Eldritch Horror Theatre

”So what exactly was that thing? Are you sure that guy Si Lei didn’t just lose his mind?”

They had arrived in a hurry and left just as fast; in the blink of an eye, the shattered gates of Linghui were already in sight.

The trio from Apocalypse experienced an even colder reception on their way out than when they had arrived. The heavily demoralized elites of Linghui merely watched them leave in silence.

The upside, of course, was that the torment of Professor Lisa biting her tongue finally came to a swift end.

The moment they stepped out the gates, she couldn’t hold back her blunt remarks any longer.

Theoretically, they had indeed found something in the end, but it was simply too abstract.

”So why did he lose his mind?”

Fu Qian simply glanced at her. Instead of rushing to dismiss the young woman’s thoughts, he guided her with a question.

”What’s so strange about a bunch of people who toy with minds losing their own? Not to mention they steep themselves in it every single day.”

Lisa rolled her eyes at him for offering such a plain reason. The thought even prompted her to take a few deep breaths of fresh air.Walking by the River Without Wetting One’s Shoes, was it? It had to be said, Professor Lisa’s simple and crude logic actually fit the facts quite well.

His Excellency Master Yuhun had mentioned that he was initially drawn in by the Miracles of the Benevolent Curse Institute.

The reason Linghui ultimately became the primary victim clearly stemmed from being immersed in the Mind World for far too long.

Sure enough, focusing entirely on the mind while neglecting the body easily led to a weakened immune system.

”Genius and madness are often separated by a single step. Don’t you think the sheer effect of this madness is quite astonishing?”

Fu Qian didn’t actually dwell on the topic of physical health, continuing to lead her along instead.

”That is true.”

Faced with the facts, Lisa obviously couldn’t argue. She let out a sigh.

”I’m afraid Wen Li is going to draw a lot of attention from the Night Watchers after this.”

You’re still too young, he thought. What do you mean ”after this”? The attention has never stopped.

Fu Qian simply shook his head inwardly.

...

Professor Lisa’s deduction was perfectly sound. Wen Li was a Demigod in her twenties whose advancement process was bizarre and mysterious, and whose ability type basically treated dangerous red lines like jump ropes.

Going forward, regardless of whether Wen Li wanted to keep a low profile, the Night Watchers would absolutely classify her as a high-priority target for surveillance.

But the reason Professor Lisa was still too naive was that she didn’t know Wen Li had already been under their watch for a very long time.

The one watching her was even a Tier 2 from the radical conservative faction.

In a way, this could be considered one of the driving forces behind Wen Li’s rapid advancement.

Previously, he had leaned toward believing she drew attention for two reasons: the Eve inside her body, and the Night Watchers’ particular stance regarding the Warehouse Manager—such as using her as bait or keeping her under observation.

At the same time, given the suspicious actions of the Rank watching her, stepping into the public eye through outstanding achievements was actually a safer route to prevent foul play.

Now, with the abilities she had gained after her successful advancement, there seemed to be yet another reason for them to watch her: the unique nature of her path to Deity.

In short, her constitution was astonishing.

As for what her path to Deity truly signified, and whether the Night Watchers were specifically targeting the Warehouse Manager, he could use this opportunity to probe and find out.

”That is how life works. Many times, even if you want to keep a low profile, your strength simply won’t allow it.”

A moment later, Fu Qian agreed with Lisa’s view and finally answered her original question.

”Besides, I really did find Linghui’s behavior a bit strange at the time, which prompted my subsequent testing. The results were unexpectedly good.

”I actually agree with Professor Weilong’s theory. A divinity that feeds on the ’self’ is a very vivid analogy. After all, many Transcendent forms truly defy imagination. Has the Dean ever heard of miraculous creatures?”

While commenting on theories about the pinnacle of cultivation, Fu Qian thought of the sword heart and Huo he had encountered earlier, casually directing his question to Kars beside him.

”I have heard a little... Living miracles, pure Transcendents, the walking will of Deities.”

As expected, he didn’t disappoint. The Dean of Apocalypse had dabbled even in this obscure lore, chuckling softly as he fell into leisurely reminiscence.

”I even encountered one personally once. It involved an extremely unique form of transformation that made me truly understand what a higher entity is... though, even at the very end, I never got to see the being behind it with my own eyes.”

Miraculous creatures...

In comparison, Professor Lisa was clearly ill-informed on the topic, her brows knitting together for a moment.

But regardless, Kars’s description vaguely mirrored what had happened to Linghui—a sublime form that could only be sensed, nearly impossible to grasp...

”Hearing that, Professor Fu really has been working hard... but knowing Linghui’s style, if they finish their internal review and find no major issues, their tails will probably point right up to the sky again. They might even cut you off as a collaborator.”

Her ignorance on the previous subject didn’t mean she couldn’t voice her opinion on other matters. Lisa quickly seemed to understand Professor Fu’s painstaking efforts throughout the incident, following up with a teasing remark.

”You said it yourself—that is Linghui’s style. Why would our Apocalypse care about such trivial matters?”

Professor Fu merely let out a disdainful chuckle, instantly elevating his posture to a whole new level.

”Well said.”

Watching the two bicker, Kars chimed in at just the right moment, deeply approving of such a high-minded mindset.

”...So your attempt to poach their student earlier was actually just to provoke the people from Linghui, pushing them to act more radically?”

Lisa tried to digest that, but ultimately decided to withhold comment, pivoting to another question instead.

Based on her understanding of this guy’s awful personality, even though it made perfect sense that he was trying to help that student stay out of the mess, she felt things wouldn’t be that simple. He was more the type to delight in sowing chaos.

”Or maybe you prepared for both outcomes. If the student agreed, you’d just be doing her a favor in passing. If she refused, it would serve to pressure the Linghui Courtyard, allowing you to watch an even better show...”

Without even waiting for Fu Qian to defend himself, she kept elaborating on her own theory, rapidly painting him as an evil mastermind who had everything completely under control.

”Personally, I even think you were hoping for the second outcome. So theoretically, you should actually be thanking Wen Li for her cooperation; otherwise, you wouldn’t have gotten the chance to come here and smash their chandelier.”

While assuming the absolute worst of Professor Fu, it was clear that Lisa had been deeply impressed by the scene that had just played out.

”Why wouldn’t she cooperate?”

Fu Qian simply blinked.

...

”She was your person from the start. You two already knew each other...”

Stopping dead in her tracks, Professor Lisa stared blankly for a few seconds. When she spoke again, her voice had pitched higher, and she subconsciously glanced back over her shoulder to make sure they were far enough away from Linghui.

With just a single sentence, Professor Fu had instantly upgraded all of her previous deductions to a whole new level—a level that the parties involved had better never find out about.

”Yeah. If they hadn’t acted so radically, I was planning on avoiding suspicion the whole time.”

Fu Qian nodded, confirming her theory.

Beside them, Kars laughed even louder.