Chapter 2999: The Failed Guardian

Severing karmic ties to return to purity?

It had to be said, the unseen Corvos possessed far more style than Excellency Half-Art.

Fu Qian naturally hadn't chosen the name at random; the moniker came directly from "Avoid Southwest, Suitable for Forging Ties."

This divination, deeply tied to him and personally cast by Demigod Aike, seemed surprisingly accurate.

Heading southwest meant unfortunate events awaited him—wasn't the situation right before his eyes exactly that?

Excellency Corvos's malicious intent was already on blatant display.

Though the specific nature of this malice was quite intriguing.

An item with a high probability of directly targeting this place—the Birthday Party?

It sounded as if he were actually helping him.

Giving a guest at a Hongmen banquet—someone who by all appearances was meant for the slaughter—an item to counter their hosts' geographical advantage.

But what was the purpose behind this assistance?

Fu Qian was quite confident in his own popularity, but it was hard to believe Excellency Corvos was offering generous help out of pure appreciation.

Judging by the reaction of an insider like Old Man Stoss, he clearly found it hard to believe too.

Assuming there truly was malicious intent, what effect could be achieved by delivering this item into his hands? Tolerating a threat to let it grow.

The Night Watchers' internal factions held differing views and attitudes toward him as an administrator. This had been clear for a long time, serving as the very leverage he relied on to keep them in a constant tug-of-war.

And as figures standing at the world's pinnacle, they were undoubtedly highly opinionated and difficult to persuade.

If the faction advocating for execution wanted to convince the other side to impose the death penalty on him, what method would they use?

There was one: let those harboring thoughts of appeasement see firsthand that the target was beyond saving.

Slipping a gun into a criminal's hand before gunning them down was a truly common tactic.

"A nice name."

Kelin also seemed highly appreciative of the new name for this "gun."

"But I genuinely don't know how to use it, nor how Excellency Corvos intends for you to use it, so please feel free to improvise."

The next moment, she generously indicated for him not to hold back and turned toward Fairhaven.

"Could you find Professor Fu a scabbard?"

"Come back when you have time."

He had to marvel once again that Fairhaven was indeed the most dedicated of all the shopkeepers.

Faced with Kelin's request, she not only swiftly found a suitable leather scabbard, but after handing it to Fu Qian and watching him sheath the blade, she offered a smiling farewell with utmost professionalism.

She had clearly heard of Professor Fu before, and grasping the current situation, she knew he didn't have the leisure for a shopping stroll.

Of course, compared to most people rushing about to make a living, her smile was far more poised and natural.

"No problem. This place seems quite interesting."

Fu Qian agreed with generous ease, lightly stroking the stark white of the Blade of Karmic Ties that could not be completely concealed.

However, simply holding it didn't seem to produce any effect. At the very least, Fu Qian didn't feel himself becoming "pure."

But regardless, the concept of "returning to purity" actually aligned with the White-Hot Knight's words from back then—the seedbed brooks no desecration.

This further proved those words weren't meaningless drivel, increasing the probability that this place was indeed the Seedbed of the Palace.

Unfortunately, as mentioned before, these shattered-looking guards were generally tragic characters.

Considering what he saw through the perspective of the inner demon, that filth far exceeded normal parameters.

The White-Hot Knight's attempt to defend the seedbed had not only likely failed, but failed spectacularly.

A small detail even proved this point—he had been summoned as one of the Knights of the Apocalypse by the Holy Infant Calamity Star.

The Holy Infant Calamity Star fed on the "blood" of history, and the prerequisite for being selected as a Knight of the Apocalypse was having once brought about a tribulation.

So could the desecration of the seedbed be the reason the White-Hot Knight was selected?

Of course, exactly what desecrated it and why he wanted to defend this place were further questions altogether.

"Additionally, Excellency Corvos asked me to pass on a message. Speaker Soral will return tomorrow, and he hopes Professor Fu can wait patiently."

Amidst his thoughts, the group officially stepped out the shop's door.

Kelin seemed to remember something and casually relayed yet another piece of news.

It was evident this detail was little-known.

He had heard the name Soral more than once now.

Judging by everyone's reaction, this Speaker of the Night Watchers—a figure theoretically standing at the pinnacle of power in the entire Bookstore World—was quite trusted.

One piece of evidence was how Excellency Stoss's face relaxed slightly in that moment, seemingly gaining a bit of confidence in the situation.

The only issue was, perhaps, the manner in which they received this news.

If the Speaker was a trustworthy, impartial elder, then Excellency Corvos and even the Needle Witch were displaying an entirely different stance on certain matters.

Yet they were the ones proactively sharing this information, hoping Professor Fu would maintain his confidence—

"That's already faster than I expected."

Naturally, Fu Qian only briefly recalled the countdown to the final day before indicating he had no problem with it.

"That's good. Next, if Professor Fu is interested, you can go visit an old friend."

Kelin also seemed quite satisfied with this reaction and gestured toward the opposite side.

"Excellency Chaumont possesses extensive knowledge. He might know how to use the Karmic Ties in your hand."

She even remembered the name Fu Qian had given the gift.

The only issue was that after making the suggestion, she didn't seem particularly interested in the specific details of Excellency Chaumont's insights.

Her gaze swept over everyone, and after unilaterally giving a slight nod of acknowledgment to Su Gao, the Needle Witch vanished on the spot once again.

As expected of Classmate Su Gao; her status in the organization was visibly rising by the day.

It felt as though competitors from any faction wouldn't dare ignore her presence, even though she hadn't spoken a single word the entire time.

Her Excellency Needle Witch's method of departure was truly elegant, but unfortunately, it no longer held any novelty for Professor Fu. At most, it just helped him further evaluate the difficulty of killing her.

And after evaluating it for a mere half-second, Fu Qian was already readily accepting good advice, genuinely stepping into Chaumont's shop.

Old Man Stoss naturally couldn't be as elegant as the Needle Witch. He immediately followed alongside Su Gao, briefly giving off the vibe of a group exploring a new store.

"Welcome."

Excellency Chaumont was clearly also the type who didn't succumb to pressure. He watched the group enter, and aside from finally opening his eyes a bit wider, he didn't even stand up from his seat.

First offering a slight nod to Su Gao, his gaze eventually landed on Fu Qian.

"Has Professor Fu met Logan?"

After his brief welcome, Chaumont showed zero intention of promoting his products. Instead, he asked a rather odd question.