Eldritch Horror Theatre

Venturing into the enemy lair alone, he had engineered a trap to slaughter the poachers.

He had faced a demigod head-on just to save the little mermaid.

Despite his lack of strength, that rather courageous Friend of Nature, Delanlai, had left a deep impression on Fu Qian.

Furthermore, while his substance might be vastly different from this Tumor Flower Blooming, the method Delanlai had tried to use back then to wipe out the poachers essentially bore a striking similarity to this kind of poisoning.

If anyone could be linked to the Benevolence Society, he was a strong contender.

The information Gene revealed was undoubtedly bizarre and fascinating, and Fu Qian completely understood the man’s peculiar mood.

Just as Gene had said, using such a highly recognizable murder method was not something a mastermind would normally do.

Unless the goal was never to shift the blame onto Anjing or their group at all, but rather that the culprit lacked the strength and needed to exploit the opportunity they created to pull off this feat.

Otherwise, wouldn’t simply borrowing a knife to kill be both cleaner and easier?

They had grasped the target’s escape methods perfectly; all they needed to do was stall him and hand him over to these thugs.The attacker seemed obsessed with making the target die from this specific poison... to feel the world’s wrath.

Ultimately, Gene’s feelings were simple: how could you get angry at a bunch of madmen?

Everyone involved was a businessman who calculated the pros and cons of every action.

Whether it was murdering for money or shaking hands in peace... no matter the nature of the act, it was at least a logic processed by the brain.

Yet this batch of pure idealists had mixed in, making the entire atmosphere feel wrong.

...

”I’ve truly never even heard of it...”

Visibly, after that explanation, Laywoman Tooth-Throat seemed at a loss for how to comment.

”Not many people know about it to begin with... Although the lethality of Tumor Flower Blooming is exaggerated, it isn’t highly contagious. In most cases, the victim just dies very quickly and gruesomely, so even the Night Watchers rarely target them...

”Our luck this time was truly terrible. If we had chased just a little slower, we wouldn’t have bumped right into them, heh...”

Gene let out a series of miserable laughs as he explained.

”But at least you didn’t die, thanks to ’His’ boon.”

Laywoman Tooth-Throat interrupted him the very next moment.

While she might not have had such vast experience, she had a good mindset. By now, her wounds were already fully treated.

That Excellency...

The effect of her reminder was immediate.

Gene’s eyes cleared up almost instantly, and he even struggled to straighten his posture where he lay.

It was obvious he had remembered the main reason he was still able to lie here and sigh.

So much so that the very first thing he needed to do was repent for his past impiety.

Although miracles had been displayed multiple times, the terrified crowd still harbored some reservations in their hearts after their series of setbacks.

Yet this time, not only had they received grace, but the absolute power over life and death of His Excellency, the King of the Abandoned Prison, had also been perfectly displayed.

...

This must be why the believers of evil gods were often more devout.

Besides the fact that the scale of the boon was usually larger, they never forgot the meaning of applying both grace and might.

Seeing that the situation on the other side had stabilized, Fu Qian casually severed the connection and sighed inwardly.

Who said that someone wielding the authority of destruction couldn’t make a good higher entity?

At this moment, Gene’s call in his consciousness faintly drowned out Laywoman Tooth-Throat’s.

It was foreseeable that the believers’ devotion index would rise again, though for Professor Fu, who had long held a high position, it was nothing more than a minor afternoon interlude.

He hadn’t even paused his stroll throughout the entire process.

It was a bit of a pity that for transcendents, a midday rest was truly optional.

So much so that despite the beautiful, warm winter sun, the surrounding crowds were even sparser than in the early morning.

Undisturbed any further, Elder Fu took off the mask from his face after his leisurely stroll.

He didn’t even spend half a second in the Warehouse before activating his Wrist Mark and appearing in a small living room.

In contrast, it was even quieter here than at the Academy, although the weather outside the window wasn’t quite as sunny.

After sitting on the sofa and watching quietly for a long while, Fu Qian finally stretched and grasped at the empty air.

There was nothing.

The space-time Transcendence attribute of Sword Three Short of One had its limits after all—just like the Dark Moon Pope.

Even though he had committed acts of blaspheming the sun in this world more than once and entered the colorless state, the latter still couldn’t sense him and establish a connection.

If the people of the Bookstore World were just like those in the Pope’s location before the apocalypse—living under some barrier in a hard-won, fleeting peace...

...then what state were the people of this world in?

It seemed that finding the answer to this question would require more effort.

Amidst his musings, Fu Qian finally stood up.

He didn’t try to call on any friends, nor was he in a rush to change clothes.

He walked straight into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and pulled out a carton to inspect it.

”I knew I remembered correctly... Today is the last day before it expires.”

Muttering to himself, he took a glass, washed it out, and poured himself a full cup of milk.

...

”Are you hungry yet?”

By the time Professor Fu returned to his Laboratory, the sky was filled with stars.

Looking at Demigod Su, who was quietly gazing out the window in almost the exact same posture as when he had left, he greeted her naturally.

”Not yet.”

Su Gao smiled faintly. She didn’t seem to think her answer was uncooperative at all—or rather, she had never even considered the concept of cooperating.

”Perfect. I’ll take you somewhere with good food to relax and experience the nightlife.”

Fu Qian was the same. His response was so smooth that, for a moment, one could hardly spot anything wrong with it.

”Alright... It suits you.”

It was clear that Su Gao had enjoyed some rare peace and quiet today.

Not only did she readily accept good advice and stand up, but she even uncharacteristically looked him up and down to comment on Expert Fu’s new outfit.

...

”Order whatever you want. You can always copy my choice, of course.”

The nightlife spot Fu Qian chose was, naturally, the Midnight Diner personally certified by Professor Lanaya.

On one hand, she probably wasn’t in the mood to come enjoy it today. On the other hand, Professor Fu was no longer the man he used to be.

Holding the reimbursement authority for a top-tier Academy Laboratory, he could freely draw upon research funds.

Not to mention that this meal was with an imperial envoy from the Night Watchers, so treating her on the public dime was completely justifiable.

All in all, there was absolutely no need to worry about the bill—even if the shop’s staff didn’t seem to think so.

Considering the small eatery’s usual clientele, it was still early, and there weren’t many diners yet.

As a result, the waitress with short blonde hair still looked rather unbusy, even having the time to zone out.

But the moment she saw clearly that it was Fu Qian and his companion pushing open the door, the dragon girl, Sunny, almost instantly stood straight, her body pulling taut.