Negotiation and a Letter

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the crystal, followed by a soft chuckle.

"Mr. Morgan, wasn't everything agreed upon at the meeting? We've provided the ships and our labor, what more do you need?"

Old Morgan didn't reply, but simply flicked his cigarette ash and looked at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan understood and remained silent.

The silence lasted for a few seconds.

Old Morgan then slowly began to speak:

Where's the blood?

The breathing on the other end of the crystal paused for a moment.

It was very short, but Lu Yuan caught it.

Silence.

A long time.

"How did you know?"

"That's not important." Old Morgan held a cigarette between his fingers, his eyes slightly narrowed. "The important thing is, since it wasn't part of the plan, it's ours."

"Of course, you can try to steal it too."

Silence fell again on the other end of the crystal.

Lu Yuan could sense that the other party was weighing the pros and cons.

The Ascension Society didn't want to make this a public issue, and even less did they want to break ties with the Night Watcher at this time.

A moment later, the voice from the other end of the crystal rang out again, this time with a slightly gentler tone:

"The blood must be taken away, including Marcus's. We just received news that he is badly injured."

Secondly...

The other person paused.

"You can participate in this project and share the results. But you'll have to contribute manpower."

Old Morgan sneered and flicked his cigarette ash into the ashtray.

"A stranger?"

"We Night Watcher have always been at the forefront. Don't tell me you Ascension Society don't know what's going on?"

"We don't have anyone."

"Then we can only provide some information."

"No."

Old Morgan leaned forward, stubbed out his cigarette, and his voice suddenly turned cold.

"At least let me know what you're doing."

"Do you know where this is? Grim Port. Imperial territory."

"Your Ascension Society Blasphemy of that existence. If anything goes wrong, not only will Headquarters be notified, but those people in the shadows will definitely report it to the core of the empire immediately."

"Not only will Headquarters be punished, but you'll also have to atone with your death."

Old Morgan spoke in a calm tone, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, but every word was like a knife.

"You should know the current state of the Empire. Daring to provoke those beings is tantamount to courting death."

"So I need an explanation."

"Otherwise, the Night Watcher has the right to arrest you all on charges of threatening the security of the Empire."

"Of course, you can also resist."

He paused for a moment, a cold smile creeping onto his lips.

"But you'd better think carefully about the consequences."

Complete silence fell over the other end of the crystal.

Lu Yuan looked at Old Morgan, secretly surprised.

This seemingly harsh and stingy old man was a completely different person at the negotiating table.

The silence lasted for a long time.

Finally, a sigh came from the other end of the crystal.

"... We haven't provoked any Taboo."

"That heart hasn't reached that level yet, and it's still sealed."

"The person can stay with you for now, and we can discuss the details after the fighting outside ends."

Old Morgan leaned back in his chair, lit another cigarette, and said calmly:

"OK."

Communication lost.

The blue light dissipated, and the conference room fell silent again.

Old Morgan exhaled a puff of smoke, his face showing no trace of smugness, but rather an even more solemn expression.

"These guys are definitely doing some shady experiments."

He leaned back in his chair, his cloudy eyes narrowed, as if talking to himself.

"We've been infiltrated by the Deep Sea Church to the point of being riddled with holes, the Viscount in the inner city are wary of us, and we have no idea what the Ascension Society up to..."

Old Morgan gave a wry smile and flicked his cigarette ash.

"I'm really not doing a good job as the captain of the Night Watcher."

Lu Yuan did not respond.

Old Morgan glanced at him and stood up.

"You were right before, the Ascension Society really did come to take them away."

Lu Yuan nodded slightly, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest of his chair. "They don't want to escalate the situation."

"That's why they're easy to handle." Old Morgan held a cigarette between his fingers. "But that's all. None of the Ascension Society are easy to deal with."

As soon as the words were spoken, the crystal lit up again.

This time it's the church.

How is Father Philip doing?

Old Morgan glanced at Lu Yuan, signaling for Lu Yuan to answer.

Lu Yuan sat up straight and said, "My Holy Power is exhausted; I need to rest."

"Yes, protect him well, we'll send someone to meet him."

Communication lost.

As he spoke, Old Morgan pulled an envelope from a drawer and handed it to Lu Yuan.

Someone delivered it yesterday; they specifically asked for it to be given to you.

He leaned back in his chair and exhaled a puff of smoke.

The messenger said the writer hadn't come.

Lu Yuan took the envelope and saw the familiar handwriting on the cover.

Lausen.

He opened the envelope and took out the letter inside.

The handwriting was somewhat messy, as if it had been written in a hurry, and the ink had blurred in some places, as if it had been soaked with water droplets.

Doctor Lu:

Seeing these words is like seeing the person in person.

I'd like to trouble you again with the matter I asked you to handle before.

My daughter, Laurina, is studying Alchemy at the Imperial Tower of Erudition. The bag of Gold Shield I gave you should be enough for her travel expenses. If it's convenient, could you go and see her for me and deliver this letter?

You are the only person I trust in Grim Port.

Tell her that her father is dead and that she should never come back.

Grim Port has been rather unsafe lately, and it's not safe for you to be here alone. Take advantage of the time you can still walk and leave soon. The Tower of Erudition has a nice environment and is suitable for research.

Oh, by the way, I saw that doctor again a few days ago. I didn't expect to run into him again. What a small world!

I'll stop here.

Be careful on the road.

--Lausen "

Lu Yuan looked at the letter, his brows furrowing slightly.

On the surface, this is just an ordinary letter of entrustment.

But there's something strange about his words. The explanation was already very clear last time, so why is he emphasizing it again?

And...

"Let's set off as soon as we can still walk."

"The bag of Gold Shield I gave you before should be enough for your travel expenses."

Was Lausen trying to get rid of him?

Besides...

That doctor.

Lu Yuan remembered this person.

When Lausen first examined him, Lausen mentioned him, the doctor who advised him to stay away from the seaside and leave Grim Port.

Lu Yuan didn't pay attention at the time.

But now, Lausen specifically mentioned it in the letter...

"I never expected to run into him again."

This statement doesn't seem like a simple expression of emotion at all.

More like a... hint?

Lu Yuan folded the letter and put it in his pocket.

Lausen.

That greedy, snobbish landlord who, at the last minute, chose to issue a warning.

He remembered Lausen saying during their last meeting that "there will be big moves in the next few days."

At that time, Lausen had already become a prospective priest of the Deep Sea Church.

Judging by the timeline, Lausen has most likely already embraced that underwater city, and may never see it again in his lifetime.

But why would he resort to such a roundabout method, desperately trying to give himself a warning?

"Someone you know?" Old Morgan asked, his expression obscured by the swirling smoke.

"That previous landlord, Lausen," Lu Yuan said calmly, putting the letter away. "was also a priest of the Deep Sea Church."