Runes and Note

Lu Yuan closed the book and looked downstairs.

Laurina was tidying up the utensils at her workbench, occasionally glancing at the clock on the wall.

Then, the noise downstairs stopped.

"Time is up."

Lu Yuan hurried downstairs.

On the workbench, the solution in the glass beaker had turned a deep, stable amber color.

The liquid surface was calm, with a very thin layer of oily sheen on it.

Laurina lifted the glass cover and took a closer look.

"Now you can try it."

As she spoke, Laurina took out a glass dropper and a set of small measuring cups from the drawer and lined them up on the counter.

Then he looked at Lu Yuan.

"Badge."

Lu Yuan took out a bronze badge from his pocket and placed it in the center of the workbench.

Laurina did not rush to make a move.

She first turned the badge over and ran her fingers along the slit to confirm its position.

Then turn it back to the front and find the area with the densest pattern on the clock face.

"The trigger point should be here." Her fingertip pointed to the upper center of the dial, "The point where the three main lines converge."

Her thinking was clear: the badge was made with technology from over a decade ago, an unfinished version, and wouldn't be very sophisticated.

All you have to do is guess.

The acid concentration and catalyst ratio were tested one group at a time, with only one variable changed each time.

The first three drops had no effect.

The copper-colored surface didn't even lose its luster.

Laurina stopped and stared at the surface of the badge for two seconds.

"The concentration direction is correct. The ratio needs to be adjusted."

The fourth drop. At the intersection of the lines, a wisp of extremely thin white smoke rose, almost invisible, but it was definitely rising.

Laurina's eyes narrowed slightly.

"We're on the right track."

Without hesitation, she added more acidic solvent to increase the concentration.

The fifth drop. The white smoke thickened slightly, and a faint warmth emanated from the copper-colored surface.

Then.

"Click."

A very soft sound came from inside the badge.

A small crack appeared on the back of the slit, but it didn't open completely; it was stuck there, as if the internal mechanism had only moved halfway and then stopped.

Laurina frowned slightly.

"Almost. The catalyst is still not enough."

She was silent for a few seconds, her gaze sweeping across the workbench.

Then I took the bottle of Hemlock Extract from the corner, used a dropper to draw a very small amount, and added it to the measuring cup.

"The synergistic effect of hemlock and Silverleaf Powder should be able to make up for this difference."

Mix well.

The sixth drop.

The moment it landed, a flash of white smoke appeared at the intersection of the patterns and then disappeared.

Immediately afterwards.

The crack opened silently.

Like an old wound being slowly torn open, expanding from the middle to both sides, the entire gap is fully opened.

It was quiet at the workbench.

Lu Yuan stared at the crack.

A very faint aura emanated from within.

It was an aura of knowledge that only he could sense.

Extremely faint.

It's like the last trace remaining after being sealed away for more than a decade.

Even his newly acquired abilities could not be triggered.

"It's open."

Laurina took a pair of extremely fine tweezers from the drawer.

"I'll do it."

The tip of the tweezers probed into the crevice and carefully pried open the interlayer.

The mezzanine space was smaller than I had imagined. There was only one thing inside.

A sheet of metal foil, as thin as paper.

Laurina used tweezers to hold the edge, gently pulled it out, and laid it flat on a clean white cloth on the workbench.

The foil is a similar color to the badge itself, but lighter, and has a matte finish that doesn't reflect light under an oil lamp, as if it had been deliberately treated.

Two things are etched on it.

On the left, a set of numbers, arranged in a clear manner, represents the Imperial Standard Surveying Coordinates.

Six sets of numbers, arranged in two rows, accurate to two decimal places.

On the right, a symbol.

The same wavy pattern, three concentric circles of wavy lines radiating outwards, with a small dot in the center.

Lu Yuan looked at the symbol, took out the seashell badge that Morris had given him from his pocket, and placed it next to the foil.

Two wavy symbols are placed side by side.

The differences are obvious.

The ripples on the AM coin are more exquisite, with even and smooth lines. The spacing between the three concentric ripples is strictly equal, a testament to the skill of a professional craftsman.

The foil, on the other hand, has lines of varying thickness and uneven spacing, with some areas even showing scratches from the etching process, making it rougher and more primitive.

It resembles an earlier version of the same pattern, but the core elements are completely identical.

Lu Yuan put the seashell badge back into his pocket.

Laurina tilted her head when she saw this.

"The etching technique is subpar," she judged directly. "It's not the work of a professional alchemist. The control of line depth is poor, there are burrs at the corners, and the acid etching time is uneven. It looks like someone used something to trace it."

"Can you recognize the coordinates?" Lu Yuan asked.

Laurina frowned slightly, looked at it for a few seconds, and then shook her head.

"It's not near Bronze City; the numerical range is too far off."

Lu Yuan wrote down the coordinates one by one in his Notebook.

A coordinate pointing to an unknown location, a symbol associated with a mysterious organization.

It was sealed inside the badge compartment carried by the traitor of the Ascension Society.

Grego is a core member of the Ascension Society, but what he possesses points in a different direction.

This is the limit. Anything beyond that is just speculation and pointless.

Lu Yuan carefully tucked the foil between the blank pages of the Notebook and closed it.

Laurina has already started tidying up her workbench.

Halfway through washing, she casually asked a question.

"Will this be useful for your investigation?"

"It's not certain yet," Lu Yuan said.

"Be careful, I might have to leave here in a while," Laurina said, looking at Lu Yuan.

"The Night Watcher sent someone to tell me that they can't guarantee my safety in Bronze City right now. I'll be leaving once the people from Headquarters arrive."

"When?" Lu Yuan asked after a brief silence.

"I don't know, but it will take some time. If you encounter any danger, you can come with me."

Lu Yuan looked at Laurina's serious face, smiled, and finally nodded.

"If there's any real danger, I'll definitely run faster than you."

Laurina rolled her eyes at Lu Yuan and didn't say anything more.

Putting aside his teasing mood, Lu Yuan looked at the Notebook in his hand. The gains were small, but better than nothing.

Lu Yuan helped her wash the last few dishes and dried her hands.

"Tomorrow I'll try making a new batch of potion using Sandworm blood." Laurina draped a rag over the sink. "If you have time, help me process those Sandworm skins. Make sure to scrape off the scales first, otherwise it's unusable."

"OK."

Lu Yuan went upstairs.

The lights were turned off, leaving only a small oil lamp on.

No defensive practice tonight. I have enough sanity, no rush to exploit it.

Lying in bed, I stared at the faint light emanating from the bronze runes on the ceiling.

I went through today's events in my mind.

Coordinates. Ripples. Metal Memory Material. And that wisp of knowledge that only he could sense.

At that moment, Lu Yuan seemed to suddenly understand the role AM played in Bronze City.

"Never mind, it's not important..."

"Tomorrow, go to the Archive Room to compare those coordinates."

Lu Yuan turned over and glanced at the window as usual.

The light from the oil lamp shone from behind, casting his reflection in the windowpane.

His gaze lingered for a moment on the edge of the reflection.

That layer is still there.

There was no significant change compared to last night; it neither worsened nor subsided.

It quietly enveloped the outline of the shadow, a thin layer, as if it had grown onto it.

The Gray-White Text still didn't appear.

Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze.

It's been three days, and he still can't explain what it is.

But one thing is certain: this is not a hallucination.

Make a note of this.

Lu Yuan extinguished the oil lamp.