Chapter 331: Seeking the Reason, Gloomy Gaze

In the Sky Mechanical City, within the district where academic societies congregate, Wang Yu and Elvia walked, searching for the former headquarters of the Nightfall Church believer known as Zagro, based on the information they had previously gathered.

"The Truth-Seeker Society is indeed a rather small organization; it should be somewhere around here. Keep a sharp eye out."

Muttering to herself, Elvia scanned the names of the surrounding societies; according to the map, the Truth-Seeker Society was in the immediate vicinity.

About four or five days ago, the scholars of the Nightfall Church had, one after another, relayed the results of their research into the documents left behind by Sisser to Elvia via the Midnight Library. After carefully reading and comparing these conclusions, and combining them with her own and Zig's analysis, Elvia had gained much.

Ultimately, driven by the desire to uncover the reasons and acquire more data, Elvia decided to investigate the Truth-Seeker Society, which had begun conducting hyper-magic research over a decade ago.

Taking precautions, both had altered their appearances through magical and physical means. They did not visit the Truth-Seeker Society as "Wang Yu and Elvia," but rather as two ordinary, unaffiliated scholars seeking guidance—much like Zagro’s situation years prior.

"Here."

Wang Yu’s keen eyes caught the words "Truth-Seeker Society" the moment they entered his field of vision. He pointed to a sign hanging on a small, weathered building, and the two walked toward it together.

The architecture here belonged to the earliest construction phase of the Sky Mechanical City; unlike the new buildings where the Truth Supervision Society resided, the facilities were far inferior.

The Truth Supervision Society had since moved to the new streets, but the Truth-Seeker Society had not. The only reason could be that they had failed to produce any useful results in recent years and lacked the means to relocate.

Walking to the entrance of the Truth-Seeker Society, they saw few people inside. A young man sat at the front desk, staring intently at a book on the table; he did not react even as Wang Yu and his companion approached, completely immersed in his own world.

"Excuse me, is this the Truth-Seeker Society?"

The girl took the lead, greeting the young man politely.

"Ah, yes, it is. What are you here for?"

Distracted from his thoughts by the girl’s voice, the man lifted his head in a fluster, fixing his gaze on the two unfamiliar and unremarkable faces before him as he asked for their purpose.

"We are... well, we knew a former member of your society named Zagro. We are very interested in one of his previous research projects and were hoping to exchange some ideas. Would that be possible?"

Reciting the prepared alias, the girl stated their purpose directly, using the name Zagro to bring up the society's past hyper-magic research.

"Ah, I’m very sorry, I haven’t heard the name Zagro. I’m just a receptionist hired by the society, not a member myself, so I’m not very familiar with the society’s information."

The response caught them off guard. After all that, the man wasn't even a member of the Truth-Seeker Society. To think that the person sitting at the front desk was merely a hired hand—this society was truly down on its luck.

"How about this? They did give me a list of former members. I’ll check if the person you mentioned is on it. If he is, you can pay a fee to go in and consult the archives."

Shrugging, the man spoke with a touch of helplessness. The condition was absurdly casual; no respectable society would allow outsiders to browse research archives just for a fee, as such data was the very foundation of a society’s existence.

"Is the society really so open to letting anyone in? Isn't that... a bit improper?"

Wang Yu interjected, making no effort to hide his confusion.

"Hey, how would I know? There are hardly any people here anyway, and there are only two or three people in charge. They told me clearly that if someone has a good reason or knows someone, I should let them in, provided they pay a fee to help maintain the society's operations."

The young man explained while rummaging through the counter for the list. He pulled it out, scanned the contents, and quickly spotted Zagro’s name near the bottom, nodding to confirm that the former member they spoke of had indeed existed.

"No problem, there is such a person. According to the rules, you are permitted to go inside and view the archives, but you must pay the fee."

Tucking the list back under the counter, the young man indicated that Wang Yu and Elvia could enter the archives, though he rubbed his fingers together in front of them, his meaning clear.

"Just how desperate for money is this society? Tell me, how much?"

Shaking his head, Wang Yu lamented the poverty of the Truth-Seeker Society before confirming the price.

The young man named a sum that was somewhat expensive, though "expensive" only in the context of the average resident of the Sky Mechanical City. For individuals like Wang Yu and Elvia, who were capable of earning funds independently in the city, it was nothing.

"Here, check the quality and quantity. It should be correct."

Elvia took a small pouch from her person and handed it to the young man, causing him to pause mid-motion as he reached for his identification card.

"This..."

Scratching his head, the young man looked hesitant, seemingly stumped by Elvia’s method of payment.

"What’s wrong? Is this not acceptable? I’ve converted all my money into alchemical materials for experiments lately, so I can only pay this way. If it’s not possible, we might have to come back another time."

With a look of regret, Elvia sighed, appearing quite helpless. The pouch contained "White Gold," a relatively stable alchemical material in the Sky Mechanical City. It was used in almost all alchemical experiments and served as a common currency between societies, an alternative to transferring funds via ID cards.

Wang Yu and Elvia had no intention of revealing their true identities. If they had pulled out their ID cards, the man would have known who they were immediately, rendering their disguise a laughable exercise in self-deception.

"It’s not a problem, I’ll just verify it."

The young man only hesitated for a moment before giving them the go-ahead. He opened the pouch and began checking the weight and quality of the White Gold inside.

"Alright, the price is correct. You may go in. Don't break anything, and don't take the documents out. Other than that, do as you please. Just remember to come out before I finish my shift."

Having finished his check, the young man pocketed the White Gold and told them they were free to enter the archives.

Without lingering, Wang Yu and Elvia walked directly into the depths of the Truth-Seeker Society. The girl was eager to know how far the society’s hyper-magic research had progressed and why they had abandoned such a high-potential field of study.

She hadn't expected the Truth-Seeker Society to have fallen to such a state that one could browse their archives simply by paying a fee.

The further they walked into the society, the more they felt the decay. Along the way, they saw almost no one.

Occasionally, a scholar-like figure would hurry past, but given the status of the receptionist, one had to wonder if they were even true members of the society.

The various alchemical instruments and facilities were outdated models, and many laboratories appeared to have been out of use for a long time. Thick layers of dust coated the heavy metal doors, which had been sealed to prevent explosions or the leakage of hazardous materials.

"This is truly pathetic."

Wang Yu raised an eyebrow. Although he knew the Truth-Seeker Society was an obscure, minor organization, he hadn't expected their current state to be this dire. The practice of charging visitors to view the archives was now understandable.

However, Wang Yu’s concern was not with their misery; there were plenty of wretched societies in the Sky Mechanical City, many far worse than this one. It was just...

"It’s as if they’re just barely hanging on. Any other society in this state would have dissolved long ago; it’s unlikely they’d still be struggling like this."

Elvia voiced Wang Yu’s thoughts. Indeed, upon closer observation, the Truth-Seeker Society’s half-dead state had clearly persisted for some time. Thus, the possibility that they were simply milking their remaining assets by charging visitors to drain the society’s final value before dissolving could be largely ruled out.

It was simply strange that the society still existed at all. Without research results or a way to generate income, there was no reason for them to continue.

Arriving at the archives the young man had described, the two pushed open the door and stepped inside. The layout was that of a typical library.

However, the shelves were not filled with books, but with stacks of neatly organized documents—the results of the Truth-Seeker Society’s research over the years, arranged chronologically from earliest to latest.

"The contrast is quite stark."

A cursory glance revealed that the closer the dates were to the present, the fewer the research documents on the shelves—mostly just two or three scattered stacks. But the earlier research results were quite numerous, piled high as a testament to the society’s former achievements.

Not forgetting their purpose, Wang Yu unleashed his Chariot power, absorbing the contents of the first page of every document into his mind. After a quick scan, he pointed in a direction, and he and Elvia walked over. The shelves there held the research results related to hyper-magic.

Picking up the document containing the results from over a decade ago, Elvia began to read. As she went through it, she nodded slightly; the Truth-Seeker Society’s initial research direction aligned closely with that of the Truth Supervision Society, suggesting that this path was indeed likely viable.

Finishing her review, the girl repeatedly examined the contents of the final few pages. With a mix of confusion and regret, she discovered that, just as Zagro had said, their research had hit a wall.

The Truth-Seeker Society’s research into hyper-magic stopped right there. It ceased exactly at the point Lancer had reached, without progressing any further.

Checking the scattered documents on the subsequent shelves, the girl confirmed that the society’s research into hyper-magic had truly stopped at that point. It had been interrupted abruptly, and the reason remained unknown.

Even though it shouldn't have been difficult to advance further from that step, the Truth-Seeker Society simply hadn't done it.

"They couldn't have failed to see the potential of this research. This is a study that could have taken a step beyond the existing magi-tech alchemy system..."

Although they had successfully accessed the archives, Elvia still couldn't fathom why the Truth-Seeker Society had abandoned their hyper-magic research. All she knew was that the society had stagnated once they reached the same progress level as the Truth Supervision Society.

Yet, in truth, through the collaborative analysis and synthesis of the scholars from the Church of the Night, Avia and Zig had nearly charted a course forward; all that remained was to seek further verification within the experimental confines of the Truth Oversight Committee.

It was a slight disappointment not to have grasped the reasons behind the Seekers' Society's abandonment of the project, nor to have unearthed any additional materials that might have aided their research, but Wang Yu and Avia did not linger, departing the society immediately after a brief word with the young man.

Once they had gone, the youth gazed in the direction of their departure for a long while, his expression peculiar, as if he were turning some deep thought over in his mind.

The identity card danced between his fingers, and the pouch of platinum was brought out, tossed from hand to hand, emitting a crisp, metallic clatter reminiscent of coins striking one another.

"Coincidence or something else? They chose not to use their identity cards, keeping their anonymity well-guarded; it is impossible to determine if this relates to those specific studies that require our attention."

Pondering silently, the youth tapped the edge of the table rhythmically, and as he ceased, a person whom Wang Yu and Avia had not seen upon their entry emerged from the depths of the society to stand by his side.

"Joey, keep a close watch on those societies conducting the corresponding research in the near future; ensure nothing goes awry, do you understand? And, if possible, uncover the identities of those two who just left."