Eldritch Horror Theatre

They say that to make real strides in philosophy, you either have to be bored out of your mind or suffering too much to sleep.

Because of this, Fu Qian held remarkably high hopes for Ms. Sunny as she stood before him.

After all, given what he knew of her situation, she practically possessed both of these gifts.

And so, on this beautiful winter day, Fu Qian chose a rather difficult question.

Did she want to know if she was already dead...

For Sunny, the question carried an extra layer of difficulty.

Becoming a Covenanter meant transforming into the literal pawn of a Deity. Calling that state the ”death of the self” was theoretically flawless.

The question was clearly piercing, guaranteed to strike a nerve and provoke suspicion regarding Professor Fu’s identity.

”I... don’t know...”

Her expression immediately stiffened. Yet, after staring at him for a long time, Sunny ultimately refrained from questioning his identity.She did not ask whether he was some mysterious guide, or whether they had met before...

Instead, she gave a strained shake of her head a moment later, forcing her attention back to the question itself.

”To know less about yourself than an outsider does... just imagining that situation makes for an awful experience. But that doesn’t mean learning the truth would guarantee I feel any better.”

Far from a simple brush-off, Sunny quickly continued, diving deeper into the reasoning behind her answer.

Her thoughts were a mess, naturally, fully reflecting her hesitation.

”Understood—”

Fu Qian had listened intently, however, and nodded once she finished.

”So you don’t want to know.”

...

Professor Fu’s comprehension skills clearly delivered another blow.

Yet as Sunny stared at him in disbelief, his expression remained perfectly serene and assured.

He had just recently reviewed the insight Master Yuhun shared: that language was merely a form of expression riddled with fallacy.

So if you wanted a genuinely accurate answer, how could you rely solely on what was said?

Concluding that Sunny didn’t want to know wasn’t a subjective assumption. In truth, she had already provided a definitive answer right from the start—she had not questioned his identity.

The current atmosphere was actually quite fitting. His arrival had been suspicious, his demeanor wasn’t particularly stern, and he had even deliberately brought up such a questionable topic.

Yet even with the tension pushed to this degree, Sunny had hesitated and ultimately refused to ask a single thing about the Wasteland.

If he really was that guide, he would have killed her long ago. Therefore, there was almost no immediate danger to her life right now, and she could absolutely be certain of that.

The only motive for not asking was that she didn’t want to know.

It was true. Those who could face their own hearts with total honesty were always in the minority.

Sunny’s reaction was entirely consistent with her choice to remain here, endlessly delaying her trip to the Academy.

In comparison, a certain Excellency Nepheli had made the exact opposite choice.

Not only did she want to know, she was actively hunting for it.

Igniting herself with the Flame of Frenzy to enter a painful and cruel countdown... It genuinely made one wonder what her next step would be.

”You are right, Excellency... I really don’t want to know.”

Amidst Fu Qian’s musings, Sunny had clearly engaged in some profound reflection following his point.

Speaking with a strained voice a moment later, she finally bared the cowardly side of herself.

”It’s fine if you don’t want to know. After all, who can guarantee that what others tell you is the truth?”

Yet Professor Fu, his momentum surging, dropped another bombshell. His viewpoint underwent such rapid flip-flopping that it was enough to make anyone’s head spin.

”...Not even you, Excellency?”

As the primary victim bearing the brunt of this, it took Sunny a long time to recover before she bravely pressed the question.

”Not even me.”

Fu Qian shook his head.

Being tragic and heroic did not equate to being right. Easily resorting to extremes was never advisable.

This held true no matter how bizarre things had gotten recently, and no matter how resolute Nepheli was.

The claim about the twilight of the apocalypse was currently just a possibility. It was far too early to prove or disprove it.

”Thanks for the hospitality. Have a wonderful day.”

Before Sunny could even recover from his unpredictability, Fu Qian had already set his cup back on the table and stood up to take his leave.

”You’re... leaving, Excellency?”

Such a crisp departure clearly caught his host off guard.

Was this nerve-wracking morning truly ending just like that?

Sunny seemingly hadn’t expected to be let off the hook so easily.

”Yeah. I have a whole line of projects waiting. Any peace and quiet has to be stolen.”

Professor Fu didn’t seem to be lying; he was already heading out as he lamented.

When he mentioned work, he wore the expression of a man busy yet fulfilled, finding both the bitter and the sweet within it.

Looking back on it, if one ignored the unspoken subtext, this brief exchange really did carry the feeling of stealing a half-day of leisure from a fleeting life.

It was just a morning stroll where he had popped into a neighbor’s place to mooch a cup of coffee.

”Alright, goodbye...”

The atmosphere was so convincing that, for a moment, Sunny actually played along, offering a slightly stiff farewell.

Under her gaze, Professor Fu never once looked back as he walked off into the distance.

...

Respecting the fates of others, the dragon king kin Sunny had already made her own choice.

Since she was so reluctant to part with this mundane life, his Apocalypse wouldn’t go out of its way to force her hand.

He wasn’t playing any game of releasing in order to capture. After taking his leave, Fu Qian genuinely headed straight back, even earnestly taking the same mode of transportation he had arrived in.

Furthermore, on this ordinary morning, he looked even more like a typical office worker.

Sunny’s attitude wasn’t exactly a surprise.

However, the fact that he hadn’t detected a single abnormality on her was more than a little strange.

The conclusion drawn from this perfectly matched his recent observations, making the entire world feel just a bit more surreal.

For that detail alone, arranging for her transfer to the Academy had already been worth the price of admission.

The next step was simply to find a time to activate it at close range again and observe the reaction once the Burial Scroll had cooled down.

As for what to do if his visit today had scared her away—where could she even run to?

Finding a place for the heart to rest wasn’t easy, let alone one with such harmonious neighbors and an uplifting urban atmosphere.

Sitting on the old tram and observing the noticeably younger demographic of passengers, Fu Qian took off the Emissary.

He was even working during his commute.

...

[Warning: Leak Incident]

A familiar place, a familiar prompt.

On a freezing winter day, the stability of the Warehouse was genuinely heartwarming.

[Name: Wish of Oblivion, Code: 2-013]

[Today’s tasks have been updated. Enter 2-013’s Containment Scenario and complete re-Containment.]

His final shift of the week seemed fairly mild in intensity.

Designated with the number 2, its name even fit the tone of his morning, carrying a trace of life wisdom.

[Consume 1 SAN Value to begin?]

[Yes]

Earnestly adjusting his collar and cuffs, Fu Qian casually confirmed the prompt as he evaluated the situation.