Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Not bad. That does sound a bit like the Mind World.”

However, given that they had both taken a trip into the sea, why was it that Classmate Su Gao, despite dealing with far worse visibility, still found the experience so much warmer and more comforting?

Fu Qian naturally listened to the volunteer’s experience with the utmost attention, marveling at how different people truly were.

Su Gao’s description remained close to his own judgment. Through that method, she had indeed broken through the boundaries of the dreamscape and set foot into the Mind World of intelligent life.

During the initial design of the experiment, this would have been considered the most ideal progression. To achieve it directly on the first try... he had to praise his own eye for selecting volunteers once again.

Unfortunately, such overly ideal progress made the resulting pessimistic conclusion even harder to deny.

As an outsider, there was indeed some special mechanism blocking him from the collective Mind World.

This was true even though he had dealt with the deeper reaches of the Mind World more than once during his many past experiences.

Places like the Burial Ground of the Gods, Akons, and even the Unseen Hill.

That was right. In the mission where he encountered the Night Watchers Rescue Team, the final summary had clearly stated that the place was hidden in the deepest part of every mind, accumulating the profound depths of countless human natures.This was originally one of his goals for continuously and proactively exploring the Mind World.

That place was clearly very special. If he had the chance to chat with Prophet Yuan Fang or even Brother Jifeng again, he believed he would definitely benefit greatly.

But precisely because it was too special, and it openly carried the corruption of a certain Mother of Gospel, it was not a good idea to ask the Red Moon, whose condition was already poor, to try opening the door.

In his original expectations, this shouldn’t have been too difficult. After all, the Night Watchers could even organize squad operations.

Not to mention Akons, the barrier standing between the place where Deities fell and the Human Mind World. It seemed even ordinary people could accidentally fall into it.

What a pity. Not having local household registration truly was somewhat inconvenient.

Although this inconvenience wasn’t entirely without gain—why was that?

Regarding the Mind World, what was the essential difference between an outsider and a local resident?

Not being part of the system? Then what was the essence of that system?

He had harbored similar doubts for a long time, but they were finally confirmed this time.

He still remembered back in the Real World. Even as a Blank-Slate Demigod, he had been revered by all factions, free to run amok and throw his weight around locally.

Yet in this place, he had only barely managed to achieve the same feat by relying on the Divine Skin of the King of the Abandoned Prison.

His initial understanding was that it might have been caused by some underlying chaos in the area. After all, he knew quite a few Divine Beings himself, yet there were no wireless communications flying all over the place.

Now, however, he had to wonder if other factors were at play.

Regardless, it seemed there was still no way to visit Brother Yuan Fang and the others for the time being.

”Pretty good, but I suggest you avoid rushing to explore further when you are alone.”

Sighing softly, Fu Qian made sure to give the volunteer a positive review while casually dropping a reminder.

Just as he mentioned before, this classmate’s constitution was simply too unique. It was better for her to be careful in all things.

Not to mention, based on his previous experience, there were far too many messy things lurking deeper in that place.

”Understood,” Su Gao replied.

She smiled and nodded, not hiding her lingering appreciation for that restful state, but it was clear she had no doubts about his advice.

”Excellent. Now, let’s go check out the commotion from just now.”

Seeing that she was in quite a good mental state after her rest, Fu Qian didn’t stand on ceremony. He stood up and gestured for her to lead the way.

...

”Are we heading to the Benevolent Curse Institute again?”

Given Professor Fu’s overly formal posture, Su Gao naturally realized that she would nominally be leading the next course of action.

Thus, even though she wasn’t entirely sure of Fu Qian’s exact purpose, she dutifully took the lead without hesitation.

Su Gao’s memory was clearly quite good. As Fu Qian casually pointed the way, she had already guessed their destination.

”Is the commotion from just now related to the ship down below? To be honest, I can’t sense any connection.”

The sky was bright, and the outside of the Academy had fully regained its vitality.

As she took in the bustling atmosphere along the way, Su Gao naturally voiced her confusion.

”The difference is quite large. Besides, while it’s hard to judge the source, I roughly know where it popped out from.”

Signaling for her not to doubt herself, Fu Qian smiled as he looked at the Benevolent Curse Institute already in sight.

”However, on one hand, we don’t have much standing to inquire about such a minor commotion. On the other hand, I have a hunch that we might find the relevant personnel here.”

”Even if we can’t find them, we can casually check in on the staff—look at how excited Professor Lanaya is.”

...

”Madam Su... why are you all here too?”

Fu Qian wasn’t just talking nonsense. In front of the Benevolent Curse Institute, someone had already come forward to greet them.

After leaving his place, Lanaya had indeed shown a bit of responsibility and run over here to take over Professor Chang Mo’s shift.

Unfortunately, even with a night of rest and the nourishment of alcohol, her expression still wasn’t very relaxed.

As she greeted Su Gao, her eyes kept darting in his direction.

She was clearly a bit confused. They had just met earlier, so their sudden arrival made her wonder if something had happened.

”Thanks for your hard work. Is everything normal?”

However, Fu Qian just wore an empathetic smile. The way he carried himself made him look like an imperial envoy inspecting the countryside, only stopping short of reaching out for a handshake.

”Who else arrived first?”

Just as Lanaya was about to give up on dealing with this guy, Su Gao asked another question from the side, seemingly intrigued by her earlier use of the word ”too.”

”...It’s Professor Velon from the Linghui Courtyard. He arrived a bit earlier than you two, but he’s just taking a casual look to understand the situation.”

Lanaya naturally didn’t dare neglect her words. After briefly adjusting her emotions, she carefully explained. She even stepped forward to lead the way as she spoke, clearly not feeling guilty about her claim.

”Professor Velon? He actually pays attention to such worldly matters?”

At this moment, Fu Qian took over the conversation, his tone filled with admiration.

...Although the people from Linghui were arrogant and somewhat dismissive of things outside the realms of spirit and mind, this was a massive incident. Wasn’t calling it a ’worldly matter’ a bit of an exaggeration?

Lanaya shot Fu Qian a speechless look, clearly suspecting that he was deliberately trying to provoke the Demigod inside due to their previous grudges.

But regardless, even though both parties’ intentions were baffling, Lanaya still couldn’t fan the flames in such a situation.

”After the incident, Professor Velon also participated in the discussions at Dean Li’s invitation. He is probably just a bit concerned about the progress. However, after learning about the current situation, he didn’t ask any further questions, nor did he request to go inside and take a look.”