Eldritch Horror Theatre

It was almost time.

The scroll’s cooldown was accurate; it truly did not deceive me.

Time spent learning was always fleeting. In the blink of an eye, the Burial Scroll was nearing the end of its cooldown.

He wouldn’t have minded staying a little longer to observe everyone’s brilliant ideas, especially since Lisa’s situation was genuinely unique.

But Professor Ah Kai’s predicament was undoubtedly far more urgent, so Fu Qian chose to take his leave.

”...Thanks for your hard work.”

Lisa looked at him with a rather complicated expression.

As she had thought earlier, she still found it hard to believe that Professor Fu had come here solely out of diligence.

Consequently, after their baffling conversation moments ago, she remained seated a bit stiffly.

Surprisingly, however, Professor Fu had performed his volunteer work with genuine dedication. She couldn’t pick a single fault with it.Just as this confusion continued to brew, the volunteer suddenly bid her farewell, leaving Lisa almost entirely unsure of how to react.

”It was no trouble.”

Fu Qian naturally wouldn’t be overly demanding. After all, she was a young person who still needed more experience.

Smiling amiably as he gave his polite reply, he even made a point to bid Lotte farewell before getting up and leaving.

...

The weather today didn’t seem so beautiful anymore. Was it going to snow again?

Outside the Laboratory, it was no longer early.

Squinting upward, he noticed the day wasn’t nearly as clear as it had been.

The clouds weren’t particularly thick, but they solidly blocked the sun, casting a layer of gloom over the vibrant Academy.

Taking it all in, Fu Qian marched toward a very clear destination: the battle-scarred Benevolent Curse Institute.

The exploration of the world was never just about standing in the sunlight, was it?

Humanity, having survived the Long Night to endure into the present, should possess this awareness... just like Professor Ah Kai.

To Fu Qian, although the young man’s achievements absolutely cannot be mentioned in the same breath as Excellency Nepheli’s, she primarily just enjoyed a massive head start.

When it came to Miracles, the winner-takes-all phenomenon was still far too prevalent.

If they were truly placed on the same starting line, Professor Ah Kai’s comprehension and courage would make him stand out as one of the best within the Academy.

Therefore, even though he theoretically could have completely washed his hands of the affair, Fu Qian felt the mess the professor had stirred up was still worth looking into.

Even looking at his gains up to now, he had already reaped quite a harvest—was it actually snowing?

As he neared the Benevolent Curse Institute, Fu Qian slowed his steps and gazed at the still-magnificent building.

Shocking cracks crawled across its weathered facade, making for a rather oppressive sight. But as he looked closer, he realized there was a genuinely visible chill radiating outward from it.

Something was enveloping the building. Although no drifting white flakes could be seen, judging by the sensation, Fu Qian concluded it truly felt as if fragments of a formless chill were continuously falling.

...

Invisible snow?

It was certainly a bit of a coincidence, but considering that several tutors from the Benevolent Curse Institute were currently operating inside, it didn’t seem so strange anymore.

After all, he had seen many bizarre Miracles himself; he just didn’t know what other effects this one had besides discreetly changing the weather.

The next moment, Fu Qian stepped into the cold zone and reached out his hand—not bad, it possessed the aesthetic of a missing texture.

A genuine patch of coolness fell into his hand.

The size, the temperature, and even the heat transfer were so classic, it felt exactly as if he had genuinely caught a snowflake in his palm.

Except that it remained completely invisible, and didn’t melt into water after absorbing heat.

Furthermore, despite the ceiling directly overhead, the snow continued to fall onto him unhindered.

”Professor Fu, you’re here? I was just about to go looking for you.”

As he analyzed the sensation, hurried footsteps approached, followed by Rob’s pleasantly surprised voice.

Looking up, he spotted two unfamiliar faces trailing behind Rob; they had to be the backup forces from the Benevolent Curse Institute.

”Find something?”

Giving a slight nod to greet them, Fu Qian wasted no time and cut straight to the point.

”Yes... but we can’t be certain it’s definitely related to Ah Kai’s situation. Professor Boyd discovered it.”

Rob had indeed brought good news, and in the next moment, he introduced one of the men behind him.

”Oh? Through this invisible snow?”

Fu Qian followed his gaze and flipped his hand over.

As one of the two strangers, he was a relatively older tutor. Yet, his brown eyes were remarkably bright, and he possessed an elegant, dignified appearance.

”Yes. This Miracle itself doesn’t possess significant lethality, but its advantage lies in its large range... It doesn’t just make the surroundings cold, either. The invisible chill freezes invisible things. Under its shroud, certain things find it harder to hide.”

It was obvious that despite having never met before, the rather distinguished Boyd didn’t view Professor Fu as a mere stranger. For the moment, his demeanor was astonishingly respectful.

This was just the nature of the transcendent circle—natural power spoke for itself.

Moreover, although they belonged to different factions, the Rank levels were universal.

Facing a High-Tier Transcendent whose name he had only heard—even if the man appeared quite mild and had voluntarily come to help the Benevolent Curse Institute—Boyd’s posture remained absolutely earnest as he softly explained the ”snow” before them.

”A good idea. What did you find?”

Everyone’s personality was different, and Fu Qian had no intention of breaking the ice. He directly confirmed the most critical question.

...

”Something has contaminated this place. I’m not sure if it’s a remnant of the last accident.”

As expected, the best way to communicate with technical personnel was to talk about technology. Boyd’s attention instantly returned to exploration and discovery as he quickly explained.

”A very hidden effect. It’s difficult to specifically grasp or even describe. Currently, it doesn’t seem to cause any harm, and it hasn’t reacted to the vast majority of tests.

”The reason we theorize it exists is that the snow seems to be falling a bit heavier here than usual.”

The situation Boyd shared was undoubtedly a bit abstract. As he spoke, he even reached out his hand to catch those patches of invisible cold.

”Is this the only thing you’ve found so far?”

Fu Qian nodded, asking without any visible emotion.

”Mhm... right. Our original intention was to let the snow fall for a bit longer to see if this anomaly would become more obvious. As for traces of Ah Kai, we still haven’t found any...”

The one who spoke this time was Rob. While a bit ashamed, it was clear he was cooperating quite well with the tutors, even engaging in in-depth exchanges regarding their operational concepts.

”That’s good enough. Let’s head over to Ah Kai’s office and take a look.”

Surprisingly, Professor Fu abruptly shifted the tone in the next moment and offered high praise.

After expressing his approval, Fu Qian noticed another unfamiliar face rushing over. He signaled that there was no need to huddle here for a report; they should just get straight back to business.

As he spoke, he reached into his coat and dripped a drop of blood onto the Burial Scroll.