Eldritch Horror Theatre

It seemed to have no objections.

Raising his hand for a couple of test swings, Fu Qian inspected the fruits of his forging, feeling even more satisfied with his own naming sense.

Acquiring this weapon had involved numerous twists of fate, making such a name quite fitting.

As for why it had appeared out of thin air into his palm with a simple motion?

The answer was simple. It wasn’t that someone had absconded with the materials halfway through the forging process; rather, the finished product simply existed in that conceptual state.

Transcending space and time, it faintly resembled the Holy Infant Calamity Star he had seen during the mission.

The difference lay in its thread of connection to him. Whenever he wanted to use it, he could pluck it out of the void directly. As for when he no longer needed it...

Fu Qian raised his hand and thrust it forward into the void. The next moment, his hand was empty, as if the greatsword had been plunged into the body of some invisible beast.

It was that simple. It truly came when called and vanished when dismissed, proving incredibly convenient.

And this didn’t seem to be its only unique trait.Switching hands and changing direction, Fu Qian drew Sword Three Short of One from a new position in the air and seamlessly stabbed himself twice.

Yet, even with his hand speed, the first wound had already nearly healed by the time the second strike landed.

His inhuman Health Bar and recovery speed played a part, but they weren’t the main reason.

He could confirm that the sword itself was extremely pure. Piercing his body did not spread any curse pollution, nor did the blade devour his flesh and blood.

However, the damage it inflicted was fed back to him, the wielder, in an unimaginable way, restoring what he had lost.

Simply put, it was an incredibly unique form of lifesteal operating on a near-causal level. The second strike brought about the healing of the first.

Absorbing nourishment from destruction to feed oneself.

It was much like the Holy Infant Calamity Star, whose countless blood threads had acted as Umbilical Cords to draw sustenance from history.

From that perspective, it seemed he had not only ruined that entity’s chance at rebirth but even usurped a portion of its authority—though even that couldn’t be considered his greatest harvest from this trip.

...

The Fanaticism Curse, the Scarlet Angel.

His strong initial interest in the mission stemmed, to a certain extent, from having encountered these two things before.

And likely due to their interaction back then, he had subsequently received the ”Tyrant’s Fist” reward.

This was why, even without direct evidence linking Crimson Frenzy to the King of the Abandoned Prison, he had always paid extra attention to the matter.

As a result, in this mission, he had actually encountered the rebirth of a Divine Entity triggered by that very curse—one whose authority was also faintly connected to Calamity.

It inevitably made him even more curious about the curse’s origins.

The only pity was that Virgo La Nina had already been thoroughly executed by him. Even if she had miraculously survived, it was highly likely that her host, Jill, no longer held anything of much value.

Perhaps he could look forward to the Night Watchers’ follow-up actions—such as how Jill would be treated.

Aside from that, the crystals that had appeared more than once, and even the Crystal Blessing on Claudora and the others, were equally worth paying attention to.

Not to mention the earlier research organization she had brought up.

Regardless, he seemed to have finally begun uncovering the tragic hidden history of the Academy.

Sighing softly, Fu Qian casually thrust Sword Three Short of One back into the void and put on the Emissary.

Classmate Su Gao was still sleeping soundly.

Using such phrasing was a bit unfair, though; for her, no more than a few minutes had passed since she separated from the dream.

Regardless, he had certainly lived up to his title as the Nightmare Dominator, easily granting this workaholic a proper rest.

Praising himself inwardly, Fu Qian refrained from disturbing her morning slumber, despite his keen interest in what had happened after the dream was forcibly severed and divided.

Pouring himself a cup of tea that retained only a trace of warmth, he leaned back in his seat and gazed out the window, basking in the glorious morning light.

The only pity was the missing ornament; without it, the streaming sunlight seemed somewhat less radiant.

...

”Did I sleep long?”

With a long, drawn-out breath, Su Gao opened her eyes from the desk and greeted the academic titan sipping tea beside her.

”Not too long.”

Gesturing with his chin toward the angle of the sunlight on the floor, Fu Qian signaled that it was still early.

These were by no means just words of comfort; even including the time that had just passed, she had been asleep for less than fifteen minutes.

Though she seemed to have rested quite well.

The tea had already been finished, and Fu Qian made no move to prepare more, instead observing those amber eyes.

Her gaze was soft and her demeanor relaxed; she looked completely refreshed after a full sleep.

She was completely free of any grogginess from just waking up.

”Did you feel that just now?”

Clearly unbothered by her treatment, Su Gao asked naturally.

”I did.”

Fu Qian nodded.

The reason she had slept for such a brief time was, of course, not because he had woken her.

Just a moment ago, a very unique ripple had swept past—something even more extraordinary than Professor Lisa’s Screaming Box.

”I almost thought it was my imagination. Is this normal around the Academy? Should we check what happened?”

Even though she had been woken up, Su Gao clearly had no morning temper and immediately began considering their next move.

Furthermore, it was evident that after Professor Lisa’s previous actions, she had developed a healthy respect for the Academy’s local customs.

”It isn’t normal, but there’s no rush.”

Fu Qian shook his head.

”There was no obvious malice, so we can deal with it later. For now, tell me about what happened during the latter part of your test.”

While signaling for her not to worry, he didn’t forget to remind her that they still had an experiment summary to complete.

...

”All right... It was amazing.”

She had always trusted Expert Fu’s judgment, especially here on his home turf.

Agreeing without a second thought, Su Gao fell straight into her recollections. Reassuringly, her memories of it still seemed quite vivid.

”After I left this place in the dream, what lay outside was a sea with no boundaries and no light, and this place acted like a Lighthouse.”

”At first, there were descending stairs, but after taking a few steps along them, suddenly there was nothing. I tried to ascertain the situation back here, but it was very hard to focus my mind.”

”Then, the most peculiar part was that by the time I realized the Lighthouse was gone, the surface of the sea had vanished as well. My body was completely submerged in a disorienting sea, yet I didn’t drown.”

As she recalled the experience, a deeply infectious softness spread across Su Gao’s face.

”Also, it wasn’t absolute nothingness inside. It echoed with many things. If I had to describe them, I’d call them sounds that made me feel good, though I couldn’t make out the specific content.”

”And at the very end, as I tried my best to identify the source, I realized it was actually my own voice, even though I still didn’t know what I was saying.”

”Taking that kind of active initiative in that environment seemed to severely drain my mental energy. Under that dual pressure, I fell asleep right there in the sea.”