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

Lu Yuan didn't know when he fell asleep.

All I could see was a vast, boundless river before me.

The water spread out to both sides, stretching to the horizon, making it impossible to distinguish where the river ended and the sky began.

The water's color is dreamlike.

It was a mixture of many colors, flowing slowly.

Some areas shimmer with a dark gold hue, while others are a deep, somber blue. Occasionally, a faint wisp of white rises up, only to be quickly swallowed up by the other colors.

The river flows on and on, but without a sound.

Lu Yuan stood on the water.

There was no sensation under my feet, and no tendency to sink; I was just suspended there.

He looked down into the water.

Something is moving underwater.

It is written language.

They surged up from the depths of the water and then sank back down, like flocks of migratory birds skimming over a lake that was too deep.

Every word was glowing, but the light was swallowed up before it reached the water's surface.

Lu Yuan wanted to see what those words meant.

But it's impossible to see clearly.

They were too far apart and swam too fast.

Suddenly, ripples appeared on the river surface.

It's not the wind.

Something is growing in the distance on the water.

Lu Yuan raised his head.

That was a tree.

It grows out from the very middle of the river, its main trunk piercing through the water and extending straight upwards, so thick that its outline cannot be contained in the field of vision.

The bark is dark gray-green, covered with vein-like patterns, the veins of which flow with the same color as river water.

The tree canopy spreads out at a higher point.

It was so high that even Lu Yuan, looking up, couldn't see the top.

The branches spread out in all directions, and each branch branched into even finer branches, branching and branching again, like a net cast down from the sky, covering everything overhead.

Only slivers of light, filtering through the branches and leaves, dappled the river's surface like stars.

The tree is still growing.

The tip of each branch slowly extends outward, new leaves emerge from the tip, curl up, flash briefly, and then blend into the color of the canopy.

The river is flowing towards the trees.

All the colors converge towards the trunk, seeping in from the roots, following the bark's texture upwards, all the way to the unseen depths of the canopy.

The river is feeding it with its own water.

Lu Yuan stood on the water, looking at the tree.

It's too big.

It's so big it doesn't seem like it grew out; it seems like it's always been there.

And so the view began to darken.

Starting from the edges, the colors faded layer by layer, the luster of the river surface disappeared, the outlines of the trees blurred, and the spots of light falling from the branches went out one by one.

Darkness surged in from all directions.

Lu Yuan looked down at his feet, but the river was no longer visible.

I can't see anything.

Lu Yuan opened his eyes.

It is the ceiling of the alchemy workshop.

A sliver of grayish-white light peeked through the gap in the curtains; it was already past midnight.

Lu Yuan stared at the ceiling for a few seconds.

Images are swirling in my mind, but I can't quite grasp them.

Lu Yuan sat up and rubbed his temples.

[Sanity: +12, 80/120]

Sleep restored some of my senses.

But Lu Yuan always felt like he had forgotten something.

evening.

Lu Yuan stood on the first floor of the Alchemy Workshop, holding the gray-white church robe in his hand.

It was folded very neatly, and the fabric was lighter and softer than the Night's Watchman's coat, with a cotton-linen feel to it.

The collar and cuffs were sewn with a very fine silver thread, and a small silver tag hung at the waist, engraved with a simple angel pattern, which should be the uniform symbol of the church's standard robes.

Lu Yuan took off the night watchman's dark gray coat, folded it and placed it on the table, then changed into his church robe.

The robe was very loose, reaching down to the ankles, with sleeves hanging down to below the wrists.

With the hood pulled up, most of his face was hidden in shadow, and only his chin could be seen when he looked down.

Lu Yuan turned around in front of the mirror.

It can completely conceal one's figure.

He also picked up the revolver from the table and tucked it, holster, inside his robe. The church robe had a belt around the waist, and the holster was wedged between the belt and the robe fabric, so it wasn't visible from the outside.

After all, with his current abilities, nothing that the Tower of Knowledge could provide was as useful as the silver-plated revolver.

He carried twenty silver-plated bullets and a bottle of Perfect Sanity Potion in his left pocket.

This was also Lu Yuan's last bottle of stock.

However, with continuous use, the effect will continue to decrease, and it's hard to say how much it can recover.

After packing it up, Lu Yuan checked the crystal again. Once he confirmed that everything was still in order, he took off his clothes and put them in a small bag.

Just as Lu Yuan was about to leave, footsteps came from the corridor.

Boer pushed open the door and came in, holding a document in his hand. His gaze swept over the small framed item in Lu Yuan's hand and paused for a moment.

"Anything planned for tonight?"

"Okay, I'll be back later."

Bohr did not ask any further questions.

"This is the latest information on the position's deployment. Take a look when you have time."

"Um."

Bohr put down the documents and turned to leave.

Lu Yuan waited a while before leaving the alchemy workshop. The sky outside was darkening.

The sun had already set behind the city walls, and its last rays painted the horizon a dark red.

The streetlights on both sides of the street are already on, but the repair work has not yet covered the entire area. Some lampposts are leaning, the lampshades are broken, and only the lamp bases are exposed.

But it's much better than it was a few days ago.

On both sides of the roadbed, there were tools left by craftsmen and half-laid copper plates. The daytime work had just ended, and the dry smell in the air had not yet dissipated.

After walking through several streets, Lu Yuan confirmed that he was not being followed.

He moved into a small, still-abandoned building and put on a white robe.

He put on his hood and continued walking forward as if nothing had happened.

As Lu Yuan continued forward, the buildings became more densely packed, and the damage was significantly reduced.

At this moment, the boundary of the North Textile District has been crossed, and we have entered the inner city area.

The streetlights were brighter and closer together. More pedestrians began to appear: craftsmen finishing their work, housewives carrying shopping baskets, and two young men in apprentice robes emerged from a building, talking quietly to each other.

No one gave Lu Yuan a second glance.

Since the church set up a temporary residence on the east side of the old parliament square, grey-white robes have been seen much more frequently in this area.

It's not unusual to see someone in a church robe walking down an inner-city street.

Lu Yuan pulled his hood forward and quickened his pace.

The inner city was no longer under martial law as before. Although there were still checkpoints at the inner city gates, the identities of passersby were no longer being checked.

Arrive at the agreed-upon Old Parliament Square according to the map.

The bluestone-paved ground spreads out in all directions, with a bronze memorial pillar standing in the center. The pillar is covered with reliefs, and only a blurry outline can be seen in the twilight.

An area on the east side of the square has been temporarily fenced off. The site of the previous collapse has been backfilled and covered with new copper plates. A "No Entry" sign is hanging on the fence.

The church's temporary blockade was mostly lifted, leaving only two or three low-ranking monks in gray robes to guard a few entrances.

Four people stood under the streetlights outside the East Gate.

They were all wearing the same church robes as Lu Yuan, with their hoods pulled low and their hands tucked into their sleeves, standing silently.

Lu Yuan walked over.

The person closest to him raised his head slightly.

It's Agnes.

The shadow of the hood covered most of her face, but Lu Yuan recognized her eyes.

It was pale gold, with a hint of indifference.

Agnes didn't greet her, but simply turned slightly to make room for her.

Lu Yuan stepped inside.

Five people stood quietly under the streetlights.

After waiting for a while, the sound of bells came from afar.

Profound and enduring.

The light spreads from the high clock tower across the entire city.

First word.

Before the echoes of the bells had faded, Agnes stepped forward and spoke.

His voice was low and his speech was slow, but every word was clear and concise.

"The route remains the same. Main tower, first, second, third, fourth, proceed in order. Each tower has three to four purification nodes, each node takes two to three minutes, the whole process takes one and a half hours."

Her gaze swept across the faces of the nuns, finally settling on Lu Yuan without lingering.

"The top floor of the third tower has a heavy number of node remnants, requiring an extra person to handle it."

"The time should be fifteen to twenty minutes, from when I leave until I return, no more and no less."

Her voice paused for a moment.

"What if something unexpected happens—"

Agnes pulled her right hand out of her sleeve and gently pressed her fingertips against her waist.

"You'll feel it. Once you feel it, drop everything and come back the way you came."

Lu Yuan nodded slightly.

So that's what the tag on my waist had.

"There's one more thing," Agnes added.

"I'm not sure what the current status of the area above the top of the third tower is. After the tower was sealed, the church's maintenance route was shortened, and some nodes that were previously accessible are now inaccessible."

She did not explain why she could not leave.

The meaning is clear: there are some areas in the Tower of Learning that even churches cannot enter, so one should be careful.

The second bell rang.

"Walk."

Agnes turned around, and the five people followed.

The procession walked north along the alleyway on the east side of the square, the hem of their greyish-white robes swaying gently in the twilight.

No one spoke along the way.

The outline of the Pagoda of Learning gradually appeared in the night.

The white marble tower, which gleams softly in the daytime, now loses its sunlight and turns into a pale, cold color, as if moonlight has solidified on the stone.

The five towers are arranged at varying heights, with the main tower in the very center and the tallest. The other four towers surround the main tower and are connected by walkways suspended in mid-air, resembling a giant spider web from a distance.

The gold-plated patterns covering the tower emit a faint, eerie blue light at night, like a layer of phosphorescent light that is about to go out and is stuck to the stone wall.

Lu Yuan remembered that the patterns were much brighter when he came last time.

There were two people standing at the entrance.

He wore a dark blue academic robe from the Tower of Learning, with a bronze scroll badge pinned to his chest. He was not old, probably in his early thirties, and had a stern expression.

The accompanying personnel of the Bo Xue Ta (a place name).

One of them stepped forward and scanned the group with his eyes.

"Church maintenance team?"

"Yes." Agnes's voice was steady, carrying a calm and detached quality characteristic of those performing sacred duties.

"Routine purification, five people."

"Has the list been verified?"

"It was confirmed yesterday."

The accompanying person glanced at a thin booklet in their hand, then scanned the queue.

Five people, all wearing gray-white inner robes with hoods pulled down and hands tucked into their sleeves.

His gaze lingered on Lu Yuan for about a second.

Then it was moved.

"Follow me. Do not stray from the route, do not touch the inscriptions on the walls, and do not enter the marked areas."

After saying that, he turned around and pushed open the door of the Tower of Learning.

The atmosphere changed the moment one stepped into the Tower of Learning.

A faint aura permeated the air, enveloping the skin, subtle yet carrying a perceptible pressure.

Pass through the tall archway and enter the Tower of Learning.

The corridor was still spacious, with rows of blue-tinted glass windows embedded in the walls, but at night there was no sunlight to reflect, and the glass only reflected the outlines of people in the corridor.

The portraits of scholars from different dynasties hanging on both sides are still there, with a thin layer of dust on the frames, but the feeling of being gazed at by the people in the paintings remains unchanged.

"It seems the Tower of Learning is severely understaffed..."