Eldritch Horror Theatre

The transcendent world seemed to be getting harder and harder to grasp.

Ignoring the drowsy glances from the female office worker sitting opposite him, Fu Qian—having already wrapped up his tasks for the day—instead focused his attention on the scenery passing by the window.

Unexpected trauma and unexpected gains; today’s clock-in was undeniably worth it.

Yet, even as his theoretical knowledge expanded once more, the world itself felt increasingly surreal.

Another New God? Was it already this unstable?

Not to mention the Ancient Higher Beings who were supposedly making their return.

Truthfully, he still had a few unresolved doubts regarding his previous task.

For instance, where exactly was his excellency The Redeemed One born from?

It was a bit different from his own situation back then. This time, it was certified by the Warehouse—he had genuinely killed a quasi-higher entity.

The Universal Condemnation that had severely wounded him was also very real.To sum it up, aside from the righteous one parasitizing Kadon, there really was another contender wielding power akin to a Deity exchanging blows with him.

So where did it come from? How could it possess such immense power before it was even born?

Even the nature of its abilities defied imagination.

After all, at first glance, the Warehouse had always offered one particular option: kill Kadon directly.

Why hadn’t he done that?

To Fu Qian, the answer to this question had been a source of curiosity all along, and he grew even more curious when he confirmed that the final item on the Checklist was dying in his sleep.

As for this, Kadon seemed to have provided an answer: kill him all you want, it wouldn’t affect anything.

If that were true, what kind of methods did his excellency The Redeemed One use to ensure that even if someone was ground to dust, it still wouldn’t matter?

In fact, it was very likely true, because the first time he laid eyes on Kadon, the man had already ”died” once.

Hopefully, he would find the answer to this question the next time he put on the mask. As for now—

At some point, the tram rattled to a halt. Fu Qian got up and stepped off, looking at the Academy in the distance.

He didn’t take the opportunity to continue wandering around; instead, he chose to return and further his studies.

...

”Why are you back again? Didn’t you see Wen Li?”

When he visited Professor Lisa again, she was visibly startled, her eyes wide as if she had an ominous premonition.

”I saw her. But didn’t I say I’d come help out after meeting Cass?”

Sitting down without any hesitation, Fu Qian met everyone’s gazes, seemingly unable to understand what the fuss was about.

As expected, only Wen Li had been allowed to leave; Classmate Liushuang and Lotte were still here.

’Did I? It seems I actually did, but...’

”So where is Wen Li? Why didn’t she come back with you?”

Lisa had clearly taken Fu Qian’s earlier words as a lazy excuse, completely refusing to believe he was genuinely willing to come back and help with administrative work.

Therefore, although she found it hard to refute him, her suspicion didn’t fade in the slightest.

”Linghui has finished its internal reorganization, and the professors enthusiastically kept her behind to continue her studies.”

In response, Fu Qian casually implied that the hidden dangers over at Linghui had been completely resolved, and he genuinely picked up the files in front of him to peruse.

Furthering his studies wasn’t just empty talk.

Admittedly, he had confirmed with Cass the true purpose behind the idea of the Preservation Chamber—it was merely a front for their subsequent exploration efforts, with no real expectation that he would discover anything from those past mistakes.

However, if the Academy seniors from back then truly derived inspiration from their errors, Fu Qian didn’t mind thoroughly experiencing and learning from them.

He had genuinely come to help sort the data.

Regardless of their Rank, the professors’ imagination was still worth acknowledging.

”What about Cass? He didn’t slack off again, did he?”

Upon suddenly hearing the good news about Linghui, although she couldn’t be sure if Professor Fu had a hand in it, Lisa visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

However, considering that Professor Fu hadn’t been gone for long, she soon began worrying whether the actual Dean, who had just returned, was skipping work again.

”He’s indeed in his office, and he’s highly supportive of the idea to further open up the Preservation Chamber.”

Fu Qian recalled Cass’s working state. Without describing the details, he simply delivered another piece of good news.

Uh...

Unfortunately, Lisa looked as though she had just taken a punch to the face. Her mood was clearly no longer as good.

Despite having a premonition, she still wanted to somewhat salvage the already riddled image of the Apocalypse.

Perhaps the only comforting thing was that Professor Fu, who usually started messing around the moment he returned, actually seemed to be helping out in earnest.

...

Not bad. It felt like his palace of knowledge had been enriched once again.

The briefly shattered tranquility was soon restored.

For the ensuing time, Professor Fu, who was attending to myriad affairs daily, did exactly as he promised, flipping through one shocking medical file after another.

Although he was emulating the past experiences of the Academy’s professors, he didn’t harbor any obsession with forcing a discovery.

Many things could only be stumbled upon by chance, not actively sought. Only learning could truly allow one to progress.

Ultimately, while stealing a half-day of leisure from a fleeting life, Fu Qian deeply felt the unfettered thoughts of the youth. Time flew by without him even realizing it—

”Are you really not busy?”

Unfortunately, as the director in charge, Professor Lisa was practically sitting on pins and needles. Eventually, she couldn’t hold it in any longer.

”I am.”

Fu Qian didn’t even lift his head, his tone implying that of course he was.

”Then are you worried there might be some serious issues in these files?”

Lisa’s brow furrowed even tighter, her peripheral vision darting toward Ji Liushuang beside her.

Although she remained silent, even this usually blindly supportive assistant didn’t look as relaxed as usual, intentionally or otherwise scrutinizing her superior.

”Of course not. Cass and I have complete faith in you all.”

Fu Qian continued to pass on the earnest expectations of the Academy’s leadership.

”As for why I’m not rushing off to handle things... You wouldn’t understand. Once you reach our position, the tasks come to you, not the other way around.”

However, finally raising his head from his silent immersion in knowledge, Fu Qian let out a long sigh and explained a life where it is lonely at the top.

Knock, knock—

Before Professor Lisa could say another word, a knock actually sounded at the door.

...

”Thank you for all your help recently. I’ve come to say goodbye.”

A moment later, the Night Watcher Aike’s words proved Professor Fu right.

Indeed, someone had come all the way here to find him—and it was the only Demigod of the Night Watchers currently stationed at the Academy.

Though, from the sound of it, he wouldn’t be around much longer either.

”Oh? So soon?”

Fu Qian also looked surprised at the news.

”Yes. Considering Lili’s condition, I’ll be taking her directly to headquarters for treatment.”

Nodding slightly, Aike casually brought up the biggest victim of the Ecstasy incident.

Phrasing it like that undoubtedly made it easy for people to assume this was the reason for his hasty departure—

’So the Night Watchers have made significant progress regarding his excellency Stomach?’

Unfortunately, as an old hand at this, Fu Qian instantly drew a completely different conclusion.