Chapter 2965: Auspicious and Inauspicious

The Transcendent tier was rooted in humanity.

Stepping in as a substitute, Classmate Su Gao thoughtfully left Professor Fu free to choose their itinerary.

Even having reached the absolute highest rank and casually managing world-ending projects, Professor Fu still adhered to simple academic ethics.

Rather than inspecting the Laboratory, he chose to first check on the former victims.

"That area is a bit far. Please follow me."

Su Gao clearly had no objections to this choice and immediately continued to lead the way.

"According to you, do these things just spring up like bamboo shoots?"

Strolling through the Night Watchers' Birthday Party, the route underfoot was so winding and complex that one had to question its necessity.

Beside him, Su Gao seemed entirely familiar with the layout. She barely paused to get her bearings, proving to be an excellent guide.

As Fu Qian followed, his curiosity deepened over what she had said earlier.

Aside from the work areas and a few specific buildings, was the rest of this place alive, constantly metabolizing?

That description certainly sparked the imagination. Furthermore, seen from this angle, although her pale, smooth earlobe was as exquisite as a work of art, it was now genuine flesh and blood.

The same applied to the rest of her exposed skin.

Following her official promotion to Divine Emissary, all her past scars seemed to have been smoothed away.

Yet it was precisely this perfection that made it even easier to recall that scene from the Long Night a thousand years ago, when she had lost all five senses and teetered on the brink of shattering.

"Rather than bamboo shoots, they are actually more like bamboo."

Although it was just a casual analogy, Su Gao pondered it very seriously. A moment later, she pointed to an ascending avenue on their left.

"For one, the process of their appearance isn't quite that straightforward. For another, there is clearly some kind of bond between the buildings and the crowds that emerge inside them.

"Even though the buildings don't change shape along with the people, once the crowd inside finally entangles into a mass and becomes a completely chaotic entity, the architecture is usually dragged into death alongside them."

As she spoke, she counted them off one by one, her finger ultimately stopping on a specific building.

"This process isn't absolute, and there is a lot of uncertainty. But there is one clear pattern: it frequently happens in batches. Just like bamboo after it flowers, they die off in entire swathes.

"Take this area, for example. I remember that all the way up to that spot, the entire section vanished back then. A total of seventeen buildings."

...So when Classmate Su Gao wasn't on field missions, she would walk around here just like this, even keeping count of the annihilations?

Since she could rattle off the exact numbers, it was hard not to wonder what kind of mindset the old Su Gao had held while passing through.

Of course, the phenomenon she described was still fascinating.

Buildings of wildly different styles dying off in patches like a bamboo forest?

Her description that "this place is alive" suddenly seemed far more convincing.

It even followed the principle that a house only had meaning when people occupied it, causing the architecture to perish due to the crowd's final entanglement.

"What a wondrous place. What happens after they die off?"

Fu Qian marveled, his curiosity only growing.

"New buildings appear simultaneously, followed by new Travelers. The whole process is incredibly fast. There is only a very short overlap of coexistence, rarely exceeding an hour—and it begins precisely at the stroke of midnight."

Su Gao answered without missing a beat.

Oh?

A seamless transition, even hitting the exact time? That sounded more and more miraculous.

Compared to Chief Yuan, who hadn't wanted to stay in the Birthday Party for a single minute longer, Classmate Su Gao had clearly observed this place in minute detail.

And the many details she provided were, in Fu Qian's view, quite significant.

"Does the change of date exert a special influence?"

Deep in thought, Fu Qian easily extracted a core element from her words.

"I think so too. A special anchoring effect, just like what this thing does for us."

Indeed, great minds think alike. Su Gao instantly agreed and even pulled something out.

This was...

In Su Gao's hand was unmistakably the Playing Card that everyone carried. He didn't even need to take it to see it clearly; the pattern on it was extremely simple, depicting a single, lonely High-Backed Chair.

Its curves were elegant, delicate yet solemn, but it lacked any other decorative background. There wasn't even anyone sitting in it.

In addition, thanks to Su Gao's movement, he could spot an extra little detail.

On the thumb holding the card, the White Ring was still firmly in place. It almost seemed to have fused with her flesh and blood, making it impossible to remove again...

"At least it looks a bit more aesthetically pleasing than mine."

It seemed he really wasn't getting the White Ring back, but Fu Qian didn't mind. He simply pulled out his own card to compare.

The difference was immediately obvious.

If the High-Backed Chair merely looked a bit desolate, the Eyeball Storm Lantern in Fu Qian's hand carried the sinister vibe of wild horses galloping past an isolated grave.

"It's said that every card pattern has a corresponding fate in here."

However, Classmate Su Gao's action was clearly just to let Professor Fu grasp as much information as possible.

She didn't bother finding an angle to act modest, simply continuing to share the trivia.

"How so?"

As a contestant who had once personally slain the Serpent of Destiny, Fu Qian was quite interested in the word.

"It's said that people skilled in related abilities can divine each day's fortunes and misfortunes based on the card they draw, though this is strictly limited to inside the Birthday Party."

Classmate Su Gao's explanation was truly eye-opening. Divining daily fortunes? Carrying around a personal almanac?

Flipping through it before going out to see if it was inauspicious for all matters?

In that moment, Fu Qian understood Loss's divination enthusiasts even better.

"So what has your experience been?"

However, cracking down on feudal superstitions wasn't the immediate priority. Considering Su Gao's special abilities, Fu Qian was curious about her firsthand experience.

"It isn't obvious, but there really seems to be a subtle difference. At certain times, it places extra pressure on them."

Su Gao gestured forward, indicating a woman slightly older than herself.

Although she wore exquisite makeup, she was clearly part of the crowd. As she walked toward them, she continuously eyed them, whether intentionally or not.

Yet, the moment Su Gao looked over, she immediately averted her gaze.

As if mirroring her action, Su Gao also quietly put some distance between them in that instant.

"Sometimes, just getting a little close will catalyze the mutations on their bodies."

She explained to Fu Qian in a low voice a moment later. 'Interesting... so fortune and misfortune really do exist?'

As the situation grew increasingly bizarre with Su Gao's description, Fu Qian deeply felt the atmosphere turning uncanny.

"Do you think what we anchor through the act of drawing cards might also be a concept related to dates?"

Still, from the midnight withering to the personal almanac, what Su Gao was trying to convey was very easy for him to grasp.

"Yes, I think they might share some common ground."

Su Gao nodded earnestly.

"It's not surprising. Don't forget that the place we're staying in is called the Birthday Party."

Fu Qian let out a long sigh, sharing the exact same view.