Viscount's Residence

"Students are the best candidates," Raymond continued. "They're young, have strong willpower, and are more likely to get into that place... Plus, they have no connections, so no one will hold them accountable if they die."

He paused, his tone turning cold:

"The price is death."

Of those who venture into the Sea of Knowledge, less than one in a hundred returns alive.

"Those missing students of the Tower of Erudition ultimately ended up as empty shells, Knowledge Erosion."

Lu Yuan remained silent for a while.

The experiment at the Tower of Erudition used students without any special background.

Now, it is the sons of nobles who have gone missing.

Moreover, it seems that the people of the Tower of Erudition have completely given up on taking action against Laurina after Laurina became their contractor.

"Why Bronze City?" Lu Yuan asked.

Raymond looked out the window.

The carriage was traveling on the streets of the Outer City, with low buildings and sparse pedestrians on both sides.

"Bronze City is the city on the western frontier of the Empire," he said, "So it was only natural that it became the location for this experiment."

He sneered:

"Because even if something happens here, it won't matter."

"The patterns on the Bronze City can suppress most strange phenomena."

Is it ridiculous?

"Letting students venture into the Sea of Knowledge, while risking lives to retrieve those ephemeral things..."

Some people are hollowed out from the core.

Lu Yuan did not respond.

He could hear the anger and helplessness in Raymond's words.

But this is something he can't change right now.

"What's the squad configuration?" Lu Yuan asked.

"I'm the captain," Raymond said. "There are four other full members."

"You are the team advisor and have combat authorization."

He glanced at Lu Yuan:

"The mission objective is simple: investigate the disappearances and find the mastermind behind them. If possible, rescue the missing persons."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of meaning:

"Besides, noble families have many fine things. This is a rare opportunity for someone like you who pursues a Knowledge Path."

"Books, manuscripts, collectibles... some of these things you simply can't find anywhere else."

Lu Yuan's heart stirred.

Collections in aristocratic households.

If it contains anything related to bizarre knowledge, it would be very helpful for his advancement in Forbidden Studies.

After all, it had been a while since I had gained any experience in Forbidden Studies.

The scenery outside the window gradually changed.

Low-rise buildings have been replaced by tall walls, and the streets have become wide and clean.

Inner city.

Sunlight shone on the white stone walls, and neatly trimmed green plants lined both sides of the street. Occasionally, a horse-drawn carriage would pass by, its body adorned with an ornate family crest.

Everything seemed peaceful and abundant.

"Arrive."

Raymond's voice rang out.

The carriage slowly came to a stop.

Lu Yuan pushed open the carriage door and jumped down.

Before me stood a magnificent mansion.

The main building is three stories high, with white exterior walls, exquisite reliefs, and two carved stone pillars standing at the entrance.

Several servants stood anxiously at the door, and immediately came forward when they saw the carriage stop.

"Night Watcher, you've finally arrived!"

The head of the household was an elderly butler with gray hair and red eyes, as if he hadn't slept well for several days.

Raymond got off the carriage and nodded.

"Lead the way."

The butler quickly turned around and led them toward the mansion gate.

Lu Yuan followed behind, his gaze sweeping over the family crest on the lintel.

A silver eagle with outstretched wings carries an olive branch in its beak.

The emblem of the Sofia Family.

The Viscount's Residence.

The investigation begins here.

The gates of the Viscount's Residence slowly closed behind them.

Lu Yuan followed the butler through the front hall and into the main house.

Unlike the streets of the Outer City, every inch of the ground here is paved with marble, the walls are adorned with oil paintings framed in gold, and a life-size statue of a knight stands at the end of the corridor.

The air was filled with the faint scent of some kind of spice.

The butler walked ahead, his pace quick, as if eager to get them to their destination.

A young maid emerged from the side corridor, carrying a tea tray.

The moment she saw Lu Yuan and Raymond, she visibly paused, a hint of unease flashing across her face.

But she quickly lowered her head and hurriedly walked around it.

Lu Yuan noticed her reaction but said nothing.

"Miss's room is on the second floor, and it hasn't been touched since the day she disappeared," the butler said in a slightly hoarse voice. "The master ordered that no one is allowed to enter."

"Until the Night Watcher comes."

Raymond followed behind, his tone flat. "Lead the way."

The butler nodded and led them up the stairs.

Just as I reached the corner on the second floor, a figure appeared at the end of the corridor.

He was a man in his fifties, overweight, wearing an elegant velvet coat, and leaning on a silver-inlaid cane.

His gaze passed over the butler and landed on Lu Yuan and Raymond, his brows furrowing.

Just the two of you?

His tone carried a clear sense of dissatisfaction.

"I submitted a formal request to the Night Watcher Branch, and they only sent two people?"

Raymond stopped in his tracks, his expression calm.

"Viscount Excellency," he nodded slightly in greeting, "The others are investigating the other two scenes; we're in charge here."

"The other two crime scenes?" The Viscount scoffed. "My daughter's case, being handled together with others?"

"Three disappearances on the same day suggest a possible connection," Raymond said, his tone unchanged. "A joint investigation is standard procedure."

The Viscount's face darkened.

I don't care about standard procedures.

He took a few steps forward, his cane tapping the floor with a dull thud.

"My daughter has been missing for three days. Three days! What are you Night Watcher doing?"

Raymond didn't reply, but just watched him quietly.

The Viscount was enraged by that look.

"I'm reminding you, I have many friends in the Imperial Council. If this matter isn't handled properly..."

"Viscount."

Raymond interrupted him, his voice still calm, but with a hint of coldness.

You've come to the Night Watcher because you can't handle this yourself.

He paused.

"So either let us do the work, or we're leaving now."

"You can ask your friends in the Imperial Council for help."

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

The Viscount's face turned ashen, and his lips trembled as if he wanted to say something.

But in the end, he said nothing.

He glared at Raymond fiercely, then turned and walked down the other side of the corridor.

The footsteps faded into the distance.

The butler stood to the side, his face somewhat grim, but he remained silent.

Raymond looked away and turned to him.

"Lead the way."

The butler remained silent for a moment, then lowered his head.

"Plz follow me."

Elina's room is on the second floor, at the very back.

The door was locked.

The butler took out the Key, opened the door, and then stepped aside.

"The master said to let me know when the investigation is complete."

Raymond nodded and went into the room first.

Lu Yuan followed behind.

The room was quite large and tastefully decorated.

A soft carpet, an ornate bed frame, and a desk by the window with several books and an extinguished oil lamp on it.

The wardrobe door was ajar, and the clothes inside were neatly arranged.

The bed was made neatly, without any signs of being messy.

Everything is normal.

That's perfectly normal.

Lu Yuan stood in the center of the room, his gaze slowly sweeping over every corner.

Then he saw it.

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

[Environmental Monitoring: A faint trace of knowledge remains]

Lu Yuan's eyes darkened slightly.

He didn't speak, but instead observed the room more carefully.

Then he saw those "colors".

Colors that are invisible to the average person.

There was a faint stain on the carpet beside the bed.

The colors were strange; they weren't a single hue, but a mixture of light white, pale yellow, and a faint hint of blue.

It looked like colorful mist, or like the slime trail left by some creature that crawled over it.

The colors are slowly flowing.

It is not Immobilization, but directional.

They started from the bedside, spread along the carpet, past the desk, through the door, and drifted towards the front door.

As it moved, the colors gradually faded and thinned, as if they had been diluted by something.

By the time we reached the end of the corridor, it was almost invisible.

[Forbidden Studies - Seeker: +0.2...49.7/50]

Lu Yuan stared at the flowing traces and remained silent for a few seconds.

"She went out on her own."

Raymond turned to look at him.

Are you sure?

"Confirmed." Lu Yuan pointed to the spot beside the bed. "There are residual traces here, similar to those found on the students from the Tower of Erudition."

Lu Yuan paused for a moment, then continued.

She got out of bed, walked to the door, and went out. There was no struggle, no fight.

Raymond frowned.

"You can see these traces?"

"Yes, I chose a rather unconventional path to Transcendence, which allows me to see these things."

"I see, so she was being controlled?"

"It's hard to say." Lu Yuan shook his head. "She might have been influenced, or... she might have wanted to go herself."

Raymond remained silent for a moment.

"It matches the previous intelligence," he said in a low voice. "Some things can be confirmed."

He looked around the room, his gaze lingering on the desk for a moment.

"Any other discoveries?"

Lu Yuan walked to the desk and flipped through the books.

They were all ordinary books, nothing unusual.

But he noticed a card in the desk drawer.

It's an invitation.

It listed the date and location of a dinner party, and was signed by an unfamiliar name.

Lu Yuan handed the invitation to Raymond.

"This."

Raymond took the invitation and glanced at it.

"The dinner three days ago..." His eyes narrowed slightly, "... the night of the disappearance."

He carefully put the invitation away.

"Ask the housekeeper later to see who came that night."