Eldritch Horror Theatre

It felt genuinely good to hold a place in the immortal ranks, especially since it was a sinecure.

No one raised any objections to Fu Qian’s arrangements.

He didn’t stick around for any more expressions of gratitude, taking his leave a moment later.

From the moment he walked in to the moment he left, the entire visit took no more than fifteen minutes.

Yet the gloom that had been hanging over Linghui was completely swept away.

Of course, Weilong’s group, who had escorted him all the way out, couldn’t possibly guess what Professor Fu was thinking as he gazed up at the clear sky with the world in his heart.

Even with such high efficiency, the time limit on the Burial Scroll had expired.

The inner demon retreated, and the Other Shore faded away.

Yet that legendary ”profound of the profound” sensation still lingered in his mind.

It was perhaps no more powerful than the authority of a higher entity, but its sense of mystery was far thicker, as if it were revealing a more fundamental aspect of this world.So the foundation of the world was simply indescribable?

Did those who sought answers step by step and ultimately achieved transcendence simply become a projection of this indescribable nature?

A projection full of fallacy, no less.

It sounded a bit too pessimistic, but that was exactly what he had just experienced.

Even achieving this fallacy had required a tremendous stroke of serendipity.

Master Yuhun, who had schemed alongside him to seize the Abandoned Prison, had clearly still been one step short back then.

It must have been his disastrous defeat during their inner demon duel—leading to the outcome where destruction precedes creation—that finally allowed him to grasp this opportunity akin to the Wedding Robe Divine Art.

It was a blessing in disguise, allowing him to merge his body with the Dao.

He even needed the unerasable fetters of the inner demon to share this experience of joining the immortal ranks with Fu Qian.

The ultimate result was acquiring this great fortune without even having to clock in.

Otherwise, Fu Qian found it hard to imagine how his current status as the King of the Abandoned Prison could remain unaffected if he had personally turned into a projection of fallacy.

Fruit and Sugar. According to their previous theory, shouldn’t this indescribable nature count as the purest form of sugar?

No matter how he looked at it, the two seemed incapable of coexisting.

Otherwise, after all these years, Blazing Rainbow, Patches, and the others would have surely plotted to obtain it, right?

Instead, it looked like they were all still spinning their wheels within the old framework.

This fresh atmosphere of the new era had been left to the cultivators to explore.

In that regard, it truly seemed to be a manifestation of humanity breaking free from the shackles of the old ones.

Although this unknowable aspect made the entire world feel just a bit more illusory...

Withdrawing his gaze, Professor Fu ignored the people behind him and walked straight into the sunlight of ”nineteen years and three months post-apocalypse.”

...

Not bad. Very leisurely.

Having worked hard all morning, Professor Fu wasn’t in a hurry to rush back to the Laboratory this time. Instead, he walked all the way out of the Academy.

Unaccompanied, he once again stepped onto that rather old tram.

Feeling the worn textures carved into it by time, he deeply suspected this vehicle was a product from ”before the apocalypse.”

Of course, the passengers clearly had no such feelings. Consisting mostly of early-rising elderly men and women, the majority were lazily curled up in their seats, at most offering a few complaints about the decrepit facilities.

Naturally, the leisure Fu Qian spoke of didn’t refer to them.

He didn’t join them for a morning transit tour. Alighting at a certain stop, he set off with a very clear direction in mind.

And about ten minutes later, he let out the aforementioned heartfelt sigh.

To be honest, due to his busy schedule, Fu Qian wasn’t all that familiar with the area around the Academy.

However, this nearby area was a spot he frequented: Professor Lanaya’s small cafeteria.

Even the figure currently in his line of sight was an employee of that small cafeteria.

That’s right, the blonde dragon girl, Sunny.

Truly an insightful person who had once started her own business, she clearly understood the principle that commute time was inversely proportional to happiness.

While she didn’t subject herself to the hardship of living in the shop, her chosen residence was still only a short walk away.

Especially compared to her rather meager salary, the comfort level of this place looked quite high.

The yard and the room were modest in size, but the window was rather large. It was currently half-open, allowing the person behind it to leisurely bask in the sun.

As for how Fu Qian had accurately found this place when he clearly didn’t have his perception active?

Very simple: he had found it earlier when his perception was active.

This trip wasn’t Professor Fu acting on a sudden whim to visit the grassroots; he was actually here by invitation.

Ding—dong—

Fu Qian didn’t even try to hide his presence, directly raising his hand to ring the doorbell.

...

Sunny was surprised, but not particularly shocked.

Because long before she was disturbed by the bell, she had already been disturbed by his footsteps.

Fu Qian hadn’t deliberately muffled his steps, and no matter how much this night-shift worker appeared to be enjoying life, she was fundamentally a genuine Mid Tier.

Although she hadn’t cast a single glance in his direction from start to finish, Fu Qian could easily read the tension manifesting in her flesh and blood.

And when Sunny finally looked over just now, the intensity of her emotions clearly spiked another notch.

It wasn’t strange. A High-Tier Transcendent passing by early in the morning would make anyone tense, let alone one standing motionless at their door.

At the same time, he wasn’t a regular like Professor Lanaya. Relying solely on perception just now, it clearly wouldn’t have been easy for Sunny to confirm her identity; she had likely only just recognized his face.

Ding—dong—

Unfortunately, Fu Qian felt no sympathy for this. Smiling back at her, he pressed the doorbell once more.

...

’It is not that this seat intentionally wishes to disturb your peace, but this serendipity is truly profound and must not go unseen.’

Watching Sunny reluctantly drag herself up to answer the door, Fu Qian merely sighed inwardly.

Back then, he had casually pointed her toward the Academy, naturally valuing her rarity as research material.

But the grand Academy still emphasized mutual consent.

Sunny wasn’t in a hurry to seek medical advice; instead, she hovered at the fringes, enjoying a quiet life.

Although it was a loss for scientific research, Fu Qian still respected her choice.

It was just that a slight bonus harvested from using the Burial Scroll this time had suddenly piqued his interest.

Given Witch’s emphasis, combined with two subsequent verifications, the passive nature of this artificial sensory system could already be confirmed.

In other words, once activated, what he perceived were only the targets that were currently perceiving him.

In this situation, as an inner demon, seeing Master Yuhun was perfectly normal.

Then Blazing Rainbow, Red Moon... or even Patches—it wouldn’t be strange if they showed some activity either.

But in that brief period just now, something had challenged his common sense: the dragon girl before his eyes.

What he had additionally perceived just now was exactly this scene playing out before him.

She was truly an unexpected observer.

Of course, this didn’t mean Sunny wasn’t qualified.

Although her individual strength was average and her condition wasn’t great, one couldn’t forget she was a Covenanter of the Dragon King.

”Hello, Sunny.”

Looking at her feigned calmness, Fu Qian continued to smile and greeted her, acting just like a neighbor passing by.