Chapter 3063 The Mortal World is Like a Tide, People Are Like Water

The atmosphere was as lively as expected. The very first words spoken were a lethal trap.

This third venue seemed the most ordinary, but a true battle of drawn swords lurked beneath its calm surface.

Fu Qian wasn't surprised by Excellency Corvos's pressing questions.

Revealing such a ruthless hand right at the start made it obvious he wasn't going to let things rest. This Hongmen banquet had already reached a boiling point.

As for why he would hand over a vulnerability right at the start?

Excellency Corvos was no reckless fool. To Fu Qian, this move felt like a high compliment—without even needing a final showdown, he was already heavily leaning toward the belief that the Grimshaw of West Plain was standing right in front of him.

His final words back at Silver Mist Manor might have been entirely sincere. After the first two trials, Corvos had come to fully respect Professor Fu's capabilities.

He now believed that throughout their clashes over the past few days, the Needle Witch hadn't been the one controlling the board—she had been the one being played.

The scene unfolding before him wasn't so much a final confirmation as a veiled threat.

The situation was undeniably vile, but the cover-up likely went beyond mere Tier 2s. It might directly involve one of the titans of the Night Watchers.

A titan with bizarre methods, capable of manipulating destiny with a snap of their fingers.

Given all this, was he really going to keep digging? Before answering the question or making a move, he had better weigh the consequences.

...

The consequences were severe indeed.

Fu Qian had wondered long ago if this righteous organization of Night Watchers was nothing more than a perfect, idealized construct disconnected from reality.

The reality was that their internal politics were just as tangled, completely rife with factional disputes.

In fact, it was only by exploiting those very divisions, weaving and maneuvering between them, that he had earned his seat at today's table.

Under these circumstances, if a matter of principle directly implicated one of the top brass, the severity of the crime might be ten times worse, but the punishment certainly wouldn't scale to match.

Corvos wasn't very likable, but he undeniably represented the stance of a certain group—like the rumored "Conservative Faction."

If a man like him committed a crime, it wasn't just a matter of the elite dodging the law. The very existence of the law itself would be thrown into question, and it wouldn't be surprising if this top-tier organization fractured entirely over it.

Of course, what made Excellency Corvos think he could use the Night Watchers' potential fracture as a threat against Professor Fu?

"Because I've been to this place before. It's a pity I don't see any familiar faces."

Faced with the lethal question, Fu Qian naturally nodded and spoke the truth.

"I see."

Corvos let out a slow "oh," his gaze turning profoundly meaningful.

"Oftentimes, when revisiting an old haunt, you don't necessarily need familiar faces to spark your memories."

He didn't rush to call out three hundred executioners, however. Instead, he simply surveyed the surroundings with a faint, unreadable smile, offering a philosophical musing.

"Indeed."

Seeing that Corvos had no intention of tapping the pages of his book to summon more bound figures like before, Fu Qian found this third venue deeply fascinating.

His Excellency seemed to be weaving an entirely new kind of destiny bond, right here in this impossibly serious setting.

If that were truly the case, this reception was incredibly grand. He had no reason to complain.

"Even though it's only a passing resemblance, it still brings quite a bit to mind."

Fu Qian followed his gaze, agreeing with his philosophical reflection.

"Right downstairs. The scene of all those elites of West Plain gathered in one hall is still vivid in my mind.

"It's a bit on the small side, but this place is actually quite nice. It's just that occasionally, little bugs manage to crawl inside."

...

'Hmph, this professor has been to West Plain twice.'

Setting aside the highly sensitive name of Grimshaw, he had gone there even earlier under his real name. He had acted as an operations advisor, helping Classmate Su Gao hunt down the Ill Omen.

Admittedly, the final mission summary mentioned that Su Gao had intimidated the involved parties to actively downplay his presence.

But at the level of the Needle Witch and Corvos, if they deliberately looked into it, it would be far too easy for them to uncover the truth.

And even if they hadn't looked into it before, after suffering a setback over the Record of True Transcription, there was no way they hadn't dug into his background now.

So Fu Qian never once expected to keep this a secret from them.

It was much better to use it to his advantage and mess with Corvos's head a little.

In short, by casually dropping the name of West Plain, he was deliberately painting the exact scene of their trap for the Ill Omen.

"I must also thank Professor Fu for your help back then... but what do you mean by 'bugs'?"

Sure enough, Corvos froze for a fraction of a second before his gaze naturally drifted toward Su Gao.

"A kind of tiny black bug that likes to sneak in while people are sleeping."

With everything implied but unsaid, Fu Qian patiently clarified.

Exactly. He was referring to the tracking method used by Xiao Ying, the bodyguard from the Huang Clan.

Back then, in order to probe his secrets, she had secretly released the bug into his room in the middle of the night, only for Su Gao to kill it with a single sword strike.

What? Theoretically, that bug hadn't actually crawled in? Because the mission had reset, and that first iteration hadn't become official history?

That was correct, but fake history was exactly what he wanted to use.

Let's not forget that the man sitting in front of him was a master of destiny. Regardless of Corvos's actual relationship with the Serpent of Destiny, Fu Qian was very keen to use this little detail to test the extent of his grip on fate.

The verdict: Excellency Corvos was completely blind to that erased iteration of history.

"It seems you don't spend much time on the front lines."

When Corvos didn't immediately reply, Fu Qian ruthlessly continued his critique, his words dripping with subtext.

"I do tend to avoid running around."

Lacking grassroots field experience was a harsh accusation. On any Night Watcher's record, it would be a glaring flaw.

Yet Excellency Corvos was magnanimous. Smiling, he calmly accepted the sharp critique.

"I can guarantee there are absolutely no bugs in here now. Does Professor Fu have any other guidance to offer?"

He even displayed the extraordinary tolerance of letting spit dry on one's face, practically inviting Professor Fu to say more.

Guidance?

Faced with this warm invitation, Fu Qian's response was to sweep his gaze over the surrounding Crowd.

"Haven't I been guiding you this whole time?"

After silently soaking in the bizarre, mundane atmosphere of the place for a moment, he let out a sigh.

...

"Earlier, I thought Professor Fu had arrived a bit too soon. Now, I find myself wishing I had met Your Excellency much sooner."

It took about the span of a single breath before Corvos finally spoke, his voice tinged with rare surprise.

"You are correct. Although these people are weak, they are part of the underlying logic of the Birthday Party.

"We only need to interact with them for a short while, and they can help reflect the contours of our destinies—even the parts we remain unaware of ourselves."

With that, he laid bare the true theme of this third venue.

"It isn't anything particularly special, but it is truly astonishing that Professor Fu figured it out so quickly."