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

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the crystal, followed by a soft laugh.

"Mr. Morgan, wasn't everything agreed upon at the meeting? We've provided the ships and manpower, what more do you need?"

Old Morgan didn't reply, but simply flicked his cigarette ash and looked at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan understood and remained silent.

The silence lasted for a few seconds.

Old Morgan then slowly began to speak:

"Where's the blood?"

The breathing on the other end of the crystal paused for a moment.

It was very short, but Lu Yuan caught it.

silence.

a long time.

"...How did you know?"

"That's not important." Old Morgan held the cigarette between his fingers, his eyes slightly narrowed. "What's important is that since it wasn't part of the plan, it's ours."

"Of course, you can try to steal it too."

Silence fell again on the other end of the crystal.

Lu Yuan could sense that the other party was weighing the pros and cons.

The Ascension Society did not want to make this matter public knowledge, and even less did they want to break ties with the Night's Watch at this time.

A moment later, the voice from the other end of the crystal rang out again, this time with a gentler tone:

"The blood must be taken away, including Marcus's. We just received news that he is badly injured."

Secondly…

The other person paused.

"You can participate in this project and share the results. But you need to contribute manpower."

Old Morgan sneered and flicked the ashes into the ashtray.

"A stranger?"

"We Night's Watchmen have always been at the forefront. Don't tell me you Ascensionists don't know what's going on."

"We don't have anyone."

"Then we can only provide some information."

"no."

Old Morgan leaned forward, stubbed out his cigarette, and his voice suddenly turned cold.

"At least let me know what you're doing."

"Do you know where this is? Grimport. Imperial territory."

"Your ascension would be a desecration of that existence. If something goes wrong, not only will the headquarters be notified, but those people in the shadows will definitely report it to the core of the empire immediately."

"Not only will headquarters be punished, but you'll also have to atone with your death."

Old Morgan spoke in a calm tone, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, but every word was like a knife.

"You should know the current state of the Empire. Daring to provoke those beings is tantamount to courting death."

"So I need an explanation."

"Otherwise, the Night's Watch has the right to arrest you all on charges of threatening the security of the Empire."

"Of course, you can also resist."

He paused for a moment, a cold smile creeping onto his lips.

"But you'd better think carefully about the consequences."

There was complete silence on the other end of the crystal.

Lu Yuan looked at old Morgan, secretly surprised.

This seemingly mean and stingy old man is a completely different person at the negotiating table.

The silence lasted for a long time.

Finally, a sigh came from the other end of the crystal.

"...We did not provoke any taboos."

"That heart hasn't reached that level yet, and it's still sealed away."

"The people can stay with you for now, and we can discuss the details after the fighting outside ends."

Old Morgan leaned back in his chair, lit another cigarette, and said calmly:

"OK."

Communication lost.

The blue light dissipated, and the conference room fell silent again.

Old Morgan exhaled a puff of smoke, his face showing no trace of smugness, but rather an even more solemn expression.

"These guys are definitely doing some shady experiments."

He leaned back in his chair, his cloudy eyes narrowed, as if he were talking to himself.

"We've been infiltrated by the Deep Sea Church, the viscounts in the inner city are wary of us, and we have no idea what the Ascension Society is up to..."

Old Morgan gave a wry smile and flicked his cigarette ash.

"I'm really not a good enough captain of the Night's Watch."

Lu Yuan did not respond.

Old Morgan glanced at him and stood up.

"You were right before, the Ascension Society did indeed come to demand our people."

Lu Yuan nodded slightly and tapped the armrest of his chair lightly with his fingers: "They don't want to make a big fuss."

"That's why they're easy to handle." Old Morgan held a cigarette between his fingers. "But that's all. None of the Ascendants are easy to deal with."

As soon as he finished speaking, the crystal lit up again.

This time it's the church.

"How is Father Philip doing?"

Old Morgan glanced at Lu Yuan, signaling for him to answer.

Lu Yuan sat up straight and said, "My holy power is exhausted; I need to rest."

"Yes, protect him well, we'll send someone to meet him."

Communication lost.

As he spoke, old Morgan pulled an envelope from a drawer and handed it to Lu Yuan.

"Someone delivered it yesterday, and they specifically asked for it to be given to you."

He leaned back in his chair and exhaled a puff of smoke.

The messenger said the writer hadn't come.

Lu Yuan took the envelope and saw the familiar handwriting on the cover.

Lawson.

He opened the envelope and took out the letter inside.

The handwriting was somewhat messy, as if it had been written in a hurry, and the ink had blurred in some places, as if it had been soaked by water droplets.

Dr. Lu:

See the word as the face.

I'd like to trouble you again with the matter I entrusted to you before.

My daughter, Laurena, is studying alchemy at the Imperial Tower of Learning. The bag of gold shields I gave you should be enough for her travel expenses. If it's convenient, please go see her for me and give her this letter.

You are the only person I trust in Grimport.

Tell her that her father is dead and that she should not come back.

Grimport has been rather unsafe lately, and it's not safe for you to be here alone. Take advantage of the time you can still walk and leave soon. The Tower of Scholars has a nice environment and is suitable for research.

Oh, by the way, I saw that doctor again a few days ago. I didn't expect to run into him again. What a small world.

That's all for now.

Be careful on the road.

—Lawson

Lu Yuan looked at the letter, his brows furrowing slightly.

On the surface, it was just an ordinary letter of entrustment.

But there was something strange about the words. It was explained very clearly last time, so why did this person have to repeat it again?

and...

"Let's set off as soon as we can still walk."

"The bag of gold shields I gave you before should be enough for your travel expenses."

Was Lawson trying to get rid of him?

besides...

That doctor.

Lu Yuan remembered this person.

When Lawson first saw him, he mentioned the doctor who had advised him to stay away from the sea and leave Grimport.

Lu Yuan didn't pay attention at the time.

But now, Lawson specifically mentioned it in the letter...

"I never expected to run into him again."

This statement doesn't seem like a simple expression of emotion at all.

More like a... hint?

Lu Yuan folded the letter and put it in his pocket.

Lawson.

That greedy, snobbish landlord who chose to issue a warning at the last minute.

He remembered Lawson saying during their last meeting that "there will be big moves in the next few days."

At that time, Lawson had already become a prospective priest of the Deep Sea Church.

Judging by the timeline, Lawson has most likely already embraced that underwater city, and may never see it again in his lifetime.

But why did he use such a roundabout way to desperately try to give himself a warning?

"Someone you know?" old Morgan asked, his expression obscured by the swirling smoke.

"The previous landlord, Lawson," Lu Yuan said calmly, putting the letter away. "was also a priest of the Deep Sea Church."