Invitation

The door opened.

It was unlocked and made no sound.

The smell of dust, mixed with the scent of old paper and Mo Shui, hit me.

It smelled much stronger than the faint scent of ink I could detect outside.

Lu Yuan stood at the doorway, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness inside.

The bookstore is much larger inside than it appears from the outside.

Two rows of wooden bookshelves stretched from the entrance to the back wall, filled with books.

Most of them are old editions of imperial literature collections, occasionally interspersed with a few travelogues and ship history records.

The aisles between the bookshelves are narrow, allowing only one person to pass sideways.

Lu Yuan did not rush inside.

His gaze first swept over the inside of the door frame.

The wood was old, but the door hinges had been freshly oiled.

Now look at the ground.

The dust was so evenly distributed, almost too evenly distributed, as if it had been deliberately spread to cover up the original traces.

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

[Environmental monitoring: Several faint traces of knowledge were detected... Exploration is recommended]

"Multiple?"

Lu Yuan was visibly taken aback.

"Is this really a Rejection Point? Isn't that a bit too arrogant?"

Lu Yuan placed his right hand close to the revolver at his Revolver, slowed his steps, and walked along the passageway.

The books on the bookshelf were neatly arranged.

As Lu Yuan passed by a row of bookshelves, his fingertips inadvertently brushed against the spines of a few books.

It has a smooth texture and is free of dust.

These books were never opened, but they were never left for long either.

This is not a bookstore that is temporarily closed.

This place was only recently set up.

At the end of the corridor was an old wooden table with a burning oil lamp on it.

The light was very dim, just enough to illuminate a small area around the table.

A person was sitting in the chair behind the table.

A young man, around twenty-five or twenty-six years old.

A long, dark gray coat with dark green satin trim on the cuffs.

Her hair was neatly combed, with a few stray strands falling across her forehead.

His left hand rested on an open book, while his right hand held a cup of tea.

His posture was very relaxed.

He didn't speak immediately when he saw Lu Yuan enter.

She simply raised her head and looked at him with a somewhat curious gaze.

Lu Yuan was also looking at him.

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

[Detection Target:? (Knowledge Transcendent)]

[Status: Beyond comprehension...]

Beyond comprehension?

Lu Yuan's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

The last time I received this notification was from Guardian, and the prefix was "unknown," indicating that I had indeed not been in contact with any of his related factions.

His fingers twitched slightly at his waist, then released.

Faced with such a disparity, drawing a gun is pointless.

The young man seemed to notice his subtle movement, and the corner of his mouth twitched very slightly.

"Please sit down."

The voice was very calm, like inviting an old friend.

He pointed to an old wooden stool across the table.

Lu Yuan did not sit down immediately.

His gaze fell on the open book on the table.

It was an old edition of "North Sea Nautical Records," opened to page seventy-three.

There is a passage of text on the page that has been lightly drawn with a pencil, describing the sea area near the Abyss Rift.

It has the same place of origin as the seashell on the Viscount's Residence.

It was deliberately opened.

It was shown to him.

Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze and walked over to sit down.

The two were separated by a table and a lamp.

The edge of the lamplight drew a line between light and shadow on their faces.

There was a few seconds of silence.

Lu Yuan spoke first.

"André Morris."

The young man raised an eyebrow.

"A pseudonym," Lu Yuan said calmly, "But you've used it more than once. Aren't you afraid of being traced?"

"It's not that I'm not afraid," the young man said, picking up his teacup and taking a sip. "It's that there's no need to be afraid."

He put down his teacup, his gaze becoming more serious.

"You arrived faster than I expected."

"The letter is sent to the branch office. Aren't you worried it will be torn up and treated as waste paper?" Lu Yuan asked, looking at the man in front of him.

"Only those who have seen colors can understand those words," the young man said calmly. "Others will just find them baffling."

He paused, then added:

"And you were there."

Lu Yuan did not respond.

Lu Yuan had already witnessed the effects of his Deep Study.

An air of ignorance lingered on the man.

It's very light.

But it does exist.

No, it's not residue, but color left after being integrated into the bones and blood for a long time.

This person has not only "touched" the Sea of Knowledge.

He spent a long time associating with that Taboo.

[Forbidden Studies - Seeker: +0.1...0.2/100]

Lu Yuan suppressed the turmoil in his heart, his expression remaining unchanged.

"The Ruined House from last night," Lu Yuan continued, "the Ascension Society and the man in black robes. Were you also present?"

The young man tapped his fingers lightly on the rim of the teacup.

"Just observing."

"You're looking at me."

"I'm watching everyone," the young man smiled slightly, "Except you're much more interesting than the others."

He leaned back, the chair back creaking slightly.

"To be honest, I never expected to find someone like you in the Night Watcher's Watch."

"What's the meaning?"

The young man did not answer directly.

He took something out of the inside pocket of his coat and gently placed it on the table.

It's a badge.

It is round, made of metal, and about the same size as the Night Watcher medal.

The image above is of an open seashell.

The inside of the seashell is engraved with fine lines that shimmer faintly under the light.

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

[Detection Target: Badge made of special material]

[Embedded by an extremely faint aura of the Sea of Knowledge]

Lu Yuan looked at the badge but didn't reach for it.

"Invitation," the young man said.

"Join what?"

"Something you'll encounter sooner or later."

The young man spoke casually, but his gaze never left Lu Yuan's eyes.

That look was neither a threat nor a test.

It is, rather, an assessment.

Lu Yuan disliked that kind of gaze.

"You know me very well?" Lu Yuan's eyes remained calm.

"Not much." The young man shook his head. "All I know is that you're First Order, and you've taken a very unorthodox path, allowing you to see things that ordinary Transcendence can't."

He paused.

"And you used the Night Watcher's promise to save Laurina Caster."

He said this without any change in his tone.

Lu Yuan caught the tone in his voice.

No longer important.

Laurina is no longer important to them.

It wasn't the Night Watcher's promise that stopped them.

It's not because they no longer need her.

Lu Yuan did not press further.

But he remembered that.

"What do you want me to answer?" Lu Yuan asked.

The young man smiled.

No need to answer today.

He stood up and straightened his coat.

"Here's the badge. Once you've figured it out, just go to any place with a wavy logo and take it out."

He walked around the table and passed by Lu Yuan.

The footsteps were light and steady.

He took two steps, then suddenly stopped.

"Oh, right."

He didn't turn around.

"When that seashell on you was activated the night before last, the entire city's sealing patterns trembled."

Lu Yuan's back stiffened slightly.

Be more careful next time.

The young man's tone was as if he were reminding a student who had accidentally spilled Mo Shui, carrying a hint of condescension and casualness.

"I'm not the only one in this city who can feel that kind of fluctuation."