Chapter Summaries

Lu Yuan delivered an old, unsigned letter to Laurina, who could not remember its writer but felt the letter was precious. After learning that students had gone missing and others were behaving strangely at the Tower of Erudition, Lu Yuan left and spotted a student suffering severe mental pollution.

• Laurina read the letter and, unable to remember who wrote it, thanked Lu Yuan and kept it safe.
• Laurina invited Lu Yuan to lunch in her private laboratory and told him she had completed her Alchemy Department courses and published new methods.
• Laurina told Lu Yuan that three Alchemy Department students had gone missing and that other students were staying awake late and seeking to change dormitories.
• Lu Yuan warned Laurina to be careful, then left the Tower of Erudition after deciding she was safe in her laboratory.
• Lu Yuan saw a student staring blankly from a Third Tower window and detected that the student's sanity was extremely low.

Lu Yuan was forced to join the Night Watchers’ urgent patrol after learning that a suspected murderer was behind the Tower of Erudition disappearance cases. He was assigned to Miller’s small group in the western dormitories, where the patrol began without incident.

• Lu Yuan tried to leave the Tower of Erudition, but an older Night Watcher requisitioned him for a patrol and told him a murderer had been discovered.
• Lu Yuan waited in the break room with other Night Watchers, checked his equipment, and took a Sanity Potion before nightfall.
• Hogger assembled the Night Watchers and assigned Lu Yuan to Miller’s group to patrol the western dormitories.
• Miller led Lu Yuan and three other Night Watchers into the western dormitory building.

During a patrol of the Tower of Erudition, Lu Yuan and the Night Watchers fought two missing students whose bodies had been infested with knowledge-born insects. Senior Night Watchers concealed the incident as part of a plan, and the chapter ended with Laurina knocking on Lu Yuan’s door.

• Miller led the Night Watchers through the dormitory floors while Lu Yuan detected signs of mental contamination on the eighth floor.
• Two bloodied students attacked the patrol, and Lu Yuan and Miller killed them, revealing swarms of insects inside their bodies.
• Lu Yuan found strange markings in one corpse’s skull and gained a small amount of Forbidden Studies—Seeker knowledge.
• A senior Night Watcher declared the students part of a plan, ordered the scene erased, and warned the patrol not to speak about it.
• After Hogger reported trouble in the East District and sent everyone to rest, Lu Yuan returned to his room and reloaded his revolver.
• Laurina knocked on Lu Yuan’s door as he was about to fall asleep.

Laurina sought refuge with Lu Yuan after witnessing worm-infested students and revealed that her mentor had continued a forbidden experiment using students as test subjects. Lu Yuan suspected the Night Watchers were deliberately spreading panic to flush out targets, and he sheltered Laurina through the night as a new day began.

• Laurina came to Lu Yuan’s room in fear and told him that she had seen Night Watchers chasing two students covered in Knowledge-Derived Worms.
• Laurina explained that she had helped with a failed alchemy project that created worms which consumed and produced knowledge, and suspected her mentor had resumed the research on students.
• Lu Yuan concluded that the Night Watchers had deliberately let the worm-infested students run loose to force possible targets to leave their hiding places.
• Laurina stayed in Lu Yuan’s room overnight, and he gave her the bed when she finally fell asleep near dawn.
• Lu Yuan woke with his sanity at 116/120 as the corridor grew active and the new day began.

Lu Yuan and Laurina went to the Main Tower to seek the principal’s help, but Lu Yuan’s warning system detected extreme danger inside. The principal told them the Tower of Erudition was compromised, gave Lu Yuan a medal to protect Laurina, and ordered them to wait at the edge until they could leave.

• A Night Watcher brought breakfast for Lu Yuan and Laurina and told Lu Yuan that Captain Hogger would summon him that afternoon instead of sending him on patrol.
• Laurina asked Lu Yuan to accompany her to the Main Tower to find the principal, and he agreed.
• Lu Yuan’s Gray-White Text warned him of an extreme-danger knowledge source in the Main Tower and deducted four points of Sanity as he and Laurina tried to leave.
• The principal appeared on the Spiral Staircase, said he had arranged for Mentor Varo to take Laurina away, and warned them that the Tower of Erudition was dangerous and compromised.
• The principal gave Lu Yuan a silver medal and told him to keep Laurina at the edge of the Tower until the Night Watchers could leave in a couple of days.

Lu Yuan stayed with Laurina under the Night Watchers’ protection while Hogger confirmed Lu Yuan’s identity and arranged their departure in two days. That night, Lu Yuan helped Hogger eliminate two Hive-infected students, then returned to tell Laurina they would leave for Headquarters together.

• Lu Yuan gave Laurina the headmaster’s silver badge and told her to remain in her room until he returned.
• Hogger confirmed Lu Yuan was a Night Watcher consultant and said he and Laurina could leave in two days if they went directly to Headquarters.
• Hogger recruited Lu Yuan for a cleanup mission and gave him refined silver powder to destroy aberrant remains.
• Hogger wounded two Hive-infected students in the Library, pursued them to a dormitory, and killed them while Lu Yuan burned their bodies and worms to ash.
• Lu Yuan returned before dawn and told Laurina she would leave with him for Headquarters once the transfer order was lifted.

Lu Yuan patrolled the Alchemy Department while signs of a spreading crisis and a detected mental pollution source deepened his suspicions about the mentors pursuing Laurina. He returned to find that an Alchemy Department mentor had tested their door, leaving Laurina frightened as they waited for a chance to escape.

• Lu Yuan learned his sanity had fully recovered, shared breakfast with Laurina, and warned her to stay in the room while he went on patrol.
• Lu Yuan joined two Night Watchers in patrolling the Alchemy Department, where he overheard mentors arguing about samples and detected a mental pollution source.
• Lu Yuan spotted a deep-blue-robed Alchemy Department mentor watching him, but the man fled before the patrol could catch him.
• Lu Yuan heard that seven people had been cleared out the previous night and that officials from the Empire's Headquarters would arrive the next day.
• Laurina told Lu Yuan that an Alchemy Department mentor had knocked on their door while he was away, and Lu Yuan realized their location was known.

Lu Yuan learned that Empire Headquarters would arrive the next day and that Calvin Morton, an Alchemy Department mentor under Knowledge Contamination, was probing for Laurina. Lu Yuan and Laurina left the outer area that night and discovered Night Watchers were quietly evacuating other students as well.

• Hogger told Lu Yuan that the cleanup mission had been canceled, Empire Headquarters would arrive at noon the next day, and loose patrols might let people leave that night.
• Calvin Morton confronted Lu Yuan, questioned him about missing Alchemy Department students, and warned that Laurina Caster could be recalled under Tower regulations.
• Lu Yuan used the headmaster's silver medal to deter Calvin while Night Watchers emerged and backed him up.
• Laurina told Lu Yuan that Calvin was her mentor's partner and had conducted experiments with him, leading them to suspect more Alchemy Department mentors were involved.
• Lu Yuan and Laurina prepared to escape and passed a Night Watcher patrol without being stopped.
• Lu Yuan noticed Night Watchers leading several other students toward the exit, revealing a wider evacuation of potential targets and witnesses.

Lu Yuan and Laurina encountered an Eerie-contaminated Alchemy Department instructor who tried to take her back, and Lu Yuan killed him with Deprivation after Laurina’s suppressant briefly disrupted his power. They escaped the Tower of Erudition by carriage, but Lu Yuan’s Sanity remained dangerously low and he expected more trouble when the Empire Headquarters arrived.

• An Eerie-contaminated Alchemy Department instructor confronted Lu Yuan and Laurina, rejected the principal’s authorization, and unleashed his Eerie power.
• Laurina threw an Eerie Suppressant that temporarily suppressed the instructor, then urged Lu Yuan to run.
• Lu Yuan used Deprivation to kill the instructor, losing Sanity in the process.
• Lu Yuan and Laurina left the Tower of Erudition by carriage while other Night Watchers and students remained surrounded.
• Lu Yuan drank a Sanity Potion, and Laurina explained that she had improved the suppressant’s original formula.
• Lu Yuan and Laurina continued through the rainy night as he anticipated the Empire Headquarters’ arrival and consequences for killing the instructor.

Lu Yuan escorted Laurina out of the Inner City and brought her to Night Watcher Headquarters, where they were assigned to work at an Alchemy Workshop. They settled into the workshop as the Tower of Erudition crisis paused, while Lu Yuan anticipated the Empire Headquarters’ arrival.

• A Night Watcher captain stopped Alchemy Department instructors from blocking Lu Yuan’s carriage, and Lu Yuan continued through the city gate with Laurina.
• Lu Yuan took Laurina to Night Watcher Headquarters, where a staff member assigned them to the Alchemy Workshop and gave Lu Yuan an order and a map.
• Lu Yuan and Laurina reached the workshop, and Laurina inspected its worn equipment before reviewing orders for basic potions.
• Lu Yuan told Laurina to rest before work began the next day, and she thanked him as they went upstairs.

Lu Yuan made an ordinary Sanity Potion using his experience bar, and Laurina showed him how to brew an excellent one with proper technique. They agreed that he would prepare ingredients while she handled the brewing.

• Lu Yuan woke with his Sanity restored to 60 and found Laurina organizing the workbench.
• At Laurina's request, Lu Yuan brewed an ordinary Sanity Potion using his experience bar to guide each step.
• Laurina criticized Lu Yuan's imprecise methods and explained the principles of grinding, ingredient order, temperature control, and distillation.
• Laurina brewed an excellent Sanity Potion, and Lu Yuan gained Pharmacology experience by observing her tutorial.
• Laurina said Lu Yuan should prepare materials while she handled the brewing, and he agreed.

Lu Yuan and Laurina spent the day making high-quality Potions while Laurina taught him how to process ingredients properly, improving his Pharmacognosy and Pharmacology. When a Night Watcher delivered scarce supplies and collected the Potions, he warned Lu Yuan that Headquarters wanted Laurina for an investigation, leaving her aware that the Night Watchers were protecting her.

• Lu Yuan followed Laurina's instructions for processing Silverleaf Grass and Blue-Scale Grass, earning Pharmacognosy experience as he worked.
• Lu Yuan and Laurina made Sanity Potions, healing Potions, and antidotes throughout the day, and Lu Yuan's Pharmacology rose to 12/50.
• During their break, Laurina asked about Lu Yuan's Eastern origins and the Night Watchers' salary and benefits.
• A Night Watcher delivered a limited supply of materials, collected the Potions, and praised their quality.
• The Night Watcher warned Lu Yuan not to leave and said Headquarters was demanding that Laurina cooperate with an investigation.
• Laurina admitted she was not used to being protected, then went upstairs to rest before making more Potions the next day.

Laurina tried to brew a perfect-quality Sanity Potion but found that her equipment was inadequate, so Lu Yuan went to the Night Watcher base to look for better tools. There, he discovered he had 937 points and found a special item in the exchange catalog that caught his attention.

• Laurina attempted to brew a perfect-quality Sanity Potion and explained that impurities and imprecise equipment had caused another failure.
• Lu Yuan offered to seek professional alchemical equipment through the Night Watchers while Laurina continued making high-quality potions.
• At the Night Watcher base, the exchange clerk discovered that Lu Yuan had 937 points and treated him with sudden respect.
• Lu Yuan reviewed the exchange catalog, found a professional alchemical equipment set for 25 points, and continued browsing its special items.
• Lu Yuan's gaze stopped on an item near the bottom of the special-items list.

Lu Yuan redeemed a Night Watcher's Pledge and professional alchemy equipment, investing in protection for Laurina and better Potion production. After the Tower of Erudition demanded that three students be handed over and the Night Watchers' support weakened, Lu Yuan kept the pledge ready as a trump card.

• Lu Yuan spent 825 points on professional alchemy equipment and a Night Watcher's Pledge, which he left unnamed for now.
• Lu Yuan brought the equipment to Laurina, who began teaching him advanced alchemy techniques as they brewed perfect-quality Sanity Potions.
• A Night Watcher delivered fewer replacement materials and warned Lu Yuan that the Tower of Erudition had demanded three students for an investigation.
• The Night Watcher explained that the Night Watchers had been driven out of much of the Tower and could not protect Lu Yuan beyond Bronze City's boundaries.
• Laurina overheard the warning, and Lu Yuan touched the pledge envelope, keeping it as a backup plan.

Lu Yuan learned that the Night Watchers had decided to hand Laurina and the other two students over to the Tower of Erudition by noon. As Laurina prepared to leave, Lu Yuan used an ancient oath contract and wrote her name as the protected person.

• A Night Watcher warned Lu Yuan that the Tower of Erudition was demanding the three students for investigation and that the Night Watchers might hand them over.
• Laurina told Lu Yuan she had no memories from before she arrived at the Tower of Erudition at fifteen, and that his letter had made her suspect something was wrong with her past.
• A Night Watcher delivered fewer materials and reported that the Tower of Erudition had issued an ultimatum requiring an answer by noon the next day.
• Laurina packed her belongings as Lu Yuan and she waited for the Night Watchers' decision.
• Two senior Night Watchers told Lu Yuan that the three students would be handed over at noon, and Laurina went upstairs to pack.
• Lu Yuan opened an ancient oath contract and wrote Laurina Caster's name in the space for the protected person.

Lu Yuan’s invocation of the Night Watchers’ Oath secured Laurina’s protection and forced the Tower of Erudition’s Vice Dean and Calvin to retreat. While Laurina recovered and returned to alchemy, the Vice Dean planned to pursue other students who had withdrawn early.

• The Night Watchers investigated Laurina Caster, and Deputy Chief Klaus went to the Alchemy Workshop with Hogger to uphold her contract.
• Klaus declared Laurina a Night Watcher contract holder and warned the Vice Dean and Calvin not to take her.
• The Guardian arrived, prompting the Vice Dean to drag Calvin away from the workshop.
• Lu Yuan told Laurina he had applied for her protection as a fair trade for her alchemy lessons, and she gradually returned to work.
• The Vice Dean told Calvin the Guardian had intervened because Lu Yuan invoked the Oath, then ordered him to retrieve withdrawn students and seek cooperation from inner-city nobles.

Lu Yuan joined a Night Watcher squad fighting six Lesser Ascenders on Blackstone Street to protect an escaped witness from the Tower of Erudition. The squad leader authorized gunfire as Lu Yuan entered the battle.

• Lu Yuan and Laurina waited for the Night Watcher who collected their potions, but he arrived late with news of an emergency deployment.
• Lu Yuan armed himself and followed the Night Watcher to Blackstone Street, where four Night Watchers struggled against six black-robed attackers and an injured witness crouched nearby.
• Lu Yuan identified the attackers as defective Lesser Ascenders and learned that killing their commander would throw them into chaos.
• The potion collector joined the fight, and Lu Yuan drew his Revolver as the squad leader gave permission to open fire.

Lu Yuan and the Night Watchers rescued a witness from the Ascension Society’s nearly indestructible Lesser Ascenders and treated their wounded at the Alchemy Workshop. Hogger took the witness to safety and told Lu Yuan he would be assigned to investigate recent disappearances in the Inner City.

• The Lesser Ascenders survived gunfire and charged toward the witness, forcing Lu Yuan and the Night Watchers to retreat toward the Alchemy Workshop.
• Lu Yuan and the squad captain slowed the pursuing Lesser Ascenders until they stopped at a street corner and returned into the night.
• At the Alchemy Workshop, Lu Yuan used Laurina’s potion and standard-issue Holy Water to treat two wounded Night Watchers.
• Hogger arrived, took the witness to safety, and told Lu Yuan that his response points would be counted.
• Hogger told Lu Yuan he was on the mission list for the Inner City disappearances, and Laurina asked why the mission had chosen him.

Lu Yuan joined Raymond to investigate the disappearance of three noble students from the Tower of Erudition, after learning the Night Watchers had chosen him for his combat ability and connection to Laurina. Raymond revealed that the Tower’s experiments involved entering the Sea of Knowledge to retrieve lost knowledge.

• Lu Yuan noticed his Sanity had recovered to full but its experience remained stuck at 1, and Laurina gave him perfect-quality potions for the mission.
• Raymond arrived and told Lu Yuan that three influential young people had vanished at night in circumstances resembling the Tower of Erudition students’ disappearances.
• Lu Yuan left with Raymond after Laurina urged him to be careful and handed him the potions.
• Raymond explained that the Night Watchers chose Lu Yuan because he had activated Oath, killed an Eerie Path instructor, and had a connection to Laurina.
• Lu Yuan read the case file and learned that all three missing people were Tower of Erudition students.
• Raymond said the Empire was searching for lost knowledge through a method that let someone enter the Sea of Knowledge and retrieve it.

Lu Yuan and Raymond investigated the disappearance of Viscount Sofia’s daughter, Elina, at her residence. Lu Yuan found traces suggesting she left willingly or under guidance, and an invitation to a dinner party held on the night she vanished pointed to a possible lead.

• Raymond told Lu Yuan that the Tower of Erudition had used students in dangerous experiments connected to the Sea of Knowledge, and explained why Bronze City had been chosen.
• Raymond and Lu Yuan arrived at the Viscount Sofia’s residence, where the Viscount complained about the investigation and Raymond insisted they be allowed to do their work.
• Lu Yuan examined Elina’s untouched room and found residual Knowledge traces leading from her bed through the doorway, with no signs of a struggle.
• Lu Yuan concluded that Elina had walked out of the room, though he could not tell whether she had been guided or had left willingly.
• Lu Yuan found a dinner invitation dated for the night Elina disappeared, and Raymond decided to ask the butler who had attended.