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

The implication couldn't be clearer: your Tower of Learning has sent a special envoy, and you didn't even greet the Earl—who are you looking down on?

Moreover, those present were neither the vice-dean nor the dean of the Tower of Learning, nor even the special envoy himself. There were only two mentors.

The count didn't say it explicitly, but when he glanced at Calvin and the female tutor, his meaning was clear enough.

Klaus raised an eyebrow and looked in the direction of the Tower of Learning.

There was no one to chime in, nor was there any attempt to smooth things over.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

A young night watchman from the logistics department came in carrying a brass tray.

Several cups of hot black tea sat on a tray, steaming.

The watchman remained silent, bending over as he served the black tea to each person present.

As she passed by the man from the Ascension Society, he didn't even glance at her, but the woman nodded slightly.

As he passed the Earl, the Night's Watchman's hand visibly paused, perhaps momentarily overwhelmed by the aura of the splendid attire, but he quickly regained his composure, put down his teacup, and withdrew.

Calvin waited until all the tea had been served before speaking.

"Your Excellency."

His tone was neither humble nor arrogant, and his monocle gleamed under the light.

"The Tower of Learning is merely acting under orders. The Imperial Central Government has sent a special envoy here, and we, as local instructors, can only cooperate according to the instructions from above."

He paused for a moment and lowered his voice slightly.

"Of course, as soon as we heard the news of your return, Earl, Selena and I rushed over immediately."

Selena.

Lu Yuan thought for a moment and concluded that it must be the name of that female tutor.

Selena Winter tilted her head slightly, a silent agreement.

Calvin continued.

"The deans and vice deans are currently maintaining the normal operation of the equipment. This is not only related to the tasks assigned by the central command, but also for the safety of Bronze City."

His tone became more cautious.

"As for the special envoy himself, frankly, we have no right to comment on his style of doing things."

Lu Yuan picked up the black tea in front of him and took a sip.

The tea is still hot.

But Calvin is really slippery; he cleared himself of all charges with just a few words.

Lu Yuan mentally made a mental note of Calvin's actions.

The count was clearly not satisfied with this answer.

But he didn't dwell on the "programming problem" and instead changed direction.

"Let's get down to business."

The count leaned forward slightly and tapped his cane lightly on the ground.

"What exactly did they do? We've received numerous reports of missing family members from the noble families. The Tower of Learning must know something about this."

The meeting room fell silent for a moment when those words were spoken.

"Imperial nobles never participate in such matters," the count said, lowering his voice slightly. "What are you planning to do? Give me an explanation."

Calvin was silent for a few seconds.

Lu Yuan noticed that his fingers curled slightly under the table before relaxing.

"The central command's mission is now complete."

Calvin did not give a direct answer.

"According to the special envoy's instructions, all nobles who actively participate in this plan should make concessions for the Empire."

A cold smile appeared on the count's lips.

The Earl stared at Calvin for two seconds.

Then he sat up straight.

"Since they are courting death, then they should bear the consequences themselves."

He picked up the black tea in front of him, blew on it, and took a small sip.

"Give me a complete report detailing the events; I need the whole thing."

Calvin nodded. "Of course."

I didn't ask any more questions.

They let go gracefully.

Footsteps could be heard outside the meeting room.

The servant walked in from outside the door, walked to the count's side, bowed slightly, and whispered something in the count's ear.

The count showed no change in expression, only nodding slightly.

The attendant returned to his original position and stood behind the count again.

Lu Yuan turned his gaze back to the servant, and finally, gray and white characters appeared.

[Target for detection: Residents of Bronze City (Extraordinary Believers)]

[The humans who believe in some aspect of the empire seem to possess considerable strength.]

"Not fifth rank, but at least possessing fourth rank strength."

Lu Yuan stared at the gray text before him, silently calculating in his mind.

"at last."

The count put down his teacup and looked in the direction of the Ascension Society and the Church.

"It seems you two have something to discuss with the Night's Watch. I won't interfere, but since you're here, it's better to avoid any future conflicts."

He slightly raised his hand.

"Start on your own."

The Ascension Society spoke first.

It was that thin man.

He stared intently at Klaus.

A faint red glimmer flashed in his pupils.

"We need what you have."

The woman beside him didn't speak, but she clearly frowned, obviously unaware of why she had spoken so bluntly.

The atmosphere in the meeting room instantly became tense.

Conrad leaned against the wall, his body unconsciously leaning forward slightly. Raymond turned a page in his notebook, as if he was writing something down, but his gaze did not fall on the paper.

Klaus remained completely unresponsive to the Ascension Society's aggressive tactics.

I picked up the black tea and took a sip.

Then he turned to look at Agnes.

What about you?

Agnes sat there, unhurried and calm.

Her voice was not loud, and her tone was steady, much like when Lu Yuan met her underground before—businesslike and devoid of any extra emotion.

"The church hopes that the night watchmen can share what they have."

She paused for a moment.

"Of course, the church will make corresponding compensation. The specific conditions can be proposed by Vice President Klaus."

Klaus put the teacup back on the table and looked toward the Ascension Society.

"So...why should you?"

His tone was kind, even with a slight smile.

"Furthermore, I still haven't verified the procedures for your Ascension Club to move into Bronze City."

He glanced at the count.

"With the Earl present, aren't you going to take it out?"

A red light flashed in the eyes of the man from the Ascension Society, but no anger appeared on his face.

"The Ascension Society is not permanently residing in Bronze City. Now that the Earl has arrived, the formalities will naturally be completed later."

He speaks without restraint.

"Furthermore, according to the latest directive we have received, the Ascension Council has the authority to deal with any presence that is determined to be contaminant or potential contaminant."

Klaus put down his tea.

His kind expression remained unchanged.

"So, what's the evidence?"

The red light in the man's pupils flashed again.

His lips moved slightly, but he didn't say anything more.

He did not produce a written order.

Or rather, he simply couldn't produce it.

Klaus stopped looking at the Ascension Society and turned to Agnes.

"I will seriously consider the church's suggestions."

His tone suddenly became more formal.

"Next time, we can ask your bishop to come in person."

He picked up his teacup and took another sip.

"Let's discuss this in detail."

Agnes nodded without saying anything more.

The men of the Ascension Society finally couldn't hold back any longer.

The gloom on his face could no longer be hidden.

"Klaus".

His voice was very low.

What do you mean?

Klaus completely ignored that statement.

He turned his gaze to the Earl, his tone returning to its usual gentleness.

"Your Excellency, is there anything else you wish to instruct us to do?"

The count stood up, clearly indicating that the Ascension Society's follow-up efforts were completely disregarding him.

The count's face betrayed no emotion; he simply tapped his cane on the ground with a crisp sound.

Meeting adjourned.

His gaze swept over the two members of the Ascension Society.

"Ascension Society, you're coming with me."

The tone left no room for refusal.

The silver cane gleamed coldly under the lamplight. The count's attendant had already reached the door ahead of him and opened it for him, his smile unchanged.

The men of the Ascension Society did not look at Klaus again.

As she stood up, she glanced at Klaus.

"There will be evidence."

The sound wasn't loud, but everyone present heard it.

The woman stood up before him. Her movements were swift and silent.

The two followed the count out, one after the other.

The sound of footsteps faded away down the corridor.

The door closed.

Half the people were gone from the meeting room.

The remaining members of the Night's Watch were Klaus, Hoger, Lu Yuan, Conrad, and Raymond, along with Agnes of the Church and the two monks behind her, as well as Calvin and Selena of the Tower of Learning.

The atmosphere relaxed a bit, and we could get down to business.

Klaus put down his teacup and looked at Calvin.

"Since the church members are also here."

His tone became much more decisive.

"How's the fishing operation at the Tower of Learning going?"

Calvin took out several folded sheets of paper from his pocket.

They unfolded the contents, revealing three portions, and presented them to Klaus and Agnes respectively.

I kept a copy for myself.

"The plan is for tomorrow night."

His tone had changed. It was no longer the cautious and apprehensive tone he had when facing the Earl.

"But the situation has changed."

He pointed to a spot on the paper with his index finger.

"All personnel involved in the fishing must be below level three."

Klaus frowned; this was clearly different from what he had said before, and the difference in rationality between the third and second tiers was enormous.

This threw the original plan into disarray.

Why?

"The device has an upper limit to its resonance threshold. When a third-tier or higher superhuman enters the fishing area, their mental fluctuations may cause fluctuations in the channel."

Calvin frowned.

His monocle flashed in the light, and he lowered his voice.

"The other end of the passage is the sea of ​​knowledge. If there are any disturbances, they may attract something from the depths of the ocean."

When these words were spoken, the meeting room was silent for about two seconds.

Agnes's expression remained unchanged, but the two monks behind her exchanged a very brief glance.

Klaus did not ask further, "What's in the depths of the ocean?"

No need to ask further questions.

Everyone here knows that the sea of ​​knowledge is not a safe place.

"It is precisely because of this restriction that the plan originally scheduled for tonight has to be postponed to tomorrow night."

Calvin turned the contents of the paper toward Klaus.

"You have time to prepare. The blueprints show the positions of the Night's Watch and the Church, as well as the detailed procedures for this mission. You can review the details afterward."

Klaus glanced down at the blueprints, but didn't examine them closely on the spot. Instead, he folded them up and put them into his inner bag.

Agnes also put away her portion and tucked it into her sleeve.

Calvin sat up straight.

After a moment of silence, he finally spoke the last few words.

"I hope this mission can be completed successfully."

His voice was a little lower than before.

"This is not just about stance, nor is it simply about orders from the central command."

He took off his monocle and wiped the lens with the corner of his shirt.

"Too many people have sacrificed themselves for this plan."

Place the lens back on the bridge of your nose.

"If we fail, everything will be in vain."