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

Klaus walked very fast.

It took less than ten seconds to get from the conference room to the downstairs, without a single wasted word.

Lu Yuan followed behind him, through the corridor, and down the stairs.

Seeing the deputy chief's expression, the young man at the front desk opened his mouth but didn't dare to utter a sound.

Raymond was already at the door.

He should have received the news as well.

Karl was standing next to them, and neither of them had a good expression.

Klaus didn't stop and walked straight out.

"Where?"

"North Ward, the street closest to our post." Raymond followed him. "Hogel's men arrived first and have already sealed it off."

Reason is being passively depleted.

This is the price to pay.

The closer you stand, the more you absorb, and the faster you consume it.

Don't miss out.

The absorption continues, and the aura fades with each passing second.

Lu Yuan stood there for a few more seconds.

In those few seconds, something else emerged from the dissipating aura.

picture.

It's not a complete picture; it's fragmented pieces.

Colors surged.

An ocean.

A blurry humanoid silhouette floated on the surface of the ocean, its posture relaxed, as if it had walked in on its own.

There was no struggle.

He was clutching a very small object in his palm.

It is glowing.

But the light changed the next moment.

The fragment, like a pendant, dragged the human figure down into the depths of the ocean.

The humanoid began to struggle, but still refused to give up what it was holding, desperately trying to swim upwards.

But the light from the fragments grew brighter and brighter, and the pulling force became heavier and heavier.

He couldn't hold on any longer.

But he couldn't let go.

The fragments stuck to my palm, as if they had grown into my flesh.

The humanoid figure was pulled into the depths, and the strangely colored seawater surged in from all directions.

The body began to swell and twist.

The skin became transparent, and the internal bones and muscles were covered and replaced by layers of text.

He's no longer like a human being.

The image is shattered.

The last segment.

dark.

A twisted body was curled up somewhere.

The fragments in my palm were shattered and burned away, leaving only ashes clinging to my skin.

But then the hand started to move.

It's not about standing up.

It's climbing.

The image completely disappears here.

Lu Yuan stood still, his expression unchanged.

My back was soaked with cold sweat.

At the edge of my vision, the grayish-white text flickered a few times:

[Taboo Studies - Seeker of Knowledge: +0.1...1.1/100]

The breath has dissipated.

The numbers stopped changing.

Lu Yuan took a step back.

The movements were natural, no different from others who kept their distance out of instinctive discomfort.

No one noticed what he saw or absorbed in those ten seconds.

Before turning his gaze away, Lu Yuan noticed one last detail.

Allen stretched his right hand forward, where everyone could see it.

But the left hand is different.

He clenched his left hand into a fist and curled it up in front of his chest.

But through his inquisitive mind, he vaguely sensed a faint trace of knowledge remaining in the palm of his left hand.

It almost completely dissipated, leaving only a trace.

The texture of that aura is the same as that of the seashell in the Viscount's collection room.

It has turned to ash.

Clearly, he did not accept the so-called "invitation".

Lu Yuan kept this judgment in mind and remained silent.

After Klaus issued the blockade order, he turned and walked back.

The body must not be touched for the time being. Do not move it. Seal it in place and wait for someone to handle it. By the way, Klaus needs to question certain people: Did Bronze City really inspect it?

The entire area marked with drag marks was sealed off, and a reverse search was conducted along the route.

Notify the chamber of commerce representative, but first confirm the level of danger before allowing family members to approach.

He paused for a moment as he passed by Lu Yuan.

"What did you see?"

Everyone else retreated, but Lu Yuan stood still for a few more seconds.

Klaus noticed.

Lu Yuan hesitated for two seconds.

"The things on the corpse are dissipating," Lu Yuan continued. "My knowledge of the supernatural is extraordinary; I just sensed something very strange, but I can't recognize it."

He paused for a moment.

"The direction is deep into the outer city."

Klaus's gaze shifted slightly to the southwest.

That direction leads to one of the Ascension Guild's outer city outposts, which Hogel had marked.

But he didn't say anything.

Just nodded.

"Let's go back."

Outside the blockade, Raymond and Lu Yuan stood side by side for a while.

The streets were quiet. The setting sun slanted through the gaps between the low houses.

"You should hold back your abilities," Raymond said.

"The pollution is very serious, be careful not to see anything you shouldn't."

"Yes, I will," Lu Yuan replied in a low voice.

When I returned to the alchemy workshop, it was almost dark.

Laurinna had several sealed bottles in front of her at her worktable; the fishy smell of sandworm blood had faded considerably.

She looked up when she heard the door open.

His gaze lingered on Lu Yuan's face for a moment.

Then he got up, walked to the medicine cabinet, took out a bottle of sanity potion, and placed it on the table.

"I drank it."

Lu Yuan uncorked the bottle and drank it all in one gulp.

[Sanity: +10...111/120]

He sat down by the window.

Those fragmented images still lingered in his mind; clearly, the son of the merchant guild hadn't been able to withstand it.

And we didn't encounter that sound, or whether we were pulled up.

He recalled his experience at the Viscount's mansion.

I was drawn into the sea of ​​knowledge by the seashell.

The voice said, "Not enough. You're not qualified."

Then he vomited it out.

So who exactly is the owner of that voice? The master of the Sea of ​​Knowledge? What kind of being is that? Why would I be taken care of alone?

Lu Yuan sat on the chair for a long time, until it was completely dark.

Laurinna tidied up the worktable.

"I've made a new batch of medicine that might be useful to you. Remember to pick it up tomorrow morning."

"You don't look well, you should get some rest."

After speaking, Laurinna turned and went upstairs.

Lu Yuan did not move.

The bronze runes on the city wall glowed in the distance, and a faint light shone through the windows, casting blurry shadows on the floor.

He did not light the oil lamp.

My gaze unconsciously fell on the windowpane.

But something caught my eye out of the corner of my eye.

His silhouette was reflected in the windowpane.

The faint light from the city wall runes shone through from the outside, giving the outline a dark gold edge.

But beyond the edge, there is another layer.

It's very faint, almost invisible.

The shape of the shadow is changing.

It's not a problem with the lighting, nor is it a problem with the angle.

Something that doesn't belong to him is growing out of the edges of the outline.

The gray text did not appear.

No prompts, no warnings, nothing at all.

Lu Yuan stared for a few seconds, then fell silent.

Then he stood up and went upstairs.

Back in the room, no lights were turned on.

I walked to the window and drew the curtains.

Without light, there is no shadow.

In short, whatever it is, be careful.