Chapter Summaries

While investigating Elina’s disappearance at the Sofia manor, Lu Yuan discovered a strange shell in the collection room and was pulled into the Sea of Knowledge. He survived with a new rank and ability, then took the shell back with Raymond for examination.

• Raymond learned from the butler that Andre Morris, a young nobleman from the south, had visited the Viscount on the night Elina disappeared.
• Raymond went to inspect the study while Lu Yuan followed Mary to search the collection room.
• Lu Yuan found a damaged shell identified as an Abyssal Relic, and its power drew him into the Sea of Knowledge as his sanity fell.
• A mysterious will pulled Lu Yuan from the Sea of Knowledge, and he advanced to a new Seeker rank and gained the Key to the Sea of Knowledge.
• Lu Yuan took the shell from the collection room and returned to Raymond, who arranged to bring it and another collectible to the Branch for examination.

Lu Yuan and Raymond followed up on the missing noble children, learning that Philip had been lured by a false invitation promising access to the Sea of Knowledge. Lu Yuan used his new ability to witness a distorted vision of Philip accepting a strange object, and the chapter ended as the transformation in Philip’s body was abruptly suppressed.

• The Viscount received a brief phone call that left him visibly frightened, then dismissed Raymond and Lu Yuan without explaining what had happened.
• At the Inner-City Outpost, Helen reported that the Baron wanted to speak with Raymond alone, so Raymond and Lu Yuan went to the Baron's Residence.
• The Baron told Raymond that Philip had received an invitation signed by the nonexistent Victor Howard and had spoken of qualifying to enter the Sea of Knowledge; he also gave Raymond a torn invitation fragment.
• In Philip's room, Lu Yuan spotted fading colored traces leading toward the front entrance and used his new ability to see a vision of Philip meeting a black-robed figure.
• Lu Yuan saw Philip accept a small object patterned with flowing colors, become fervent, and develop strange lines beneath his skin before an unseen force stopped them from spreading.

Lu Yuan and the Night Watchers followed a clue to an abandoned Outer City residence, where they discovered a living Eerie and confronted two suspicious figures. As the Gray-robed Man attacked, Lu Yuan used the Time Bestower to fire six shots, which erupted together after he turned the ability off.

• Lu Yuan left the baron's manor with Raymond after sensing a faint lingering aura but choosing not to share his unclear vision.
• At the station, Ryan and Amy showed Raymond a note from Alan Victor's room directing them to the Hall of Knowledge, and the group set off for its address.
• The six Night Watchers found an Eerie ritual room in an abandoned residence and discovered a woodenized man identified as a Source of Pollution.
• A Gray-robed Man and a black-robed man emerged from the shadows, and the Gray-robed Man attacked the Night Watchers.
• Lu Yuan activated the Time Bestower, fired six bullets at the Gray-robed Man and the woodenized body, then deactivated it as all six shots rang out together.

Raymond and the Night Watchers confronted a Gray-robed Man and a black-robed man, who escaped with a wooden body after destroying the estate’s evidence in Eerie flames. The group returned to the Branch to report the discovery that an Eerie could survive inside Bronze City, while Lu Yuan worried about the city’s seal and his dwindling Sanity.

• Lu Yuan’s shots struck the wooden body without stopping it, and Raymond fought the Gray-robed Man as he carried the body away.
• Karl and Helen tried to stop the escape, but the black-robed man drove Karl into a wall and ignited the runes and evidence with blue-white flames.
• Raymond pursued the men through a hidden door, but it sealed behind them as the fire consumed the estate.
• Amy, Karl, and Raymond recognized the presence of a living Eerie in Bronze City, and Raymond said the incident might mean someone had found a way past the seal or that the seal was failing.
• Lu Yuan checked his Sanity in the carriage and reflected on the Eeries, the Ascension Society, the Tower of Erudition, and the Sea of Knowledge.
• Raymond went to report the incident, Helen joined him, and Lu Yuan prepared to rest before the follow-up investigation.

Raymond reported evidence of Eerie activity in Bronze City, and the Night Watchers made the matter a confidential priority with a three-day deadline. Lu Yuan studied a method to improve his Sanity before joining the team as they began compiling clues the next morning.

• Raymond told his superior that the disappearance investigation had uncovered an Eerie entity, and his superior ordered a separate confidential case with a three-day deadline.
• Helen and Raymond suspected the disappearances were connected to the Eerie activity, but Raymond said the link remained uncertain.
• Lu Yuan drank Laurina's potion, then studied the Knowledge Path Guide and increased his Guard slightly before stopping because his Sanity was low.
• Lu Yuan noticed that his shadow's edges seemed unusually thick, but dismissed the sensation and went to sleep.
• The next morning, Helen briefed the team on the confidential Eerie investigation and its deadline, and Raymond ordered everyone to compile the clues.

Lu Yuan and the Night Watchers linked the three disappearances to a man using the false name Andre Morris, who sent Lu Yuan a letter referring to the Sea of Knowledge. Lu Yuan went alone to the address in the Outer City, where he found an abandoned bookstore marked with the character “Sea.”

• Ryan presented evidence that the three missing people had received invitations written by the same person, who used the name Andre Morris.
• Helen concluded that a third party had caused the disappearances, since the method resembled the Tower of Erudition’s but the forged identities and personal visits did not fit its motives.
• A letter sealed with a symbol from the Sea of Knowledge arrived for Lu Yuan, and its sender signed it “A.M.”
• Lu Yuan decided to meet the sender alone, while Raymond arranged for Karl and Ryan to watch the area and set a half-hour deadline.
• Lu Yuan followed the address to an old bookstore in the Outer City and entered after spotting the final character “Sea” on its sign.

Lu Yuan met the mysterious young man who had summoned him to the bookstore and learned that the man had observed the Ruined House incident. The man left Lu Yuan with an invitation badge and warned him that activating the shell had drawn attention from others across the city.

• Lu Yuan entered the newly prepared bookstore and found a young man whose status appeared beyond comprehension.
• Lu Yuan recognized the false name Andre Morris and questioned the man about the letter and his presence at the Ruined House.
• Andre Morris said he had observed everyone there and revealed that he knew Lu Yuan was a First Order Night Watcher who could perceive things others could not.
• Andre Morris placed a badge bearing an open shell on the table and invited Lu Yuan to join an unnamed group, telling him to use the badge at a place marked with a ripple emblem if he accepted.
• Andre Morris warned Lu Yuan that activating the shell had made the city's sealing patterns tremble and that others could sense the disturbance.

After meeting Morris, Lu Yuan reported the conversation and his suspicions about the disappearances to Raymond and Helen, while keeping some of his abilities and observations secret. He kept Morris's badge, remained a team consultant, and returned to the Alchemy Workshop to work alongside Laurina before an afternoon meeting.

• Lu Yuan examined Morris's badge, gained knowledge from its inscription, and decided to keep it without joining Morris's group.
• Lu Yuan deduced that the Tower of Erudition had moved on from Laurina and might have found a replacement for its plan.
• Lu Yuan told Raymond and Helen about Morris, the badge, and the links between Morris and the three disappearances, but withheld his observations about the Shell and Morris's aura.
• Raymond ordered Lu Yuan to keep the badge safe, remain a team consultant, and watch the Morris lead while preparing to report it at the afternoon meeting.
• Lu Yuan returned to the Alchemy Workshop, drank a Sanity Potion from Laurina, and resumed processing Pharmacognosy materials.

Lu Yuan attended Klaus’s briefing on the inner-city disappearances and learned that Imperial Headquarters had brought the Ascension Society into Bronze City without informing the Night Watchers. Hogger revealed that the Ascension Society’s three Outer City locations monitored the main routes into the inner city, leaving the Night Watchers facing a potentially connected operation and a force they might not be able to defeat.

• Klaus briefed Lu Yuan, Raymond, Helen, Karl, and Hogger on the three noble disappearances, the living Eerie entity, and the suspected involvement of Andre Morris and other outside forces.
• Hogger reported suspicious supply-transfer activity at three Outer City locations, and Klaus revealed that Imperial Headquarters had brought the Ascension Society to Bronze City without consulting the Night Watchers.
• Klaus ordered Raymond’s team to investigate the disappearances within three days and assigned Lu Yuan to watch the Morris lead and report any contact.
• Hogger showed Lu Yuan a map of the Ascension Society’s three locations and explained that they monitored the main routes between the Outer City and inner city.
• Hogger warned Lu Yuan that the inner-city mission was likely connected to the Ascension Society and that the Night Watchers might not be able to match them in Bronze City.

Lu Yuan prepared to investigate the disappearances, received supplies sent from Sandworm Town, and trained while piecing together the forces involved in Bronze City. He noticed a strange thickening around his reflection’s outline, but it vanished before he could understand it.

• Raymond told Lu Yuan to meet at the Branch at eight the next morning to revisit the three disappearance sites, and Lu Yuan requested access to the Archive Room.
• Lu Yuan found four crates from Sandworm Town at the Branch and arranged for them to be sent to the Alchemy Workshop.
• Lu Yuan processed Silverleaf Grass and Mineralized Salt at the workshop while Laurina advised him on grinding the salt.
• Lu Yuan trained his Guard and sensed the direction of his Sanity more clearly, stopping when his Sanity reached its limit.
• Lu Yuan reviewed the disappearances in his notebook and connected Morris’s actions to the transformation of Philip and the three noble children.
• Lu Yuan saw an abnormal thickness around the edge of his reflection, which disappeared moments later.

Lu Yuan received a package and letters from Herman and Little Karl in Sandworm Town, learning that the town had recovered and that its people still remembered him. The rare Desert Sage and refined Sandworm Oil excited Laurina, while Lu Yuan kept the letters and supplies at home.

• Lu Yuan learned that his mission had been canceled and opened the package Herman had sent from Sandworm Town.
• Lu Yuan read Herman's letter about the town's recovery, the Night Watchers' protection, and strange items waiting in a warehouse.
• Lu Yuan read Little Karl's letter about his hunting practice, Bone Flute playing, and hopes that Lu Yuan would return.
• Lu Yuan tasted the dried meat and showed Laurina the Desert Sage and refined Sandworm Oil.
• Laurina recognized the rare materials and explained their uses, then stored the Desert Sage in the medicine cabinet.

Lu Yuan remembered the concealed compartment in Grego’s copper badge and asked Laurina to examine it. She identified the badge as lost memory material and agreed to try opening it once Lu Yuan brought her hemlock extract, while he continued practicing his sanity technique with little progress.

• Lu Yuan found Grego’s copper badge among his belongings and noticed a trace of residual knowledge within it.
• Lu Yuan showed the badge to Laurina, who identified its metal as memory material capable of storing hidden alchemy inscriptions.
• Laurina explained that she could try to open the badge using a precise catalyst mixture, but needed hemlock extract from the Night Watcher Branch.
• Lu Yuan agreed to fetch the extract during his planned visit to the branch and kept the badge until then.
• Lu Yuan practiced the method in the Knowledge Path Guide, but his Guarding I progress increased only slightly before stopping.

Lu Yuan investigated the North Sea Nautical Records and uncovered the fate of a missing expedition connected to the Tower of Erudition’s Materials College. He left with evidence to pursue Laurina’s vanished alchemists, while questioning whether Morris’s clues were guiding or manipulating him.

• Lu Yuan obtained Hemlock Extract and entered the Night Watchers’ Archive Room with his badge.
• Lu Yuan found the record of a 63-person expedition that discovered an island and underground caves in Imperial Year 1107.
• The expedition’s log described mental abnormalities, missing sailors, anomalous fog, and a final warning to stay out of the caves; the rescue team found no survivors.
• Lu Yuan found water-damaged fragments suggesting at least two missing expedition members were alchemists from the Tower of Erudition’s Materials College.
• Lu Yuan connected the expedition’s date to Laurina’s vanished acquaintances and wondered whether Morris was helping him or leading him into a trap.

Lu Yuan investigated the mystery surrounding the metal-memory badge and prepared to test whether Laurina’s Trigger Solution could open it. As the solution reacted, he examined supplies from Sandworm Town and continued his guard training, waiting to learn what the badge concealed.

• Lu Yuan collected Hemlock Extract and heard from Karl that searches at the Viscount’s Residence, the Baron’s study, and the Merchants’ Guild had revealed nothing new, while Helen and the captain met Hogger’s people.
• Lu Yuan considered the unanswered questions about the North Sea expedition, the eleven confirmed survivors, and how Grego had obtained the badge, then returned to the Alchemy Workshop with the Hemlock Extract.
• Laurina mixed the Trigger Solution and left it to react for two hours while Lu Yuan wrote down questions about the badge and Morris.
• Lu Yuan opened the remaining crates from Sandworm Town, and Laurina identified the processed Sandworm blood as useful for formulas and the dried gallbladder as a natural purification medium.
• Lu Yuan trained and studied the guard’s Second Order theory while waiting, noting that his progress remained slow at 0.3 a day.

Lu Yuan and Laurina opened Grego’s copper badge and found coordinates and a rough ripple symbol hidden inside, giving Lu Yuan new leads for his investigation. Laurina warned that she might have to leave Bronze City, while the unexplained layer around Lu Yuan’s reflection remained unchanged.

• Lu Yuan and Laurina tested drops of acidic solvent and catalyst until the badge’s inner seam opened.
• Laurina extracted a metal foil containing Empire surveying coordinates and a rough ripple symbol that resembled the design on Lu Yuan’s Shell badge.
• Lu Yuan recorded the coordinates and stored the foil in his notebook, while Laurina said the coordinates were not near Bronze City.
• Laurina told Lu Yuan that the Night Watcher might make her leave once Headquarters arrived and offered to take him with her if danger arose.
• Lu Yuan planned to compare the coordinates in the Archive Room and noticed that the unexplained layer around his reflection had not changed.

Lu Yuan traced a set of coordinates to a region beyond the North Sea maps and privately gave them to Klaus, who also learned that records on the 1107 expedition had recently been sealed by Headquarters. As Klaus and Lu Yuan prepared to investigate the newly discovered death of Alan Victor, the Merchants' Guild representative's son, Klaus ordered Lu Yuan to come with him.

• Lu Yuan found the coordinates pointed to a blank region farther north than the route of the 1107 North Sea expedition, and noticed the expedition's archive records had been newly sealed by Headquarters.
• At the meeting, Klaus ended the three-day deadline without a breakthrough and assigned Raymond, Lu Yuan, and Hogger to continue their investigations under existing restrictions.
• After the meeting, Lu Yuan privately gave Klaus the coordinates and told him the 1107 expedition records had been sealed; Klaus pocketed the paper.
• A young Night Watcher reported that Alan Victor, the Merchants' Guild representative's son, had been found dead in the Outer City.
• Klaus told Lu Yuan to come with him.

Lu Yuan investigated the death of Merchants' Guild heir Allen, whose body had been transformed by a strange knowledge-bearing substance. After absorbing fragments of the corpse’s fading aura and learning Allen had failed an invitation, Lu Yuan returned to the Alchemy Workshop and noticed something unfamiliar growing at the edge of his reflection.

• Klaus, Lu Yuan, Raymond, and Karl reached a North Ward street sealed by Hogger, where an unknown trail had killed a stray cat and led to a corpse crawling toward the Night Watcher station.
• Klaus tried to examine the corpse with his ring, but its Gray Mist recoiled, so he ordered everyone not to touch it and arranged to seal the scene and investigate the trail.
• Lu Yuan absorbed fragments of the corpse’s fading knowledge, gained Forbidden Studies—Seeker experience, lost sanity, and saw a vision of a figure transformed while being dragged into an ocean.
• Lu Yuan recognized the corpse as Allen and sensed that the remnant in Allen’s clenched left hand matched the shell from the Viscount's Residence, concluding Allen had failed the invitation.
• Lu Yuan told Klaus that his Eerie Knowledge Transcendent sensed something strange deeper in the Outer City, then drank a Sanity Potion Laurina gave him at the Alchemy Workshop.
• After nightfall, Lu Yuan saw something unfamiliar growing along the edge of his reflected outline, received no warning, and went upstairs to draw his curtains.

Lu Yuan agreed to join Morris’s secret Imperial department and began its oath ritual, but an unknown existence prevented the oath from being engraved on him. Morris revealed that the department investigated erased Imperial records and that Lu Yuan was one of only three surviving traces, while Lu Yuan remained unable to speak the name of the city erased from his memories.

• Morris visited Lu Yuan at night and urged him to join, warning that there was little time left for everyone.
• Lu Yuan agreed to join after securing Morris’s promise to answer his questions, then repeated the department’s oath while holding the shell badge.
• When Lu Yuan swore to remember what was forgotten, an unknown existence prevented the oath from being written onto him.
• Morris accepted Lu Yuan as one of them and explained that more than thirty consecutive Western District records and all memories of them had vanished.
• Morris said only three traces of those erased records remained, including Lu Yuan, and Lu Yuan found that he still could not speak the name of Grim Port.

Lu Yuan questioned Morris about recruiting him, the erased files, and Allen, then learned that his first mission would concern the dangers beneath Bronze City. After Morris left, Lu Yuan used the Seeker to inspect the strange green residue and glimpsed a vast ancient city built around a chain-wrapped cocoon.

• Lu Yuan asked why Morris wanted him in his group, and Morris said his survival after exposure to the erased things mattered more than his strength.
• Morris said he remembered the erased things only as Lu Yuan did, asked about changes to Lu Yuan’s shadow, and warned that the Empire Headquarters and Ascension Society were competing for influence.
• Lu Yuan asked whether Morris had caused Allen’s situation, and Morris denied it while admitting that the object in Allen’s hands was connected to his organization.
• Morris assigned Lu Yuan to investigate what had happened in Bronze City and warned him to survive, then vanished from the room.
• Lu Yuan activated the Seeker and saw eerie green threads lead to a dark ancient city whose walls were covered in burning eyes and whose center held a chain cocoon concealing something he could not see.

Lu Yuan glimpsed a chained Taboo in Bronze City, resisted its offer, and discovered that an unknown existence had prevented it from marking him. When Bronze City’s runes flared and contamination spread, he prepared to defend himself as Night Watchers mobilized.

• Lu Yuan saw a vast chained being through a fading rift, lost sanity, and heard it offer him everything he desired.
• Lu Yuan realized Morris’s organization had made a transaction with the being and suspected another unknown existence had already claimed a place in him.
• Laurina told Lu Yuan that Bronze City’s runes had lit up, and he saw Night Watchers rushing into the darkness as gunshots rang out.
• Lu Yuan lit the Alchemy Workshop with Sandworm Oil and detected a huge amount of weak contamination.
• Laurina gave Lu Yuan Eeriebane Potions and an improved invisibility potion before carrying the lamp and remaining oil upstairs.
• Lu Yuan packed potions and ammunition after receiving an emergency assembly summons.