Eldritch Horror Theatre

”All right.”

The fierce clash that should have happened never came, but the atmosphere felt even more stifling.

With a single, simple counter-question from Professor Fu, His Excellency Verlon had clearly lost all desire to talk.

His expression grave, he readily agreed to the request for Wen Li to stay behind.

Some things couldn’t withstand close scrutiny. This was no longer a simple dispute born of pride, nor was it a problem solely concerning Wen Li...

Astonishingly coincidental and astonishingly efficient. A quick review of the events revealed just how absurd it was—and this had actually happened in Linghui?

And not a single person had noticed anything wrong along the way.

”You may stay and study under Professor Fu for the next couple of days.”

Eager to return to the Academy immediately, Verlon nodded in agreement, though he didn’t forget to check Wen Li’s condition and offer a few final words of caution.

”Don’t worry, her condition is perfectly fine,”Professor Fu said calmly, as if sensing his concern.

”I am an honest man. What I said earlier wasn’t just for the Night Watchers’ benefit—it truly is an outstanding achievement.”

Not only that, but the usually ”arrogant” professor had once again frankly voiced his approval of Linghui’s astonishing results.

”...It mostly comes down to her own innate talent.”

To receive such an evaluation at a time like this... Verlon looked at the Laboratory owner across from him—a man who couldn’t even be bothered to stand up and see his guests off—yet he couldn’t detect a hint of mockery in the professor’s tone.

As the proud representative of Linghui, Verlon paused. He unexpectedly offered a humble reply, then turned and left without another word.

...

”I’ll be in your care then, Professor Fu... Are Professor Verlon and the others going to be alright?”

Watching their somewhat desolate figures rapidly recede into the distance, Wen Li—the central figure in all this—was the first to speak.

The matter had concluded in a remarkably natural way.

Not only had they avoided an uncontrollable conflict, but there was almost an atmosphere of laughing away old grudges.

Even her own concealment—which she had thought would be incredibly difficult to explain—had been made perfectly reasonable in just a few short sentences...

No wonder Professor Fu had previously told her to wait for them to arrive. Everything had long been perfectly orchestrated in his grasp.

While she felt an overwhelming sense of security, she still harbored genuine worry for the instructors of the Linghui Courtyard.

Earlier, feeling that the situation was becoming a bit extreme, she had thought about reaching out to Professor Fu or the head of the Disciplinary Department.

At the time, she had wondered if it was simply the Academy’s style and that she was overthinking things, but now it seemed there was indeed something fishy going on.

”They should be fine, though they really do need to take a good look at themselves.”

Understanding Wen Li’s feelings, Fu Qian offered an optimistic assessment, though his tone remained far from polite.

He had never been obsessed with the idea of laughing away old grudges upon meeting.

Walking down the street, encountering unprovoked negativity was entirely normal; there was no harm in being a little lenient toward the attitudes of others.

When it came down to the people of Linghui, they were nothing more than a bunch of overly self-satisfied individuals who lacked the capability to forge any real enmity with him.

At the same time, it was important to keep distinct matters separate. Regardless of the process, what had happened to Wen Li was indeed an intriguing achievement.

Just as he didn’t mind grudges, Fu Qian was equally willing to give credit where credit was due.

As for how they had managed to achieve this, or what had triggered old man Verlon’s sudden reflection just now?

Just as he had said earlier, that was the handiwork of His Excellency Master Yuhun.

Why had a group of Psychic Type experts completely failed to notice their own abnormalities?

Because they had fundamentally been ”delusions” all along, and His Excellency Master Yuhun had been helping them maintain their ”sense of self.”

For an entity attempting to understand everything, when Wen Li and Liliana’s relics appeared together, pondering the connection between the two might have been a very natural thing to do.

In essence, that was the true ”luck” of the genius standing before him.

Yet, up to this point, he had still not found any traces of His Excellency. The entity’s situation was likely not very optimistic, so the heavily influenced Linghui might indeed be ”fine” now.

At the same time, the results of Linghui’s self-examination upon their return would serve as a highly useful reference for his subsequent search for his defeated opponent.

”That’s a relief... It all feels like a dream.”

Always having confidence in Professor Fu’s judgment, Wen Li let out a soft sigh of relief.

Confirming that there wouldn’t be any major hidden dangers on Linghui’s side, her gaze finally fell upon the celebratory feast in front of them, and she sighed in amazement.

”Then it must be considered one of the best dreams one could possibly have... A Demigod in their twenties. Excluding those with extremely special inheritances, there probably haven’t been many in all of history...”

”As expected, once the correct method is found, the ritualistic path is truly efficient.”

The research assistant, having returned from closing the door, seemed perfectly able to empathize with her feelings. Smiling warmly, she voiced her agreement without hiding her envy in the slightest.

...

Honesty has always possessed the power to pierce people’s hearts. Faced with Ji Liushuang’s praise, Wen Li, whose strong suit had always been socializing, suddenly didn’t know how to act humble.

The main issue was that this achievement was truly absurd. She couldn’t exactly say something like, ’You flatter me; a Demigod in their twenties is actually quite weak...’

Even Fu Qian couldn’t use this as an example to lecture young people about working hard.

While student Wen Li was considered hardworking, her personal effort actually accounted for an incredibly small portion of this result.

”Not necessarily. The efficiency of the cultivation path is equally absurd.”

A moment later, Fu Qian waved his hand, signaling his assistant not to belittle herself as he recalled Master Yuhun’s absurd cultivation speed.

It was clear that in this world, ”all roads lead to Rome” was not just a simple motivational slogan.

At the very least, Wen Li had consumed massive amounts of tangible and intangible resources. However, that entity seemed to have grown to an unimaginable level relying purely on sheer obsession—or perhaps something other than the world’s truth.

Furthermore, they bore no traces of pollution or loss of control.

From this perspective, the cultivation path seemed more like a well-paved and thoroughly tested thoroughfare.

”Understood. Can we start now? Jia Keke just went to fetch the rest of it. Since we had guests, I asked her to wait outside for a bit.”

Clearly confident in her boss’s insights, Ji Liushuang giggled, gesturing that the celebratory feast was getting cold.

”Of course. Please have her bring the rest over.”

Fu Qian appeared extremely easygoing about this, even though a single glance showed the dinner was already lavish enough.

...

”Professor Fu.”

Ji Liushuang having her assistant wait outside was undoubtedly because some conversations weren’t suitable for her to hear.

Today, it was evident that the latter was becoming increasingly dedicated to her work. Shortly after receiving the message, she personally brought over another pile of things.

”Thanks for your hard work. Sit down and join us.”

Facing Jia Keke’s greeting, Fu Qian gave a slight nod, his surprising easygoingness still in full effect.

Speaking of which, he could be considered old friends with her. He had known her even before she became the research assistant’s assistant—though back then, of course, she had been far less vibrant and energetic.

Watching Jia Keke finally take a seat at Ji Liushuang’s gesture, Fu Qian focused instead on an orange eye located on her head.

This eye, however, opened much, much slower than student Wen Li’s.