Eerie Transcendence Paths

Beneath Old John's Tavern lay another world unknown to the public.

Mary led Lu Yuan through a hidden door disguised as a massive oak barrel and down a rusted spiral iron staircase for what felt like ages.

The mingled scent of ale and tobacco gradually faded from the air, replaced by the musty smell of old paper.

The underground space of the base was far larger than Lu Yuan had imagined.

Looking up, he saw the ceiling covered in black rock. Thick metal pipes ran alongside it, spreading across the stone walls like blood vessels and occasionally emitting a low rumble.

Every few meters, explosion-proof lamps covered in wire mesh cast a deathly pale light, bleaching the long corridor white.

"Don't look around, and keep your hands to yourself."

Mary walked ahead, her high heels clicking crisply against the hollow iron grating beneath her feet.

"Anything locked up down here could kill you if it got loose. If you don't want to become part of those warning signs on the walls, you'd better keep your curiosity in check."

Lu Yuan followed behind, quietly lowering his gaze and only glancing at the tightly sealed heavy iron doors lining both sides of the corridor from the corners of his eyes.

Different-colored signs hung on those doors, marked with distorted skulls or symbols of unknown meaning.

[Environmental Perception: Extremely high concentration of anomalous biological traces]

[Warning: Sanity check in progress... Check successful. Condition stable.]

Lu Yuan quickly withdrew his gaze.

This was clearly the Core District where the Night Watchers detained or studied those "anomalies."

"The main hall is up ahead."

Mary pushed open a set of double iron doors at the end of the corridor, the metal hinges grinding with a teeth-aching screech.

It was an open space beneath an exceptionally high Dome.

A huge blackboard hung on the wall directly opposite the doors, plastered with densely packed commission notices.

Lu Yuan gave them a quick scan. Most were odd jobs like "sewer cleanup" and "investigating abnormal noises in a certain neighborhood," with rather meager pay.

Several Night Watchers in black trench coats stood around the blackboard, speaking in low voices with weary expressions.

When they saw Mary bring in an unfamiliar face, they merely gave him an indifferent glance. Their eyes held the numbness of people long accustomed to death. Then they turned away and paid him no further attention.

"You're logistics personnel. Jobs where people stake their heads on the line aren't for you."

Mary pointed to a room in the corner of the hall with a sign reading "Supply Management."

"You'll pick up your assignments there from now on. You can call the person inside Old Morgan."

Mary paused, turned around, and looked at Lu Yuan seriously.

"Remember: talk less, work more. Old Morgan is the only Transcendence in this base who has set foot on the Knowledge Path, and he's also the administrator here. Everyone who walks that path is a little... strange in the head."

Lu Yuan nodded.

In this world, knowledge often came with contamination. The more learned someone was, the closer they might be to madness.

He straightened his collar and pushed the door open.

The room was unnaturally quiet.

The four walls were lined with towering filing cabinets, all stuffed full of yellowed document folders.

An elderly man with graying hair and thick glasses sat behind a desk piled high with miscellaneous clutter.

He held a magnifying glass, his face nearly pressed against a black stone as though studying the patterns on its surface.

Hearing the door open, Old Morgan did not look up. His voice was hoarse.

"The new Doctor? The kid who fought Aberrants with a scalpel?"

"I'm Lu Yuan."

Lu Yuan stepped forward and stopped at a polite, safe distance.

Old Morgan finally set down the magnifying glass and slowly raised his head.

His eyes were incredibly cloudy, their pupils seemingly unfocused, as though he had spent too long staring at a point that did not exist.

Under that gaze, Lu Yuan even had the illusion that he had been placed on an autopsy table for examination.

"Since Mary brought you here, that means you chose the hardest road—the Knowledge Path."

Old Morgan pulled a slightly crumpled form from a drawer and pushed it toward Lu Yuan.

"Fill it out, then choose a specialization. You'd better choose one that suits you. Otherwise, death is the only outcome."

Lu Yuan picked up a pen and scanned the form. Several branches were listed on it:

[Pharmacology]: Focuses on medicine preparation, toxin analysis, and neutralization.

[Construction Studies]: Focuses on precision machinery, Alchemy Weapon crafting, and repair.

[Anatomy]: Focuses on biological structure analysis, weakness insight, and corpse handling.

[Occultism]: Focuses on researching the habits of Eerie creatures, tracing their origins, and interpreting Taboo knowledge.

"Young man, let me remind you of something."

Old Morgan suddenly spoke in an even tone. "Knowledge is the most sacred thing, but it also harbors the deepest darkness."

"Before you find your own 'path,' don't try to understand things you shouldn't understand."

He pointed at his cloudy eyes.

"I'm a repairman—that is, Construction Studies."

"So I can understand those complicated mechanical blueprints and repair damaged Alchemy Weapons."

"But I can't understand corpses, nor can I make sense of those madmen's ravings. So don't think about learning everything. Once you cross the line, your brain will become food for that knowledge."

"Believe me, that kind of death is worse than being chewed to pieces by the monsters outside."

Lu Yuan looked at the options on the form and did not hesitate for long.

His gaze ultimately settled on the final option—[Occultism].

This was the direction the Night Watchers called "the most difficult, with the highest mortality rate."

Because it required reading vast numbers of original records about Eerie beings and directly confronting indescribable accounts. Every study session was a test at the Edge of sanity.

But for Lu Yuan, this was exactly what he needed most.

Because his [Forbidden Studies-Peeper: 6.2/10] was only one step away from leveling up.

Moreover, the "translation" ability that had accompanied him through his transmigration allowed him to see information others could not. That alone was an enormous advantage.

If he did not choose this, it would be a colossal waste.

"I choose this." Lu Yuan picked up the pen and circled [Occultism].

Old Morgan froze for a moment, and a trace of surprise flashed through his cloudy eyes.

"Occultism? Are young people these days all in such a hurry to die?"

He shook his head, seemingly mocking Lu Yuan's ignorance, but he did not stop him.

He turned around, rummaged through the cabinet behind him for a while, then took out a small box wrapped in layers of Black Cloth and casually tossed it to Lu Yuan.

"Since you're looking to die, I'll grant your wish. This is your entrance test."

Lu Yuan caught the box. It was icy cold to the touch, carrying even a trace of bone-piercing chill.

"One month." Old Morgan picked up his magnifying glass again and stopped looking at him.

"Go to the Library downstairs and find out what creature this piece of flesh came from and what properties it has."

"If you can't find out, go back to being an ordinary Doctor. Don't waste time here."

Lu Yuan said nothing and merely lifted a corner of the Black Cloth.

Inside lay a piece of Dark Red tissue, resembling dried cured meat.

Yet its surface was covered in a thin layer of white frost that gave off a cold aura.

The instant his gaze touched it, familiar gray-white text appeared in Lu Yuan's vision:

[Witnessed Icefield Ghoul (juvenile) muscle tissue]

[Forbidden Studies-Peeper: +0.1]

That was... it?

Lu Yuan fought back the twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Before his cheat ability, this was far too easy. He did not even need to look through a single book.

But he could not show it, or he would have no way to explain himself.

"One month?" Lu Yuan covered the box with the Black Cloth again, putting on a solemn expression. "I'll do my best."

Old Morgan waved him away as though shooing off a fly that did not know its place.

"The Library is on the next level down."

"Remember, you can only stay for four hours a day."

"One minute more, and you might lose yourself in those words and turn into a drooling idiot."