Chapter 2971: Stoss's Coordination

"Hmm... this symptom is quite typical."

Listening to Excellency Stoss describe the symptoms, even that renowned physician Professor Fu couldn't help but rub his chin, finding the situation extremely tricky.

It was hardly surprising that someone had been injured in the line of duty during the Night Watchers' hunting operation. After all, their target was a genuine ancient entity.

And the fact that the injured party was Excellency Aike made perfect sense, as she had been the project's original director.

This also immediately explained what Old Man Stoss had been so busy with earlier.

The fallout from the battle that felled Excellency Father's Amnion was not so easily quelled.

But even so, the severity of Excellency Aike's condition was alarming to hear...

It was common knowledge that Excellency Father's Amnion specialized in the mental domain.

With mental afflictions, once things reached the "I'm perfectly fine, there's absolutely nothing wrong with me" stage, it meant a shield of resistance had already formed, making it rather troublesome to resolve.

"Then let's not waste time. Let's go in and take a look."

Having expressed a pessimistic outlook on the consultation before even seeing the patient, Professor Fu directly requested to be taken to the scene.

As for the location Old Man Stoss indicated, it was vastly different from Lily's accommodations. The building similarly wasn't very tall and was primarily of wooden construction, but a single glance made it clear that this was some sort of office rather than a sanatorium or quarantine ward.

Even the roads outside were much more accessible and interconnected.

This subtly highlighted the difficulty of Old Man Stoss's task.

Not only was he trying to treat an injured operative who believed she was perfectly healthy, but he hadn't even forced her to step down from her post.

This also explained why he hadn't spoken openly about it in front of Excellency Half-Art earlier—

"Currently, I am the only one who knows about this."

Sure enough, faced with Professor Fu's healer's benevolence, the old man hesitated for a moment before offering this extra warning.

"Rest assured, I have plenty of experience with conservative treatment."

...

A high-level reception, a welcoming gift, an all-expenses-paid lunch, a visit to a lonely young widow... all leading up to this current high-level summit.

He had to admit, although this entire trip had been constantly shrouded in the shadow of a Hongmen banquet, it had somehow evolved to carry the distinct flavor of an academic exchange.

Perhaps the march of "progress" truly was unstoppable, regardless of how grim the situation was? Of course, only someone who had experienced it firsthand could truly appreciate how hard-won this current situation was.

Although Excellency Stoss had a somewhat fiery temper, he had held a high position for a long time and possessed a measured grasp of the situation.

Take, for example, dropping his busy schedule to rush over here. As mentioned earlier, this action was very likely just a pretext to bail Fu Qian out under the guise of seeking help, preventing him from further angering the already foul-tempered Excellency Half-Art.

At the same time, because he wanted to treat Aike conservatively without resorting to overly heavy-handed measures, he hadn't revealed the specific details of this requested help to Excellency Half-Art.

But there was actually a minor contradiction here: although he hadn't spoken openly in front of Excellency Half-Art, he had explained the situation mere moments later, when they were theoretically barely ten steps away from the building.

Even if the Birthday Party was a special place, a dignified New God like Half-Art shouldn't be oblivious to activity at such a close distance.

As a result, this so-called secrecy was virtually nonexistent.

And why was that? Because he had never intended to keep it a secret in the first place.

Excellency Half-Art wasn't stupid. How could he not know that asking for help was just an excuse to whisk someone away? He had simply agreed to the request.

But at the same time, following the major operation that had just concluded, even a related individual like Lily was under close surveillance. How could Aike, whose work injury was practically an open secret, be kept hidden forever?

Beyond rushing over to bail Fu Qian out, Old Man Stoss's actions were also meant to bail Aike out.

By reporting to Excellency Half-Art in this manner and demonstrating his own determination and stance on the matter, he hoped the other party would allow their upcoming high-level summit to proceed smoothly... Demigod Aike was fortunate to have such a leader.

And what was even more comforting was that Excellency Half-Art had actually agreed. He had played along with this self-deception by pretending not to hear a thing, granting Aike a certain window of opportunity.

Of course, the factors prompting Half-Art's decision—aside from the determination Stoss displayed in this matter—also included Professor Fu's involvement.

The claim that "Professor Fu will help" was, conversely, the very justification Stoss had used to handle Aike's situation separately.

And as a character he clearly disliked, Excellency Half-Art didn't seem to mind taking a slight risk just to see how this Professor Fu would operate.

Creak—

Amid the slightly ear-piercing creak of weight on the boards, the group of three stepped onto the staircase.

This seemingly ordinary scene was actually the result of painstaking effort and an exchange of interests. It remained to be seen whether Demigod Aike could grasp this opportunity.

"Please come in."

Regardless, she had at least maintained her politeness.

Just as they followed Excellency Stoss to a door, a polite invitation drifted out from inside.

It was just that the scene felt somewhat like a group of subordinates arriving to report on their work...

The voice behind the door undoubtedly belonged to Demigod Aike. Its steady and composed tone practically painted the picture of a CEO buried beneath a desk full of paperwork.

"It does sound a bit serious."

Meeting Old Man Stoss's inquiring gaze, Fu Qian sighed softly and unapologetically offered his diagnosis once again.

The more normal they acted, the more abnormal it was; the more confident they were, the harder they were to treat. He had already established how tricky mental issues could be.

And no matter how you looked at it, Demigod Aike's friendly reaction meant that their upcoming work was going to be difficult to carry out.

Creak—

As he spoke, Fu Qian pushed the door open.

The scene inside wasn't surprising. In the relatively small room, the first thing that caught the eye was a long desk piled high with two stacks of documents.

"Thank you for your concern."

Behind the long desk, Demigod Aike, whom he hadn't seen in days, finally looked up and sighed softly, expressing her gratitude for everyone's concern.

"Although I know it's hard to convince you, I really do feel quite fine."

When her gaze finally landed on Fu Qian's face, she also displayed her steady demeanor. She didn't gasp in surprise at the unfamiliar face—just like the other reception personnel.

Indeed, considering how efficient the process of bringing him to the banquet had been, Fu Qian had even maintained his appearance from Shangjing.

It later proved necessary to do so, as doing otherwise might have easily frightened Ms. Lily.

After all, don't forget that during one of their earliest encounters at a Masquerade, Lily had caught a glimpse of half of Professor Fu's face.

Furthermore, judging by the unperturbed reactions of everyone from Logan to Kelin—perhaps as a requirement for their reception duties—it was glaringly obvious that Professor Fu's dual identities were no longer a secret to the Night Watchers entrenched in their headquarters.

"Take a few steps."

Easily interpreting this as the host faction's way of showing respect, Fu Qian felt no dissatisfaction.

On the contrary, meeting Aike's gaze, he immediately entered his role and gestured toward the open space outside the desk.

"If you're perfectly fine, take a few steps."