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

Inside the circular room, the gilded patterns on the dome were all lit up.

Multicolored light intertwined on the ceiling, flowing slowly. The entire room was illuminated in crystal detail.

The round table was covered with blueprints and instruments.

A copper tube connects several dials, and the pointer is trembling slightly.

Arthur Heinz stood behind the round table.

His hair was gray, his face was rigid, and his dark gray robe was exquisitely tailored.

The gold badge on the collar reflected a cold light in the glow of the dome.

An eagle with outstretched wings holds an open book in its talons.

He watched the eight people walk in, his gaze sweeping over Klaus, lingering for a moment on the guards, before slowly straightening up.

"Please be seated, everyone."

Arthur gestured to the chairs around the round table, his tone neither humble nor arrogant.

No one is sitting there.

Klaus stood across the round table, his hands in his pockets, his face expressionless.

Rex stood to the right and behind Klaus.

He had short brown hair, a thin face, and was much shorter, only reaching Klaus's chest. He was quiet and didn't say a word.

Two hooded Night's Watchmen stood on either side.

The long robe reached down to her feet, and the hood was pulled low, obscuring her face.

If it weren't for the occasional soft rustling of fabric, one would almost forget they existed.

The guardians stood at the furthest point.

His hair was completely white, and a dark aura enveloped his entire body. The black eyeballs that constantly appeared and disappeared on his body reflected the light from the dome, creating an eerie and silent scene.

Camille stood beside Arthur.

The vice president's expression was much calmer than when he was at the door, but the muscles in the back of his neck were still very tense.

Calvin Morton and the female tutor stood further back.

Calvin's monocle gleamed coldly, his lips pressed into a thin line, and the female tutor remained expressionless and silent.

Arthur glanced at everyone's positions and didn't insist.

He bowed slightly.

"Let me introduce myself first."

"Arthur Heinz, Special Inspector from Imperial Headquarters. All experimental progress and plans for this Tower of Knowledge project have been handled by me."

"In other words," he adjusted the badge on his collar, "I bear full responsibility for everything that has happened here."

Klaus's expression remained unchanged.

"so?"

Arthur showed no displeasure at being interrupted. He even smiled slightly.

"So I'm here to give you all an explanation."

He rested his hands on the edge of the round table, leaning slightly forward.

"This experiment was basically successful."

No one in the room responded.

Arthur continued.

"The original objective was to create a breach and retrieve specific knowledge samples from the sea of ​​knowledge. This objective has been achieved."

He paused for a moment.

"Moreover, we exceeded expectations. We opened a channel for diversion in the sea of ​​knowledge. It's not a one-off gap, but a stable and sustainable channel."

He pointed to the top of his head.

On the gold-plated patterns of the dome, one can vaguely sense some kind of immense power at work.

The faint tremors throughout the main tower were transmitted from there.

"The 'river' you all saw tonight is the external manifestation of the diversion channel. Currently, the channel and restrictions are basically stable and will not have a direct impact on the city."

Klaus finally moved.

He pulled his right hand out of his pocket and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

"Basically successful?"

He looked at Arthur.

Are you sure it's basically a success?

Arthur's smile didn't fade.

"You've caused a massive overdraft of the inscriptions on the Bronze City this time," Klaus's voice deepened. "The inscriptions across the entire wall are running simultaneously, so brightly that even the residents outside the city can see them. Do you know what that means?"

He took a step forward.

"You're going to stir up the panic I finally managed to suppress. How long has it been since the ghoul incident? And now you're telling me that's 'basically a success' after those people in the outer city finally stopped leaving their lights on all night long?"

Klaus did not raise his voice.

But every word weighs heavily on you.

Arthur's smile faded slightly, but he did not back down.

"I completely understand Deputy Chief of Staff Klaus's concerns."

He straightened up and put his hands behind his back.

"Regarding the overdraft of inscriptions, the inscription reserves of Bronze City were indeed used this time. In order to open up the diversion channels of the Sea of ​​Knowledge, the city's inscription system needs to be used as an auxiliary anchor point. That's why the commotion was a bit large."

He paused briefly.

"But this is a one-time thing. The passage is already stable, and there's no need to borrow city inscriptions for its subsequent operation. After all, Bronze City is an extremely important asset of the Empire, so I will naturally pay extra attention to this."

As Arthur finished speaking, his gaze inadvertently swept behind Klaus.

The guardians stood there.

His aged body was shrouded in a dark aura.

The black eyeballs on its body floated up and down, occasionally one or two slowly turning in an uncertain direction.

Arthur's gaze lingered on the guardian for a moment before quickly returning to his own.

He considered his words carefully before continuing.

"As for panic..."

Arthur's tone softened slightly.

"Rest assured, Night's Watchmen, the Empire has officially abolished taxes in Bronze City in preparation for this experiment."

He shrugged.

"So even if those residents continue to panic, no one will be held accountable."

He pointed to the top of his head.

"Moreover, as you all have seen, that river above is a branch of the Sea of ​​Knowledge. If used properly, just the act of harvesting fragments of knowledge alone would be enough to multiply the academic output of Bronze City several times over."

He smiled.

"How beautiful."

As if in response to Arthur's words.

Above the main tower's dome, the crack in the sky seemed to have widened even further.

The dreamlike colors seeped in through the gaps in the inscriptions at the top of the tower, making the light in the circular room even more dazzling.

Every now and then, fragments of glowing text drifted down from above, swirled among the patterns on the dome, and then dissipated.

Arthur looked at the falling specks of light, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

Klaus didn't look at the lights.

His gaze remained fixed on Arthur.

Arthur then turned toward the Guardians.

The voice became a little quieter.

"Moreover, the outside world is becoming dangerous, with strange events occurring frequently in various places, and things are no longer peaceful beyond the empire's borders. It might not be a bad thing to remind the residents of Bronze City of these strange dangers in advance."

He lowered his head slightly.

"What do you say, Guardian?"

The guards remained silent.

The aged figure stood there in place.

Not moving at all.

A dark aura slowly swirled around him, and the black eyeballs on his body rose and sank one by one.

Some of them were looking at Arthur.

The direction is clear.

Arthur felt those gazes.

His brow furrowed slightly without him noticing.

Those stares were extremely uncomfortable.

Arthur calmly withdrew his gaze and did not pursue the matter further.

There was a few seconds of silence.

He decided to play his trump card.

"As you all should know," Arthur's voice lowered slightly, his tone becoming more serious, "there has been some turmoil in the Imperial Central Government recently."

He did not explain the specifics of the "turmoil".

Everyone present knew what he was talking about.

"This is the first task assigned by those adults. It is also the key to whether or not the empire can reverse its current predicament."

He looked at the guards.

"Nowhere is more suitable than Bronze City. It has a complete system of inscriptions, the facilities of the Tower of Learning, and the basic conditions to anchor the sea of ​​knowledge."

"Everything for the Empire."

Upon hearing this, the guardian finally moved.

He simply lowered his gaze.

The black eyeballs moved away from Arthur one by one, sinking back into the dark aura.

Arthur felt the invisible pressure pressing down on him disappear instantly.

I secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Once we get past this hurdle, things will be much easier."

His shoulders relaxed slightly... a very subtle change, but Klaus noticed it.

Klaus didn't say anything.

He merely watched Arthur relax for that brief moment, and the coldness in his eyes deepened.

"Are there still living students in the Tower of Learning?"

Klaus suddenly spoke up.

"How many more people do you want to sacrifice?"

Klaus's gaze swept over Cameron and Calvin behind Arthur.

"What about the dean?"

Cameron's lips moved, but she didn't interrupt.

Arthur answered quickly.

"There are still quite a few students alive. They're all in the outer dormitory area; they're safe."

He paused for a moment.

"No more lives need to be sacrificed; the most dangerous phase has passed. The director is currently participating in the final stage of the experiment and is in good condition."

He looked at Klaus, his tone becoming more candid.

"And now that we've reached this stage, there's no need for us to hide anything anymore. We'll inform the Night Watchers in advance about the opening of subsequent channels and the progress of the knowledge-gathering plan."

He extended his hand, making an open gesture.

"We might even need the Night's Watch's assistance if necessary; of course, all of this will go through the proper procedures. How does that sound?"

Klaus did not answer.

He turned around.

I took two steps.

Suddenly it stopped again.

There was no turning back.

"Are you sure the ocean of knowledge won't be leaked?"

The sound wasn't loud, but it could be heard clearly in the quiet circular room.

Arthur looked confident.

"I confirm."

His tone was confident.

That's the truth.

Klaus didn't say anything more.

I stepped towards the door.

Rick followed silently.

Two hooded watchmen followed silently.

The guardian walked last. As the aged figure stepped across the threshold, the gold patterns in the circular room trembled.

Arthur just stood there, watching the five people walk out one by one.

The bronze door closed behind him.

The footsteps faded into the distance.

Only three people remained in the circular room.

Arthur looked at the closed bronze door.

The laughter stopped.

His expression turned cold.

"Cameron".

"Um."

"The plan is being accelerated."

Arthur tapped his fingers lightly on the edge of the round table.

"That guy is tougher than I thought. He's figured something out."

Cameron walked up to Arthur and lowered his voice.

"Hmm, I didn't expect the Night Watchers to have so many hidden tricks up their sleeves. Two fourth-tier guards are one thing, but they even brought out the Guardians. Fortunately, this time we managed to lure them out."