Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Madam Ji is now an adult. By custom, she needs to take charge of certain affairs.”

Seeing Fu Qian and Lanaya remain silent after she handed over the letter, Jia Keke continued.

”To spare her energy as much as possible, I’ll be staying on as her assistant.”

”I just arrived today. Since it was getting late, I planned to visit you tomorrow. I never expected to run into you here. What a coincidence...”

That made sense.

Lanaya naturally knew a bit about Ji Liushuang’s background.

’So this is the real reason she went home?’

The excuse she gave the Academy was a family emergency... But for a behemoth faction of that scale, issues over the distribution of authority were rarely simple. Complications wouldn’t be surprising at all.

Lanaya nodded to herself.

However, that only explained Jia Keke’s presence. It made another deduction even more horrifying—a love letter, from Ji Liushuang?For a moment, she couldn’t help but stare at Fu Qian.

’Extracurricular tutoring for a female student... is this guy actually telling the truth? But she’s thousands of miles away...’

As the flames of gossip burned wildly in her chest, she watched Fu Qian lower his head. He was already opening the letter.

It was a bold move, but both Lanaya and Jia Keke subconsciously averted their eyes.

Fortunately, Fu Qian read fast. He set the letter down in less than ten seconds, sparing them from further torment.

”Thank you for your hard work. I’ll leave Liushuang in your care going forward.”

But his immediate response instantly turned the atmosphere incredibly bizarre.

”You’re too kind... It’s only my duty.”

His tone carried the heavy weight of an elder instructing a junior. Jia Keke looked completely lost on how to respond.

’Assisting with affairs... does this mean Classmate Liushuang has gained control of the Gospel Team?’

Seeing Jia Keke’s reaction, Fu Qian mused to himself.

Back at Silver Mist Manor, he had seen the sword strike Ji Liushuang used to execute Ji Ping. However, he hadn’t paid enough attention to the group’s chatter to catch the fine details.

Still, as long as Ji Xun and his group weren’t stupid, using the Gospel Team as a bargaining chip was the obvious choice.

He had carried the Lantern the entire time and made no effort to hide it later on. If they investigated even a little, they would learn that member 233 of the Gospel Team had carried something similar.

A dignified Demigod Realm expert doing such undercover work was enough to prove the Rebirth Club’s interest in the Gospel Team.

For Ji Liushuang, accepting this condition would effectively improve Mother’s safety margin from multiple angles. There was absolutely no reason to pass it up.

Moreover, Classmate Liushuang’s new assistant and Siren’s resolute assassination attempt on Emperor Yasui’s body double both proved the role the Ji Clan had played in this operation against Anjing.

”There is one more thing I need to trouble you with. Please pass my reply to Classmate Liushuang: I’ve received her letter, and she’s always welcome at my Laboratory.”

Fu Qian waved a hand, his posture growing even more polite.

”To express my gratitude, the drinks are on me.”

”How could I accept that!”

Jia Keke nearly stood up on the spot.

”I’ll definitely pass on the message, but how could I let you pay?”

”It’s fine. I can get it reimbursed.”

...

In the end, Jia Keke didn’t dare continue the pleasantries. Having just arrived, she clearly had no idea what was appropriate to discuss with two Academy professors hanging out in a small tavern in the middle of the night. She soon took her leave, returning to her seat before leaving the tavern entirely a few minutes later.

”Writing a letter specifically to you... did Ji Liushuang have something important to say?”

As soon as she left, Lanaya finally caved to her curiosity.

”Not really. Just expressing her congratulations and her passion for academic research.”

Fu Qian folded the letter back up and spoke casually.

This was the truth. Having a somewhat unfamiliar assistant pass it on, why would Classmate Liushuang write anything important in it?

The letter’s contents were very simple. To summarize, she congratulated him on advancing to the Demigod Realm, mentioned that things on her end were going smoothly, and stated she would be able to return soon.

Furthermore, she strongly emphasized that although she couldn’t be his student, she was fascinated by his academic research. If any experiments or exploration operations required a volunteer, she hoped he would give her priority consideration.

Regarding this, the reply Fu Qian had asked Jia Keke to pass on was naturally, ”No problem.”

...

A passion for Apocalypse’s academic research... if Jian Jingzheng and the others heard that, they’d probably be too worried to sleep at night.

Lanaya sighed. Although she had just realized that assuming it was a love letter was a bit absurd, she didn’t entirely believe Fu Qian’s explanation either.

’Being so solemn, just to write about such trivial matters?’

’She even had someone bring it over in advance, as if terrified she wouldn’t be able to find him if she were late.’

But this was someone else’s privacy after all. Even if it really were a love letter, the Academy had no regulations prohibiting such things.

Shaking her head, deeply feeling that this gossip went perfectly with alcohol, Lanaya poured herself another glass.

Before long, a bottle of wine had been emptied. By this time, the crimson hue outside was gradually dissipating.

It seemed nothing was going to happen tonight after all.

...

”It’s already been paid?”

Lanaya wasn’t a heavy drinker. After finishing two more bottles, she got up to head back.

However, just as she was preparing to let Fu Qian spend his money, the proprietress’s reply caught her by surprise.

”When your friend left, the money she left under her bowl was enough to cover your drinks. I don’t think I misunderstood her intention.”

The proprietress explained with a smile.

”...Was this your intention when you said you were treating?”

Realizing what had happened, Lanaya glared at Fu Qian, not caring that the proprietress was standing right there.

”If you hadn’t brought it up, she might not have dared to be so proactive... Is this how you treat people?”

”Isn’t this how academic leaders treat people?”

Fu Qian looked surprised and turned back to the proprietress.

”Please write me a receipt.”

”What about the money in your hidden pocket? Take it out; I want two more bottles of wine.”

Since he had absolutely no intention of denying it, Lanaya spoke through gritted teeth.

”It’s empty. I just wanted to show you that I have a place to carry money.”

Fu Qian patted his waist.

”But two more bottles is no problem. I just need you to front the money, and then have the proprietress write another receipt.”

In fact, this had been his original plan for treating her all along.

...

[Warning: Leak Incident]

The night out, where both host and guest had thoroughly enjoyed themselves, finally ended. After bidding farewell to a deeply shocked Lanaya, Fu Qian returned to his Laboratory just before midnight.

The Red Moon had already faded, but it still wasn’t time for him to rest.

The moment he took off his mask, a prompt impatiently sprang out.

[Name: Blind Eye, Code: 1-029]

[Today’s work details have been updated: enter 1-029’s Containment Scenario and complete re-containment.]

[Consume 1 SAN Value to start?]

’It really is a massive job, isn’t it.’

[Yes]

With a sigh, Fu Qian confirmed it without a hint of hesitation.