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

I went to the logistics warehouse in the afternoon and took some copper-cased bullets and holy water.

When I came back, I saw from the window that Bor was leading Dunn and Jürgen around the backyard, talking to each other. Dunn followed half a step behind Bor, nodding from time to time.

As Lu Yuan sat by the window, closing his eyes to cultivate his defensive abilities, his consciousness sank into the river of reason, and the symbiotic connection suddenly became active.

The worm of knowledge peeked out its sensory tendrils from deep within its left eye, paused in a certain direction for less than a second, and then withdrew.

Lu Yuan had never seen this kind of reaction before.

Subconsciously, he looked at the Worm of Knowledge, which was now half-protruding from Lu Yuan's left eye, looking around as if searching for something.

"What do you feel?" Lu Yuan asked the worm of knowledge through the symbiotic connection.

The "gibberish" insect of knowledge floated out from in front of my left eye and circled twice in the air.

That roughly means that he seemed to sense the aura of the ocean of knowledge, but it disappeared in an instant.

Lu Yuan looked in the direction indicated by the worm of knowledge; it was the inner city.

Lu Yuan already understood. He hoped that tomorrow's meeting would not go too wrong, and that the Earl and Klaus would be well prepared.

After all, if everyone at the meeting could be captured, Bronze City would be rendered useless.

Lu Yuan looked into the distance, then silently withdrew his gaze. The worm of knowledge circled in front of him a few times before shrinking back.

Early the next morning.

Grayish-white text appeared at the edge of the field of vision.

[Rationality: 140/140]

Very good, you've regained your senses.

When Lu Yuan finished packing his equipment and arrived at the branch, Klaus was already there.

His complexion was better than last night, but his wrists were still wrapped in layers of gauze. His right hand rested on the armrest, and he walked a few steps slower than usual.

If it weren't for the gray text prompts, Lu Yuan would probably have doubted whether he had actually cured Klaus.

Klaus smiled at Lu Yuan's surprised expression, clearly indicating that he was preparing to go with the flow.

The carriage headed towards the inner city.

The carriage swayed, and Klaus leaned against the corner of the seat, his right hand resting on his knee, his "injured" wrist positioned naturally.

"Headquarters sent more than one person." Klaus didn't look at Lu Yuan, his gaze fixed on the scenery outside the car window. "The Empire is determined to continue its search for knowledge in the Sea of ​​Knowledge. This time, the people they sent have considerable power and influence. Once you arrive, remember not to wander off."

"Yes, I will."

"You'll sit next to me then," Klaus continued. "Just use your ability to scan around; don't be too deliberate. Just let me know if you find anything."

"No problem, but since the Tower of Knowledge has already been compromised, is it still necessary to increase investment?"

Lu Yuan nodded and asked the question that had been bothering him.

"You may not know what you actually gained from that operation you participated in..."

Klaus seemed to have thought of something, and his expression turned rather unpleasant.

"The Empire gained unprecedented knowledge from the last fishing operation, and the entire central government went crazy for it. As a result, the second round of fishing was carried out without adequate preparation, which led to the leak."

"But this leak resulted in too few deaths..."

Klaus's voice was somewhat suppressed.

Lu Yuan also understood.

I see, because the empire felt it could afford it, right?

Even this level of leak...

Lu Yuan was momentarily speechless.

As the carriage rounded a bend in the road, the view outside the window changed. The patrol density had at least doubled, and the Iron Guard Battalion stood at the key intersection, fully armed, their armor reflecting a cold light in the morning sun.

A patrol of the Holy Armored Army came from the opposite direction. The leader exchanged a glance with Klaus's carriage, but did not stop and continued onward.

There were very few pedestrians on the street, and half of the shops were closed.

The whole city seemed to be waiting for something.

As the carriage entered the inner city's core area, the buildings on both sides of the street transformed from shops into stone mansions, with increasingly thick walls, narrower windows, and more elaborate family crests on the lintels.

The Earl's mansion appeared at the end of the street.

The main building is constructed of grayish-white limestone and is three stories high. Four thick stone pillars stand on the front, with the coat of arms of the Helmut family engraved on the capitals. A vertical sword is mounted on a bronze shield, with two snakes coiled around its blade, their heads facing each other, each holding a copper coin.

The wide stone steps extend from the bottom to the porch, with copper strips inlaid along the edges of each step, gleaming with a dark metallic luster in the sunlight.

The count's private guards stood on either side of the door, dressed in ceremonial armor. Their bronze breastplates were polished so well that they reflected images. Judging from the aura they exuded and the swords at their waists, they were clearly skilled fighters.

The real suppressive force wasn't at the gate. As the carriage passed by, Lu Yuan saw the reflection of armor in the shadows of the side alley. The Iron Guard squads were hidden in the surrounding side alleys, and the Holy Armor Army was on the rooftops.

Upon entering the porch, the dome was higher than expected, and the stone walls were adorned with brocade tapestries depicting a hunting scene: nobles on horseback, fleeing white deer, and a distant forest. Every three steps below the tapestries, a copper lampstand stood, its flames burning even during the day, illuminating the corridor brightly.

We arrived at the main hall.

The ceiling here is at least two or three times higher than the first floor of the branch, with an iron chandelier hanging overhead and dozens of kerosene lamps burning at the same time.

The bottom of the wall is covered with dark wood wainscoting, and above it is a light gray stone wall inlaid with several inscribed stone slabs.

The mansion itself bears protective inscriptions.

The original layout of the main hall was changed; the original long table was replaced with a circular seating arrangement, leaving a large empty space in the center.

The nobles have arrived one after another, dozens of them, ranging from viscounts to barons, some with attendants, some alone.

But they all maintained an aristocratic demeanor; some chatted with each other, but most took their seats in turn, closed their eyes to rest, or flipped through the books they carried with them.

Lu Yuan followed Klaus and sat down in the left-hand seat at the head of the circular seating arrangement.

Klaus displayed the authority befitting a deputy chief of staff, but his expression was not good, and the bandage on his wrist was visible. Several nobles' gazes lingered on Klaus's wrist for a moment.

It seems many people are concerned about Klaus's injury.

Lu Yuan glanced around.

Slightly to the right of the head of the table was Agnes, her black hood undone, her long, moon-white hair cascading over her shoulders, her expression calm. Behind her stood two men in dark gray monk robes, their hands clasped in front of them, heads bowed.

But she didn't seem to care whether there was a problem with the nobles present; her gaze was somewhat unfocused, as if she were looking at something.

The Ascension Club is located on the right side against the wall.

There were only two people, but it wasn't the red-eyed man from last time. It seems the Ascension Society isn't stupid; they know which person to send for which occasion.

Lu Yuan sneered inwardly.

The two people from the Ascension Society, a man and a woman, wore dark red coats. The man was in his forties, thin and silent, sitting upright. The woman was younger, with lively eyes and an unnatural smile on her lips.

However, neither of them showed any obvious signs of mechanical modification, clearly indicating that they were both absolute powerhouses within the Ascension Society.

I scanned the gray and white text.

[Target for detection: Ascension Society members (mechanical modifiers)]

[A creation that retains as much human identity as possible, seemingly using some entirely new mechanical construct, is something worth treasuring.]

Lu Yuan glanced at the gray notification; there was clearly not much information.

The Tower of Learning is located on the left side near the window.

A familiar face was sitting there—Calvin Morton. He had a stern expression, but looked more tired than last time.

He was still wearing that monocle, but of the three seats in the Bo Xue Tower, only one was occupied, clearly indicating that he was the only one there.

Most importantly, the special envoy didn't come either.

The special envoy is the highest representative sent by the headquarters of the Tower of Learning to the Bronze City. The Earl summoned all the forces in the city to attend, but the special envoy did not attend.

"That's interesting. It seems that the special envoy is determined to stand against the Earl."

Lu Yuan was facing the Iron Guard Battalion, but the commander's position had obviously changed, and Lu Yuan had never seen him before.

The middle-aged officer, with a square face and a silent demeanor, was accompanied by two sword-wielding lieutenants. The Iron Guard Battalion was the regular armed force stationed in Bronze City by the Empire, and it was clear that quite a few more people had arrived.

Near the door was Heinrich, the captain of the Holy Armor Army whom Lu Yuan had met during the joint operations of the network. As Lu Yuan looked around, he obviously noticed Lu Yuan as well. Their eyes met, and Heinrich nodded slightly in Lu Yuan's direction.

His position was close to the door, so he obviously had his own tasks and arrangements.

The Earl was the last to arrive.

A silver cane, elegant attire, impeccably dressed.

A servant followed behind. He was dressed in a dark gray robe, around thirty years old, with a fair complexion and a medium height. A smile played on his lips, just like last time—a perfectly genuine smile that remained on his face no matter what happened.

Lu Yuan glanced at him. He had met this person before, and his intuition at the time was that "this person is not simple."

Looking at it now, it still gives me a sense of danger.

As soon as the Earl entered the main hall, everyone's voices fell silent.

The count did not sit down.

Standing in the center of the circular seating area, with a silver cane held upright in front of him and his hands folded over the top, an attendant stood two steps behind him, his smile unchanged.

The cane tapped on the stone pavement.

The entire main hall fell silent.

"During the time I was away from Bronze City."

The count's voice wasn't loud, but the stone walls of the main hall amplified every word to everyone's ears.

"It seems something unpleasant happened."

His gaze slowly swept across the room from left to right. It didn't land on any one person, but everyone felt as if they were being looked at.

"Some have forgotten the laws of the Oris Empire. Some have forgotten who bestowed their titles upon them. Some believe that the walls of the Bronze City only keep out what's outside."

The main hall was completely silent. Not even the creaking of the chairs could be heard.

The count's gaze fell on the Tower of Learning, where only Calvin sat alone.

"Arthur Heinz didn't come today."

The count's expression remained unchanged, but his tone clearly showed displeasure.

Everyone in the main hall could hear the weight of those words.

Calvin's monocle reflected a gleam as he calmly spoke.

"The special envoy is currently dealing with the aftermath of the fishing accident and is unable to leave. He has entrusted me with full authority to represent the Confucian scholar."

The count looked at him for two seconds.

He didn't reply, and then looked away.

"I won't pursue these matters today," the count said, his tone softening.

"I've invited you all here today for another matter."