcher did not answer immediately.

He glanced at Lu Yuan, then looked towards the interior of the room, and finally sighed softly, "Hand them over. But we're still trying."

"Of course, if it really comes to that, we'll let you know in advance. Don't worry too much, we've done our best."

Lu Yuan's expression remained unchanged; he simply nodded and said, "Understood."

The Night Watcher didn't linger; he turned and hurried away, his footsteps fading into the distance.

Lu Yuan closed the door and turned around.

Laurina stood not far away, still holding the Mortar in her hand.

She didn't speak, but just looked at him quietly, clearly having heard everything.

Her eyes were calm.

Lu Yuan didn't say much. He walked back to his workbench, picked up the Silverleaf Grass again, and continued his work.

Laurina also lowered her head and continued grinding, but her movements were slower than before.

The rest of the morning passed in silence.

As noon approached, Laurina put down her tools and said softly, "I'm going upstairs to rest for a bit."

Then she turned and walked towards the stairs.

Lu Yuan watched her figure disappear at the top of the stairs, remained silent for a moment, and then followed her.

The second-floor lounge area was quiet. Laurina sat on a chair by the window, looking out at the street.

The sunlight shone on her face, and the dark circles under her eyes were even deeper than yesterday.

Lu Yuan sat down opposite him.

Neither of them spoke. From outside the window came distant noises: the rumble of passing carriages and the cries of vendors.

Everything is normal.

The silence lasted a long time.

Finally, Laurina spoke first.

Her gaze remained fixed on the view outside the window, her voice soft. "Lu Yuan, I want to talk to you about something."

Lu Yuan looked at her without saying anything, waiting for her to continue.

Laurina turned her head, her gaze falling on him. "If the Night Watcher really can't hold on... I don't want to drag you down with them."

Lu Yuan remained silent.

"You've already helped me so much," Laurina continued. "Take me away from the Tower of Erudition and let me stay here. I can't let your situation get you involved too."

She paused, then continued, "Actually..."

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I came to the Tower of Erudition when I was fifteen, and it's been three years now. I remember everything that happened in those three years very clearly—every day, every class, every experiment. But..."

She paused, her gaze somewhat unfocused. "I don't remember anything before I was fifteen."

Lu Yuan's eyes flickered slightly.

"Parents, childhood, hometown... it's all a blank," Laurina continued. "I don't know where I came from, how I lived to be fifteen, or even how I got to the Tower of Erudition."

"I've always thought it was normal." She gave a wry smile. "Maybe I'm just an orphan, maybe things before I was fifteen aren't worth remembering. I've never thought about it deeply."

She turned her head, her gaze falling on Lu Yuan: "But your letter... it made me start to feel uneasy."

"I have absolutely no recollection of what was written in that letter. But strangely, it gave me a very familiar feeling. Like... I should know it, but I just can't remember it."

She paused, her voice becoming very soft. "I don't know if there's something wrong with me, or if there's something wrong with my memory. That's why I came with you."

Lu Yuan looked at her and remained silent for a while.

He didn't say anything to comfort him.

He simply stood up, his tone flat. "It's not over yet."

Then he turned and walked downstairs.

The medicine-making process continued in the afternoon.

Laurina seemed to have temporarily suppressed her troubles and regained her focus. Her technique remained steady and precise, with meticulous attention to every step.

The two didn't exchange any further words, each going about their own business.

[Pharmacognosy: +0.2...]

At the edge of my field of vision, grayish-white text danced gently.

As the sun gradually sets in the west, the light outside the window begins to turn a dim, yellowish hue.

As evening approached, the knocking on the door sounded again.

Lu Yuan had never seen the people who came this time before.

He was a man in his thirties, wearing Night Watcher uniform.

"Materials." He handed over a wooden box, his tone brief.

Lu Yuan took it and weighed it in his hand. It was much lighter than yesterday.

That's all?

"That's all we can get," the Night Watcher said with a hint of helplessness. "Our supply routes have been partially cut off because of this."

He paused, then lowered his voice. "The high-level meeting is still ongoing, but the Tower of Erudition has issued an ultimatum: a response must be given by noon tomorrow."

Lu Yuan's expression remained unchanged. "What's our stance?"

The Night Watcher was silent for a few seconds, then shook his head. "It's hard to say. The Tower of Erudition has a decree, and it's an internal matter, so our reason for interfering is no longer valid."

"And it seems the imperial high command knows this too, so you'd better not get involved."

He didn't linger; he carefully collected the completed potion and left in a hurry.

Lu Yuan closed the door and turned around.

Night fell. The lights in the Alchemy Workshop shone, casting a warm glow, but the atmosphere was like the calm before a storm.

Laurina did not go upstairs to rest.

She was tidying up her things, moving very gently and carefully.

I packed some small bottles into my bag, organized a few notebooks, and set them aside.

It's like they're making some kind of preparation.

Lu Yuan watched her retreating figure without saying a word.

He walked to the window and looked at the night outside. The streetlights of Bronze City were lit, twinkling like stars.

In the distance, the outline of the Clock Tower disappeared into the darkness.

The results will be available by tomorrow noon.

Behind her, she heard soft footsteps. Laurina walked to his side and also looked out the window.

Neither of them spoke.

"Tomorrow..." Laurina began softly.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow," Lu Yuan interrupted her.

Laurina was silent for a moment, then nodded and turned to walk upstairs.

Lu Yuan stood by the window, his gaze fixed on the darkness in the distance.

Tomorrow.

Everything will be revealed tomorrow.

As the morning sun shone into the Alchemy Workshop, Lu Yuan awoke from a light sleep.

At the edge of my field of vision, grayish-white text slowly emerged.

[Sanity: +12...96/120]

He slept very lightly last night, but was still relatively alert.

There was a knock on the door.

It was rushed, not at the agreed-upon pace.

Lu Yuan stood up from his chair and walked to the door. Through the crack in the door, he saw two people standing outside, both wearing Night Watcher uniforms, with higher rank epaulets than the previous visitors.

He opened the door.

The leader was a man in his forties, with a serious face, sharp eyes, and an imposing aura. Behind him stood a younger Night Watcher, whose expression was equally solemn.

"Lu Yuan?" the middle-aged man asked, his tone steady.

"It's me."

The middle-aged man nodded, skipped the pleasantries, and went straight to the point. "The higher-ups have made their decision."

Lu Yuan's heart sank slightly, but he didn't show it on his face, simply waiting quietly for him to continue.

"The three students have been handed over according to procedure." The middle-aged man paused. "The students from the Tower of Erudition are already on their way and will arrive before noon."

Lu Yuan's expression remained unchanged; he simply asked calmly, "Is there no other way?"

The middle-aged man shook his head, his expression helpless. "The pressure from the Tower of Erudition is too intense. They've brought up the Imperial Regulations, and there's also pressure from Headquarters. We... can't withstand it."

When will it be implemented?

"This afternoon," the middle-aged man sighed, "I already said that the people from the Tower of Erudition are already on their way."

He glanced at Lu Yuan, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just shook his head. "Sorry, I tried my best."

Then he turned and left, his footsteps fading into the distance.

Lu Yuan closed the door and turned around.

The Alchemy Workshop fell into a deathly silence.

Laurina was standing at the top of the stairs, having come down sometime earlier. She was wearing yesterday's clothes, and clearly hadn't slept well; the dark circles under her eyes were even more pronounced.

She didn't speak, but simply looked at Lu Yuan quietly.

She heard it all.

Her expression was surprisingly calm, even somewhat relieved, as if she had long anticipated this outcome.

"I'll go tidy up," she said softly, her tone indifferent, as if she were talking about something that had nothing to do with her.

Then she turned and walked upstairs.

His back view was very thin and frail.

Lu Yuan watched the figure disappear at the top of the stairs, remaining silent for a few seconds.

There's no hope left.

The Night Watcher couldn't hold on any longer.

He took the black leather envelope from his pocket.

The envelope was made of a special material; it had a strange warmth to the touch, like the skin of a living thing.

Lu Yuan opened the envelope and took out the contents.

A contract, made of parchment, with edges that gleam with a faint golden light.

The text on the contract was written with a special Mo Shui that seemed to flow subtly in the light, as if it were alive.

Lu Yuan's gaze fell on the parchment.

At the edge of vision, grayish-white text slowly emerged:

[Detection Target: Oath (an extremely rare occurrence)]

[A pact mediated by blood and soul. The moment a name is written, the vow is etched into the souls of all witnesses.]

[WARNING: This is no ordinary item. Its power originates from some... more ancient being.]

Lu Yuan stared at that text for a few seconds.

An even more ancient existence.

He thought of the history of the Night Watcher, and of the legends about the founding of the empire.

The Night Watcher never breaks its word; this is not just an empty phrase, but a constraint ingrained in their very being.

A constraint locked by some ancient force.

He snapped out of his thoughts and found a pen nearby.

The parchment was unfolded, and the "asylum seeker" section was blank.

Lu Yuan held the pen and wrote a name on the blank page:

Laurina Caster.