Chapter 2951: A Shortcut

"Do you really have a way?"

Clearly, she had never expected such a breakthrough. A moment of silence stretched through Chief Yuan's office before her incredulous gasp rang out.

"Completely losing the possibility of advancement might be hard for others to accept, but I believe my teacher won't mind, as long as it's truly effective."

Quickly recalling Professor Fu's verifiable track record, Yuan Shan believed him before he even answered, making no effort to hide her pleasant surprise as she considered it.

"You'd better let the Old Man decide for himself."

Taking charge of everything like this was indeed something Chief Yuan would do.

But given the gravity of the matter, Fu Qian still suggested respecting the involved party's opinion.

"I know, I'll talk to him in a bit—it seems his luck isn't too bad."

Cleanly accepting his suggestion, Yuan Shan visibly relaxed, her face breaking into a bright smile.

"After we left, what did you talk about with that newly promoted Tier 2?"

Looking Fu Qian up and down, she seemed to only just remember the major incident that had occurred on her turf tonight.

"For the foreseeable future, she will stay here to stabilize her condition," Fu Qian casually relayed Serana's promise.

"Not bad... I was worried about this earlier."

Yuan Shan was evidently very satisfied with this outcome.

"It was simply too sudden. It's best that she stays put to prevent the situation from getting more complicated—"

"She can even help hold down the fort," Fu Qian added.

"Yes, she can even help hold down the fort. Otherwise, if everyone left, I really would be a little uneasy."

Yuan Shan thoroughly agreed.

...

It truly was unnecessary for Serana to tag along to the banquet, but that didn't mean she could just run around everywhere.

With such an incident occurring on her turf, even if just to put on a show, it was best for Yuan Shan to make things look like they were under control.

For example, keeping the person continuously confined to a clear location. Furthermore, it was an autumn of many troubles, and the conflicts between factions were in full swing.

If the Shangjing Chief were to leave at this time, having a relatively Order-aligned Tier 2 holding down the fort in case of a sudden emergency could be considered a small extra layer of insurance.

"It's hard to believe you thought things through so thoroughly... You don't have some other plan, do you?"

In a moment where great minds think alike, the two of them quickly reached a consensus.

However, amid her great relief, Yuan Shan suddenly furrowed her brows, looking at Fu Qian with a bit of suspicion.

The way the man before her handled matters was indeed impeccable; it was just that he usually required threats and inducements.

Being so proactive and considerate of others out of nowhere actually left her a little unaccustomed to it.

"Aren't you being too sensitive? Is my character really that untrustworthy?"

Fu Qian just gave her a glance.

"It's precisely because I trust it too much—forget it, do as you please, just as long as you don't break the law."

Yuan Shan naturally wouldn't be fooled by such words. She snorted, thought for a moment, and ultimately didn't pry any deeper.

It was obvious she subconsciously felt that, given his current situation, he shouldn't have too much free time to stir up trouble.

Knock, knock—

Right amid this moment of relief, a sudden knock on the door rang out.

Even before Yuan Shan could respond, the door was opened from the outside.

"We can depart now."

Excellency Henry walked in with a peaceful expression, giving Fu Qian a slight nod of greeting.

...

'Your complexion says otherwise, Old Man.'

The process of Excellency Henry stabilizing his condition had been more efficient than expected.

This was certainly reassuring, and his demeanor right now was even quite composed.

But Fu Qian noted that on Excellency Henry's calm face, his brow was literally turning black in every sense of the word, shrouded in a strange dark hue.

It wasn't even just his brow; both of his eyes looked as though he was wearing eyeshadow. As he glanced around, there was an eerie darkness reminiscent of The Deep that made it hard for anyone to tear their gaze away. It was clear that the Old Man's condition hadn't been easy to stabilize, to the point that it was already difficult for him to completely maintain his usual appearance.

Even if one trusted his confidence, he might just scare the children on the way to the banquet.

"Let's go then. I've finished giving my instructions here as well."

Yuan Shan sighed softly, seemingly unconcerned about that sort of situation, and stood up as she spoke.

...

"I heard you're very interested in the Meria Flower Ball?"

Under the cover of night, Yuan Shan led the way in front, while Henry intentionally fell two steps behind to walk side-by-side with Fu Qian.

And without any pointless pleasantries, he immediately cut straight to the point.

"Yes, it even truly has the effect of stimulating inner potential."

Fu Qian gestured at himself.

"It is indeed very miraculous, though when I gave it to her at the time, I wasn't intending for her to use it like that."

Old Man Henry glanced toward Yuan Shan, speaking quite bluntly—giving that valuable item to his student was, in no small part, a precaution against this mysterious Tier 2 before him.

Er—

Although her back was turned to them, Yuan Shan was clearly pricking up her ears to listen to the conversation behind her, and her footsteps immediately faltered.

"Regarding that item, I actually don't know much about it either."

However, before she could voice a defense, the Old Man continued speaking.

"I can only tell you two things. First, it was originally discovered on the corpse of a higher entity. Second, the one who told me its name was the current Chairman of the Night Watchers... And you will definitely meet him this time."

'I see. So it really has quite the origin?'

Although the information the Old Man provided wasn't considered detailed, Fu Qian still listened with great relish, letting his imagination run wild.

Having researched it up to now, perhaps he had made some achievements, but the name Meria could still be said to be brimming with mystery.

Numerous items and even concepts were connected to Them, and even the breakthrough point of the apocalyptic Descent nineteen years ago originated from a Miracle related to Them...

And yet, at the same time, They Themselves were "nonexistent," or, according to later research results, They were locked within the concept of "Zero."

The sense of contrast was truly overwhelming. In short, let alone the remains of a higher entity, Fu Qian wouldn't be surprised to find items named after Them appearing anywhere.

The more interesting point here, relatively speaking, was actually the Chairman Henry mentioned.

The head of the Night Watchers' Supreme Council? It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the most powerful Excellency in this world, would it?

It seemed he hadn't disgraced that title either, actually knowing something related to the name Meria.

And judging by the Old Man's words, the scale of his reception this time was quite high; that person would very likely make an appearance.

One could only say this trip to the Hongmen banquet was becoming increasingly anticipated.

"This doesn't seem to be the direction toward the exit, does it?"

Amidst his clicking tongue and sighs of amazement, Fu Qian wasn't blinded by these beautiful expectations, suddenly raising an objection the next moment.

Yes, although he hadn't come here many times, amid Yuan Shan's unhurried pace, he was very certain their current position was taking them deeper into the Base, to the point that the iconic Black Spire was already right before their eyes.

"Who said we were going out?"

Walking in front, Yuan Shan turned her head and merely countered with a smiling question. As she spoke, she was already pushing open a door on the Spire.

"I know a shortcut."