Chapter 2857: Common Purpose

We call this efficiency.

It certainly wasn't a sudden theatrical itch spurring him to trade dramatic performances with Excellency Patches.

Not much time had passed since the latter declared that it was about time.

Yet amidst their casual conversation, the situation in the Archipelago had been more or less sorted out.

The Master's goals, Ibu's predicament, and why the Codex was radiating light once more—

These issues were deeply intertwined. Even with interrogation and torture, unraveling them would have required considerable effort.

Yet through a simple exchange of questions and commentary, the gathering storm over the Archipelago had become perfectly clear.

Naturally, this relied most heavily on Excellency Patches's superhuman stature.

Whether dealing with a hidden secret or a prominent figure, as long as Professor Fu offered a sharp critique, Patches would effortlessly pluck them out of thin air and drag them over to be laid bare.

Of course, this mighty power did not come for free. First, one actually had to deliver a sharp critique.

If one was even slightly blinded by illusions, he wouldn't bother offering a single reminder.

He had even subtly and actively misled people more than once.

In short, it was a twisted sense of humor highly characteristic of a deceiver, but fundamentally, it was a mutual, unspoken understanding.

Weakness had to be acknowledged. Fools had no right to know the truth; their only destiny was to serve as fuel in their own self-righteous ignorance.

This was also true for the purpose behind this session of discussing heroes while boiling wine.

Untangling the situation in the Archipelago with startling efficiency was only the first step.

Excellency Patches had been willing to show himself earlier because it would be a shame to let this residual dream of the old gods be destroyed.

And the way to avoid that waste was, naturally, to use its final ripples to pry into a few unknown secrets.

Indeed, just as Fu Qian was interested in matters regarding Annalise and the Primordial Moon, Patches seemed to be quite the aficionado of the Chronicles of the Moon.

Perhaps it wasn't clear exactly which parts he wanted to know or why he wanted to know them, but at the very least, their goals were somewhat aligned.

Now that the situation was clear and the warm-up was over, Professor Fu needed to show some real skill and make good use of this final window of time.

After all, Excellency Patches's stance was obvious. In this place, he could only play a supporting role, helping out with minor verifications as he had done before.

Fu Qian didn't think he was slacking off. The reason was actually quite simple: the core elements of this place were merely twofold—Annalise's Divine Dream and the Law.

And Professor Fu was both a "child" of the Red Moon and the Pseudo-Law Core, Misanthropy.

When it came to exploring its mysteries and sparking something new, who else was better suited for the job?

Since they were simply taking what they each needed, Fu Qian naturally had no complaints. He directly pointed out the next crucial step: none of this was important; the ones who were hiding—Old Man Lu and his group—were what truly mattered.

As for the conflict between Ibu and Sha Ming, that could only be considered background noise.

Crash! Even so, Fu Qian remained very cooperative, loosening his grip and letting the folding screen smash to the ground, looking exactly as if he had been startled by the thunder.

"What's going on?"

Patches naturally had a hard time understanding this behavior and looked over in confusion.

"Excellency Ibu wields such awe-inspiring heavenly might that even a Divine Emissary can't help but give way, let alone this seat."

Fu Qian shook his head in admiration, not feeling the slightest bit embarrassed.

And he really wasn't wrong. Ibu, having been suppressed for so long, had clearly been accumulating power to fight back the entire time, so the moment he struck, it was no small matter.

Not only did the attack launch without warning, but its strike zone was extremely narrow.

Leaving a trace like shattered space, the bizarre lightning bolt that tore through the void was singular and practically widthless, landing precisely on Sha Ming.

Sizzle! However, this triumphant strike didn't seem to achieve a lethal effect.

For one, it produced a bizarre sound effect. For another, despite clearly taking the hit, Sha Ming's body vanished from the spot in the very next instant.

When he reappeared, he was barely two steps away from Fu Qian.

Even with the eyesight of the King of the Abandoned Prison, the trajectory of his movement couldn't be seen. It was likely some wondrous application of the Law.

Furthermore, considering that Excellency Sha Ming wasn't even wearing clothes, his peculiar skin condition was all the more vivid at this distance.

With every grain of keratin boasting an overly distinct texture, it almost felt like scales, making it faintly difficult to determine the man's species.

Beyond that, snaking all the way down his spine, the lightning that had just seemed to tear through space hadn't dissipated; instead, it was frozen solid right on his body.

It seemed Ibu's retaliation wasn't entirely ineffective after all—did it just change this guy's surname to Potter?

As Fu Qian marveled at this, he saw that almost simultaneously, Ibu at the bow of the ship had transformed into a streak of light and bolted away, having absolutely no intention of following up the attack.

Not bad. At the critical moment, the old man hadn't let the heat get to his head.

In the face of Ibu's somewhat conservative actions, Fu Qian actually rated him highly.

The results of the battle weren't limited to just that lightning scar.

Ibu clearly knew how to judge the situation. Compared to trying to kill a terrifying opponent of unknown strength who had been plotting for a long time, breaking free from this desperate predicament was the real priority.

Although Sha Ming had suddenly become a bit withdrawn after revealing his true form, one thing remained constant: his feet hadn't shifted a single half-step.

As a result, as far as Ibu was concerned, he had constantly been in a state of violating the Codex.

Therefore, for this ultimate move that had been so painstakingly prepared, the best outcome was for the opponent to stand still and get struck, but forcing him to dodge was equally ideal.

Even if neither of those goals were met, destroying the ship would still be acceptable.

It was just a pity that the ship seemed to be under some shred of protection. Logically speaking, just a wisp of residual power escaping from the lightning should have been enough to destroy it hundreds of times over, yet it merely tore a neat fissure near his feet.

But regardless, the goal had been achieved, and old man Ibu fled first without another word.

As for whether or not he could actually escape the Archipelago next, that was his own choice to make.

Heh. Having lost his prey, Sha Ming didn't rush to pursue. Instead, a bizarre rasp emanated from his throat, compounding his inhuman aura.

It wasn't until the torn hull could no longer bear the strain and let out its first crack that he finally stepped onto the water, heading off into the distance in the direction Ibu had fled.

"Hmm... You plan to leave this thing here? It's an interesting idea, actually."

At this point, only a few breaths had passed since Patches was puzzled by Fu Qian seemingly being startled by the thunder.

After some effort, the former seemed to have understood Fu Qian, his gaze landing on the folding screen that was bound to sink into the water sooner or later.

"Both of them will clearly be paying close attention to this thing. Sha Ming in particular should have plenty of tracking methods.

"And now, with just a little disguise, they'll likely have to search for a long time. After all, who would believe that the very thing they were looking for had once been right under their feet?"

Snap.

As he spoke, Patches snapped his fingers again. Brother Sanxun, who already looked like a silhouette, instantly grew even dimmer, making it look as though he wouldn't be able to struggle free anytime soon.

"Shut up! We can't wait any longer!"

Right after that, the scene before their eyes shifted away from the sea, accompanied by the familiar, furious roar of Old Man Lu Ming.