Pathway Contamination: Blue Knight
The Lantern Knight bent down and stared intently at the pinhole-like crack inside the crystal for several breaths. After confirming that the test results were accurate, his brow, which had been furrowed for several days, finally relaxed, and he immediately made a decision:
"Excellent! The method you presented perfectly meets my requirements. It's not only simple to operate, but it can also directly screen out infected individuals still in the incubation period. I will immediately report this plan to the higher-ups at the Academy. Once it's approved, you will definitely receive a generous reward."
Upon hearing the words "generous reward," Lu Yuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that his plans for Knight Token to scoop up Dragonblood Resin and Frozen Blood Amber at the Abundance Tower were now complete.
The Lantern Knight carefully resealed the snowflake-shaped crystal back into the container and put it away. Suddenly, he changed the subject, looked up at Lu Yuan in front of him, and earnestly brought up the matter of the Blue Knight:
"There's one more thing. What you saw in that unknown world was correct. The Academy has verified the messages sent back from the Northern Territory. The Blue Knight did encounter danger while handing over refugees in the Northern Territory, but the Knight Academy sent people to meet and rescue them immediately. You don't need to worry."
After hearing the Lantern Knight's words, Lu Yuan calmly nodded and thanked him, but deep down he was still very worried.
But he also knew that with his current Third Order strength, even if he was jumping up and down in a panic, he couldn't help at all; being anxious was completely useless.
Moreover, after carefully considering it in his mind, he still had some confidence in the mark he had left in Brunkel's mind through the Sea of Knowledge in the Land of the Dead Silence —the statement that he had to send the Blue Knight back to the Knight Academy as soon as possible, regardless of whether the Blue Knight had been Contamination or not.
Furthermore, since the Knight Academy specifically sent people to provide assistance, surely the people dispatched from the North Campus to meet the Blue Knight couldn't be incompetent.
Moreover, it is said that the Blue Knight is accompanied by nuns from the church, who possess the church's Blessing and Holy Water. With so many layers of protection, Lu Yuan thought that the Blue Knight would most likely be able to hold out until he returned to the Knight Academy. No matter how anxious he was now, there was no use in doing so.
Just as the Lantern Knight finished comforting Lu Yuan, a series of hurried and chaotic footsteps suddenly came from the outer room of the Pharmacy Group. A knight from the Academy, sweating profusely, rushed to the archway and announced urgently:
"Lantern Knight! The Blue Knight and his party have just returned! But the Blue Knight's condition is extremely poor and critical. The String Knight urgently summon you to the Infirmary immediately to assist in his treatment!"
Upon hearing this sudden news, the Lantern Knight's expression changed drastically. He instinctively turned to look at Lu Yuan beside him. Without hesitation, Lu Yuan stepped forward and said in a deep voice:
"Lantern Knight, I'll go with you and see."
Frey, who was standing to the side, opened her mouth when she heard the commotion, but ultimately stopped and did not follow.
She knew very well that she was just a trainee in the Pharmacy Group who had not yet graduated. Even if she went to help treat the serious injury of a Fourth Order expert like the Blue Knight, she wouldn't be able to do much. Besides, she still needed to work on the follow-up details of the medicinal herbs and plague detection formula, so she voluntarily stayed behind in the Pharmacy Group.
The Lantern Knight gave Lu Yuan a deep look at his resolute attitude, said nothing to stop him, and didn't dare to waste a moment. He picked up the small lantern at his waist, took Lu Yuan and rushed out of the Pharmacy Group's office, hurrying towards the Infirmary near the Hanging Tower Potion Room, which was used to treat the seriously injured.
The two hurried through the Hanging Tower corridor. Before they even reached the Infirmary, Lu Yuan saw several tense Academy knights guarding the outside of the corridor. As soon as the heavy wooden door was pushed open by the Lantern Knight, a sense of oppression mixed with a strong smell of blood, high-level potions, and eerie, cold energy rushed towards them. The situation inside the room was clearly very strange.
The once spacious Infirmary was now filled with a number of people.
Besides the Lantern Knight and Lu Yuan who had just entered, the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander, Eli, the String Knight who had arrived earlier, as well as Brunkel who had just returned from the Snow Mountain of the Northern Territory, several accompanying nuns, and other knights from the Academy who had rushed over upon hearing the news were all present, filling the area around the sickbed.
Lu Yuan's gaze immediately swept over the figures who had just returned from the Northern Territory. The white robes of the accompanying nuns were already soaked with dried black blood, and their faces were as pale as paper, clearly indicating that they had suffered serious injuries.
Brunkel, leaning against the wall and gripping his longsword, was also covered in wounds, with blood seeping through the bandages under his armor. The Blue Knight, lying on the sickbed in the center of the Infirmary, was the most seriously injured, completely unconscious, his breathing barely perceptible.
Fortunately, when the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander received the message from the Academy and set off for the Snow Mountain to meet them, he carried with him a number of precious high-level healing and Sanity Potion. During the process of recuperation and rest on the way back to the North Campus of the Knight Academy, Brunkel and the nuns' physical condition had recovered considerably, and at least their lives and sanity had been stabilized.
The only, and most critical, problem right now is what to do with the Blue Knight, who is lying in bed.
Even from several steps away, Lu Yuan could clearly see a layer of gray shadow floating faintly beneath the Blue Knight's pale face, and an ominous, Mutation aura emanating from his entire body that made one's heart tremble, as if he were about to be completely swallowed up by the surging Contamination within his body at any moment!
All the Academy knights gathered in the Infirmary stared at the Blue Knight lying on the sickbed with his eyes closed, their faces filled with disbelief and astonishment.
No one could understand how the Blue Knight, who was always powerful and ranked among the top Fourth Order knights in the North Campus, could return in such a miserable state, on the verge of being Contamination and out of control, after going to the Northern Territory to carry out a mission to transfer refugees.
At this moment, the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander was standing inside the sickbed, with a withered hand suspended in mid-air. A continuous stream of light blue and pale purple starlight dripped from his palm, maintaining the Stellar Sealing Formation Patterns on the Blue Knight's body that barely held back the Contamination and stabilizing her injuries. He was temporarily unable to free his hand or leave.
The String Knight, who had arrived at the Infirmary before the Lantern Knight String Knight, had already begun the examination. The elderly knight, his hair and beard completely white, slowly withdrew his fingers from the Blue Knight's pulse and forehead. His wrinkled face was so grave it seemed almost tear-inducing. He sighed heavily and, before everyone else, made his statement:
"The Contamination within the Blue Knight is extremely deep, having already become entangled in her Pathway. There's simply no good way to eradicate it in the short term, and forcing it will only cause her to lose control and go berserk on the spot."