Reverse Contamination

Afternoon.

Sunlight shone on the copper surface around the cave entrance, reflecting a somewhat dazzling light.

Bolen squatted about forty meters from the cave entrance, his right hand pressed against the surface of a Copper Plate, his left hand resting on a cane.

Kael squatted down beside him, holding a small notebook and a charcoal pencil, taking notes as needed.

Lu Yuan brought two Night Watcher to maintain order on the outer perimeter.

The area in front of the cave entrance was very quiet.

This is always the case during the day.

Bolen's hand moved slowly across the surface of the Copper Plate.

He would stop every so often, tap the Copper Plate.

"Lift this piece up."

Kael took a flat chisel from his Toolbox and pried along the edge of the Copper Plate a few times.

The Copper Plate loosened, revealing a layer of compacted soil underneath and Copper Pipe embedded in the soil, slightly thicker than a finger, with fine engravings on its surface.

Bolen bent down to look.

I watched for about half a minute.

Then he straightened up and looked around.

"Lift up two more pieces. The one on the left, and the third one from the front."

Kael did as instructed.

After the three Copper Plate were lifted, three Conduction Network were revealed on the ground.

Lu Yuan noticed that Bolen's expression had changed.

The old man was the kind of person who gets excited whenever he sees Inscription, his eyes shining and his fingers gesturing incessantly.

But now he squats next to the second Copper Plate, motionless.

"What's wrong?" Lu Yuan walked over.

Bolen did not answer immediately.

He pointed with his finger to the layer of soil that lay beneath the Copper Plate.

Look at this.

Lu Yuan squatted down.

The soil has been turned over.

It's not natural settlement and compaction; it's the mark of something being dug up and backfilled.

The backfill was looser than the surrounding soil and its color was slightly different; the freshly turned soil was darker in color.

When was it?

Bolen picked up a small piece of soil and rubbed it between his fingertips.

"Hard to say, but it won't be long." He flicked away the dirt and debris.

"This looseness... a few months? Half a year? It definitely wasn't left over from when it was first laid."

Is there anything else you can glean from this?

"No." Bolen stood up and walked to the other two uncovered Copper Plate.

Check them one by one.

Two of the three locations showed similar signs of soil disturbance.

Bolen's brow furrowed more and more deeply.

"Someone recently lifted these Copper Plate, disturbed the underlying Conduction Network, and then put them back on."

He glanced at Lu Yuan.

"It's not repair. Repair would leave traces of welding and grinding, which are absent here. It's more like... inspection."

Lu Yuan remained silent.

The gray-white text danced quietly at the edge of my field of vision.

[Current Status of Bronze City: +1...4/50]

Bolen didn't care what Lu Yuan was thinking. He was already lying on the ground, his face almost pressed against the surface of the Copper Pipe that Conduction Network.

"The light." He reached out to Kael.

Kael handed over a small copper Handheld Lantern containing Alchemical Phosphorescent Liquid.

The pale blue light shone on the Copper Pipe, making the surface texture very clear.

Bolen stared at it for a long time.

Then he took out a small knife and gently scraped a section of the Copper Pipe that had already broken off.

What was scraped off wasn't copper shavings.

It was a layer of dark powder.

Lu Yuan leaned closer to take a look.

The cross-section of the Copper Pipe has two colors.

The outer layer is a normal copper color, which darkens slightly after oxidation.

However, there was a ring of dark brown corrosion marks on the inside of the Copper Pipe, as if something had burned it from the inside.

"We're in trouble," Bolen's voice lowered.

"The corrosion is in the wrong direction."

"What's the meaning?"

"Normal metal corrosion occurs from the outside in. The outer layer comes into contact with substances in the air and soil first, so the outer layer is the first to show signs of corrosion." Bolen pointed to the cross-section of the Copper Pipe with a knife.

"But the inner wall of this pipe is far more corroded than the outer wall; in some places it has been corroded through, while the outer wall is still intact."

Bolen straightened up and walked to the second and third segments of the meridians, examining them one by one.

All three sections showed the same severe corrosion on their inner walls.

Lu Yuan looked at those cross-sections.

The Conduction Network is the conduit that transports the power of the Wall Runes from the inner city to various parts of the Outer City.

The power flows through the pipe.

If the pipe corrodes from the inside out...

"The problem lies at the source," Lu Yuan said.

Bolen nodded.

"The things that flowed in were not clean to begin with."

His tone changed from excited to serious.

"The Wall Runes are still glowing, though they're getting dimmer each day, indicating that the power is still being output. But right now, the power being output is corroding its own channels." Bolen paused slightly.

"Copper, silver, and gold are considered the three greatest enemies of the uncanny. I've worked with this for decades, and I've never seen anything like it—something that can flow inside copper and even corrode its structure."

Lu Yuan did not respond.

He thought of the Copper Pillar he had seen at the bottom of the Abyss.

Bolen had also gone down into the cave, touched the Copper Pillar with his own hands, and knew that those huge bronze structures extended from the cliff face and plunged into the Abyss.

But Bolen didn't know that the Copper Pillar pointed towards the inner city.

They had no idea what that meant.

Lu Yuan didn't believe the Night Watcher were unaware, so he didn't plan to tell anyone else for the time being.

Especially that old guy, Bolen.

Lu Yuan had a premonition that as soon as he finished speaking, the old man would immediately find an excuse to slip away.

"I can fix this pipe," Bolen said, tapping the Copper Pipe.

"The cross-sectional treatment, which involves Purification the surface of the corrosion, presents no technical problems."

"But if the power of bronze has truly been Contamination, even if I finish repairing it, it won't last long."

Should it still be repaired?

Bolen stood up, leaning on his cane, his knee creaking.

"Build."

Lu Yuan looked in the direction of the cave entrance.

"Tell me what you need."

Bolen nodded and squatted down again.

Bolen moved the entire Toolbox next to the first break.

Kael opened the box, and there were more things inside than Lu Yuan had expected.

Copper bristle brushes, needle-like objects of various diameters.

A row of sealed Copper Pipe, several bottles of dark liquid, and a complete set of carving knives.

From the thickest to the finest needle, there were more than a dozen, inserted into a leather knife roll.

Bolen squatted in front of the broken surface and first used a copper bristle brush to clean about a palm's width from each side of the cross-section.

Then he closed his eyes.

Place both hands flat on the cross-section of the Copper Pipe.

After a while, a very faint bluish-white light began to emanate from the tips of Bolen's fingers.

The faint light spread from the fingertips to the palm, then seeped into the surface of the Copper Pipe where the fingers touched.

The areas on the inner wall of the Copper Pipe that were covered with dark brown corrosion began to react.

The inner wall is covered with a dense array of patterns.

Bolen's fingers hovered above those lines.

No contact was made.

His pupils gleamed with a blue light.

It resonates with the subtle light at your fingertips.

"Kael, remember." Bolen's expression changed; he was no longer the muttering old man he had been before.

"In the first section, the remaining Inscription the inner wall is about 60% clear. The style is consistent with the end of the city wall on the ground, but the engraving depth is increased by two to three times. The base texture is still present and can be used as Anchor Point."

Kael's pen flew across the paper.

Bolen pulled a medium-sized carving knife from the scroll.

The tip of the knife hovered less than one millimeter above the inner wall of the Copper Pipe.

He didn't make the cut immediately.

Instead, he used his left index finger to tap a spot on the inner wall that Lu Yuan couldn't discern as anything special.

The faint blue-white light at my fingertips lingered for a moment at that spot.

A very subtle vibration came from deep inside the Copper Pipe.

It was as if something had been awakened.

Centered on that point, a ring of patterns that Lu Yuan couldn't understand at all emerged from inside the Copper Wall.

The lines are thinner than a human hair, intertwined and coiled, taking on a dark gold hue under the bluish-white light.

Bolen stared at the patterns for about five seconds.

Then the carving knife fell.

Precisely cut into the break in one of the lines.

The sound of the knife tip scraping against the Copper Wall was almost inaudible.

But with each cut, the dark gold patterns shone a little brighter.

Bolen's breathing became rapid, as if he were expending a great deal of energy.

The carving knife in his hand moved extremely fast.

But there was a very brief pause between each cut.

He paused for a moment to re-perceive the direction of the patterns before making his next cut.

Lu Yuan stood to the side, watching without moving.

He couldn't understand the patterns.

The gray and white text offered no further explanation.

But he could tell what Bolen was doing.

He was reconnecting the invisible network of Inscription inside the Copper Pipe, one by one.

Each time a line is connected, the surface of the Copper Pipe heats up slightly.

A faint light spread outwards from the break.

A break in the wall.

It took Bolen almost forty minutes.

When he finished, he straightened up, put the carving knife back into the scabbard, and the bluish-white light on his fingers slowly faded.

The blue in his pupils faded as well.

The old man's face was covered in sweat.

At the same time, the gray and white text flickered at the edge of my field of vision.

[You observed the repair and diagnosis process of the Inscription's conductive structure...]

[Unlock new knowledge.]

[Inscription Studies (Basic): +0.1...0.1/10]

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow upon seeing this; it was indeed possible.

"Next," Bolen said to Kael.

Kael had moved the Toolbox next to the second break.

Throughout the afternoon, Bolen repeated this process three times.

There are three breaks.

A total of approximately forty meters of Conduction Network were connected.

By the time he finished the third part, Bolen's hands were trembling slightly.

[Inscription Studies (Basic): +0.1...+0.1...0.6/10]

"Alright." He patted the mud off his knees. "The pipes here aren't integrated with the runes on the city walls; there are obvious flaws in the workmanship in several places."

"But it's thanks to this that we could have finished today. We'll see how it goes after dark."

"When the Wall Runes light up, the power is automatically transferred," Kael added.

"If it's connected, the surface of this section of the Copper Plate should show a faint glow."

"That is, if the Wall Runes still light up tonight," Bolen muttered.

The sun hadn't set yet.

Lu Yuan led Bolen back to the Alchemy Workshop.

Glock is on the first floor.

"What did they find out?" Glock, somewhat puzzled by Bolen's condition.

Bolen leaned against the wall, saying nothing.

Lu Yuan spoke for him.

Two things.

"First, someone recently removed the Copper Plate in the North Textile District, disturbed the underlying Conduction Network, and then covered it back up, sometime within the last few months to half a year."

Glock's eyes narrowed slightly.

I will investigate.

"The second item."

"The Copper Pipe that Conduction Network have more severe corrosion on the inner wall than on the outer wall."

Glock wasn't Inscriptionist, but he understood the keywords.

"Rotten from the inside?"

"Yes," Lu Yuan said.

"The substance that flowed through itself had a problem, but I don't know exactly what it was."

Glock followed and looked at Bolen.

Are you sure?

After a brief silence, Bolen finally nodded.

"I've been working with Copper Pipe for decades and I've never seen anything like it. There's only one explanation: the force being transmitted itself is corrosive."

Glock rested his hands on the map table and looked down at it for a while.

"This situation needs to be reported to the branch." He looked up.

"Damn it, when did so many things start happening in Bronze City!"

Glock thought for a moment, then asked.

"Bolen," he called out. "Could you determine the trend of Contamination changes in the section you repaired?"

"Yes." Bolen's voice was a little hoarse.

"The rate and depth of pipe wall corrosion vary in tandem with the degree of Contamination at the source. I only need to check it every few hours."

"Okay." Glock straightened up.

"I'm going straight into the city later. None of you are allowed to tell anyone that someone touched the Copper Plate."

He glanced at Lu Yuan and Bolen.

"I'll handle things at the branch office, but until things are cleared up, this matter stays at the Alchemy Workshop."

Neither Lu Yuan nor Bolen had any objections.

Glock turned and went upstairs to write his report.

It got dark.

The fifth night.

The Wall Runes lit up.

It's even darker than last night.

Lu Yuan stood at the front of the new position, with the compressed Defense Line behind him.

The area in front of the cave entrance was pitch black.

At the edge of my field of vision, the gray and white text lay quietly.

[Environmental Perception: Very few Source of Pollution detected...]

This is the fifth night.

The Ghoul still haven't come.

Lu Yuan did not relax.

He was waiting for the response from that Conduction Network.

Back at the Alchemy Workshop, Bolen did not return either.

The old man, wrapped in an old coat, squatted down next to the Copper Plate he had repaired that afternoon, his hands pressed against the ground.

Kael squatted down beside him, holding Handheld Lantern at his feet.

Then--

"Lu Yuan!"

Bolen's voice came from behind.

It's not big, but it's urgent.

Lu Yuan gestured for Boer to focus on the front, then quickly walked over.

Bolen's hand was still on the Copper Plate.

His face appeared very white in the pale blue light of the Handheld Lantern.

"Look."

Lu Yuan lowered his head.

Textures appeared on the surface of the Copper Plate.

The Conduction Network that Bolen repaired in the afternoon were indeed unblocked.

The faint glow of the Inscription patterns began to appear on the surface of the Copper Plate.

But the color is wrong.

Normal rune light should be a deep blue.

The light emanating from the Copper Plate before me had a grayish-green tint.

The gray-green light slowly spread along the Inscription patterns, flowing from the direction near the cave entrance towards the position.

"Wrong direction." Bolen's voice was strained.

"The direction of the Wall Runes is from the inner city to the Outer City. But this light is traveling upwards from the direction of the cave entrance."

"From underground."

Bolen nodded.

"The pathways are bidirectional; something is flowing backwards at the other end."

At the edge of my field of vision, grayish-white text jumped out.

[Environmental Perception: Unknown Source of Pollution detected... Recommendation to maintain distance...]

"Can we sever this connection?" Lu Yuan asked immediately.

"If we don't cut it off, the underground Contamination will seep to the surface through the pipes," Bolen said quickly.

"If this stuff can Contamination bronze with Inscription, it can certainly Contamination Inscription ground."