Chapter 339 Arthur Heinz

The old man's lips moved slightly, his voice so low that only he could hear it, his hoarse tone carrying a sense of weariness.

The beam of light completely dissipated, and the sea of ​​knowledge above the Tower of Learning returned to silence, as if nothing had happened.

The guardians' domain was withdrawn at the same moment.

The heavy feeling pressing down on Lu Yuan suddenly disappeared, the air began to flow again, the wind returned, and the sounds of the distant battlefield once more filled his ears.

Lu Yuan took a deep breath, his limbs went weak, and his knees almost gave way.

He looked up in the direction of the guards.

The old man's hunched figure still stood there, the dark aura slowly receding, his black eyes closing one by one, sinking into the depths of shadow.

After the Guardians withdrew their domain, Rex's insect swarm began to shrink, and the gray insect blanket covering the entire workshop ruins quickly retreated to the center, revealing the battlefield beneath.

Klaus stood in the center of the ruins.

The green light on the bone sword had not completely faded, and the blade was stained with grayish-white bodily fluid. At his feet, 9's body lay on the gravel ground, his head and torso separated, the chitinous cross-section at the break gleaming with a dark green crystalline luster.

Nine's head rolled two steps away, his mouth still opening and closing, his eyes still rolling. The life force of his chitin kept him from dying for a while, but that was all. It was clear that Klaus had spared his life.

J lay slumped against the wall, his body withered and emaciated, his skin clinging to his bones, and the deep wrinkles on his face looked as if they had been carved into him, making him appear decades older.

Margaret's extraction nearly drained the water from his body, even his blood, and most of his black, hard shell shattered and fell away, revealing grayish-white, bluish skin underneath.

Margaret stood before him, her arms still wrapped in a pale blue film of water, her face flushed, her breathing somewhat rapid, and her eyes still holding the excitement of battle.

Q huddled in a corner, its size reduced by two-thirds since the start of the war, its body riddled with holes, black liquid constantly seeping out and being absorbed back in.

He looked the worst off, but his expression remained relatively stable on his ashen face, indicating that his core had not been pierced by the two hooded figures.

The attendant did not look up at the unusual movement of the Sea of ​​Knowledge in the sky.

The moment the pillar of light from the Sea of ​​Knowledge dissipated, he moved. Purple light surged on the narrow-bladed longsword, cleaving through the ring's last defensive skeleton with a single strike. The second layer of the skeleton shattered and exploded under the scorching purple light.

Jie's eyes widened, his half-burned face contorted, and he screamed.

"No! You can't abandon me!"

He didn't finish his sentence.

The narrow-bladed longsword pierced through her neck, and purple light spread along the blade, instantly scorching the flesh at the cut.

Under the purple light, Jie's body rapidly shrank, his skin charred and peeled off, and his bones carbonized. Within seconds, his entire body turned into a charred wreck.

The servant, carrying the ring's head, retreated expressionlessly behind Klaus. The burn scars on the upper half of his head still emitted wisps of smoke in the purple embers.

Klaus glanced at the servant but said nothing.

He glanced at Margaret slightly, signaling her to slow down and not kill J. Margaret reduced her strength slightly, and the pale blue film of water dimmed a bit.

The two hooded figures didn't go for the kill. The pale white figure's claws loosened from Q's body, the razor-toothed arms stopped slashing, and the two took two steps back, silently withdrawing from the battle.

Klaus acquiesced to all of this.

Adrian stood at the edge of the clearing that had been exposed after the insect swarm receded.

His gaze remained fixed on the seed from beginning to end, the grayish-brown seed enveloped in the remaining black liquid of J.

A dark gray, ordinary coat covered his middle-aged frame; his face was kind, and there was even a hint of a smile on his lips.

"That's really interesting."

His voice was soft and his tone was calm, as if he were talking about something amusing that had nothing to do with him.

"What would happen if those old fogies in the central leadership found out about this?"

Before Adrian could finish speaking, footsteps echoed on the streets surrounding the workshop ruins.

Arthur Heinz came out from around the corner.

A white, belted military uniform with a gold-embroidered red shawl trailing behind him was far more formal than the dark gray robe he usually wore at the Bo Xue Tower. This was the formal attire of the Imperial Special Inspector, and each gold stripe indicated who was standing behind him.

Vice Dean Came followed half a step behind him, her face extremely grim.

Klaus stepped out first.

He still held the bone sword in his hand, the green light still lingering. He looked at Arthur's white military uniform and gold-embroidered red cloak with a cold expression.

"special envoy."

Klaus's voice wasn't loud, but every word hit the ground hard.

"You seem to have forgotten your original aspirations?"

Arthur stood still, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield, over 9's severed head, over J's shriveled body, over Ring's charred remains, and finally landing on Klaus's face.

A brief silence.

When did you find out?

Klaus looked at him as if he were a fool.

"A group of fourth-tier transcendents skilled in assassination, who didn't go to assassinate anyone, and instead chose to stay in Bronze City? Do you think everyone is a fool?"

Arthur did not respond.

"Is the Empire aware that you are cooperating with those on the wall?"

As Klaus spoke, a pale green light began to emanate from his body, and the luster on the bone sword surged once more. Two afterimages returned to their positions behind him, hovering on his left and right shoulders, their outlines much clearer than before.

Arthur looked at the murderous intent emanating from Klaus and remained silent for a few seconds.

"This fishing plan was devised by the people on the wall." His voice lowered slightly, his tone calm. "So what do you say?"

Klaus's gaze did not waver.

"So, does the Empire even know about this?!"

Arthur remained silent.

Klaus already had his answer. If the Imperial Central Committee was aware of this, Arthur wouldn't need to remain silent; he could simply produce the authorization.

The fact that he dared not speak out shows that this was his own decision from beginning to end.

"Arthur Heinz," Klaus called out his full name. "You have violated Imperial law by collaborating with the Unseen. As the Vice-Commander of the Night's Watch, I have the authority to kill you."

Vice Dean Came stepped forward first.

"Klaus!"

His voice was shrill, cutting through the ruins of the battlefield; his face was flushed, and the veins on his neck bulged.

"Arthur Heinz is a special inspector from Imperial Headquarters! He has successfully completed his mission; you have no right to interfere with him!"

He took two steps forward, blocking Arthur's path, and pointed in Klaus's direction.

"The catch was successful, and the matter has already been reported to the central authorities; we're just waiting for the approval! What right do you have to convict me here!"

His voice grew louder and faster.

"Even if we cooperate with those on the sidelines, what good will it do? The Empire has obtained what it wanted; isn't that enough..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

Klaus's figure disappeared.

The next moment, a dull thud came from the vice-dean's face. Klaus's palm struck Cameron's cheek with such force that he was lifted off the ground and sent flying sideways, crashing headfirst into a stone wall three steps away.

He hit the back of his head on the wall, his body slid down the wall, a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and half of his eyes rolled back.

Klaus withdrew his hand without even glancing at Cameron.

"Noisy."

His gaze returned to Arthur's face.

"Arthur, do you plead guilty?"

Arthur did not look at the vice-dean who had been slapped away.

He knew Klaus was giving him a chance. With Klaus's strength, if he wanted to kill him, he could only struggle a few times. The bone sword was still in his hand, and two afterimages were still hanging behind his shoulders. But Klaus didn't move. He was waiting for a reason.

"My collaboration with the people on the wall has only one purpose: to open the fishing channel in the sea of ​​knowledge."

Arthur's voice was not loud, and he spoke steadily, one sentence at a time.

"So far, the catch has been successful. Furthermore, I've improved the fishing equipment and methods, so the previous accident won't happen again."

He paused for a moment.

"No one wants to see so many people sacrificed. But the Empire cannot afford to wait."

Klaus remained silent, his gaze cold as he stared at Arthur's face.

Arthur looked at the Night's Watch deputy commander in front of him, who was much younger than him, and continued to speak.

"You may have heard about the unrest on the Imperial border. But do you know exactly what happened?"

Klaus did not respond.

Arthur lowered his voice slightly.

"To the northeast, in the withered lands, a vast number of bizarre creatures have emerged from that region, far exceeding any previous occurrence. The border defenses formed by the withered cities are utterly ineffective; a breach has been torn open."

He paused for a moment.

Do you know how many people died over there?

Klaus's expression remained unchanged, but the green light on the bone sword dimmed slightly.

"That's where I came from." Arthur's gaze met Klaus's. "I must take something back. The things in the Sea of ​​Knowledge are currently the only possible means to fill the gap in our defenses."

He spoke calmly and deliberately, stating only the facts.

"In this world, something is constantly awakening. Angels have given a prophecy. I must do it."

Arthur paused for a moment. He glanced sideways at the direction where Vice Dean Came lay against the wall, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes.

"But some people have indeed done things against the Empire."

He looked away and turned his gaze back to Klaus.

"Go ahead and check."

Arthur did not speak again.

A long silence fell over the ruins. In the distance, on the rubble exposed after the insect swarm had receded, the charred remains of Ring were still emitting wisps of smoke. Ring's severed head had stopped opening and closing, and its eyes were no longer moving. Ring slumped against the wall, like a dried-up corpse.

Klaus looked at Arthur.

The silence lasted for a long time.

Finally, the remaining green light on the bone sword gradually faded. The bone-colored blade retracted along the finger, reforming into the shape of a bone ring, and slipped back onto the ring finger. The two afterimages behind him trembled, then sank back into the shadows and disappeared.

"Tomorrow morning, gather the team to prepare for the dive." Klaus's voice regained its businesslike calm. "I'll visit you then."

He looked at Arthur.

I hope what you say is true.

Klaus turned around and waved his hand.

"Take it all. Withdraw."