Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Look familiar?"

Casi clearly wasn't one to dawdle. After dusting off their hats in mutual celebration, he quickly took the lead.

It wasn't long before he pointed to a grayish-white building in the distance.

"This is supposedly one of the busiest places in the Academy."

"Doesn't look familiar."

Fu Qian glanced at it and answered directly, completely unconcerned about exposing his own dereliction of duty.

"It's only natural. This is the Spirit Ash Institute's territory, hehehehe..."

The Dean of the Apocalypse Branch let out a string of incredibly sleazy laughter.

"So the method to enter that place hasn't been delivered to the Apocalypse Branch yet?"

Casi was leading him deeper into the Academy instead of toward the exit. Fu Qian didn't mistakenly assume the forbidden zone was located here; rather, he deduced the method of entry might be a bit unusual.

The problem was, showing up at their door like this to defile a treasure Linghui normally wouldn't even let him touch—how was that any different from cuckolding them to their faces?

The Dean truly was a man of passion. It suited Fu Qian's tastes perfectly.

"No, I just couldn't wait!"

Casi continued his sleazy chuckling.

"Theoretically, however, that thing already belongs to the Apocalypse Branch. Since we did them such a huge favor this time, Linghui surely won't mind us borrowing their venue for a little scientific expedition."

"Makes perfect sense."

Fu Qian deeply agreed.

As they spoke, they didn't slow their pace, rounding a corner to arrive at the main entrance.

Up close, the building possessed a distinct air of eeriness, completely unlike the majestic elegance of the Sword Comprehension Institute or the clunky, brutish aesthetic of the Apocalypse Branch.

Although it was constructed entirely of pure white stone, under the current light, an indescribable layer of light gray seemed to envelop the entire structure.

From certain angles, the varying shades of gray even formed patterns resembling wood grain.

It appeared to be a protective barrier generated by some transcendent effect, blanketing the entire building.

Fu Qian silently evaluated it.

Domineering!

Linghui's usual arrogance was clearly well-founded.

Even the greeter at the door was a... Tier 4 Transcendent?

While Fu Qian was observing the place, a figure standing just inside the doors seemed to notice them and walked straight over.

She was tall and slender, wearing a dress robe of only black and white, and sporting a pair of Rimless Glasses.

The woman seemed to be trying her best to cultivate the image of a highly educated intellectual. However, her lithe, swaying waist that moved like a water snake, combined with her half-lidded, alluring eyes, forcefully twisted that effort into the realm of uniform temptation.

"You're late."

By now, the woman in uniform had arrived in front of them. She glared at Casi and scoffed, her tone distinctly unfriendly.

A greeter normally wouldn't look like this, nor would they be likely to speak to Casi in such a manner.

Fu Qian remained silent, waiting for Casi to introduce her.

"I was too excited last night and accidentally overslept."

Facing her interrogation, the smile on Casi's face didn't falter, the excuse rolling effortlessly off his tongue.

"This is Tutor Lisa. Moving forward, your Laboratory will be right next to hers. She'll be joining us for today's scientific expedition, and she'll show you around afterward."

After offering his thoroughly insincere brush-off, Casi turned toward Fu Qian to make the introduction.

"Lisa, I don't need to introduce this gentleman to you, do I?"

"No need. Hello, Your Excellency Demigod."

The tutor named Lisa had already looked Fu Qian up and down by now, but her greeting held very little respect.

It was obvious the title of Demigod wasn't enough to intimidate her.

"You could have at least told me... Strutting into someone else's turf so arrogantly, yet making me show up here by myself so early. Can you even imagine what I went through standing there? They all looked at me like they'd seen their wicked stepmother!"

At the same time, Lisa's lingering anger was palpable; it sounded like she really had been through a rough time just now.

"Fair point. It is getting late. Let's begin."

Casi just laughed it off. After a horribly forced transition, he simply walked on ahead.

Fu Qian followed him through the doors, feeling as though he had passed through a barrier. An incredibly jumbled "scent" immediately hit him in the face.

Calling it a scent was purely metaphorical; it was fundamentally something on the level of consciousness. It was similar to the Emotional Ripples Wen Li had created previously, only far more eerie and infinitely more varied—carrying the distinct flair of an aged vintage brew.

Considering the nature of Linghui, it was most likely the result of years of cumulative testing, slowly fermenting beneath the confinement of that barrier.

Of course, compared to the Apocalypse Branch, the overall impression was still slightly more elegant.

The interior decor was quite solemn. Regardless of age or gender, almost everyone they passed wore some sort of formal, ceremonial robe, looking even more stiff and proper than the people of the Sword Comprehension Institute.

As Fu Qian took in this distinct departmental culture, Casi was already leading the way steadily downward.

True to Lisa's words, the trio attracted quite a few stares along the way. The complexity of the emotions in those gazes was akin to an office worker watching a burly man stride toward his own front door.

"I hate coming here. Every time I do, it takes days to get some peace and quiet afterward."

With someone else drawing the aggro, Lisa was noticeably more relaxed, though she still didn't forget to complain as they walked.

"Especially down here. The deeper we go, the more disgusting it gets. It's like..."

She hesitated for a moment, seemingly trying to think of a suitable analogy.

"Like your brain ate a piece of shit?"

Seeing her instinctively look at him, Fu Qian pondered briefly and offered a suggestion.

"Exactly. Just like your brain ate a piece of shit, and the worst part is you don't even know how to throw it back up."

Elisa's eyes lit up, and she decisively adopted his suggestion.

"As expected of a Demigod. Such sharp perception."

"I've just seen a lot of it."

Faced with his colleague's unwarranted praise, Fu Qian wore a look of modesty.

"This is the place. Be careful, there might be quite a lot of shit."

Listening to the harsh critiques from these two Academy elites, Casi didn't seem the least bit worried about destroying inter-departmental friendship. He even helpfully announced that they had reached their destination.

At the end of the corridor before them was a rather irregularly shaped door.

Casi took a step forward and was just about to knock when the door opened from the inside.

In the dim light, a slightly plump face was revealed, coldly eyeing the three of them.

He looked a bit familiar.

Fu Qian made his immediate assessment.

If he remembered correctly, this man had been one of the spectators yesterday, and he had even been sitting quite close to the front.

The man had decent strength; he must have overheard their conversation just now. Therefore, his thick negative emotions were entirely understandable.

In fact, opening the door directly before they could even knock was already a demonstration of that.

"Dean Casi, you've arrived."

His gaze swept over the three of them in turn, lingering especially long on Fu Qian, before he finally offered a cold greeting.

"Please come with me."

"Thanks for the hard work, Professor Shi En."

Casi acted as if he were completely oblivious to the man's foul mood, greeting him with overflowing enthusiasm.

"We'll only need a few hours at most."

A few hours? And at most?

Having been caught red-handed bad-mouthing someone behind their back, Lisa had initially felt a little embarrassed. However, seeing her superior's shameless display, and noticing that the newly ascended Demigod beside her also looked utterly unapologetic, her feelings of guilt instantly vanished into thin air.

Those who could become Demigods truly had their extraordinary qualities.

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