Chapter 3040 First Birthday

Let's be completely frank.

Although His Excellency Corvos had been rather reserved earlier, Fu Qian quite appreciated his style now that he had finally shown himself.

This was also why he had declared earlier that the Hongmen banquet had officially entered a new phase.

The posture of this Night Watchers giant was so unambiguous, it practically screamed that the pleasantries were over and it was time to get down to business.

For example: were you harboring dissatisfaction toward the organization, or perhaps even plotting treason?

And in Fu Qian's experience, this sort of motive-questioning was normally only the first step.

Once rebellious intentions were confirmed, the next step would be the executioners waiting in the wings, swarming forward to chop the offender into mincemeat.

Yet even such a sinister predicament did not stop Professor Fu from being an honest man.

The answer he gave almost without a second thought visibly shocked even Corvos.

"Unreasonable... I rarely hear that kind of evaluation. Tell me your reasons."

After a brief pause, Corvos simply stopped walking. Wearing a playful expression, he refrained from sharply rebuking him for his audacity.

He even signaled for Fu Qian to make his words clearer, casually trimming a nearby candle as if holding up a light for the professor.

"Regardless of any grievances, the ordinary people of this world arguably enjoy a peace that goes far beyond common logic."

How could Professor Fu get stage fright? Under Old Man Stoss's deeply worried gaze, he was already speaking with absolute assurance.

"The underlying order of the world is perfectly fine. You can see people from all walks of life working hard just to live their lives.

"But this order is built upon the most unrealistic foundation—the existence of the Night Watchers. It's like a magnificent castle in the sky; apart from the single pillar holding it up at the very bottom, everything else is perfectly reasonable."

Recalling his experiences over the past few months, Fu Qian casually shared a sentiment he had harbored for quite some time.

"But therein lies the problem. What exactly is the foundation of this pillar? To my eyes, its load-bearing capacity is unreasonably strong.

"I am not questioning your collective strength. In fact, just from what I have seen so far, it is arguably enough to dominate the present era, using an iron fist to demand that everyone follow your rules."

Sweeping his gaze across the group, Fu Qian made no attempt to hide his curiosity.

His words were no empty praise; from what he had observed, the Night Watchers' strength was truly in a league of its own.

At least two, and very likely three New Gods, along with numerous Tier 2 and Quasi-Tier 2 individuals...

The Supreme Council's lineup alone was so formidable that, short of the older generation descending in person, likely no one could shake it.

"By load-bearing capacity, I mean organizational cohesion. A castle in the sky won't crush you, of course, but given the immense weight transferring downward, it's hard to avoid wondering if all of this is worth it.

"Pure ideals and beliefs are difficult to sustain long-term. The world ultimately has to run on rules... and for a group with the power to do absolutely whatever it wants to proactively choose to bind its own hands—frankly, that is hard to understand."

...

Mind games against mind games; Fu Qian had never been the type to only defend without attacking, even at a Hongmen banquet.

The air turned quite still at that moment, mainly because Professor Fu's critique truly came from the bottom of his heart.

He had lamented quite some time ago that the Night Watchers, as a super-organization, normally shouldn't even exist.

A group of entities who were theoretically an entirely different species from ordinary people, proactively establishing ironclad laws for themselves and all transcendents, just to carefully nurse humans who were as fragile as soap bubbles?

And on top of that, forcibly making them live a pseudo-modern lifestyle?

One could only say that even a philosopher king would cry out that this was far too much of a Utopia.

Under normal circumstances, treating humans like livestock to be penned up and farmed would be a development far more aligned with human nature.

"Are you quite sure you aren't praising us, Professor Fu? I thought you were going to accuse the Night Watchers of being too draconian."

Of course, even when speaking from the bottom of his heart, others still had the right to arbitrarily interpret his words.

After the initial silence, His Excellency Corvos's expression grew even more playful. The underlying implication practically questioned why those words sounded so much like, "The boss's biggest flaw is that he doesn't take care of his own health."

It was supposedly offering an opinion, yet it was actually just laying on the flattery.

"It is a compliment. Even from my perspective as a bystander, you have achieved nothing short of a Miracle."

Professor Fu simply sneered inwardly at this, feeling that everyone still looked at their academic circles through colored glasses.

'Did you really think this seat reached a full professorship within months of joining merely by relying on papers?'

'My personal relationship with the Dean is also of utmost importance, alright?'

Regardless, facing His Excellency Corvos's skepticism in that moment, Professor Fu nodded without the slightest blush, indicating that the leaders simply worked too hard.

"A Miracle... Is it possible that humanity surviving the Long Night was a Miracle in itself, and we are merely carrying on that ancient mission?"

A specific word in his speech had visibly struck a chord with the leader.

For a moment, His Excellency Corvos seemed to sink into distant memories, even voluntarily bringing up a rather sensitive topic.

"From what I understand, that was indeed even more of a Miracle."

Chief Yuan had previously touched upon the origins of the Night Watchers. When all the gods fell silent, a group of weak and insignificant ants had gritted their teeth and stood up; just hearing about it was enough to imagine their absolute resolve and tragic heroism.

Even more astonishing was that they had actually succeeded. They had truly preserved the spark of humanity and made it through the darkness.

If that couldn't be called a Miracle, then what could?

"But that doesn't contradict my point. Any businessman knows that one-sided expenditure isn't sustainable. Customer loyalty must be nurtured with returns."

Yet acknowledging this did not mean he was retracting his previous stance.

Fu Qian not only insisted that the leaders were indeed overworking themselves, but he even brought out business principles to support his argument, letting out a soft sigh.

"Conviction is the same. It requires a system to help it develop healthily.

"I don't doubt the Night Watchers' founding intentions in the slightest, but a thousand years have already passed... Therefore, the present-day Night Watchers are, in my eyes, just as much of a Miracle."

...

Wasn't this getting a little too harmonious? How had a tense conversation gradually morphed into an awards ceremony?

Back and forth they went, outwardly appearing as though neither was yielding an inch, when in reality, the mutual flattery hadn't stopped.

The audience was visibly reeling from how quickly the originally tense situation had turned into this. Stoss and Old Man Logan were handling it a bit better; being older, they were relatively composed.

But having only walked away a few steps, Chief Yuan, who had been ordered to stand guard here, was still watching from a short distance away.

Thus, out of the corner of one's eye, it was easy to see her worldview being completely shattered.

No matter the occasion, Professor Fu always managed to leave people utterly stupefied.

"That actually sounds somewhat reasonable. I've also heard of the businesses you manage in Shangjing..."

It seemed his particular technique for 'criticizing the leader' had proven highly effective once again.

Faced with Fu Qian's explanation, Corvos finally stopped debating the concept of Miracles, and even tactfully acknowledged Professor Fu's business accomplishments.

"It's a bit too dark in here. Let's move somewhere else."

In the next moment, as if feeling that the dim candlelight was an insult to Professor Fu's brilliant sincerity, an object materialized in his hand.

'A book?'

At this distance, Fu Qian could naturally see it clearly. Although small in size, it was unmistakably shaped like a booklet.

It was not made of paper; instead, its entire body was constructed from thin plates of gold and silver, interwoven into bizarre geometric patterns. Not a single speck of dust marred any part of it, leaving it shining brightly even here in the dim Underground.

'Oh?'

Amid the distinctive sound of turning pages, the ambient light suddenly flared brighter.

With a single glance, it was obvious they were no longer standing at the edge of The Abyss, having been transported to an unfamiliar location.

'It's that magical?'

Deeply marveling at His Excellency Corvos's methods, Fu Qian scrutinized the artifact still held in the man's hand.

"What is this?"

"You may call it... First Birthday."

Sure enough, the other party was not stingy, freely sharing the highly unusual title.

'Meaning one full year?'

Fu Qian nodded slightly, thoroughly intrigued.