Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Lotte? She’s been taking her work quite seriously lately.”

Professor Lisa was visibly tempted.

She also highly approved of a certain new staff member’s work ethic.

When dealing with a troublesome chore, merely elevating its importance was one thing. But upgrading the nature of her own work—and passing off the tedious, boring parts in the process—was incredibly satisfying.

”It’s just a matter of the specific manpower when the time comes... We can’t exactly do a fully public recruitment, can we?”

Her urge to dump her paperwork as soon as possible was palpable; Lisa was already considering the details.

”Have Cass recommend people. Don’t you trust his seniority and eye for talent? Besides, he assigned this job in the first place.”

Fu Qian merely chuckled, personally demonstrating the true meaning of inertia—he couldn’t be bothered to help assemble a roster.

”Makes sense... He should have reminded me to do this from the start. He made me work so hard these past two days.”

Agreeing instantly, Professor Lisa downed her tea in one gulp and stood up to leave, completely ignoring the fact that she was already off the clock.”I’m going to find him right now. Do you want to come along?”

She fully intended to drag Professor Fu along with her.

”No, I’m busy here.”

Unfortunately, she was instantly rejected. Fu Qian gestured toward the desk with his eyes, repeating the same word he had used earlier.

Still busy...

At least the trip hadn’t been a total waste; she had found a way to slack off.

Faced with Professor Fu’s excuse, Lisa shot him a glance but ultimately didn’t argue. She made sure to bid farewell to Wen Li and Liushuang before hurrying on her way.

...

It wasn’t necessarily that he had forgotten to remind her. The Dean had probably just worried himself half to death over the mental health of the next generation.

Fu Qian watched Professor Lisa go until her figure disappeared, sighing internally.

The core motive behind the task assigned to Professor Lisa this time was, of course, the exploration operation from back then.

Just as Cass had admitted, it was to provide cover for his Ash Sea exploration operation.

But beyond that, forcefully dumping this workload onto Professor Lisa’s head—and even expanding its scale after he had already set out—carried a somewhat ulterior motive.

As everyone knew, Lisa had always been somewhat sensitive and withdrawn due to her race.

Even her Laboratory was isolated, situated far away and only facing his side from a distance.

Thrusting this kind of work onto Lisa, who already disliked paperwork, was likely a ploy to make her suggest forming a task force herself, thereby truly integrating her into the Academy’s system.

Even her earlier attempt to draft him into the workload showed Professor Lisa’s progress in this regard, though her methods were still a bit crude.

Since he had the privilege of joining this group meeting, he figured he might as well deduce the leadership’s intentions and offer a little guidance.

Of course, the group meeting hadn’t invited Professor Lisa over just for that. The main goal was to check on her condition while the Burial Scroll was still in effect.

The final result was equally optimistic. It seemed the previous mission hadn’t left any negative impacts on her, either.

”Professor Lisa really has been working hard lately.”

Having watched quietly the whole time, Wen Li finally let out a soft sigh. She poured more tea, thoroughly sympathetic to Lisa’s work pressure.

Actually, they had already minimized the pressure as much as possible. Hadn’t they suggested she get a secretary for indirect management?

This delicate balance of being both involved and detached was likely the comfortable sweet spot of her self-challenge.

Fu Qian sighed inwardly at this, though his gaze shifted to Classmate Liushuang beside them.

”Something come up at home again?”

...

”Nothing too specific. It’s just that the conflict between Anjing and Siren is intensifying, and different voices are emerging internally.”

Classmate Liushuang looked extremely well-behaved. Not at all surprised that Professor Fu would ask this, she answered softly.

”Torn on whether they should get completely involved?”

Fu Qian gave a slight nod.

He knew it. Why else would she mention the Gospel Team out of nowhere?

”Yes, many people think it’s a rare opportunity... But this doesn’t really have much to do with me. The Gospel Team won’t be affected.”

Her tone was calm yet firm. Ji Liushuang clearly had a lot of confidence in this regard.

”But as the next family head, someone hopes you can offer some opinions?”

Fu Qian could perfectly imagine her predicament.

”Yes, but I don’t want to bother with it... Does Professor Fu think the Ji Clan should participate?”

Paying no mind to Wen Li sitting right beside her, Ji Liushuang casually spilled the secrets of a top-tier faction.

”Getting involved in this sort of thing really doesn’t offer any benefits. But if you’re asking me, my advice is to keep a low profile.”

Completely understanding Classmate Liushuang’s mindset, Fu Qian nodded slightly, his posture relaxed and casual.

Huh?

Seemingly not expecting Professor Fu to have such a clear stance, Ji Liushuang was taken aback.

”Do the Night Watchers have particular thoughts on this?”

As the listener, Wen Li seemed to realize something and chimed in to join the discussion at just the right moment.

Actually, it technically wasn’t appropriate for her to eavesdrop on such matters.

But given how Professor Fu was acting, she didn’t pretend not to hear and stay out of it. Instead, she chose to participate directly.

...

It had to be said, Wen Li’s instincts in this area were sharp.

Conflicts of interest between syndicates were inherently difficult to calculate clearly; otherwise, there wouldn’t be internal disputes within the Ji Clan.

Yet Professor Fu had provided such a clear judgment, which inevitably made one suspect there were crucial external factors at play.

And when it came to the general state of the world, whose influence was greater than the Night Watchers?

Compared to their usual stance of sitting on the mountain to watch the tigers fight, had their mindset changed?

”I’m not entirely sure, but the Night Watchers probably don’t want things getting too lively right now.”

Fu Qian confirmed Wen Li’s theory.

For the major factions, their intelligence networks might be advanced, but limited by their own tier, some things were simply beyond their grasp.

Like the recent return of various ancient terrors, and the restless Shadow stirring everywhere...

In this autumn of many troubles, the Night Watchers’ alert level was undoubtedly skyrocketing.

In contrast, their tolerance for chaos had probably weakened.

If things got too noisy, the possibility of them stepping in personally to purge the mess couldn’t be ruled out.

”I understand. Unfortunately, my opinion might not play a decisive role.”

Although she was equally unaware of those details, Classmate Liushuang was quick on the uptake. She instantly grasped Professor Fu’s meaning and looked as though she had made up her mind.

”Thought it through? Even in that situation, staying out of it is probably your best option.”

Fu Qian looked at her in amusement, offering a reminder.

”True... But I’ve made up my mind.”

Understanding his meaning, Ji Liushuang still let out a soft sigh.

”Understood. The weight of the next family head is indeed slightly lacking, but don’t forget your other identity.”

He didn’t question her resolve. Then, even when faced with this kind of family drama, Professor Fu still offered his advice.