I can see experience bars after being transported to another world.

Lu Yuan went out at 1:30 pm.

We walked along the stone-paved road in the inner city towards the branch office.

When they arrived at the branch office, there was only a young night watchman on duty at the front desk.

Most people went out.

"Mr. Lu Yuan," the young man recognized him, "Is there anything you need?"

"Two things," Lu Yuan said quickly, "the hemlock extract in the medicinal herb warehouse, and the archives."

"I'll get it for you from the medicine storage. The archives..." The young man flipped through the register. "Mr. Raymond has already spoken to you. You can just go downstairs. It's on the basement level, go to the end."

Thanks.

The young man went to the medicine warehouse to retrieve something, while Lu Yuan walked down the stairs at the end of the corridor.

The underground passage is short and dimly lit; at the end is the archives room.

A heavy bronze door, with a lion's head stone carving embedded in the wall beside it, its open mouth perfectly sized for a badge.

Lu Yuan took out the Night's Watch badge and put it into the lion's mouth.

With a series of clicks, the bronze gate slowly opened with a muffled hum.

Stepping inside, the space was larger than I had imagined.

Rows of filing cabinets reaching the ceiling were neatly arranged, categorized by letter and number. At the far end of the cabinets were several rows of bookshelves, crammed with bound reports, old handwritten copies, and various historical documents.

The air was filled with the smell of paper and ink, with a hint of dry, musty odor.

Lu Yuan did not search aimlessly.

He has clear goals.

"Beihai Navigation Chronicle".

Yesterday in the bookstore, Morris deliberately opened the book "North Sea Navigation Guide" on his desk to page seventy-three. The text describes the sea area near the Abyss Rift.

It has the same place of origin as the seashell plaque in the Viscount's mansion.

This is not a coincidence, but an indication.

Morris wanted him to see that page.

Then let's investigate.

Lu Yuan arrived at the bookshelf labeled "Historical Archives" and ran his fingers along the rows of yellowed spines.

He found it very quickly.

"The Navigation Records of Beihai: The Bronze City Volume"

A thick, hardcover book, about two fingers thick, with a faded cover and severely worn edges.

Lu Yuan pulled it out and opened it.

The first part mainly consists of records of maritime activities that Bronze City has participated in over the years.

Trade routes, fishing ground distribution, marine surveying... trivial and tedious.

He quickly flipped through them, his eyes scanning the year markings.

He stopped when he had flipped the page about two-thirds of the way through.

Imperial calendar year 1107.

It has been exactly twenty years since then.

The title of that page is:

"The North Sea Joint Expedition - Record of the Seventh Voyage".

Lu Yuan began to read carefully.

"In the spring of 1107 in the Imperial Calendar, the Imperial Navy led the formation of the North Sea Joint Expedition."

"Personnel composition: 12 naval officers, 6 night watchmen, 8 scholars from the Tower of Learning, 4 pathfinders, and several logistics and sailors. Total: 63 people."

"Objective: To survey unmarked areas in the depths of the North Sea, search for the legendary 'Eternal Night Islands,' and assess resources and threats."

翻到下一页。

The source of the records here is clearly marked:

"The following content is compiled from the original expedition logbook recovered by the search and rescue team at the surface camp on the target island."

Lu Yuan noticed the small print.

The search and rescue team found the island and the logbook.

But they couldn't find anyone.

He continued reading.

"Departed on April 17th. The first three weeks of the voyage went smoothly."

"On May 9, we entered an unmarked sea area. This is a blank area on the nautical chart."

"On May 14, an unnamed island was discovered. There were traces of man-made structures on the island, which had been abandoned. The team landed on the island to explore and discovered an underground cave system."

Turning the page again, the handwriting became noticeably messy.

"On May 16, an unusual mineral was discovered on the third level of the underground cave. Scholars from the Boxue Tower identified it as a high-purity gold base material, which is extremely valuable, and began collecting samples."

"May 18th..."

The ink in this line has smudged a bit, as if the hand was trembling while writing.

"—Some personnel have exhibited mental abnormalities, including insomnia, auditory hallucinations, and erratic behavior. Scholars at the Bo Xue Tower recommended an immediate evacuation, but the Navy refused, citing 'unfinished mission'."

The subsequent records became shorter and shorter, and the handwriting became increasingly difficult to decipher.

"On May 21, three sailors went missing. The search was unsuccessful."

"On May 23, during the retreat, we encountered unusual sea fog and communication was interrupted."

"May 25th...the last record."

The last line of text was almost etched onto the paper.

"The beacon is destroyed. Something is moving in the sea fog. There were 63 people, and 11 are confirmed to be alive. The logbook is left at the camp. We're heading north. If anyone finds this logbook, do not enter the cave."

After that, there was nothing.

Lu Yuan stared at the blank space for a few seconds, then flipped to the appendix.

The appendix contains the search and rescue team's follow-up investigation records.

"The search and rescue team arrived at the target area in July 1107 and found the expedition's logbook and some personal belongings at the surface camp on the unnamed island. No survivors were found. The entrance to the underground cave had collapsed and could not be entered."

"In September 1107, the Imperial Admiralty listed all 63 members of the North Sea Joint Expedition as missing and filed the case."

Lu Yuan did not close the book.

He turned to the last page of the appendix.

There is a list there.

The names, positions, and affiliations of 63 people are densely arranged on the yellowed paper.

Lu Yuan's gaze swept across the rows of lines.

After sweeping to the middle section, the condition of the paper deteriorated rapidly.

The lower half was soaked in water, and the ink had smudged into a blotchy mess, making most of the writing illegible.

Only the first thirty or so names were legible.

Naval officer, night watchman, logistics...

The names of the scholars in the Tower of Learning are not among them.

Based on the usual practice of listing organizations in a categorized order, the eight people from Boxueta are most likely to be in the latter half of the list.

It happened to be in the area where the water stains were most severe.

Lu Yuan's gaze slowly moved over the spreading ink stain.

Most of it is completely burnt.

However, the remaining traces of two names were barely discernible at the edge of the water stain.

"...Hmm, the Materials Science Department of the Bo Xue Tower, Alchemy..."

"...Special, Materials Science Department, Alchemy..."

Beyond that, it became completely invisible.

The professional direction and detailed job title were all swallowed up by the water stains.

Lu Yuan slowly removed his finger from the list.

Alchemists in the Materials Science department. At least two.

The specific research areas are not apparent from this list.

However, the time coincides with the Imperial Calendar year 1107.

Laurinna said, "Many years ago," "she went on a long trip and never came back."

Although there are still some doubts, it's enough for Lu Yuan to continue digging.

Lu Yuan closed the book and put it back on the bookshelf.

Then he stood still, without moving.

He was thinking of Maurice.

The copy of "North Sea Navigation Chronicles" in the bookstore was open to page seventy-three—"The Abyss Rift."

He followed this clue and found the expedition team, and then the School of Materials Science and Engineering.

Everything is going smoothly.

Everything went too smoothly.

It's as if someone has paved a road in front of him, and he just needs to follow it.

But those who pave roads cannot be without a purpose.

Morris wanted him to know this.

The question is, why?

Why would an being "beyond the level of cognition" feed information to someone who has just advanced to the second level?

Are you helping him?

Or are we still leading him by the nose?

When a prey thinks it is chasing another prey, it is often walking on a path laid out by the hunter.