Summoned by the Professor, Eric left his bedroom and walked through the dark hallway to the reading room, where the Professor was sitting alone by the fireplace in his pajamas in front of a row of bookshelves that reached to the ceiling, a small coffee table with a chess box on it, and a thick carpet of animal skins at his feet, covered with colorful fluffy fur that covered his instep, as if he were stepping on a grassy lawn.

It was already autumn, and although autumn in New York was the most pleasant season of the year, the professor could not help but feel a little chill as a frail old man, but fortunately the light of the fire in the furnace brought him some warmth, and when Eric walked up to him, he smiled and beckoned the young man, who was also a friend and a friend, to sit down.

"It's been a long time since I've been so excited like today, and I can't sleep for a while, since you haven't rested, how about playing chess with me?" The top of the professor's smooth head glowed round in the dim light, and his gentle eyes looked at Eric with a peaceful expression.

Eric sat down across from him and opened the box, and thirty-two pieces stood on either side of the black and white grid.

The professor took the lead in attacking Eric's central pawn, and the two sides battled it out in the opening of the king's wing, and soon Eric returned the favor with a pawn.

"Hank and I have envisioned a lot of future situations, but we never imagined that it would be like today, and we never dreamed that it would come so soon." The professor said as he moved the chess pieces.

"I talked to Mora on the phone and she also felt incredible in politics. A friend in the government told her that Congress was indeed already considering your suggestion to establish a mutually acceptable Ministry of Mutant Affairs to coordinate the connection between mutants and ordinary people. Now we are not prepared at all, we don't know what to do at all, and this is really blissfully confused. The professor smiled as Eric took advantage of the opportunity to move the direction of the dynasty's chariot two squares, and then the cart passed over the king and placed it on the one block next to the king.

"Yes." Eric replied as he stared at the board. "We were unprepared. The situation seems to be improving, but it has not changed substantially. In the past, under the leadership of you and that Mr. Eric, humanity did not dare to take our actions lightly because of our strength. Now that we have only superficially acknowledged that humanity cannot attack us lightly, and that we are subject to the same limitations, we are likely to become passive in this state of stalemate, and if we are not careful, new problems will inevitably arise. As he spoke, the professor seized the opportunity to expand the initiative and keep the Black King in Eric's hands in the center.

"I'm a little worried, too. We have a common pursuit when there is pressure from the outside world, but once the pressure is gone, the thoughts of our compatriots will inevitably become confused, and I am more worried about whether the Brotherhood will accept the future agreement. The professor's concern was that the other side would destroy the hard-won peace, and even if his relationship with Magneto was good, it was inevitable that he would have doubts after years of fighting.

Eric dispelled his concerns, and he had reached into the Brotherhood, and the toad and the saber-toothed tiger, who had been neglected for many years, had quietly fallen to his side, and although he could not directly control the situation now, it was easy to get the news.

"The Brotherhood doesn't have to worry too much, they won't make much of a move for the time being, and they will have to wait for that person to come out of the underground prison before deciding." Eric moves the king to perform an artificial castling, and the professor's white is-for-tat.

"It's a pity that we can't agree on anything, otherwise it would be much more beneficial to us now." The professor sighed, but Eric disagreed.

"No one can really unify the opinions of all mutants, and if we did, the one in the White House would probably wake up from a dream." Eric said lightly.

"What are you worried about?" The professor sensitively sensed Eric's misgivings, and he asked cautiously. "Will humanity change?"

"I'm worried about us internally." Eric's answer surprised the professor slightly. "I'm worried about how our compatriots expect too much from the peace talks, and how we're going to respond when they don't really have any real changes. During the Civil War of 1861, the Confederates fought for blacks. The government made a lot of promises, and in exchange for rights, blacks went into battle, and after the war, when they felt that their situation was still very difficult, they began a large-scale struggle. If we can't respond effectively to this shock, I'm concerned that angry compatriots won't follow the example of blacks and pull our heads down the street and smash them to burn, but will use their abilities to do something more radical, like the Brotherhood does. ”

The Professor's face twitched, and the image Eric described made him deeply worried, neither for the future of mutants, nor for his own long-term efforts, that such an outcome could not be tolerated. He hadn't thought it through, and now he was very grateful to Hank for reminding him that since Eric had thought more than he did, he might as well listen to him.

"You're right. So, do you have any ideas? The professor leaned over and looked at Eric solemnly.

Eric groaned and dropped the rook, now that the Professor's White was at the downside, all the pieces were under his attack.

"In an action of far-reaching significance, there is nothing more terrible than not having a plan, we need a long-term plan, and I have an initial idea to divide the future into three phases."

"Let's talk about the first stage." The professor said.

"First of all, our internal relations and external relations." Eric's void is drawn into two areas, one large and one small. "The relationship between the Academy and the Brotherhood is internal, and we need to change our previous confrontational attitude to healthy competition, absorb our compatriots who are not separated from the two of us, and keep their information in our hands as much as possible, but not forced to register, but purely voluntary, and keep it secret from humanity, so that we can further strengthen our understanding, and at the same time we can also identify those who are very dangerous, such as the Victorian scientist."

"Then there's the relationship between mutants and ordinary people. We can be on politics. The government, large business, and public opinion circles have different attitudes, and since it is impossible to please everyone, there is a choice to woo partners. This stage is very critical and determines whether we are on the right path in the future. If we are going to build a building, the first thing to do is not to make the foundation durable or the structure flawless, but to be careful not to build it on a cliff or in a river, otherwise no matter how hard you try, it will not help. ”

The professor thought for a moment, taking Eric's words to heart.

"And then?" He asked.

"Then make the relationship between mutants and ordinary people more harmonious, and reduce the resistance we are subjected to." Eric replied.

"That's exactly what I'm hoping for, how?" The professor said happily.

"In addition to rescue operations, we can also adopt appropriate evasive attitudes. A man may hate his brother, but he will never be angry with a stranger a mile away for no reason, and this is because distance eliminates friction. Rather than insisting on integrating into the society of ordinary people, we can also be flexible and consciously guide some compatriots who want to stay away from the conflict to live in a certain place, even if it is more remote, they can accept it, after all, living in a community of their own people and a place full of suspicion are two different things. ”

"But they have to live?"

"That's the third stage."

"Please."

"It is nothing more than to make the old people have something to support, the young people to teach, and give the right age people the opportunity to work, so that they don't have idleness. We can tap into our own capabilities, create our unique advantageous industries, and avoid competition with ordinary people. Then, through the effective use and development of human resources, we will form a sustainable development path. ”

Eric first gave a rough idea, and then explained it in detail, and the professor quickly understood his idea and agreed that it was indeed quite feasible.

But now there is a problem that is difficult to solve, and the professor is a little difficult to talk about, so in order not to affect the overall situation, he still said it.

That's the question of money.

The Xavier family is not a particularly wealthy family, and when it comes to the professor's generation, there is not much property left by his ancestors, and if it weren't for the wealth brought by his stepfather before his death, it would be difficult for him to support the academy on his own.

"There's no need to worry about that." Eric reassured. "As a mutant, if we are really the pride of the sky, we will not worry about money, and I already have a solution to this."

The professor looked at him suspiciously, and felt that he looked confident, so he didn't ask any more.

He still believes in Eric's character, and as long as it doesn't involve breaking the principle, he will do it.

"There is nothing we can do to eliminate all risks, we can only do our best to prevent them, to increase the cost of those who may be dangerous to us, and when hostile people attack us more than they have to lose, they will naturally retreat." Although Eric's plans are not yet mature, they finally have a prototype and will not be rushed when things come to an end.

This night, Eric and the professor talked a lot, from the future of mutants to each other's opinions, the professor frankly said the constraints imposed on him, Eric did not hide his defenses, sometimes the two people have the same idea, sometimes they disagree, they can't help but argue, this communication is very necessary, it makes the two generations of the academy control knot dissipate. In the Professor's eyes, the young man on the other side was merging with another shadow who had once sat across from him playing chess, and now the two Eric had finally begun to coincide, he looked a little strange and a little familiar, and their figures gradually merged together in the dim light of the fireplace and the light of dawn shining through the skylight. "Professor?" Eric saw his trance, and the professor broke away from his musings and looked at Eric and smiled.

"I used to worry about you, and now I'm going to apologize to you, Eric." The professor finally said the words that were hidden in his heart.

"It's all over, Professor." Eric smiled. "You are one of the greatest people I have ever met. Everyone has their flaws, and we all have their brilliance. I have learned a lot from you, and your patience, your tolerance, and your love for your fellow human beings have made me feel respected from the bottom of my heart. ”

His words made the professor laugh.

"It's dawn, let's finish this game." The professor said as he moved his pawns and made a final charge against Eric, who had opened the central pathway.

The sky is bright and the chess game is over.

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