Klaus spoke.
"The Grey Covenant's underground stronghold had Wooden Men performing a ritual around Seeds. After the battle, everything was confiscated. The Wooden Men and Seeds are currently at the branch."
The report was extremely brief, without elaborating on the whole sequence of events.
The Guardian did not ask further questions. The old man's hunched body sat upon a stone bench, pitch-black aura wrapped around him, and his clouded gaze remained fixed on the wooden construct kneeling on the ground.
Several Black Eyeballs within the aura tilted toward the Wooden Man, slowly turning as they stared at it for a while.
The fingers of his right hand, resting on the edge of the stone bench, twitched slightly.
The Clock Tower's ground floor remained silent for a long time. An eyeball occasionally surfaced from the pitch-black aura, then sank back down. Wind poured in through the half-open door, carrying the scent of soil and the tang of copper rust from the stone walls.
The Guardian spoke.
"How many?"
Klaus answered.
"Five. We brought them all back."
The Guardian did not speak immediately. The pitch-black aura slowly surged around him. His outstretched fingers withdrew and rested again on the edge of the stone bench. Lu Yuan could barely make out that subtle change, but the faint tension in the old man's body had indeed eased.
The Guardian lowered his head. His clouded gaze shifted away from the Wooden Man and toward the night beyond the door.
His hoarse voice sounded again.
"This thing is dangerous. It contains a power that even I fear."
He paused for several seconds.
"And it seems to be connected to another place."
Klaus frowned.
"How should we deal with it?"
The Guardian fell silent for a moment. All the Black Eyeballs in the pitch-black aura drooped and