Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Are you saying Lisa isn’t actually a victim, and might even be the direct source of that influence?”

Fu Qian easily caught the subtle shift in Cass’s tone.

Living up to his reputation for ”having a grasp on the situation,” he blinked and quickly arrived at a conclusion.

Cass’s sigh carried a significant amount of information—such as the true purpose behind having Lisa manage the Claudora Flesh.

It was far from a sentimental arrangement made just because of the connection between the two of them; rather, they were genuinely exploiting that very connection.

Professor Lisa’s state was not particularly stable. He had known this for a while.

She had to rely on the mystical restriction around her neck, for instance, just to maintain her current form for any extended period.

And from what Cass was implying, occasional close contact with the Divine Flesh provided similar benefits.

But even the best-laid plans go awry. To achieve this, Lisa had to remain at the Academy long-term.

As it turned out, the energy around the Academy was a bit off, leading to the unexpected situation before them.Fu Qian felt his reading comprehension was perfectly fine. If that was really the case, this situation had taken quite a few twists and turns.

”A more accurate term would be a trigger. Lisa alone is nowhere near capable of doing something to this extent.”

Cass had indeed confirmed his theory, even while correcting his terminology.

”Indeed. Her condition looks relatively stable.”

Fu Qian readily agreed, his gaze falling on Lisa’s face.

Although she still frowned slightly in her sleep, visually speaking, she looked far better than Cass. She didn’t look like the source of a disaster.

After all, the old man was a magnificent Demigod Realm, yet he was outright showing signs of losing control.

With such mighty power at play, it was hard to imagine it being released directly by Lisa.

The idea that she had flipped some sort of switch was indeed much more reasonable.

...

”This is also what caught me off guard. I saw her the moment I got back, and everything about her was perfectly normal at the time.”

Fast asleep, Lisa had no idea she was being scrutinized simultaneously by the Two Giants of Apocalypse.

While deeply agreeing with Fu Qian’s assessment, Cass let out another long sigh.

He clearly found the current situation hard to fathom. It felt as if a server that had been running perfectly under his total control had suddenly had a glass of water poured over it.

Even so, not only had he acted as if nothing was wrong when he arrived, but even now, he was unwilling to let the person involved know the role she played. He had made her fall asleep before discussing it.

”The fact that you can still only infer something rather than sense it already explains the problem.”

”If you can’t even feel the negative effects that have already been produced, then it’s perfectly normal not to have sensed whatever was accumulating and eventually undergoing a qualitative change earlier.”

Sensing the Dean’s protectiveness toward the young, Fu Qian shook his head and casually helped him straighten out the logic.

”You’re right. That’s also why I chose to come here with her right after she sought me out.”

With their communication flowing so smoothly, Cass looked quite gratified. A moment later, he pointed out the reason for this visit.

”According to Lisa, you specifically asked whether she had reported her progress to me?”

An old veteran of the jianghu indeed had a sharp nose. Amidst their chatter, Cass shot a glance over with a pair of vertical slit pupils, clearly certain that Fu Qian wasn’t one to speak idle words.

”I do have a few theories. Also, don’t worry—although the tutors at the Benevolent Curse Institute have discovered a little something, no one else will be getting involved for the time being.”

Fu Qian didn’t disappoint on that front, either, nodding directly.

...

He naturally wasn’t speaking nonsense; some of his previous actions had indeed been intentional.

Although the situation hadn’t been entirely clear at the time, to Fu Qian, this was exactly what it meant to show professionalism.

Making a decision when all elements and conditions were fully present was never a difficult task to begin with.

Only by maintaining a grasp on the laws and connections within the chaos, and skillfully managing factors like unknowns, probabilities, contingencies, and backup plans, could one truly prepare for a rainy day.

The advice he gave Lisa fell exactly into this category.

And looking at it now, it had indeed bought them a certain window of time to handle the incident.

”That’s good. With too many people involved, the situation could get chaotic, especially on the Night Watchers’ side.”

Not only had he intentionally dropped a hint, but he also hadn’t forgotten to casually manage the situation. Professor Fu’s overly reliable performance clearly made Cass very gratified.

Considering that, apart from himself and Lisa, no obvious chaos had broken out yet, he undoubtedly wanted to keep the situation within a controllable scope.

”Do you have any specific thoughts on what Lisa might have triggered?”

Without wasting any time, Cass quickly cut straight to the point.

”To be honest, I’m a bit unsure about the process, but I took a trip to the Benevolent Curse Institute earlier today and happened to confirm one thing: this area around the Academy has indeed been imbued with a certain special concept... a concept related to a higher entity.”

”This is also very likely why the previous accident at the Benevolent Curse Institute happened.”

Fu Qian remained as generous as ever in sharing this information.

...

”A concept related to a higher entity... That lines up somewhat with my own thoughts.”

Cass had undoubtedly listened intently to Professor Fu’s latest findings, examining his own hand as he commented.

Once a higher entity was involved, the status of a Demigod Realm was simply not enough. The loss of control suddenly made a lot more sense.

”But I still find it hard to imagine exactly how it was triggered. I can only deduce that it’s related to Claudora’s legacy. We still know far too little about the secrets of that form.”

However, looking at the still-sleeping Lisa, he expressed that certain things remained difficult to grasp.

”That sort of divinity is indeed very special.”

Fu Qian fully agreed with this view.

Putting previous matters aside, the harvest of Etched Intellect from his recent Insight was enough to let him experience just how bizarre it was.

”As for the role Lisa played in all this, I actually have an idea on how to test it... Can you wake her up?”

Pointing at the person in question, Fu Qian checked with Cass.

”Just wake her up? I thought you would be curious about Lisa’s non-human form.”

Cass showed a rare hint of surprise at this.

Not just because Professor Fu actually had a plan, but also because of how overly simple his request was.

”Actually, it is somewhat related to that—over here!”

Fu Qian simply gave a slight nod, and the very next moment, called out to the person in question as she stirred.

Just like with the hypnosis earlier, Cass was incredibly fast. The moment he got confirmation, he instantly dispelled Lisa’s sleeping state.

Mmm...

She was clearly a bit bewildered. Fortunately, with the Two Giants of Apocalypse acting as her guardians, Professor Lisa’s sense of security was quite sufficient. She didn’t press the matter and instead looked earnestly toward Fu Qian.

”Have your teeth recovered? Try taking a bite out of me.”

He didn’t hesitate at all, proposing a completely masochistic suggestion.