Lu Yuan opened his eyes.
A sliver of gray-white morning light spilled in through the window, outlining the copper doorframe. No footsteps came from the corridor; the Branch's morning shift had probably already left.
It was rare for him to get such a good night's sleep. Judging by the light outside, it was already late.
At the edge of his vision, Gray-White Text flickered.
[Sanity: +12...110/140]
It would soon be full. That was good news, at least.
Lu Yuan did not hurry to get up. He lay there and shifted into inner sight.
The Key floated behind the insect's body. Its dim luster was slightly brighter than last night, slowly recovering. As long as it could recover, that was enough. At least it meant the thing was not single-use.
The Worm of Knowledge curled up in the deepest part of his left eye. It was more relaxed than yesterday, no longer curled into a ball.
It was still rather large, but the swollen pain in his eye socket had faded. Its flowing colors had recovered seventy to eighty percent, and its Speed was close to normal.
What worried Lu Yuan slightly was that there were more bloodstains on the Worm of Knowledge.
There had originally been only a single thread of crimson on its surface. Now several more had appeared, creeping along its body. Quite a few new ones had grown in as well.
Yet the worm seemed to be doing fairly well. Its response through the Symbiotic Link was much clearer than last night.
It was just sleepy.
Extremely sleepy.
Lu Yuan gently stirred the Symbiotic Link and sent over a brief thought.
The worm replied.
It was hard to describe—a jumble of sensations flooded over him. Drowsiness made up most of it, mixed with a trace of impatient