Eldritch Horror Theatre

“Do you even know what this place is for?”

Faced with Fu Qian’s astonishingly rapid shifts in attitude, Lanaya could only grumble to herself.

Still, it was fortunate that Professor Veron had shown enough restraint today not to stoop to the man’s level. At least the situation hadn’t devolved into a physical brawl.

Though judging by the outcome of their exchange, she had a nagging feeling an even bigger farce was yet to come.

“There hasn’t been any activity... Do you want to go back in and take a look?”

Despite her deep misgivings, Lanaya quickly composed herself and verified the pair’s intentions.

Whatever the case, she sincerely hoped Professor Fu hadn’t relied on some kind of prophetic foresight just to come here and pick a fight.

Especially not with a Night Watcher tagging along as backup.

“Yes. Thank you for your hard work.”

To her relief, Su Gao was the one to answer, her tone completely natural.The man beside her showed no intention of interrupting, finally displaying a modicum of proper restraint as a consultant.

Even if the two of them seemed a little too dedicated to the job.

Earlier, at Professor Fu’s Laboratory, Madam Su had mentioned that after the preliminary investigation results were reported, the Night Watchers had advised them to wait patiently. Yet here they were, rushing back so soon.

But regardless, as the person in charge, it was perfectly natural for her to come over and take a look around. Perhaps she had suddenly thought of a new issue.

Thus, after confirming that the two didn’t need an escort, Lanaya readily let them through.

...

“Was that commotion just now caused by Veron and the others?”

Inside the Benevolent Curse Institute, everything was as dilapidated as before.

After all, it had only been a few hours since they last left the place.

Without needing to exchange a word, the two moved in perfect sync, heading straight for the Underground area they had visited earlier.

Gazing at the ”door” she had carved out earlier, Su Gao was in no rush to display her swordplay again. Instead, she turned her head and softly asked for confirmation.

“Yes. And it’s quite obvious that Professor Lanaya and the others didn’t feel it very deeply.”

Fu Qian casually confirmed her guess, sighing with the expression of a man who firmly believed the oblivious were the happiest people on earth.

“Then should we just wait here for a bit and leave? Or do you want to go further inside and take a look?”

Su Gao nodded, continuing to gauge Fu Qian’s intentions.

Before coming here, the consultant had explicitly stated that they were here to confirm what the recent commotion was about.

And the results proved his miraculous foresight once again.

Considering that leaving immediately would look too deliberate, she casually played along, carrying out a symbolic patrol.

“The operational advice headquarters gave you was that, until they make a final decision, they highly recommend against entering the ’ship’ again, right?”

Scanning their surroundings casually, Fu Qian was in no hurry to move. Instead, he verified the specific instructions Su Gao had received earlier.

“Yes.”

She wasn’t surprised in the slightest that Fu Qian had guessed it, but Su Gao was clearly a little curious. It seemed the consultant really didn’t plan on leaving just like that.

“One must be good at listening to the advice of others. So, we won’t go in. But of course, we aren’t in a hurry to leave either.”

Fu Qian grinned, completely unwilling to make things difficult for Executive Yama Su.

The situation over at the Linghui Courtyard certainly needed a little push, and Su Gao didn’t mind accompanying him on this trip at all.

But as a dignified evil god, how could he forget the fine tradition of achieving multiple benefits with one move?

“Now, let’s continue with our previous test. Round two.”

As he spoke, Fu Qian directly activated the Lucid Dream.

...

This development was somewhat unexpected, yet it also felt just right.

After a brief moment of surprise, Su Gao—just as she had done the previous times—suppressed her instinctual resistance and immersed herself in the dreamscape. The process was even smoother than before.

“Do you think we might get a different result in this place? How do you need me to cooperate?”

The next moment, looking at the seemingly identical scenery before her, Su Gao earnestly confirmed her duties.

“Do exactly what you did before. Walk outside.”

Fu Qian had clearly thought this through already, pointing directly at the exitless passage Su Gao had carved out.

“Inside is the edge of the dream. If a similar situation occurs again this time, just record your sensations. You don’t need to waste any effort trying to decipher the sounds.”

“And if anything unusual happens, don’t rush to explore too far.”

He conveniently laid out the safety precautions for the experiment.

“Understood.”

Listening intently, and seeing Professor Fu slip into a state of total relaxation almost instantly, Su Gao didn’t delay. She stepped forward one pace at a time.

And the next moment, she truly opened another door at the end of the passage, stepping into a pool of darkness so dense it felt impenetrable.

Under Fu Qian’s watchful gaze, she once again vanished completely from the dreamscape.

...

There really was no comparing the two!

He was fairly confident that the scene still represented the sea of the Mind World.

As an outsider, he wasn’t given an inch of leniency and was completely shut out. Meanwhile, Su Gao, who clearly had no prior experience with this, stepped inside from a random dream as easily as if she were walking home.

“Was there anything special about it?”

However, it was somewhat comforting that Classmate Su Gao woke up very quickly this time.

So quickly, in fact, that while Fu Qian was still busy lamenting the unfairness of it all, he realized her physical body outside was already slowly opening its eyes.

Fu Qian didn’t let this efficiency go to waste. He immediately canceled the Lucid Dream and gave his volunteer an inquiring look.

“Yes.”

The latter frowned slightly, but she still nodded with certainty.

“It still felt like walking into the sea. But compared to last time, it was incredibly quiet inside. There was no sound at all...”

The stark contrast between the two experiences seemed to leave Su Gao feeling somewhat lost and empty.

“Not the entire place, just a specific area. However, although I’m certain of that, the location and size of this area are incredibly counterintuitive. Until I woke up, I never touched its edges.”

“Considering the unusual circumstances, and since you mentioned not to wander too far, I took the initiative to end the dream.”

Of course, this sense of loss didn’t delay her from continuing her report of the test.

“Excellent.”

Sharp, resolute, and absolutely obedient to the rules of the experiment. There wasn’t a single researcher in the world who wouldn’t love a volunteer like this.

Not to mention that this second test seemed to have already yielded a different result.

While Fu Qian didn’t hold back his praise, he also rapidly analyzed the information Su Gao had brought back.

It sounded like it was still the sensation of the Mind World. That undoubtedly matched the feeling from his fleeting glimpse earlier.

But the sounds had disappeared, completely confined within an area whose boundaries were hard to define...

The description of this area undoubtedly matched the abstract representation of The Ark’s location earlier, but what exactly did the disappearance of sound represent...?

“Have you ever heard any stories related to giant wooden ships, disasters, or things like that?”

Deep in thought, Fu Qian suddenly turned his head and looked at the volunteer standing quietly beside him.

“...I have.”

It was obvious that Su Gao was somewhat surprised by the question, but she still admitted it without hesitation.

“I heard similar fairy tales when I was a child.”

Just as he thought... she really had a treasure of a mother.