Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Instructor Card?"

Fu Qian was puzzled by the middle-aged man's questioning.

So my identity this time isn't a student, but an instructor?

That's unexpected.

Not a bad thing, though. An instructor obviously has much more freedom to move around than a student.

"Let's head outside first."

Noticing the confused glances of several students, the middle-aged man realized their conversation was causing a disturbance and motioned for Fu Qian to follow him outside.

When they reached the entrance, the middle-aged man gave him a stern look and signaled for him to wait.

He took Fu Qian's card and swiped it on a nearby device.

Half a minute later, the middle-aged man stared at the displayed information, then looked Fu Qian up and down with a conflicted expression.

"That's me."

Looks like my name hasn't changed this time either.

From his position, Fu Qian could also see the screen. He confirmed that not only was his name listed, but the profile picture matched perfectly.

"You're... you're actually an instructor from Apocalypse... You're way too young!"

The middle-aged man muttered to himself, scarcely daring to believe his eyes.

The next moment, as if suddenly remembering something, an even deeper look of disgust crossed his face.

"I'm sorry, but even if you are an instructor from the Apocalypse Branch, trespassing in the Sword Pavilion violates the rules. I will be reporting this to the Academy to have you disciplined."

Gripping Fu Qian's Identity Card, the man spoke in a rigid tone.

What's with this sudden you-killed-my-father look?

Fu Qian couldn't quite understand the man's abrupt mood swing, but he immediately denied the accusation of trespassing.

"I didn't trespass. Think back—you were the one who invited me in."

That seems to be true...

The middle-aged man froze again as he recalled the scene from earlier.

He really had taken the initiative to let him in, completely forgetting to check his credentials.

Strictly speaking, this was a dereliction of his own duty.

But who could have expected an instructor from the Apocalypse Branch to be squatting at the entrance of the Sword Pavilion at a time like this, especially while wearing the uniform of the Sword Comprehension Institute?

Right, the clothes!

"Setting everything else aside, you chose to put those clothes on yourself, didn't you? Dare you claim you didn't have ulterior motives?"

"There's actually a reason for that."

Fu Qian smiled, spinning a lie right on the spot.

"Although I haven't studied the sword path much, the opening of the Sword Pavilion and the enlightenment of so many students is a grand event. As a researcher of transcendent power, I was quite interested, so I stayed to observe the changes in the students' auras before and after their visualization."

"I simply borrowed a set of clothes so I wouldn't appear too out of place."

Keep spouting your bullshit!

The middle-aged man stared at Fu Qian in disbelief. So you're claiming you were just here doing research?!

But even though it was obviously complete nonsense, he couldn't find a way to refute it on the spot.

"Wait, no."

Before the man could say anything, Fu Qian frowned, looking at him with suspicion.

"First you invited me inside... then you came to tell me I broke the rules..."

"Why do I feel like this is entrapment? You didn't do this on purpose, did you?"

Who do you think you are?!

You think I'd purposely let you into an Academy restricted area just to entrap you?

The middle-aged man almost spat a mouthful of blood right in Fu Qian's face.

This guy was utterly shameless, exactly like the rest of those lunatics in the Apocalypse Branch.

Given the situation, however, his heart was pounding, and he began to question whether he should keep arguing with Fu Qian.

The man was clearly a scoundrel, and if they really looked into it, he himself was also at fault.

Besides, the guy had only been inside for a few minutes; it wasn't a huge deal.

"Fu Qian!"

Seeing his words taking effect, Fu Qian was just preparing to apply a little more pressure when a tall figure approached from a distance, shouting his name before even reaching them.

"I couldn't find you at your place earlier, but I guessed you'd be here!"

The newcomer was a mature, gorgeous woman with brown hair and blue eyes, speaking to Fu Qian with complete familiarity.

Before she even finished speaking, she noticed the card in the middle-aged man's hand, then glanced at Fu Qian's outfit, unable to suppress a trace of surprise.

"You weren't trying to go inside, were you? This is a restricted area of the Sword Comprehension Institute. Don't cause too much trouble!"

"Professor Lanaya."

Seeing the newcomer, the middle-aged man's expression finally softened a bit, and he greeted her.

"Of course not. I was just chatting with this gentleman. He thought I was too young and didn't believe I was an instructor here."

"So, can I have my card back now?"

Fu Qian looked at the middle-aged man with a smile.

The latter froze for a moment, appearing to be caught in a fierce internal struggle.

After a long pause, he finally gave a stiff nod and handed Fu Qian's card back.

...

"I need you for something. Let's talk while we walk."

Though she was clearly a bit suspicious, the matter had been resolved peacefully. Lanaya didn't say anything more and simply turned to lead the way.

"What is it?"

Following behind Lanaya, Fu Qian asked while observing the surrounding architecture.

"There's an emergency mission."

Lanaya didn't look back at him as she quickly explained.

"Earlier today, the Yuan Consortium reached out to the Academy. One of their local secret warehouses was robbed. Items were stolen, personnel were killed, and they want the Academy's help to investigate."

"Shouldn't that be a matter for the Night Watchers?"

Fu Qian was slightly puzzled.

After going through so many missions, he had gained some understanding of this world's rules.

It could be summed up quite simply: for any incident related to transcendent power, blindly call the Night Watchers.

"Logically, yes. That's why I find it a bit strange, too."

Lanaya sighed.

"However, The Committee specifically called me over for this. They want the Disciplinary Department to handle it properly. Seeing as there's hardly anyone free right now, I have to trouble you to come with me."

While they spoke, Lanaya brought Fu Qian to a vehicle, and they drove swift as wind and lightning toward their destination.

On the way there, through some indirect questioning, Fu Qian managed to roughly figure out his current situation.

His identity this time was indeed an instructor affiliated with the Academy's Apocalypse Branch, and a fairly new one at that.

Although his strength was decent, his lack of seniority meant that, per the usual practice, he nominally held a part-time position in the Disciplinary Department.

As for Lanaya, she was an Academy instructor as well, but she was also one of the heads of the Disciplinary Department.

Given the urgency of the situation and the lack of available personnel, she had essentially drafted him on the spot. He supposed he could consider it an easy way to pad his KPI.

...

An hour later, the two arrived at the scene of the incident.

The area was already heavily cordoned off. Almost as soon as they stepped out of the vehicle, a group of people threw vigilant glances their way.

After Lanaya presented her credentials, they were finally allowed to enter the scene, where someone was already waiting for them.

It was a gaunt, middle-aged man with a square jaw and piercing eyes. He looked rather capable, though his expression was quite grim.

The man clearly recognized Lanaya. After greeting her, he sized Fu Qian up.

"And this is..."

"Fu Qian, also an Academy instructor."

Seeing that Lanaya didn't elaborate further, Fu Qian merely gave a slight nod, exuding an air of aloof authority.

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