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

Bohr was driving, and Dunn was in the passenger seat. The two chatted casually.

Bohr asked him if he could ride a horse, and Dunn said that he had ridden a packhorse in town when he was a child, but it didn't count as riding, it was more like hanging on. Bohr smiled and said that there were places to learn in the city.

Jürgen sat at the back of the carriage, leaning against a wooden crate. He neither joined the conversation in front nor looked in the direction of Bor and Dunn.

His gaze remained fixed on the back, on the dirt road that was gradually receding into the distance, and on the clear treeline at the end of the dirt road.

Gubo Town grew smaller and smaller behind us.

Bor's laughter stopped as he passed the church checkpoint.

Because there were obviously more people in front of me.

When they arrived, there were three or four people in their class, but now that number has more than doubled. The roadblocks haven't been removed; in fact, there are even more now.

The people conducting the checks had changed, and the styles of their face shields and robes were different. The extra people didn't stand in front to conduct the checks—they stayed behind, silent, with their positions spread out, their eyes scanning every passing carriage.

Boer glanced back at Lu Yuan. The smile was gone from his face.

"Something might have happened."

Lu Yuan nodded.

The inspection was much more thorough than when they arrived; even the medicine boxes on the carriage were opened and checked.

Dunn sat quietly, not saying a word, while Jürgen rested his hand on his hunting knife and glanced at the church members.

After passing the checkpoint, Bor gave the reins a tug.

The horse's gait changed from a leisurely walk to a trot, the sound of its hooves became more frequent, and the wooden crates inside the carriage swayed a few times.

We rested overnight on the way here, but didn't stop on the way back.

Bor let the two horses take turns resting, and continued on their way even after dark. The moonlight illuminated the road surface, which was barely visible, and the horses had to find their way in the darker areas.

He didn't chat with Dunn anymore; he gripped the reins tightly, his shoulders tense, never relaxing.

Dunn didn't ask why; he probably sensed something was wrong. He sat quietly in the passenger seat, occasionally glancing at the potholes in the road for Bor. Jürgen remained silent throughout.

As dusk fell, a faint blue light appeared on the distant horizon.

The inscriptions on the walls of Bronze City were exceptionally clear in the twilight.

The moment he entered the city, Lu Yuan felt that familiar oppressive force press against him again.

It felt heavy and adhered to the skin.

The streets were deserted.

At this time of day, there should be transport caravans running on the main road, with carriages coming and going. On the day Lu Yuan left the city, he even saw several women carrying vegetable baskets walking at the street corner. The Iron Guard's patrol team had just changed shifts.

There's nothing there now. Half of the shop is closed. Occasionally, pedestrians pass by on the sidewalk, walking quickly with their heads down.

A patrol team passed by on a street in the distance, heading towards the inner city.

Bor tightened his grip on the reins slightly, but the carriage did not slow down.

Neither of them spoke. This street wasn't like this when they left the city three days ago.

As the carriage turned into the branch's side gate, Bor jumped out of the carriage quickly.

"You two come with me." He gestured with his chin toward Dunn and Jürgen, his tone much shorter.

Boer led the two to an empty room at the end of the corridor on the first floor, told them, "Stay here for now, don't wander around," and then turned and left.

Dunn nodded, and Jürgen didn't respond, but he sat down.

The corridor was filled with the smell of medicine.

Lu Yuan and Bo'er walked in. There were more people in the corridor than usual, and several unfamiliar faces were walking quickly.

Someone was moving a dark-colored, sealed emergency reserve box. These boxes are usually locked on the second floor and are not easily moved down.

Lu Yuan slowed his pace, his ominous premonition growing stronger.

He recalled how Klaus looked in his office the night he left, his tone quite ordinary.

The day after I left, the city looked like this.

Klaus knew in advance that something bad was going to happen.

At the corner, I ran into Glock.

When Glock saw them, his gaze first fell on Lu Yuan's face, his expression relaxed for a moment, and then he immediately looked away.

He nodded when he saw Bor following behind.

"I'm back."

"What happened?" Bor asked first.

Glock glanced at him and lowered his voice.

Klaus told you to go directly to him after you get back.

He paused for a moment.

"The Earl's party begins the day after tomorrow, but before that, there are some things you need to know."

Glock finished speaking and left; his footsteps disappeared quickly after turning a corner in the corridor.

Lu Yuan and Bo Er did not linger and walked directly to the end of the corridor.

Klaus's office. The door was ajar.

When Lu Yuan reached the door, he first saw the table. There were four or five bottles of medicine on the table, two of which were empty and had dark green liquid stains on them. There was a stack of papers next to them, and the top one was half-written, with the ink still wet.

Klaus sat behind the chair, leaning against the backrest, his hands resting on the armrests, wearing a dark shirt with the cuffs rolled up.

But Lu Yuan saw it at a glance.

Klaus looked unwell; he was much paler than when they last met, with an unnatural color on his cheekbones. His right wrist was wrapped in gauze, several times tightly, with faint blue lines slowly flowing beneath it.

It has now spread to my wrist; you can see the trail of infection even through the gauze.

Lu Yuan glanced at it again.

The gray and white text jumped at the edge of my field of vision.

[Target for detection: Klaus (mysterious and extraordinary) (injured)]

Having made a contract with an extremely rare and bizarre human who still retains his human identity, he may now face a choice.

The fact that Klaus was injured suggests that he must have encountered something during the days he was away, which led to his injury.

Meanwhile, in Lu Yuan's line of sight, the research had already begun.

[Analyzing target status: Klaus (Mysterious and Extraordinary)]

[Status Analysis: Corrosion of the glass and erosion of knowledge; strange fluctuations are occurring in the body.]

[The plan is being developed...]

[Solution Generation: Stripping (Optimal Solution)]

[Principle: By introducing the "Knowledge Worm" into the body, which consumes glass and knowledge, and then combining it with simple healing medicine, it can be eradicated.]

[Note: Please control your worm of knowledge; entering the body of the person before you is no less dangerous than entering a kitchen.]

[Estimated success rate: 99%]

[Solution Generation: Absorbing 'Hope']

[Principle: A gentle yet powerful hope contains the power of "wish," which humanity consumes, leading to unexpected changes.]

[Estimated success rate: 11%]

[Note: It might turn into something eerie, who knows?]

Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze.

99%.

After Bor left, I brought this up with Klaus alone. I didn't want too many people to know about the Knowledge Worm, but Klaus was different.

What could possibly hurt Klaus?

When Klaus saw the two men enter, he raised his right hand, gesturing for them to sit.

"How's Guber Town?"

The first question I asked them was about their mission.

Boer spoke first, saying that the procurement had been arranged, the list had been left at the base, and there were no issues with the stock and quality of the medicinal herbs.

The town mayor has already said that things will proceed according to the old rules.

Lu Yuan continued, saying that Dunn and Jürgen had been brought back and settled in. Dunn passed the test, and the copper box test showed normal results.

But Jürgen is strange and extraordinary, and his personality is indeed a bit impulsive, but he is very smart, so he is suitable to be taught by Reck.

There's also a girl in town who seems to have some talent, but not much. She's already on file. Finally, the mayor reported that things haven't been peaceful in Gulin lately, with animals running away, and he hopes the branch can get some more equipment.

Klaus tapped his finger lightly on the armrest.

"Strange and extraordinary? Looks like he has quite a talent."

Klaus continued, "Keep a close eye on things during the observation period. We'll discuss the Jürgen matter separately later."

He glanced at Bohr.

"You'll be in charge of coordinating with logistics regarding the aftermath in Guber Town."

Boer understood. He stood up, didn't ask any more questions, and glanced back at Lu Yuan as he walked to the door.

The door was closed.

The office was silent for two seconds.

Klaus did not respond immediately.

His gaze shifted from Lu Yuan's face to the half-written stack of papers on the table.

He gently rubbed his fingers on the armrest, the movement was very slow.

Lu Yuan waited.

"The day after you set off, the Tower of Learning launched its second fishing operation."

Lu Yuan straightened his back slightly.

really.

Klaus knew the fishing time in advance and arranged to go to Guber Town, just in time to avoid that day.

He didn't ask why.

"The setup is the same as last time: the people from the Tower of Learning are in the core area, the Church provides Blessing support, and our people guard the barrier area. Franz is leading the team."

Franz, the captain transferred from the southern detachment, was someone Lu Yuan had met during the pipeline operation; he was efficient in his work.

"It was normal at first."

Klaus paused here.

He picked up an unopened bottle of medicine from the table, unscrewed the cap, took a sip, and put it back.

"Then the connection went wrong."

"What's the problem?"

"The erudite tower is keeping quiet about the specifics; they haven't provided a decent report yet," Klaus said calmly. "But the result is that everyone involved was injured."

Lu Yuan remained silent.

"Not a single one escaped. Our people, the church people, the people in the core area of ​​the Tower of Learning, all of them. Not one of them has woken up yet. Franz was the most severely injured; his sanity has been almost completely eroded."

Medical room.

The smell of medicine in the hallway. The emergency supply kits that were brought down. Everything matched up.

"Two nuns from the church were seriously injured. I don't know the exact number of injured in the core area of ​​the Tower of Learning, but I know at least four or five people were carried out on stretchers."

After Klaus finished speaking, the office was quiet for a few seconds.

The faint blue light from the inscriptions on the distant city wall outside the window shone through the window, casting a blurry shadow on the table.

"Casualties are secondary; headquarters will always find a way."

Klaus looked at him, his gaze darkening slightly.

"Something is flowing out of the sea of ​​knowledge."

Lu Yuan subconsciously raised his voice a few decibels.

"What is that?"

"It's hard to say," Klaus said, his voice lowered slightly. "Contamination. And some... other things, but most importantly, they seem to have disappeared."

He didn't continue speaking.

But the bluish lines beneath the gauze on his wrist were more active than before. The flow was noticeably faster.