The night wind blew in from the side, carrying the distinctive scent of copper rust unique to Bronze City.
The three of them followed the route marked by streetlights toward the inner city.
Lu Yuan walked in front, Leike followed two steps behind, and Bolen brought up the rear with his cane.
The streets were quieter than expected.
After the Ghoul incident, nighttime freight transport in Bronze City had nearly come to a halt.
The small merchant caravans that used to run orders under cover of darkness now refused to leave unless they had finished their routes during the day. Occasionally, one or two groups of residents could be seen hurrying along beneath the lamps with their necks hunched, their steps as quick as if they were fleeing something.
In the distance, a Night Watcher Patrol passed through the intersection across from them. Three people carrying Marching Lamps walked by, and one of them glanced at Lu Yuan. He probably recognized the Night Watcher uniform and did not come over to question them, simply continuing onward.
The newly repaired Gas Lamps were lit one after another, their orange pools of light casting irregular boundaries of brightness and shadow across the stone slab road.
Some of the lampshades had recently been replaced. Their reflections were noticeably brighter than those of the old lamps, making them somewhat glaring in the night.
Lu Yuan looked up at the sky.
Above the Tower of Erudition, that long river of shifting dreamlike colors was still flowing slowly, like an inverted Milky Way.
Several indescribable colors surged in alternation, stretching from the Tower of Erudition's spire all the way to the far end of the horizon.
Apparently, the Tower of Erudition might still have further Fishing Plans.
Lu Yuan did not look any longer.
"Which way?"