Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Are you saying... this wasn’t necessarily the work of an enemy?”

In just a few short minutes, Ni Huayuan had clearly taken control of the situation.

Hearing this, Kamakura Ki started, suddenly grasping his meaning.

”They did all this for the thing we guard?”

”Just a guess. It still needs to be proven.”

Ni Huayuan shook his head, keeping his words cautious.

”Given that one of your people already died in there, did he mention his goal before going in?”

”Grandfather didn’t say much.”

Kamakura Keiji proved exceptionally strong-willed. He was actually still clinging to consciousness, and even had the strength to chime in.

”When the anomalies grew worse, he only said he was going down to find a solution, and then he never returned. Are you suggesting my grandfather might have been ambushed?”As he spoke, Kamakura Keiji couldn’t help but glance toward Fu Qian.

”Hard to say. Of course, this doesn’t seem to have much to do with Mister Yun. With his strength, he wouldn’t need to go to such lengths to find something.”

...

Slighted once again, Kamakura Ki was left speechless for a moment.

”Although this involves the family’s secrets, the situation is urgent...”

After a brief hesitation, he chose to be honest.

”The truth is, even though we call ourselves Tombkeepers, those Ruins were destroyed long ago. In all these years, we genuinely haven’t found anything special.”

”I really can’t imagine what they could be looking for in there.”

”I believe you.”

Ni Huayuan smiled mysteriously.

”If he had found it, he probably wouldn’t have died.”

”So as it stands now, you don’t want to die either, do you?”

...

Driven by their desire to survive, the Kamakura family found Ni Huayuan’s words undeniably persuasive.

Soon enough, the Tombkeeper Family voted unanimously to let the Academy lead a team back into the Ancient Ruins to search for suspicious traces.

Noticing that the Academy members remained outwardly calm despite a significant boost in morale, Fu Qian confirmed his earlier suspicion: Kasi and Guan Jingzheng hadn’t been acting noble or choosing to lead from the front by braving the danger themselves. They had merely been respecting the Kamakura Family’s jurisdiction by sending only two representatives down.

In reality, almost everyone wanted to go in and take a look.

It was understandable. For the Academy group, exploring Ancient Ruins that had stood for thousands of years was probably far more interesting than treating the sick and saving lives.

Having secured this opportunity for the group, Ni Huayuan naturally became the core of the operation.

He clearly didn’t mind the role. After a brief exchange with Kamakura Ki, it was decided that everyone would go back to make some quick preparations before setting out immediately.

...

In truth, Fu Qian was quite happy to see things develop this way.

His mission was very clear: find the reason the Divine Seal had lost control.

Kasi’s plan to shield the invisible connection might actually work, but it was a classic case of treating the symptoms rather than the root cause. It held little value for his own mission.

If they had insisted on that route, he might have been forced to act alone.

Now, however, he could simply continue with the exploration team.

Even so, in Fu Qian’s eyes, the deduction Ni Huayuan just made wasn’t exactly airtight.

Of course, the man hadn’t been spouting complete nonsense. After Kamakura Keiji responded, Ni Huayuan had clearly used some method to drag him into a special state, isolating him from the outside world.

But the final result proved that this couldn’t stop the collapse of Kamakura Keiji’s body.

At first glance, it served as a perfectly logical counterexample to Kasi’s strategy.

There was just one problem: no matter how esoteric your methods were, you still weren’t even a demigod.

Under those circumstances, where did you get the confidence that your special state could isolate everything?

Just because Ah Kai’s methods could temporarily suppress the changes, and his Rank was even lower than yours?

Some things couldn’t be compared so simply.

To Fu Qian, Ah Kai’s Rank might not be high, but the move he just pulled off was quite interesting. The resulting effect likely far exceeded the Mid Tier.

All in all, Ni Huayuan was being a bit too hasty. Perhaps Kasi’s repeated provocations had made him desperate to prove the strength of the Linghui Courtyard?

However, faced with this move, Kasi didn’t express much doubt.

Fu Qian figured the guy had wanted to explore more from the start. It was just that, out of humanitarian concerns, a leader couldn’t openly propose such a cold, calculating solution.

With Ni Huayuan willing to step up, Kasi was happy to push the boat along with the current.

...

”Mister Yun.”

Interest truly was the best motivator. In just half an hour, the Academy members were fully prepared and gathered in front of the main doors Fu Qian’s group had exited that morning.

Even the groggy Brother Ah Kai was holding a metal disc and muttering under his breath. He even took the initiative to greet Fu Qian as he arrived.

”As a demigod, how do you understand this kind of Divine Entity?”

A moment later, he pointed at the main doors in front of them, earnestly seeking advice.

This really was an interesting question.

Fu Qian pondered it seriously for a few seconds before finally shaking his head.

”I have no interest in replacing them.”

His voice wasn’t quiet. The surrounding people immediately cast sidelong glances, especially the members of the Sword Comprehension Institute.

You really dare to say that!

No matter how outrageous these entities are, they are still at the legendary Deity Level.

You just reached the Demigod Realm, and you’re already planning to replace them?

”Why?”

This answer clearly caught Ah Kai off guard. Once he recovered, he asked with great interest.

Because I have no interest in being muttered about by a bunch of people every day.

Fu Qian thought to himself, but considering his current persona, he opted for a different phrasing.

”The sword path relies only on oneself, never asking of others.”

He gave a cold snort, his expression arrogant.

”I don’t need their worship, and I can’t help them.”

”Spoken like someone who has cultivated to become a demigod!”

Ah Kai shook his head, offering a heartfelt sigh of admiration.

”I’ve always admired the cultivation of the sword path, but unfortunately, I simply lack the talent for it.”

”You’re being modest, Professor Ah Kai.”

The sincerity in his tone was evident, and the instructors from the Sword Comprehension Institute, who had been eavesdropping, were undoubtedly very pleased.

Guan Jingzheng immediately offered some modesty in return.

”Everyone knows that despite your young age, you are already an instructor at the Benevolent Curse Institute and hailed as a once-in-decades genius.”

”Your life-saving methods just now were also truly breathtaking.”

”Not at all, not at all. That’s just misplaced praise from others. I truly don’t deserve it.”

After this round of obligatory flattery, it was clear that both sides were quite satisfied, fostering a thoroughly harmonious atmosphere.

”Everyone is here, so let’s begin.”

Ni Huayuan’s voice rang out. As the leader of the tomb exploration plan, he naturally assumed the role of commander.

”Mister Yun.”

As the team began to move, Ji Liushuang casually fell back a few steps, quietly falling into line beside Fu Qian.

”Thank you again for sharing your insights. I benefited greatly from them.”

She turned to look at Fu Qian and offered an earnest thank you.