Chapter 385 - 171: "A Miracle Like a Bolt from the Blue.

Chapter 385: Chapter 171: "A Miracle Like a Bolt from the Blue.

"And also..."

Qi Yue paused for a moment, then said in a somewhat hoarse voice, "I’m not being pessimistic, but with the current situation on the Eternal Night Continent, one more or one less Mortal Realm won’t change the overall state of the war."

"The Eternal Night Continent needs a miracle."

"A miracle like a bolt from the blue."

"Since the Mortal Realm has this chance, I hope we can be that miracle for the Eternal Night Continent."

As her voice fell.

Sitting to one side, Zhou Mo paused, stunned. He glanced first at Wang Kui, then at Qi Yue, and scratched the back of his head in a daze. "That makes sense too."

...

Chen Fan, sitting in his chair, suddenly laughed after hearing Qi Yue’s words. In truth, he wasn’t really trying to hear the opinions of Qi Yue and the others. He just wanted to listen to his own heart. Also, everyone hadn’t been together in a long time, and he missed this bunch.

When he heard Wang Kui’s suggestion, he had subconsciously furrowed his brow.

But after hearing Qi Yue’s suggestion, he smiled.

This meant...

...that deep down, he wanted to aim high.

’I’ll listen to my heart.’

’Even if I lose, I won’t have any regrets.’

Since that was the case...

He slowly rose to his feet, looked at everyone, and smiled. "It’s rare for us all to be together. I’ve had my people prepare a meal. Let’s have a reunion dinner."

"It really has been a long time since we’ve all been together."

"Domain Lord, what’s your decision?" Zhou Mo asked curiously.

"Aim high."

"That’s what I was thinking, too." Zhou Mo’s face grew serious as he gave a thumbs-up. "A wise decision, Domain Lord."

"So, the Domain Lord is only wise when he agrees with you?" Lame Monkey couldn’t resist teasing from the side.

"Huh?"

Zhou Mo froze on the spot, completely at a loss. He grew anxious, unsure how to explain himself. ’Why did Lame Monkey have to dig such a huge trap for me?’

"Let’s go."

Chen Fan couldn’t help but laugh, slinging an arm around Lame Monkey’s shoulder. "Haven’t seen you for a bit. Your tongue’s gotten a lot smoother."

"Hehe..."

Limping, Lame Monkey walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Chen Fan, grinning. "I’m managing a bunch of smooth-talkers every day. It must have rubbed off on me."

"Is the Management work going well?"

"It’s fine. As for the ones who weren’t so easy to handle, Qi Yue fried ’em."

"That’s great. Do you feel a sense of pride, being able to manage so many people now?"

"A little, actually. But I was still happiest when I was with you, Young Master."

"What was so happy about that?"

"I can’t really explain it. I just was."

...

「Eternal Night Calendar, Year 380, late in the tenth month.」

The rainy season was fast approaching.

It would be another two years before the Undersea Ghost Tide made landfall.

Chen Fan and his group sat on the City Wall of Cave No. 1. Just as they had when the first rainy season arrived, they didn’t order anyone around. Everyone pitched in personally.

Big Fish started preparing the vegetables again.

Meanwhile, Qi Chong rolled up his sleeves and fired up the stove, cooking for the first time in a long while.

Soon, a steaming pot of clear broth was brought to the table.

"We’re having hot pot tonight."

"I’ve prepared a ton of ingredients."

Qi Chong said cheerfully, "Hot pot will warm us up nicely in this weather. One hour ago, I had the people at the Port catch a lot of fish. They’re incredibly fresh—every single one was still flopping about."

Soon, the water was boiling and the fire was roaring.

Slices of deboned fish tumbled in the clear broth, releasing puffs of fragrant steam.

Smiling, Chen Fan sat in his chair, picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks, and popped it into his mouth. It was perfectly tender and rich.

Jiangbei was near the coast.

But fish wasn’t a staple of the Jiangbei diet.

In the past, no one dared to venture so far from the safe zones to fish by the sea. But things were different now that the Mortal Realm was guarding Jiangbei.

People in Jiangnan, on the other hand, ate more fish.

This style of hot pot was a favorite of the Jiangnan people. It was only after the Mortal Realm High-speed Rail opened for service that Jiangnan customs began to spread to Jiangbei. Before, there was no such thing as this kind of hot pot in Jiangbei.

And you had to admit, it tasted damn good.

"The rainy season is almost here," Chen Fan said casually as he picked up another piece of fish. "Lame Monkey, you’re coming with me on a trip later. It’s been a long time since you’ve gone out with me."

"We’re going to the Guandong Plain."

"They’re probably going to have a rough time there this rainy season. They still haven’t received any support from the Eternal Night Hall, and relying solely on the Soul-Devouring Sculptures might not be enough."

"We’ll go build them some Copper Pipes, altars, and the like."

"Alright!"

Lame Monkey nodded eagerly, his excitement palpable. It had indeed been a very long time since he’d gone on a trip with the Young Master.

Everyone was incredibly happy during the hot pot dinner.

It was as if they had gone back two years in time.

They had met in the Jiangbei Wilderness during a rainy season that had arrived early, Huddling for Warmth to survive. Zhou Mo had been there, meticulously tracking the passage of time until the season ended. Ultimately, they achieved a miracle, successfully surviving the premature rainy season.

That time, the Mortal Realm was Jiangbei’s miracle.

And now, the Mortal Realm wanted to become the miracle for the entire Eternal Night Continent.

And to become a miracle, you naturally had to be willing to take a gamble.

No one talked about work.

Instead of discussing their progress over the past two years, they reminisced about when they first met two years ago, and about the time they left their old camp and first arrived at Nameless Mountain.

Even Hey Hey, lying off to the side, was listening with rapt attention. It was no longer holding its mouth open waiting to be fed; its gaze grew distant as its thoughts began to wander.

It, too, was remembering the first time it met Chen Fan.

It remembered the moment it had worked up the courage to approach him.

Listening to the chatter around him, Zhou Mo’s eyes began to redden. He raised a cup of wine and downed it in one gulp. ’If Er Gou hadn’t died,’ he thought, ’he’d be sitting right here with us, reminiscing about the old days too.’

The sky gradually darkened.

A chill swept across all of Nameless Mountain.

Down in the area of the Nameless Mountain Celestial Pit, the bustling Mortal Realm Members saw their high-ranking leaders—a rare sight—all gathered on the City Wall at the entrance to Cave No. 1. They all began to move with extreme caution, afraid of making any unseemly noise.

"Why wasn’t I invited?"

Just then—

Zhao Shengping climbed onto the City Wall, looking aggrieved and carrying two baskets of braised meats. "I knew you were all having hot pot tonight, so I made some braised dishes that go perfectly with it. But I waited and waited for you at the Celestial Artifact Pavilion, and none of you came to invite me."

"It’s one thing not to invite me to the meeting."

"But to not invite me to hot pot, too."

"That’s just too much."

"..."

Chen Fan looked at Lame Monkey with a helpless expression. "Lame Monkey, didn’t I ask you to invite Zhao Shengping?"

"Er..."

Lame Monkey froze for a second, then said awkwardly, "Uh... I forgot. Come on, Pavilion Master Zhao, we saved a seat for you right here. Come sit by me."

"In that case, I will!"

Zhao Shengping’s face instantly lit up. He took the braised meats from his basket and set them on the table. "Don’t mind me for crashing the party. It’s just that I’m something of a hot pot expert. Once I add these braised dishes, you all have to try it. The flavor will be on a whole other level."

As they toasted and drank together, the atmosphere grew incredibly warm and congenial.

No one knew if they would live to see the dawn, but at least for this one moment, they were happy.

They might die in the endless night.

But...

...this moment was a happy one, and that was enough.