Eldritch Horror Theatre

Lisa and her companion clearly never expected that the genius girl of the Linghui Courtyard had been entirely molded by Professor Fu’s own hands.

During this process, he had also summarized and verified a vast amount of Transcendent Tier knowledge, proposing entirely new concepts of incalculable academic value.

Of course, as intellectuals, their sensitivity to wording remained quite sharp.

”Also?”

Though unsurprised by Professor Fu’s confidence, Lisa clearly noticed the peculiar phrasing and frowned as she asked.

”For those of us in academia, sectarian bias should be our greatest taboo. Even if our philosophies differ, what’s wrong with meeting more young geniuses?”

Elder Fu chuckled. Though his tone was mild, his words retained the sharp confidence of a trailblazer.

”If we lacked such magnanimity, how could we have become a top Laboratory in the Academy, let alone gain further recognition?

”In case you were unaware, regarding the meteor shower a few days ago, I have officially become a temporary consultant for the Night Watchers Investigation Team.

”The person in charge of this incident will likely drop by later to offer some guidance. Couldn’t you tell I wore formal attire today specifically for the occasion?”Amidst this lecture, Professor Fu even showed off his outfit, adjusting his collar as he presented an image of someone truly basking in success as horse hooves fly swift.

An official temporary consultant... isn’t that phrasing a bit contradictory?

Unsurprisingly, this instantly drew Professor Lisa’s silent mockery.

The Meteor Shower Incident had caused a massive commotion—how could someone permanently stationed at the Academy not know about it?

It was simply that with nearly all her energy poured into her current project, she hadn’t spared much effort to pay attention to it.

So it had actually alarmed the Night Watchers?

Coupled with the fact that this interim spokesperson before her—a man who always loved delegating tasks to others—had actually gotten involved, the situation was clearly far from simple.

Refusing to be led astray by Professor Fu’s rhetoric, a series of thoughts raced through Lisa’s mind, instantly sparking considerable interest.

”What a pity. It looks like you’ll need to change into another set of formal attire.”

Of course, when she spoke up a moment later, she still couldn’t resist throwing a sarcastic jab first.

...

”So what exactly is the situation over at the Benevolent Curse Institute? What kind of disaster did those frauds cause this time?”

Needless to say, Professor Fu’s skin was as thick as a city wall. Not expecting to provoke him much, Lisa immediately pressed on.

”Apologies, but we have strict protocols. Without permission from the person in charge, I cannot reveal anything... So the people from the Benevolent Curse Institute often cause trouble too?”

Unfortunately, she still underestimated the man’s principles. Fu Qian shook his head almost instantly.

”Of course not as much as Apocalypse, especially with their numbers dwindling in recent years.”

Sighing, Professor Lisa displayed a considerable degree of self-knowledge.

”However, according to Dean Casi, those guys used to be notorious troublemakers in the early days. The frequency might not have been as high as Apocalypse, but one misstep and they’d pull off something massive.”

It was obvious that the Benevolent Curse Institute had enjoyed its own glorious era, to the point where even a talent like Dean Casi could highly praise the scale of their disasters.

Professor Lisa remained unaware that Apocalypse had already joined forces with the Benevolent Curse Institute to stir up trouble yet again tonight.

”So what exactly is Casi off doing? He’s been gone for a while now, hasn’t he?”

Sighing internally, Fu Qian refrained from showing off on Professor Rob’s behalf and instead casually inquired about their leader.

Their previous interactions made it obvious that Casi showed clear favoritism toward this Giant Serpent Maiden, even outright yielding a Laboratory to her.

If anyone knew the whereabouts of the true person in charge, it was likely the woman sitting right in front of him.

”Out on a scientific expedition, just like Professor Fu.”

Unfortunately, what answered Fu Qian was a cold sneer. It seemed Lisa’s desire to vent had only been further inflamed, clearly harboring long-standing grievances against the two Demigod Realm experts of Apocalypse.

”For years, that guy’s greatest skill has been vanishing whenever there’s trouble, only to reappear once the dust settles... Of course, he still falls slightly short compared to Professor Fu. Your Excellency arrives with trouble already in tow.”

Oh? That’s rather aptly put. Come to think of it, it really is true.

”So you don’t know when he’s coming back, either?”

Despite being harshly reprimanded, Professor Fu felt no displeasure. In fact, recalling his own actions, he deeply agreed.

”I don’t know... but I trust that when he is truly needed, he will return.”

Lisa instantly shook her head, though she hesitated briefly at the end before adding that soft addendum.

”Alright.”

Without questioning it further, Fu Qian handed both the box and the bone fragments back to her.

”You’ve worked hard lately. You can go back and rest up, maybe write a report. I believe Dean Casi will be quite interested as well.”

”Of course. But considering the effort it took me to run all the way over here, why would I go back to rest?”

Reaching out to take them, Professor Lisa warmly received the interim spokesperson’s encouragement—but then smiled slyly, her glasses glinting in the light.

”You just said this was a collaborative project between our two Laboratories. It’s only natural you’d leave a lounge for me here, right?”

...

”How on earth did you convince those people to let you turn the Laboratory into this? And with the Academy’s resources, no less.”

Professor Lisa’s sudden request was ultimately not refused.

Naturally, Fu Qian didn’t buy the excuse that running such a short distance back would be difficult for her.

With the project having reached a milestone, her mood was relaxed, and she had clearly had her curiosity thoroughly piqued by the Meteor Shower Incident. Even with her principles, she intended to stick around and see what was happening.

However, a young person possessing curiosity was a good thing. Besides, there were plenty of empty rooms in this place anyway.

Not bothering to haggle, Fu Qian directly signaled for a research assistant to make the arrangements.

Unfortunately, Professor Lisa’s own skin was growing thicker by the day. After dropping off her things, she dropped any pretense and scurried right back down to critique the Laboratory’s newly upgraded hardware.

”So, how did you convince them again?”

Fu Qian didn’t even raise his head, casually reminding her that her own Laboratory wasn’t much better in that regard.

”I didn’t need to convince them. I only had to convince Casi—what is this?”

The answer was exactly as expected. Professor Lisa replied without an ounce of shame, before stepping forward curiously the next moment to examine an object that had abruptly appeared—resting in the exact spot the box had been just moments ago.

A classically styled, magnificently ornate Crown.

”It’s nothing.”

Fu Qian merely shot her a glance before lowering his head, continuing to stare at it thoughtfully.

”Is it an Item related to that incident?”

Seeing his secretive posture, Professor Lisa seemed to realize something, her eyes lighting up.

”Now that I look at it, this thing seems a bit familiar.”

After examining it intently for a long moment, it seemed she genuinely remembered something.