Eldritch Horror Theatre

”How about calling it the Tyrant’s Mechanical Fist?”

It wasn’t long before Fu Qian was rubbing the finished product in his hand.

Sure enough, the object he had assembled in his hand was yet another ring.

One must stay true to the initial resolve to achieve the final outcome. The ambition to be the Lord of the Rings remained.

Compared to the others, however, this one’s style was drastically different.

Heavy yet precise, the interlocking of tiny components perfectly captured the beauty of machinery.

As he slipped it onto his finger, the different parts of the red-and-black ring continued to rotate and interlock, forming a constantly shifting pattern.

As his very first creation since ascending as a higher entity, Fu Qian was extremely satisfied with how perfectly its style suited him.

Although the ring had taken quite a bit of effort to forge, its actual effects were nothing extraordinary.

Forged from the Sand of Sin and reflecting the power of the King of the Abandoned Prison, it was ultimately just a Key of the Abandoned Prison.Given his connection to this place, Fu Qian didn’t think he would truly be unable to find a way back after leaving.

But as a pragmatist, why wouldn’t he take a simpler route?

Not to mention, the forging process allowed him to experience the mighty power of a higher entity, and the final result was a testament to his aesthetic taste.

Factoring in the issue of Transcendent Perception, its activation mechanism was purely physical.

With just a slight twist in a specific sequence, it would activate and transport the wearer straight back.

And for now, it seemed it was time to head back.

The final result had its unexpected aspects, but all in all, with the help of the master of idealism, Master Yuhun, a brand-new chapter had been opened on the path of transcendent research.

Packing away his other belongings, Fu Qian first removed the Emissary.

......

Not bad. The transition was still silky smooth.

The lighting was still dim, but compared to the Land of Self-Abandonment, the space before him was undoubtedly much tidier.

It seemed that even with a complete Mechanical Ascension, the Warehouse still hadn’t rejected him as its administrator—though it wasn’t entirely without a reaction either.

Sitting back in his chair, he noticed that despite being made of metal, it felt as though its mortise and tenon joints were coming loose. It wobbled precariously, making him worry it might pinch his rear.

But soon enough, the items covering the desk before him began to rattle as well, along with the nearby shelves......

”Don’t be nervous. Just an ordinary worker here.”

Fu Qian casually offered words of comfort, emphasizing his inherent nature as a member of the working class.

He could understand the reaction. The legendary return of the Dragon King was already an incredible trope, but his own comeback involved ripping apart a Dragon King with his bare hands.

Of course, words alone might not do the trick. At the same time, he attempted to adjust his condition through purely technical means.

The results seemed pretty good.

It was a newly launched subject of study, after all, so the process wasn’t entirely effortless, but Fu Qian quickly grasped the trick to it.

There were still no visible changes to his exterior, even though he was currently wearing only a token amount of clothing.

Yet in the blink of an eye, his surroundings rapidly stabilized.

Fu Qian’s internal state, meanwhile, plummeted like a waterfall.

Although not a single shred of his Transcendent Perception remained, his technical grasp over his own condition allowed him to confirm that he had now dialed his power back to Tier 2—and could even continue lowering it.

Demigod Realm, Peak Tier 4, Tier 4......

His control precision was still improving, pushing his transcendent rank all the way back down to what it had been when he first arrived at the Warehouse.

And the biggest difference between this and wearing the Pope Mask was that this wasn’t a deceptive illusion; his power had genuinely dropped to this level—just like Master Jade Soul’s manipulation back then.

”Thank you. I’ve benefited immensely......”

Although his ability to pull off this transformation didn’t stem from any enlightenment provided by that master on a transcendent level, the intellectual inspiration was much the same.

Fu Qian let out a profound sigh, and in the next second, his rank surged all the way back to the Demigod Realm.

With this, navigating the jianghu would undoubtedly be much more convenient. For instance, his identity as a Demigod Realm member of the Apocalypse Branch could now withstand anyone’s scrutiny.

Beyond that, judging by the Warehouse’s reaction, the time he’d spent in the Abandoned Prison hadn’t been very long. It wasn’t even time for the next Containment yet.

But it wasn’t all good news either. Fu Qian raised his wrist, looking at a faint mark on it.

As expected...... there was no way to activate his Work Badge either.

In other words, for the time being, he was going to have to eat and sleep at the office. There was no way to go home.

......

He had already suspected earlier that he wouldn’t get a chance to change his clothes.

With a soft sigh, Fu Qian felt immensely pleased with his earlier decision to go back and finish his milk.

It was an outcome he had fully expected. After all, he couldn’t even summon the Armor gifted by the Red Moon; otherwise, he wouldn’t have shown up for work so scantily clad.

He’d just have to improvise for now.

Fortunately, armed with his prior experience, the process was already second nature to him.

Fu Qian snapped his fingers, and a set of black clothing rapidly extended over his body.

The only issue was that its luster was a bit too rigid, forcing him to spend a little extra effort softening the overly strong texture so it looked more like a leather jacket.

Having done all this, he placed some of his items back on the desk and rubbed the Mechanical Ring on his finger—

The effect was rather impressive.

In a mere instant, the transition occurred as seamlessly as his previous jump from the Warehouse to the Half-Step Moon.

But the same limitation accompanied it. It seemed he couldn’t establish any connection with the Bookstore World from here......

Pondering for a moment, Fu Qian pulled out the Ring of Favor gifted by the Red Moon and slipped it onto his finger, only then donning the Emissary.

......

So this was how the save point was calculated? That wasn’t too bad.

The setting sun sank in the west, dyeing a few wisps of evening clouds in the sky red.

But to Fu Qian, it was still as bright as broad daylight.

And against the backdrop of this bright sky, a familiar building stood impressively before his eyes.

It was pure white all over, yet veiled in an almost surreal layer of pale gray. If this wasn’t the Linghui Courtyard, where else could it be?

Basking in the evening light, this grand building that carried the pride of the Psychic Type still looked rather ordinary, but it wasn’t dilapidated at all—

So, his banishment had indeed begun the very moment he’d departed from Linghui.

He had casually ripped apart the wall back then simply to leave a marker.

As the dignified interim spokesperson of Apocalypse, why would he ever be bored enough to engage in a petty squabble with the folks from Linghui?

As for now, everything could seemingly be summarized in one sentence—the Academy had returned to its former peace.

Though Old Man Weilong behind the window certainly wasn’t peaceful.

It wasn’t that his Transcendent Perception had been restored upon returning to reality; rather, a curtain had been cracked open by a sliver.

Obviously, Professor Fu’s abrupt reappearance—dressed as if he were about to hold a press conference—had brought about a bit of tension.

But that was completely unnecessary.

Turning on his heel and walking away, Fu Qian let his gaze fall upon the blood-red brilliance of Favor.

He had only taken a few steps before its color returned to normal.

The Red Moon had obviously recognized its gift, and its worries had faded away.

......

”Professor Fu, you’ve returned.”

The moment he pushed open the door to the Laboratory beneath the slanting rays of the setting sun, a familiar voice immediately rang out.

Glancing up, he saw A Certain Eldest Miss Wen, who had been sitting opposite Classmate Liushuang, rise to her feet to offer him a respectful greeting.