Inner City Mission

Why were you chosen for their mission?

Laurina's voice came from the workbench, her tone tinged with doubt.

Lu Yuan leaned against the window, offering no reply.

He thought about it for a moment.

It's probably because of the Tower of Erudition incident.

He used Time Bestower in the Tower of Erudition, effectively Deprivation the tutor of his time.

There were other Night Watcher evacuating nearby at the time, so they must have been discovered.

Moreover, the Time Bestower records should also be registered at Headquarters, but it now appears that the Time Bestower -related information has been distorted.

Therefore, this must have been written in the Night Watcher report.

A logistics staff member displayed the combat capabilities of a team leader.

In addition, he had just activated his Oath.

Although it's unclear how the Night Watcher views this matter internally, if this mission is related to Laurina or the Tower of Erudition, they certainly have reason to come to me.

"Let's wait for news tomorrow," Lu Yuan said.

Laurina didn't ask any more questions and continued tidying up her workbench.

Night deepened.

Lu Yuan returned to his room and quickly fell asleep.

The next day.

The morning sunlight streamed through the curtains.

Lu Yuan opened his eyes and felt much better than he had a few days ago.

At the edge of my field of vision, grayish-white text quietly emerges.

[Sanity: 120/120 (Total)]

It's full.

After several days of natural recovery, plus drinking several bottles of perfect-quality Sanity Potion crafted by Laurina, my sanity has finally returned to full.

But Lu Yuan noticed something else.

[Sanity IV: 1/120 (Experience)]

Since the last upgrade, there hasn't been an increase whatsoever.

Whether it's drinking potions, recovering naturally, or coming into contact with new things, plus the fact that there are almost no strange or Mutation creatures in Bronze City.

The rationality experience value remained at 1.

Clearly, the growth of rational experience is limited.

Lu Yuan stared at the line of text for a few seconds, but had no clue what to do.

Perhaps a specific stimulus is needed, or certain conditions have not yet been met.

He snapped out of his thoughts and went downstairs to wash up.

The aroma of medicinal herbs was still strong in the work area on the first floor.

Laurina was already there, standing in front of the workbench with several small bottles in front of her.

Seeing Lu Yuan come down, she raised her chin, gesturing for him to look at the workbench.

The two bottles are already filled.

One bottle contained a pale purple liquid that shimmered faintly in the morning light.

The other bottle was dark red, with a handwritten label on it.

Lu Yuan's gaze swept over the area, and grayish-white text appeared at the edge of his vision:

[Detection Target: Eerie Suppressant (Perfect Quality)]

[Can suppress the ability release of Transcendence using Eerie Path for a short period, lasting approximately thirty seconds. Ineffective against Transcendence using non- Eerie Path.]

[Detection Target: High-Efficiency Healing Potion (Perfect Quality)]

[Laurina's masterpiece. It can heal a large number of injuries in a very short time, but cannot restore lost limbs. A temporary feeling of weakness will occur after use.]

Both bottles are of perfect quality.

"Prepared for me?" Lu Yuan asked, looking at the potion in front of him.

"Hmm." Laurina put the two bottles into a small leather bag and placed it on the workbench. "You're not the kind of person who'll stay comfortably in the background."

Lu Yuan did not refute.

Morning.

A knock came from downstairs at the Alchemy Workshop.

Lu Yuan went downstairs and opened the door.

Standing outside the door was a man in his thirties, dressed in the uniform of Night Watcher. He had a calm demeanor and an imposing presence.

His gaze lingered on Lu Yuan for a moment, then he nodded.

"Lu Yuan?"

"It's me."

"My name is Raymond," the man introduced himself. "Hogger sent me to find you."

He didn't mince words and went straight to the point.

"Were you involved in the cover-up at Blackstone Street last night?"

"Yes."

"The wounded were treated very well," Raymond said, his tone devoid of much emotion.

Lu Yuan didn't respond, waiting for him to continue.

Raymond didn't beat around the bush either.

"Something's happened in the Inner City," he continued. "Several nobles have come knocking."

"What's up?"

"Missing persons case." Raymond lowered his voice. "Three people, all of whom disappeared two days ago."

He paused, then continued:

"The son of the Grand Merchants' Guild representative, the son of the Baron, and the daughter of the Viscount."

Lu Yuan frowned slightly.

Three people disappeared on the same day.

Moreover, they are all people with connections.

What clues are there?

"Disappeared at night, no signs of struggle," Raymond said quickly, "As if he walked out on his own."

Lu Yuan's expression changed slightly.

Raymond clearly noticed his reaction, and a cold smile crept onto his lips.

"You thought of that too?"

Lu Yuan nodded.

"Exactly the same situation as the disappearance of students from the Tower of Erudition," Raymond said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Looks like there's some dogfighting going on."

At that moment, Laurina handed over the small handbag.

"Remember to use it. The supplies are a bit tight; we only have two bottles left for now," she continued. "Be careful."

Lu Yuan took the bag and put it in his pocket.

"Rest assured."

Seeing this, Raymond nodded slightly to Laurina as a sign of respect.

"Miss Laurina, thank you for the medicine these past few days. Lu Yuan will be fine, don't worry."

"Um."

Laurina stood there, watching Lu Yuan leave with Raymond.

Outside the Alchemy Workshop, a black carriage was already waiting.

Raymond, sitting in the carriage, lifted the curtain and glanced at him.

"Get on the bus."

Lu Yuan climbed into the carriage, and the carriage immediately started moving.

The wheels rolled over the stone pavement, making a rhythmic sound.

There were only two people in the carriage.

Raymond leaned back in his seat and remained silent for a while before speaking.

There are several reasons why I've asked you to participate in this mission.

Lu Yuan looked at him without saying a word.

"First, you've activated the Oath," Raymond said, a hint of satisfaction in his voice. "Not many people can obtain Oath, and even fewer have used it. Moreover, the Oath is an extremely special thing for the Night Watcher, and this matter is taken very seriously."

He paused, then continued.

"Secondly, the report from the Tower of Erudition has come back. You killed a mentor using Eerie Path inside."

Lu Yuan frowned slightly.

As expected, it was recorded.

Raymond seemed to understand his thoughts and waved his hand.

"Don't worry, there won't be any problems. The Night Watcher has a complicated attitude towards Eerie Path, and besides, he himself isn't a good person."

"But you do have real combat skills, that's a fact."

He glanced at Lu Yuan.

"Initially, we just wanted you to be the team doctor. But after the report from the Tower of Erudition came back, they changed their minds."

"Third..." Raymond's tone became more meaningful, "Although I don't know what your relationship with Laurina is, you kept your Oath to her. This disappearance is inextricably linked to the Tower of Erudition. Since it involves her, it's better to tell you."

Lu Yuan remained silent for a while.

"What are the specific details?"

Raymond took a document from his pocket and handed it to Lu Yuan.

"Three people are missing, all of whom disappeared two nights ago."

Lu Yuan took the document and quickly browsed through it.

The first missing person, Allen Victor, the nineteen-year-old son of the Grand Merchants' Guild representative, was an Alchemy Department student at the Tower of Erudition.

The second missing person was Philip Ryan, the Baron's son, twenty years old, a History Department student at the Tower of Erudition.

The third missing person is Elina Sofia, the Viscount's daughter, eighteen years old, a Literature Department student at the Tower of Erudition.

All three were students of the Tower of Erudition.

Lu Yuan closed the file.

"Are they all studying at the Tower of Erudition?"

"Yes," Raymond nodded, "That's the most suspicious part."

"The experiment at the Tower of Erudition originally used students without any connections. Now, it's suddenly targeting children of noble families..."

"Either there's a problem with the experiment, and we need higher quality materials."

"Either someone is causing trouble."

He sneered:

"In either case, the nobles are restless. This time, they've taken the initiative to approach the Night Watcher."

Lu Yuan put the documents away.

What experiments does the Tower of Erudition use students for?

Raymond looked out the window and remained silent for a few seconds.

"The Empire is searching for a lost art of knowledge," he said, his voice low, as if recounting a secret. "Coincidentally, someone has just discovered something that allows one to step into the Sea of Knowledge and retrieve that knowledge from within."

Lu Yuan frowned.

Sea of Knowledge.

He had a vague recollection of it; the Mo Shui seemed to have some connection to that place.