Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Oh?”

Seeming slightly intrigued at last, Fu Qian glanced up at Lisa, though he remained silent.

”Laria?”

Her gaze firmer now, she tentatively tested the name.

”How did you know?”

As if finally confirming she wasn’t bluffing, Fu Qian held up the Crown, asking in mild surprise.

”Why wouldn’t I? If I didn’t have so much work to do, I’d love to wander around too, you know.”

Lisa snorted, making sure to voice her displeasure with the two demigods who loved going on field expeditions.

”This style is far too iconic. I’ve seen similar things before—to think the Meteor Shower Incident was actually connected to them?”

Her tone suddenly filled with disbelief.”Sorry, but I’m bound by discipline. I can’t casually disclose that.”

Without a second of hesitation, Fu Qian repeated his previous refusal.

The Crown naturally had nothing to do with the meteor shower. He had specifically returned to the Warehouse to retrieve it after Classmate Liushuang took her upstairs.

Since Professor Lisa was so intensely curious about the Meteor Shower Incident, how could he not take advantage of that?

For instance, to get her help in confirming the origins of this Item, and perhaps glean even more information.

Though it might not yield results, trying didn’t cost a dime.

Not to mention that, judging by her reaction, the effect was surprisingly good.

”Forget it, then.”

Professor Lisa was visibly disdainful. She snorted again, then scrutinized the Crown closely.

”It definitely is... To think that long-fallen family still had such capability?”

”You sound quite familiar with them.”

Fu Qian finally looked intrigued, no longer using ’discipline’ as an excuse.

”Not really, but I’ve heard Cass talk about them. The Divine Human Family, overnight transcendence, things like that.”

Lisa didn’t brag this time. Instead, she grew even more certain of her previous guess and racked her brain to recall the details.

”What about the Blood Wedding?”

With such a good start, Fu Qian took the opportunity to help jog her memory.

”I do actually know a bit about that.”

It proved that gossip truly was human nature; Lisa nodded almost instantly.

...

”Though it’s just a rumor, Cass leaned toward it being true.”

And sure enough, this piece of knowledge also came from the Dean’s earnest teachings.

”Oh? What was his reasoning?”

His attention fully captured, Fu Qian handed the Crown right over, letting Professor Lisa examine it as she pleased.

”According to him, that power flowing in their bloodline seemed like an unparalleled talent, but it wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

”Between that power and mortal will, it was hard to say which was the true Sovereign. It was entirely normal for things to go wrong.

”Those women who returned home and murdered their husbands were clearly subjected to some sort of leaking corruption during the wedding.”

The shift in Fu Qian’s attitude was clearly very gratifying to Lisa. She casually took the Crown and chatted with ease.

”Couldn’t it just be that they witnessed the extravagance of the wedding and the charm of the groom, got angrier the more they thought about it after going home, and suffered a mental imbalance?”

Professor Fu, however, seemed to prefer finding a sociological explanation.

”Do you actually believe that?”

Lisa looked like she was dying to roll her eyes again.

”Besides, even the groom, Don Juan, didn’t live much longer after that. Did you know?”

”About that...”

Fu Qian grew thoughtful for a moment.

He wasn’t just blindly agreeing. Let’s not forget that after their brief exchange back then, Eldest Miss Wen had specifically given him a copy of the compiled documents.

They had included a brief account of the life of the main character from that wedding.

If he remembered correctly, after the groom ended his bachelor life, he hadn’t even had the chance to reach the legendary wooden anniversary before passing away.

”Are you trying to say he was the source of the corruption, and he couldn’t hold on in the end either?”

Giving a slight nod, Fu Qian followed her line of thought and pressed on.

”I can’t be sure, but no matter how you look at it, this progression makes a lot more sense.”

Seeing that he was no longer spouting nonsense, Lisa’s expression finally softened a bit, and she even casually placed the Crown on her head.

”For a family like that, even if he were just an ordinary person, dying at that age could be considered a sudden, premature death.”

”And according to an even more obscure rumor, Don Juan’s wife also went mad after giving birth to his child. Did you know that?”

”I didn’t.”

Fu Qian honestly shook his head.

This bit of history was a little too wild; it hadn’t been included in the files he had received.

”One year after his death.”

...

Professor Lisa was being a bit too modest. When it came to the Blood Wedding, it was obvious the amount of information she possessed was far more than just ’a bit.’

”So there are rumors that the child’s true father, and the one who tormented her into madness, were someone else entirely... But that’s not important anymore.”

And in the next moment, she actually kept going.

”From a logical standpoint, that guy Don Juan died very abnormally. Cass’s theory leaned toward the idea that the power of the bloodline actually manifested in him in some way, and it wasn’t that easy to control, which led to the tragedy following that wedding.

”Though it’s hard to imagine the process, those noblewomen’s wills had likely already been twisted beyond recognition before they even went home.”

I can somewhat imagine it.

Silently replying in his mind, the image that appeared in Fu Qian’s head was from the dream where he acquired the Bronze Circlet: the multitude of lively, squirming meatballs desperately burrowing into that giant brain.

”In short, for the sake of their reputation, the Laria Family desperately covered the whole thing up, and Don Juan ultimately failed to withstand the power, dying an unnatural death.”

Lisa was now delivering her concluding remarks, even though she wasn’t entirely sure why Fu Qian seemed so interested in this.

It might not have just been the Laria Family themselves covering it up.

What Fu Qian was thinking about at this moment, however, was his previous guess regarding the origin of the Bronze Circlet.

Namely, whether it was loot from a mission completed by his predecessor, Ji Feng.

If it truly was, then the final outcome of that wedding banquet very likely involved the will of the Warehouse as well.

”So what exactly is their connection to that meteor shower—”

While Fu Qian was deep in thought, Lisa finally couldn’t hold back and asked the question she cared about most.

Though she was interrupted before she could finish speaking.

Knock, knock!

A rhythmic knocking sound came from the door.

The sky outside was just barely getting light, yet Professor Fu already had a visitor. And most importantly—

As she turned her head to look, a look of sheer horror washed over Lisa’s face.

She couldn’t sense anyone’s presence there at all.

”Come in.”

Professor Fu’s demeanor as the person in charge was fully on display; he remained calm and composed.

The next moment, the door opened, and a figure in black clothing and a narrow hat stood there quietly.

”You’re here.”

Looking at Su Gao, who had completed her work with astonishing efficiency, and noting the deliberately restrained aura she gave off—unlike her usual self—Fu Qian let out a soft sigh and gave a meaningful greeting.

”I’m here.”

Faced with this strange reaction, Su Gao’s expression didn’t show the slightest hint of anomaly. She even softly repeated the phrase in an equally deep tone.