Lu Yuan

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Lu Yuan (陆渊)
Alias(es)	Scholar; Scholar No. 7; Captain Lu
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Night Watch; Forbidden Society
Occupation/Role	Night Watch Captain; former Night Watch consultant
Status	Active
First Appearance	1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Forbidden Studies class; Deep Study	21	Chose the Hall of Scholars—the broadest and most dangerous knowledge path—and received the class and skill from its shadowy inhabitant.
Forbidden Studies — Seeker	93	Gained progress after observing the Legion Secret Art, Holy Armor Condensation.
Defense I	105 201	Learned the meditation technique Defense from Guide to the Knowledge Path; cultivated it gradually, gaining roughly 0.3 progress per day.
Defense Technique II	261	Advanced from Defense I after sustained cultivation and Sanity-based visualization practice.
Tier 2 Knowledge Transcendent	302	Identified by Klaus after Lu Yuan survived a confrontation with the Tier 4 Alienated Transcendent, Nine.
Scholar	384	Officially inducted into the Forbidden Society under the codename “Scholar,” serial number seven.
Forbidden Studies advancement beyond Seeker	474 477	Forbidden Studies reached 100/100 during the confrontation with the Crown of Ten Thousand Kings; Lu Yuan confirmed the advancement and endured the resulting forbidden pressure with his Sanity Barriers.
Tier 3 Knowledge Transcendent	520	Reached the Third Order by the time he traveled north toward Snow Owl City and the Knight Academy.

Background / History

Lu Yuan was an ore hunter before transmigrating into an unfamiliar world. He arrived at the former home of Doctor Laisen in Grim Port, discovered that Laisen had succumbed to the Strange Dream and transformed into a human-faced fish, and adopted the identity of Laisen's friend to survive. 1 4 5

Lu Yuan initially sought only to survive in a world threatened by monsters. Hans and Mary recruited him as a Night Watch consultant by offering protection, pay, and access to the Transcendence Path. 16

At the Hall of Knowledge, Lu Yuan rejected narrower specialist paths and entered the Hall of Scholars despite its reputation as the most dangerous path. Its shadowy guardian granted him Forbidden Studies and Deep Study, warning him not to return lightly. 21

While stationed around Grim Port, he pursued knowledge aggressively, trading an Eastern antique ink block to Book Spirit Mo Shui for texts on Sanity barriers and deep-sea creatures. Mo Shui also warned him that someone with an abnormal aura had examined his employment file. 33

Lu Yuan was afflicted with the Strange Dream, which repeatedly damaged his Sanity and Rational Barrier after he witnessed a ritual involving gray-robed people and a colossal deep-sea creature. With Ink's assistance, he confessed his condition to Old Morgan and accepted the Night Watch's help. 55 56 58

Following transfer opportunities away from Grim Port, Lu Yuan survived an ordeal in the desert and Sandworm Town, where Herman and Karl sheltered him while he recovered from severe burns and low Sanity. He later aided Pathfinder leader Morris and received access to Pathfinder resources. 116 122 134

In Bronze City, Lu Yuan worked with the Night Watch Logistics Department, investigated disappearances tied to the Tower of Erudition, and became increasingly entangled in forbidden knowledge, the Sea of Knowledge, the Grey Covenant, and the Person on the Wall. 139 159 161 328

Following the Grey Covenant conflict, Lu Yuan became a Night Watch captain and continued to lead missions while recovering from the damage sustained against Nine. 279 301

During the later Bronze City crisis, Lu Yuan confronted the Crown of Ten Thousand Kings through the Sea of Knowledge, revisited the Hall of Knowledge, and advanced his Forbidden Studies. His actions helped preserve Bronze City and alter the course of its fate. 465 474 477 501

After the crisis, Lu Yuan fulfilled his promise to Agnes by providing a Forbidden Society badge and a damaged Shell to aid her entry into the Sea of Knowledge. He subsequently set out with the Blue Knight toward Snow Owl City and the Knight Academy. 505 518 520

Appearance

Lu Yuan is described as a young Easterner with black hair, black eyes, a slender build, and a somewhat pale complexion. His left eye houses the Worm of Knowledge, which can visibly move and communicate through their symbiotic connection. 5 301 442 522

• His left hand was severely burned after the events preceding his arrival at Sandstone Post. 116
• He often carries a personal tool pouch for potions, ammunition, research materials, and artifacts. 201 383
• The Worm of Knowledge resides deep within his left eye. 301
• He wears a specially acquired Transcendent garment that can move and reshape itself according to his thoughts after its Second Spirit Awakening. 527 529

Personality

Lu Yuan is pragmatic, cautious, and strongly motivated by survival. He avoids unnecessary risks, but repeatedly accepts dangerous paths when knowledge, protection, or a solution to an immediate threat demands it. 16 21 178

He is observant and difficult to manipulate. During investigations, he probes others for information while withholding his own suspicions, particularly regarding Morris, the Sea of Knowledge, and the Person on the Wall. 122 161 173 347

Despite his guarded nature, Lu Yuan forms attachments and acts protectively toward his allies. He checks on Laurina during the Tower of Erudition crisis, risks entering Leike’s consciousness to save him, and declines Isabella’s recruitment offer out of loyalty to Bronze City and its people. 140 326 401

Lu Yuan has become increasingly empathetic toward those harmed by the Empire's pursuit of knowledge. He reflects on the sacrificed Tower of Erudition students, assists Agnes without demanding an explanation for her goal, and remains concerned for Bronze City's survivors after its disaster. 501 505

He is also a responsible leader. After maintaining the Rational Barrier during the Sea of Knowledge incident, he ordered exhausted Night Watchers to suspend missions and prioritize their Sanity recovery, while offering to share his cultivation insights with them. 279 280

Abilities & Skills

Gray-White Text

Lu Yuan receives system-like prompts that record experience gains, Sanity changes, observed powers, and skill progress. 93 163 201

• Identifies traits and weaknesses of observed abilities, such as Holy Armor Condensation. 93
• Tracks experience in skills including Forbidden Studies, Defense, medicine, language, music theory, and inscription studies. 201 251
• Provides information during crises when Lu Yuan is too impaired to participate directly. 299
• Can identify targets, abnormal environmental auras, and conditions such as contamination or consciousness trauma. 252 295 498
• Its translation function lets Lu Yuan comprehend languages and scripts that he would otherwise be unable to read. 17 508

Forbidden Studies

Lu Yuan’s knowledge path centers on studying dangerous, broad, and forbidden subjects. 21

• Granted alongside the Deep Study skill in the Hall of Scholars. 21
• Progresses through observation and exposure to extraordinary phenomena. 93 301
• Reached the threshold associated with becoming a Scholar, giving him greater ability to contend with powerful Transcendents. 301
• Reached 100/100 as a Seeker amid the clash with the Crown of Ten Thousand Kings and completed a further advancement. 474 477
• His Hall of Knowledge records contain traces of the multiple taboo existences he has encountered, including the deep-sea being, Bronze City's flesh, the Mist Traveler, and the Crown of Ten Thousand Kings. 474

Deep Study

Deep Study is Lu Yuan's core Forbidden Studies skill, obtained from the Hall of Scholars. 21

• Allows him to perceive a target's deeper traits and reorganize what he learns into unique knowledge. 21
• Enables him to perceive residual knowledge auras and the colors associated with extraordinary traces. 160
• Can reconstruct distorted, incomplete afterimages of past events at the cost of Sanity. 162
• Has allowed him to obtain knowledge entries, including the basic Path of the Knowledge Insect. 226

Defense Technique

A meditation and Sanity-management technique learned from Guide to the Knowledge Path. 105

• Improves his perception of the “river” of Sanity. 170
• Can restore and stabilize his mental state through cultivation. 107 261
• Can temporarily sacrifice 20 points of Sanity Cap to forcibly anchor his Sanity and gain 50 Sanity. 278
• The temporary use reduced his Sanity Cap from 140 to 120. 278

Sanity Barriers

Lu Yuan has developed unusually powerful Sanity barriers through study, cultivation, and repeated exposure to forbidden phenomena. 33 350

• Initially unlocked Primary Sanity Barrier after studying the structure of Sanity barriers. 33
• Maintained the Rational Barrier with the Night Watch while the transformed Tower of Erudition students entered the Sea of Knowledge. 272
• Restored three Sanity Barriers following the recovery of his Sanity; they deflected much of the pressure produced by his Forbidden Studies advancement. 477
• His Sanity output has been described by other Night Watchers as comparable to several ordinary Transcendents working together. 280

Sea of Knowledge Connection

Lu Yuan can access or be affected by the Sea of Knowledge through related artifacts and the Key. 161 278

• Entered the Sea of Knowledge through a damaged seashell and saw a distant city and Heaven-Reaching Gate. 161
• Possesses a Key that prevented a powerful entity from probing his consciousness. 278
• His connection makes him a target of entities interested in the Key and other things attached to him. 328
• Can draw upon a limited portion of the Sea of Knowledge's Authority, though doing so rapidly consumes Sanity. 465
• Used the Sea of Knowledge's power to resist the Crown of Ten Thousand Kings during the Bronze City crisis. 474

Worm of Knowledge

The Worm of Knowledge, also called the Knowledge Insect, is Lu Yuan’s symbiote and resides in his left eye. 278 301

• Detects abnormal fluctuations in knowledge density. 248
• Feeds on knowledge and returns experience to Lu Yuan after digestion. 301
• Enabled Lu Yuan to enter Leike’s consciousness. 326
• Awakened and fed upon dense Eerie Inscriptions. 442
• Assisted Lu Yuan in breaking through a flesh barrier and accessing the knowledge behind it. 469
• Its mutation enabled Lu Yuan to perceive the Drowner after it moved from his shadow onto his left leg. 383

Inscription Studies

Lu Yuan studies inscriptions, ultimately choosing Weird Inscription Studies as his direction. 247

• Identifies and learns symbols from inscription materials, gaining experience at the cost of Sanity. 248 251
• Inscribed Weird Inscription patterns onto Ghoul Brain Cores and linked them together. 260
• Learned from Duo Hawke, who supplied a basic Weird Inscription Symbol Table. 247
• Demonstrates exceptional resistance to Eerie Inscriptions in the passage beneath the Copper Wall. 442
• His aura was considered unusually complex, allowing him to match four possible inscription directions: Weapon, Large-scale, Ancient, and Weird Inscription Studies. 232 233

Time Bestower

A dangerous Transcendent pocket watch also known as the Death Clock or Time Giver. 40 134

• Accelerates Lu Yuan’s physical abilities. 40
• Rapidly consumes Sanity when actively used. 40
• Can be kept in a standby state without consuming Sanity. 134
• Merged into Lu Yuan’s body, leaving a faint warmth in his chest. 139
• Was interfered with by an unidentified young man during the Grey Covenant conflict. 337

Authority

Lu Yuan possesses an Authority linked to taboo entities and hidden essences. 352

• Allows him to perceive the world in colors corresponding to essences. 352
• Responded to the Skull and the Seed, revealing their true essences. 352
• Frightened the Drowner enough that it did not dare act against him directly. 383
• Can be replenished with knowledge drawn from the Sea of Knowledge, allowing Lu Yuan limited command over that sea's power. 465

Hidden Witness

Lu Yuan possesses a passive ability that prevents external forces from erasing or modifying his memories. 413

• Retained his memory after a forbidden existence erased the memories of everyone else present. 413
• This resistance has allowed him to recognize when reality or recollection has been altered around him. 413

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Time Bestower / Death Clock / Time Giver — Transcendent pocket watch that accelerates physical ability at a heavy Sanity cost. 40 134
• Pathfinder Advisor Badge — Grants access to Pathfinder facilities and resources. 134
• Sanity Ring — Left to Lu Yuan by Morris upon their parting. 135
• Sandworm Bone Flute — Learned from Karl; tied to Sandworms and music. 135
• Ancient music theory manual — Gift from Herman. 135
• Sanity Potions — Includes perfect-quality Sanity Potions used to recover from severe depletion. 201 180
• Weird-Eater Potion — Carried among his supplies. 201
• Aberration Inhibitor — Perfect-quality potion prepared by Laurina. 159
• High-Efficiency Healing Potion — Perfect-quality potion prepared by Laurina. 159
• Customized firearm, Flame — Large-caliber firearm ordered with Weird-restraint effects and a chain enchantment effect. 246 301
• Gold-Plated Enchanted Bullets — Ammunition with Holy Light Cauterization against Weird entities. 246
• Copper Whistle — Used to summon Duo Hawke and later issued for emergencies. 247 260
• Holy Light Stone — A stone given by Margaret that turns red in the presence of pollution or Eerie entities. 383
• Forbidden Society badge — Bears his codename, Scholar; Lu Yuan later gave it to Agnes alongside a damaged Shell to assist her journey into the Sea of Knowledge. 384 505
• Transcendent garment — A 300-point garment whose consciousness Lu Yuan subdued through the Second Spirit Awakening ritual; it can reshape and move like an additional limb. 526 527 529

Relationships

• Old Morgan — Night Watch superior and protector who warned Lu Yuan about the Time Bestower and offered him a transfer to Bronze City. He also helped address Lu Yuan's Strange Dream after chastising him for concealing it. 40 56 107
• Ink — An ally who resided in Mina's Black Notebook. She assisted Lu Yuan during the worsening Strange Dream and gave him Guide to the Knowledge Path before departing. 55 56 105
• Mo Shui — Book Spirit curator; exchanged books and information with Lu Yuan, later received a letter asking her to look after Mina and Brent. Mo Shui ultimately remembered Lu Yuan despite Grim Port's disappearance. 33 313 509
• Morris / Andre Morris — Pathfinder leader and Knowledge Path Transcendent whose assistance and guidance Lu Yuan treats with suspicion; Lu Yuan eventually joined Morris’s organization for knowledge and protection. 122 173 178
• Herman — Merchant who sheltered Lu Yuan after his injuries and later gave him an ancient music theory manual. 116 135
• Karl — Herman’s grandson; taught Lu Yuan the Sandworm Bone Flute and gave him dried Sandworm at their farewell. 135
• Laurina — Alchemy student and ally; Lu Yuan investigated the Tower of Erudition partly to confirm her safety, while she later supplied him with potions and aided emergency preparations. 140 159 180
• Raymond — Night Watch captain and investigation partner in the Tower of Erudition disappearance cases. 159 161 169
• Margaret — Logistics supervisor who approved of Lu Yuan’s medical work and collaborated with him on medicine compounding. She repeatedly treated and examined him following severe Sanity loss. 139 248 383
• Bolen — Tier 3 Knowledge Extraordinary and inscription specialist; Lu Yuan experiments with inscription-linked Ghoul Brain Cores alongside him. 260 282
• Leike — Ally whose consciousness Lu Yuan entered through the Worm of Knowledge in an attempt to save him from the Person on the Wall. Lu Yuan later helped save his life during the Bronze City crisis. 301 326 501
• Boer — Fellow Night Watcher and trusted subordinate who cared for Lu Yuan after the Grey Covenant conflict and later accompanied him on missions. 301 304
• Klaus — Deputy Chief who entrusted Lu Yuan with missions and recognized his combat capability. 169 302
• Duo Hawke — Mentor in Weird Inscription Studies who provided Lu Yuan with a basic symbol table. 247
• The Person on the Wall — Powerful entity interested in Lu Yuan and the Key; its rules prevent Lu Yuan and Leike from speaking certain details of their encounters. 328 347
• A.M. — The Forbidden Society member who formally inducted Lu Yuan under the codename Scholar and serial number seven. 384
• The Guardian / J — A powerful guardian connected to the Workshop Ruins and Tower of Erudition. He transformed into an Eerie taboo and offered himself for Lu Yuan to witness during the Bronze City crisis. 337 469
• Agnes — Church nun and ally who examined Lu Yuan's mental state. Lu Yuan later gave her a badge and damaged Shell to honor his promise to help her enter the Sea of Knowledge. 201 505
• The Old Dean — Former Tower of Erudition figure whose disillusionment with the Empire's sacrifice of children resonated with Lu Yuan. 505
• Hope — An entity with whom Lu Yuan communicated after the Bronze City crisis; Hope restored his Sanity and saved Leike's life. 501
• Blue Knight — Knight Academy-affiliated Transcendent who traversed the Eerie Inscription passage with Lu Yuan and later traveled with him toward Snow Owl City and the Knight Academy. 442 518 520
• Captain Norbert — Captain of the Snow Owl City Night Watcher Branch who recognized Lu Yuan's reputation, assisted his purchases, and arranged his Second Spirit Awakening. 522 526 527
• Oden — A consciousness able to communicate with Lu Yuan. Oden has expressed familiarity with alchemy and the Sea of Knowledge, though his will remains unstable. 529
• Isabella — Oak Forest City figure who attempted to recruit Lu Yuan; he refused her offer and remained loyal to Bronze City. 401

Story Role / Major Arcs

Hall of Knowledge

Lu Yuan enters the Hall of Knowledge and chooses Forbidden Studies in the Hall of Scholars, beginning his pursuit of dangerous knowledge rather than a specialized path. 21

Grim Port and the Strange Dream

He acquires the Time Bestower, explores the Strange Dream, finds the stranded warship Iron Whale, and becomes aware that someone is investigating his background. 33 40

As the Strange Dream worsens, Lu Yuan witnesses a gray-robed ritual in the dream, suffers further damage to his Sanity and Rational Barrier, and finally seeks Old Morgan's help with Ink's encouragement. 55 56

Sandworm Town

After waking injured near Sandworm Town, Lu Yuan recovers under Herman’s care, cooperates with Morris’s Pathfinder unit, gains Pathfinder access, and learns the Sandworm Bone Flute from Karl. 116 122 134 135

Tower of Erudition Investigations

Lu Yuan investigates disappearances and Black Shadow attacks around the Tower of Erudition, uncovers a door to the Sea of Knowledge, and learns that students have been used in experiments to recover lost knowledge. 139 159 161

Bronze City Anomalies

He becomes involved in conflicts surrounding the Copper Pillar, the Grey Covenant, Nine, and the entity behind the copper wall. His Worm of Knowledge digests material from Nine, substantially advancing his Sanity IV and Forbidden Studies. 218 299 301

Person on the Wall

Lu Yuan enters Leike’s consciousness to rescue him from the Person on the Wall, encounters the entity in the Gray Mist, and discovers that a rule erases certain details when he tries to speak them aloud. 326 327 328

Forbidden Society

A.M. formally inducts Lu Yuan into the Forbidden Society, assigning him the codename Scholar and serial number seven. 384

Eerie Inscription Passage

Lu Yuan traverses an overwhelming Eerie Inscription-covered passage with the Blue Knight, showing resistance exceptional even compared with stronger Transcendents. The Worm of Knowledge awakens and feeds on the inscriptions. 442

Crown of Ten Thousand Kings and Bronze City Crisis

Lu Yuan draws on the Sea of Knowledge to oppose the Crown of Ten Thousand Kings and the Starry Sky Flesh. During the conflict, he returns to the Hall of Knowledge, completes the advancement of his Forbidden Studies, and withstands the resulting pressure through his restored Sanity Barriers. 465 474 477

Following the crisis, Lu Yuan's actions contribute to Bronze City's survival and alter the original timeline. His Sanity fully recovers after communicating with Hope, while Leike survives and begins recovering. 501

Promise to Agnes

After reflecting on the Tower of Erudition's sacrifices with the Old Dean, Lu Yuan honors his promise to Agnes by supplying her with a Forbidden Society badge and a damaged Shell for her intended journey into the Sea of Knowledge. 505

Journey to Snow Owl City

Lu Yuan travels north with the Blue Knight toward the Knight Academy. Upon arriving in Snow Owl City, he is recognized by his portrait at the Night Watcher Branch because of his use of the Night Watcher's Pledge, obtains resources for his training, and completes the Second Spirit Awakening of his Transcendent garment. 520 522 526 527

Trivia

• Lu Yuan’s Forbidden Studies progress was initially described as dormant before it reacted to his observation of Holy Armor Condensation. 93
• He keeps a Notebook recording people and events connected to his investigations, including Morris, the missing noble youths, and the Black Robe. 170
• He can no longer speak certain details about the Person on the Wall’s deal and prophecy; the information is erased from his speech as he tries to say it. 328
• Lu Yuan's portrait and personal information were circulated to major Night Watcher Branches after he used the Night Watcher's Pledge. 522
• His Hidden Witness ability allowed him to retain memories that a forbidden existence erased from his companions. 413