Clue from Mo Shui

After the "surgery" in the clinic ended, Lu Yuan did not rush to rest.

Lausen's mutation was only the beginning.

Since the "Strange Dream" had begun accelerating its erosion of reality, he had to gain more bargaining chips as quickly as possible.

That afternoon, shortly after Lausen left, Lu Yuan changed into a clean black trench coat and brought along that expensive box of [Antique Eastern Ink Block].

He headed to Old John's Tavern not far away.

After passing through layer upon layer of inspections, Lu Yuan placed his badge into the lion's mouth. The Metal Gate slowly opened.

The Library remained deathly silent, its ghastly pale light casting a lonely chill.

"Who is it? Wasn't there no borrowing notice today?"

A lazy, somewhat impatient voice came from the ceiling.

Lu Yuan looked up and saw a pitch-black shadow hanging upside down from the chandelier, like a bat at rest.

Looking closely, Lu Yuan recognized it as the Book Spirit, Mo Shui.

"It's me. The thing I promised you before."

Without wasting words, Lu Yuan pulled the exquisite red brocade box from his coat and gently opened it.

A rich, distinctive fragrance of ink instantly spread through the air.

This was not the cheap alchemical ink from the Supply Office, but a genuine antique ink block from the East, aged for decades.

"Gulp—"

An exceedingly obvious swallowing sound came from the ceiling.

The next second, the black shadow that had been acting aloof abruptly dripped down from the chandelier and pounced directly onto the table before Lu Yuan.

At that moment, Mo Shui was like a little dog, madly wagging its nonexistent tail at the brocade box.

Lu Yuan could not help finding the sight amusing.

Did a Supernatural Creature serving as the librarian of the Night Watcher Library really receive such poor treatment?

Lu Yuan pushed the brocade box over.

"Wahoo!"

Mo Shui cheered, and its entire shadowy body instantly expanded. Like a huge mouth, it swallowed the ink block whole.

Amid a teeth-grating series of crunches, the runes on Mo Shui's body pulsed with rhythmic radiance.

Only after chewing up the ink block in its mouth did Mo Shui realize that Lu Yuan was staring straight at it.

Mo Shui immediately felt a little awkward. It pretended to cough before speaking.

"Wait, don't tell me you're asking me for a favor..."

Lu Yuan smiled faintly and said slowly, "I need advanced books on mental defense and the Deep Sea Creature Guide. The more detailed, the better."

Lu Yuan had long thought through these requests.

Mental defense, in particular, was something Lu Yuan had been considering.

From what he had experienced during this time, whether it was the [Deep-Sea Kin], Brent's mutated uncle, or the Aggregate in the sewers—

They all shared one trait: looking directly at them would subject one's sanity to a violent shock! (Mental strength was sanity; from here on, it would be collectively referred to as sanity.)

And from the conversation between Old Morgan and Hans, Lu Yuan knew that apart from Knowledge Transcendents, the sanity values of other Transcendence Paths would not be very high.

That made Lu Yuan suddenly realize: how could they face the Eerie with such low sanity without losing control?

There was only one answer—they all had ways to improve their sanity.

Lu Yuan knew he most likely could not obtain alchemical items that improved sanity. When he had visited the supply exchange, there had been plenty of Alchemy Weapons, but he had not seen a single sanity-related alchemical item.

So there was most likely a method to improve one's sanity resilience that he did not know about.

As for the Deep Sea, that was even simpler. Most of what Grim Port was currently facing was connected to the Deep Sea. Knowing more could only help.

"Burp—"

Mo Shui let out a black burp, rolled its beady eyes upward, and shot Lu Yuan a disdainful look.

"I knew it. Night Watchers are never any good..."

Mo Shui muttered as it drew the ink block Lu Yuan had given it closer to its chest.

Although this was against the rules, one's mouth went soft after eating another's food. Mo Shui still opened its mouth and spat out two hefty books stained with black slime.

Basic Structure of Sanity Barrier

Deep Sea Creature Guide: From Egg to Adult

"The knowledge contained in these two books is just right for someone like you, who has only just embarked on the Knowledge Transcendent path!"

"Remember, there won't be a next time! Just leave them there after you finish reading."

As Mo Shui spoke, it flapped its little wings and dragged the red box away, disappearing who knew where.

Lu Yuan did not mind. This administrator, Mo Shui, was clearly a tsundere little thing—sharp-tongued but soft-hearted.

"Very interesting."

Lu Yuan picked up the book, found a chair beside a Bookshelf, and began reading Basic Structure of Sanity Barrier.

"Sanity is an indispensable resource for humanity when facing the true nature of the world, yet the strength of one's sanity is tied to one's innate nature. In order to seek a means of improving sanity, I propose..."

As Lu Yuan read deeper.

Gray-white words began to flicker across his retina.

[Your understanding of sanity has become more comprehensive. You have gained new knowledge. Forbidden Studies—Seeker: +1.]

[Analyzing Sanity Barrier Construction Method... You have preliminarily grasped the use of sanity. New skill unlocked: Primary Sanity Barrier (1/3)]

Just as Lu Yuan immersed himself in absorbing knowledge, Mo Shui emerged from somewhere and said casually, "Oh, right. Here's a free piece of information for you."

"A few days ago, someone carrying the 'Stinky Fish Smell' came to the Archive Room to look through files."

Mo Shui spoke in a disgusted tone. "Though he wore very strong perfume, I could smell it. There was an abnormal aura coming off him."

"But everything he did was within the rules, so I ignored him."

Lu Yuan's hand, which had been turning the pages, abruptly froze. "Who did he look up?"

"A lot of people. You included, of course."

Mo Shui extended a black tentacle and drew a circle on the table. "He looked through your employment file and marked quite a few names."

Lu Yuan's pupils suddenly contracted.

Someone had their eyes on him?

In the report, Lu Yuan had deliberately had his name hidden. Even his contributions had been converted into points, all to lower his profile.

Before joining, he had nominally been brought in through Conscription, and there were many people brought in under that designation.

Lu Yuan was only one of them. The people recruited by the Night Watchers were a mix of truth and falsehood, meant precisely to serve as protection.

But clearly, that person's rank was very high. He had bypassed the report entirely and investigated Lu Yuan's background.

Lu Yuan thanked Mo Shui.

He suppressed the unease in his heart and decided not to sit still and wait for death.

"Mo Shui, put this book away for now. I'll continue reading it when I come back next time."

Mo Shui sighed helplessly, nodded perfunctorily, then swallowed the book in one bite.

After leaving the Library, Lu Yuan did not depart directly. Instead, he turned and headed for the Supply Management Office.

The base's main hall looked empty, permeated by an air of grim austerity.