As everyone knew, when things were counterintuitive, elimination was a common approach... But had he just eliminated everything outright?
Things had been progressing well, but Cas's conclusion had to be said to have utterly derailed the research.
"Are you saying that in the end, there's nothing that can explain that special inheritance?"
Even so, Fu Qian didn't rush to argue.
He'd just said the situation was counterintuitive. Though this development was a little extreme, didn't it fit that description?
"That's how it seems. I can't identify a single element that can withstand scrutiny."
Cas shook his head, his confusion seemingly having built up over many years.
"Numerous cases have proven that basic genetic inheritance does matter, but it seems to be only a necessary prerequisite.
"Across the bloodlines that carry supernatural inheritances, you can find counterexamples to almost every element... To the point where, in the end, explaining it seems to require concepts like fate and fortune."
The comparison might not have been entirely apt, but Cas's elaboration gave off the distinct impression that science had reached the end of its road and given way to theology—that after a lifetime of fruitless searching, he'd turned to God in his later years.
"Could it be that even now, the Higher Beings are still handpicking the lucky few and bestowing supernatural gifts upon them?"
But one had to remember that gods truly existed in this world. Attributing the cause to them wouldn't simply mean giving up on finding an answer.
In that moment, Fu Qian took Cas's words and arrived at an even more unsettling conclusion.
That was, supernatural power had a will of its own, and it was randomly choosing its lucky recipients.
"That does run counter to conventional understanding. It might have made more sense Before the Long Night...