Eldritch Horror Theatre

”So you really don’t care about your status at all, do you? To think a dignified demigod would do something so shameless.”

The speaker was dead serious, and the listener was absolutely stunned.

In that moment, Professor Lanaya deeply felt the heavy burden on her shoulders as head of the Disciplinary Department.

”And if I hadn’t come? Were you planning to use this to extort the boss?”

”How could I?”

Fu Qian didn’t hesitate for a single second, as if he had prepared his answer well in advance.

”I would’ve asked the boss to keep it here so I could use it to pull in sponsorships next time—”

”If this guy ever withholds your wages, make sure you report him to me.”

Lanaya cut him off halfway, turning straight to Ji Liushuang to deliver a firm warning.

”...Alright.”Watching the two bicker, Ji Liushuang covered her mouth with a light chuckle and actually agreed.

”You manage this sort of thing, too?”

Fu Qian finally showed a hint of shock.

”This counts as academic misconduct. Why wouldn’t I look into it?”

Lanaya sneered.

Having the right of interpretation was formidable indeed.

Seeing Lanaya invoke the Great Definition Technique, Fu Qian finally let out a long sigh.

Of course, he clearly wasn’t the one most deeply affected by all this.

Just a short distance away, Sunny had been so shocked by what she was hearing that her expression had gone completely blank. In her daze, she had almost rubbed the paint right off her small section of the bar.

Since this concerned her own fate, she was undoubtedly listening to their conversation very closely.

While confirming that these people were indeed elites from the Academy, the sudden mention of severe torture made her instinctively hold her breath, hesitating over how to react.

Then, the man known as Professor Fu had actually admitted that his words were meant for her ears, just to gauge her reaction.

This bizarre method of communication only deepened Sunny’s hesitation.

However, before she could even sort out her chaotic thoughts, their tone took a sharp turn, devolving into talks about watering down the drinks.

The sheer contrast was so extreme it possessed a brain-smoothing sort of beauty.

”Get me another glass.”

It wasn’t until Lanaya raised her voice to call out from across the room that this period of bewilderment was finally interrupted.

...

”Good thing you didn’t water it down too much, otherwise you would have wasted perfectly good alcohol.”

As she took the new glass from Sunny, Professor Lanaya had clearly settled into the mood, looking completely relaxed and carefree.

One could even sense that her earlier dissatisfaction with Fu Qian no longer held any real resentment.

Nonsense aside, this guy’s suggestion actually seemed like the most appropriate way to handle the trouble.

In fact, the process of proposing the idea was simultaneously the process of executing it; she wouldn’t have to expend a single ounce of extra effort.

From here on out, exactly as he had said, all she needed to do was sit back and watch the waitress’s subsequent reactions.

Another beautiful evening had been saved. Naturally, Lanaya, who had always hated trouble, found her mood brightening.

This was especially true after she noticed their target’s rather conservative reaction.

With her eyes lowered, Sunny’s posture as she brought the glass over was even quieter than before.

She was indeed feeling a bit lost.

Watching this scene, Fu Qian also felt a pang of sentiment.

Sunny’s reaction wasn’t too unexpected.

It was obvious from how quickly she had assumed her position; ever since he had pointed out the path forward during the mission, she seemed plagued by hesitation.

When it came to dispelling her current condition—the Dragon King’s Covenant—she likely didn’t have much confidence.

To be honest, neither did he.

Having encountered numerous cases, he could essentially confirm that once a covenant was established, there was almost no turning back.

Convincing Sunny to come to the Academy to try her luck back then had primarily been driven by another layer of consideration.

...

At the end of the joint encirclement plan between Siren and the Ji Clan, Kelsen had been forced under his intimidation to make a choice, concluding that A Long was the main body and Sunny was merely a puppet.

But for a massive organization like Siren, putting a little extra effort into tracking someone’s movements was incredibly easy.

Especially since they could use her to deduce the movements of the Origin Council behind the scenes.

So, even though Kelsen firmly believed Sunny was now under Fu Qian’s control and wouldn’t easily make any threatening moves, Sunny herself—the person actually involved—had no idea she possessed this protective halo.

For her, it would be all too easy to feel the crisis of having nowhere left to turn in this vast world.

His suggestion back then was essentially for her to come to the Academy and trade her potential experimental value for asylum. Any faint hope of actually being cured was nothing more than an added bonus.

Sunny’s hesitation stemmed from this as well. However, since she had ended up here after all, it meant she had finally made up her mind after an internal struggle.

It was just human nature; no matter how clearly one thought things through, there was always an inevitable hint of hesitation when the choice finally arrived.

Especially for someone like her, who yearned so deeply for independence and freedom.

But that was fine. Thanks to his guidance under these rather delicate circumstances, she had plenty of time to hesitate.

Just like with Lotte, Fu Qian had no interest in personally taking over her case.

He had to keep his word. Handing over this special experimental subject could be considered one of his contributions to creating favorable research conditions for the Academy.

Of course, if Sunny abandoned the idea of a cure, calmly accepted the potential threats, and genuinely started enjoying an ordinary life here, Fu Qian wouldn’t force her.

On the one hand, it was about respecting personal choice. On the other hand, even in that scenario, as his ”puppet,” she could still serve as a meaningful misdirection at crucial moments.

A higher entity was always capable of achieving multiple benefits with one move. How could a dignified evil deity not readily accept good advice?

...

”You’re leaving already?”

Good times always flew by. With Lanaya’s addition, the trio could be said to have enjoyed a very pleasant chat as they snacked and drank.

She only asked this, a hint of lingering interest in her voice, when Fu Qian signaled for Ji Liushuang to look at the time and asked why she wasn’t heading back to sleep yet.

Naturally, Fu Qian knew her lingering interest wasn’t all that innocent.

Although Professor Lanaya was passionate about the nightlife and lacked a strong drive for advancement, thinking she was easy to fool would be a massive mistake.

The main reason she had let the matter of the alcohol money slide so easily was because it was a joke from the start.

But it was obvious that when it came to Sunny, Lanaya still wasn’t entirely convinced that Fu Qian had nothing to do with her.

It was a pity that the grand vision of a Lifetime Professor from the Apocalypse Branch was far beyond what ordinary people could fathom.

”Yeah, I have things to do tomorrow. Thanks for the hospitality.”

Standing up, Fu Qian expressed his gratitude with utmost sincerity before leaving in a carefree manner. He didn’t spare a single extra glance toward Sunny.

Sigh...

The moment he stepped out the door, Fu Qian thought he heard a reluctant sigh.

Of course, Classmate Liushuang followed right behind him, and the second sigh that sounded as they left together was full of pity.

Clearly, his character was enough to make any mentor who cared about their students’ growth worry that Classmate Liushuang was being led astray.

”Professor Fu, you’ve worked hard lately.”

But what Professor Lanaya didn’t know was that he was actually telling the truth when he gave his excuse for leaving.

First thing the next morning, almost the second he finished the breakfast Ji Liushuang had left for him, Fu Qian received a visitor.

Looking just as distinguished as ever, Dean Li Weixuan offered a smiling greeting.