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

The three of them walked along the stone-paved road in the inner city towards the branch office.

Gas lamps lit up one by one in the night, casting shadows that stretched and shortened on the stone slabs.

The air was cold, and the white mist from our breath flashed under the light before dissipating.

The river of light overhead still shimmered, its pale purple glow spreading across most of the sky and flowing slowly.

Conrad walked at the front, his pace quick.

Holger and Lu Yuan walked side by side behind, neither of them speaking.

After leaving the Baron's mansion, Hogel never mentioned that sentence again.

Lu Yuan didn't intend to explain anything.

Holger clearly didn't intend to ask.

The three maintained a tacit silence, crossed two streets, turned into Mint Lane, and continued forward for a while until they could see the outline of the branch office building in the distance.

The branch office gate was open.

The night watchman on duty saw them, nodded, and didn't ask any further questions.

But Lu Yuan noticed something.

Two more horses appeared under the porch.

There were no insignia on the saddle, but the material of the saddlery looked expensive.

The brass buckles were polished to a shine, and the leather was embossed with fine, subtle patterns.

This was clearly not a Night's Watch carriage.

The three of them entered the main building together.

Go upstairs.

Before we even reached the door of the second-floor conference room, light was already seeping in through the crack in the door.

Judging from the light, there were at least six or seven lamps lit inside, making it brighter than one would expect in the dead of night.

Human voices could be faintly heard.

More than just one or two people.

Lu Yuan and Holger exchanged a glance.

Holger frowned and gestured for Conrad to stop.

He walked to the door.

The door was ajar, but not completely closed.

Through the crack in the door, you could see the long table in the conference room. Several documents were on the table, along with a pot of steaming black tea and at least a dozen teacups, some of which had already been taken.

Holger glanced back at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan raised his hand and knocked on the door frame twice.

The sounds inside paused for a moment.

"Enter."

Klaus's voice.

Lu Yuan pushed open the door and went inside.

A quick glance.

There were many more chairs in the meeting room than usual.

Klaus sat in the main seat, several documents spread out in front of him, and his cup of tea, still steaming, rested to his right. His expression was no different from usual, revealing neither joy nor anger.

First row on the left.

Agnes sat closest to the door, her black hood undone, her long, moon-white hair cascading over her shoulders.

Behind him stood two people dressed in dark gray monk robes, their hands folded in front of them, heads bowed, quiet and still.

Right side of the conference room.

Two people Lu Yuan had never met before.

A man and a woman, sitting very upright.

The man was probably in his early thirties, with a thin face and high cheekbones. He wore a dark red turtleneck coat with a dark gold badge pinned to the collar. His eyes were sunken, and the color of his pupils was faintly reddish under the light.

The woman was slightly older, around forty, with short hair neatly tucked behind her ears. She wore a matching dark red coat, but without the badge. Her expression was indifferent, her gaze fixed on the table, unmoving.

It's obvious this person is from the Ascension Society.

Klaus had said before that the Ascendants would arrive sooner or later.

Let's look further inside.

Calvin Morton was sitting on the left by the window.

The monocle reflected the light coldly, his face still had that gloomy look, his eyes were sunken, the corners of his mouth were slightly downturned, and his hands were folded on the table.

A woman was sitting next to him.

He was in his early thirties, with long brown hair tied back, a handsome face, and a sharp look in his eyes.

He was wearing the standard robe of the Tutor of the Tower of Learning, dark blue with silver piping on the cuffs.

Lu Yuan had never met her, but judging from her position and attire, she should also be at the mentor level.

And at the very back of the conference room, directly in Klaus's direction...

There was a person sitting there.

The dark blue brocade coat had intricate patterns embroidered in gold thread on the collar and cuffs.

He wore a thumb-sized eagle badge on his chest, not the bronze one like the von Linde ones, but a silver one inlaid with gold, with extremely fine workmanship.

His right hand rested on a silver cane, which was entirely silver with a gold relief engraved around the top, depicting intertwined ears of wheat and a sword.

He was around fifty years old, with meticulously trimmed gray sideburns, a lean and strong face, high cheekbones, and a sharp jawline.

His eyes were bright, his expression was calm, and he seemed to be scrutinizing everything.

There was a person standing behind him.

He was dressed in the finest servant's robes, tailored to fit perfectly in dark gray.

She was in her early thirties, with a fair complexion and an average height; she looked quite ordinary.

But a smile lingered on his lips, the kind of impeccable smile that never wavered, no matter what happened.

Lu Yuan's gaze lingered on the servant for half a second longer.

He couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong, but his intuition told him that this person was not simple.

"Feel sorry."

Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze and bowed slightly to Klaus.

"We just got back from outside and didn't know they were in a meeting. We'll report back later."

After saying that, he prepared to leave.

"Come in."

Klaus's voice was soft, but clear.

He glanced at Holger and Conrad standing at the door.

"Come in and have a seat, Raymond just got back, so I saved some seats for you."

Lu Yuan turned around.

Sure enough, Raymond was walking over from the stairwell at the other end of the corridor.

His coat was covered in a fine layer of dust, probably from a trip back from the southern part of the outer city. When he saw the commotion at the conference room door, he paused for a moment, but quickly recovered and walked over.

The four people entered the conference room one by one.

Holger sat down to Klaus's right, placed the notebook and evidence from his inner pocket on the table, and said nothing. Conrad and Raymond stood against the wall.

Lu Yuan found a seat near the door and sat down.

Klaus glanced around at everyone, then picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"Now that everyone is here, let's all listen together. It's a rare opportunity for all parties in Bronze City to come together, so it's a good chance to clarify some things face to face."

The man in the fine clothes, the count, nodded slightly.

He didn't get up, but simply switched his cane from his right hand to his left and placed it on the armrest of the chair.

"Since Deputy Chief of Staff Klaus is being so polite, then I'll get straight to the point."

The count's voice was not loud, but extremely clear, with each word pronounced crisply and clearly, as if he were someone accustomed to speaking in grand settings.

"I convened this meeting on short notice, and it is an honor for me, Helmut, to have all parties present."

His gaze swept across the faces of everyone present, neither fast nor slow, before finally settling on Klaus.

"I recently returned from the Central City and heard that a lot of unpleasant things happened in Bronze City while I was away, so I mainly want to ask about the following three things."

The count held up three fingers.

"First, it seems that quite a few nobles within Bronze City have done things they shouldn't have?"

One finger retracted.

"Secondly, I need an explanation for the recent actions of the Bo Xue Ta (博学塔)."

The second finger retracts.

"Third, it seems the Ascended Order and the Church have something to say to the Night's Watch. Rather than having each side say their own thing and causing misunderstandings, it's better to talk it out face to face."

Helmut withdrew his hand. (Knowing he couldn't remember the name, he will use the title of Earl from now on.)

"Let's do it in turn."

Klaus didn't reply, but just glanced at Holger.

Holger understood, opened the notebook containing tonight's operation, and pushed it in front of Klaus.

Klaus glanced down a few times. His eyebrows twitched slightly.

Von Linde, alienation, direct evidence.

This is far more serious than the previous purge of those barons.

This isn't about smuggling or collusion with the Grey Contract Society; the problem lies in the fact that von Linde has become corrupted, and this corruption is out of control, resulting in deaths within the manor.

He raised his head.

"count."

Klaus pulled several documents from the folder beside him and pushed them directly to the center of the conference table.

"The evidence related to the barons we dealt with earlier is all here. Accounts, confessions, physical evidence—everything is there."

He paused for a moment.

"According to the Imperial Regulations, if such a thing happens to a noble in the territory, the serving count also needs to bear the corresponding supervisory responsibility."

The count took the document and opened it.

He turned two pages, his expression unchanged.

But he narrowed his eyes.

Before he could finish reading, Klaus pushed Holger's notebook over as well.

"Just dealt with tonight. Baron von Linde."

His tone remained calm.

"He's gone too far than the previous ones. Not only does he have dealings with the Grey Pact, but he himself has become corrupted. The Night Watch will deal with him on the spot according to Imperial law."

The count opened his notebook and read a few lines.

This time, a hint of gloom flashed in his eyes.

Then everything returned to normal.

"Is the evidence conclusive?"

"Indeed," Holger's voice came from the side.

The count closed the notebook and tapped the cover lightly twice with his fingers.

There was a few seconds of silence.

"Your Excellency," Klaus continued, "Based on the information we have so far, it seems we'll need to conduct a thorough purge of the noble class in Bronze City."

The count neatly stacked the documents and notebooks in front of him.

Then he tilted his head slightly towards the attendant behind him and made a very subtle gesture.

The attendant's smile remained unchanged.

He took out a communication crystal from his sleeve, bowed slightly to the count, and silently left the conference room.

Lu Yuan sat in the corner.

He noticed a detail.

He wasn't the only one looking at the servant.

Agnes's gaze followed for a moment, carrying a hint of something indescribable.

The two people in the Ascension Society were even more discreet. The man tapped his right index finger on the table, and the woman slightly raised her eyelids.

That's it.

Then everyone's attention returned to its original position.

It's as if nothing happened.

After the servant left, the count looked at Klaus again.

"You did a great job."

His tone suddenly softened.

"Bronze City has been living in comfort for too long. Some people have been blinded and have forgotten what they have paid for the privileged life that the empire has given them."

He paused for a moment and tapped the shaft of his cane twice with his fingers.

"This definitely needs to be a wake-up call."

Klaus said nothing, he just took a sip of tea.

"The second thing."

The count turned his gaze to Calvin and the female tutor beside him.

His tone shifted from gentle to indifferent.

"While I was away, I heard that an imperial envoy arrived at the Tower of Learning?"

He tilted his head to the side, as if recalling something.

"However, according to the Imperial Regulations, the entry of a special envoy from the Central Government into the city should be confirmed and notified by the local administrative system."

It paused for a moment.

"Clearly, this special envoy's information channels are rather limited."