Eldritch Horror Theatre

'To think it actually possesses such properties.'

'Senior Claudora really did leave something behind for Apocalypse after all!'

Seeing Rob honestly admit that the Mushroom Sword was his handiwork, Fu Qian inwardly praised the man.

This special Divine Flesh material was one of his main reasons for returning to the Academy, making it a natural focal point.

But even so, he never could have imagined its unparalleled inclusiveness would express itself in this particular form.

The flesh could merge with anything without triggering a rejection response. And while the mushrooms born from it possessed no divinity, they boasted a marvelous ability to mimic.

He completely understood what Professor Rob must have felt upon discovering this, which explained the sheer enthusiasm behind his subsequent series of actions.

After all, if it could even copy Transcendent properties, the implications would be staggering.

"Anyway, after thinking it over, I still felt the Sword Comprehension Institute was the most suitable target."

"Even though their path belongs to an entirely different category than ours, that's exactly why I felt it was worth a try."

"After all, following consecutive failures, I gave up hoping it could just replicate Transcendent properties at will."

"But some concepts in cultivation—especially sword intent, which is relatively unique and doesn't even have an obvious Rank attribute—are clearly in another category entirely."

"So I found an opportunity, managed to sneak into the Sword Pavilion, and secretly swapped one of them out..."

...

'Nice. Very creative!'

Giving a slight nod to Professor Rob's initiative, Fu Qian didn't bother asking questions like, "Why not just borrow one?"

Given Apocalypse's reputation and what Professor Rob was actually trying to do, simply asking would likely end with him getting hacked to pieces.

"Actually, I originally just wanted to replicate a single sword. But I really lack a solid grasp of these cultivation concepts, and since the opportunity was so rare, I decided to just leave it in there for a while to absorb more of the True Intent of the Sword Dao. So I brought the original out with me."

Rob thus explained his reasoning for the casual theft.

"And then you planned to swap it back later and find someone from the Sword Comprehension Institute to test it out? After all, no matter how strange it might be, you'd technically be giving them a gift, so the chances of them taking offense wouldn't be that high."

Fu Qian looked as though he was in complete agreement.

"In that light, it seems my actions just made a mess of things. How long were you originally planning to leave it in there?"

"Not at all! I'm truly grateful to you for this."

Professor Rob immediately waved his hands in denial.

"I know this thing very well. No matter how perfectly it mimics the exterior, it will always be slightly different from the original. Anyone Mid Tier or above would likely notice the discrepancy if they got close."

"Although the Sword Pavilion hasn't officially opened yet, we can't rule out the possibility of someone getting special permission to enter. And if they just walked past it, there'd be a high chance of the ruse being exposed... So I originally intended to leave it in there for a day at most before sneaking it back out. Right now, it's already far exceeded that time limit."

"Very thorough of you."

Cupping his chin, Fu Qian didn't hold back his praise.

Obviously, Professor Rob hadn't been blindly optimistic; he had clearly considered what would happen to him and his Laboratory if he was caught.

"Then why didn't you pull it out?"

"I couldn't find an opportunity..."

...

It had to be said, Professor Rob was remarkably candid.

"It took a massive amount of effort just to find that one opening to slip inside..."

Scratching his head helplessly, he openly admitted that his plan had spiraled out of control.

"I've been stressing over how to retrieve it for the past few days. If it weren't for you, I really would've been in trouble."

Having agonized over this for days, Rob was visibly grateful to Demigod Fu for noticing the problem and conveniently resolving it for him.

"I was terrified when I realized someone was touching it earlier. But when I noticed it was moving in this direction, and remembered that you had returned, I finally breathed a sigh of relief..."

"Actually, that's exactly what I'm curious about. How did you know it was being brought here?"

Since he sat in the position of interim spokesperson, he naturally had to bear the responsibilities of leading the faction—such as nipping potential problems in the bud.

Running his fingers over the blade once more, Fu Qian brushed off the gratitude and casually asked his question.

"It wasn't me, it was the Insect Swarm."

Seeing that Fu Qian genuinely didn't intend to reprimand him and was actually more interested in his research, Rob visibly perked up.

"I can't confirm the exact nature of their connection, but certain changes in the mushroom definitely trigger a reaction from the Insect Swarm... They aren't easy to bring out, though. Would you be interested in going to see for yourself?"

"Sure. Bring the original along, too."

Fu Qian readily accepted the proposal, casually handing the Mushroom Sword over.

"...All right."

Although he didn't quite understand, Rob dutifully wrapped up the sword he had gone through so much trouble to bring over.

...

'Truly fascinating.'

Returning to the Apocalypse Branch teaching building after so many days, the smells were just as rich and varied as he remembered.

And inside the experimental equipment—which looked far more complete than during his last visit—was exactly what Professor Rob had described: another snow-white mushroom was currently growing.

Meanwhile, having obtained Fu Qian's permission, Rob got to work tinkering with the Mushroom Sword.

In the blink of an eye, a bizarre, rhythmic pulse began to radiate from it, growing stronger by the second, even though the sword hadn't reverted to its original form.

And tracking with this change, the flying Insect Swarm on the other side grew agitated, only slowly settling down once Rob finally lowered the sword.

Not only that, Fu Qian could even swear he saw the gills on the new mushroom quivering.

It was as if a unified conceptual bond linked them all together.

"As it stands, this resonance only exists between them."

Noticing Professor Fu's intense observation, Rob enthusiastically continued his explanation, abandoning all thoughts of keeping his research findings a secret.

"When other people or objects approach, the reaction is minimal."

"Also, from what I've seen, these shape-shifting mushrooms are perhaps some of the most morphologically stable creations generated by Demigod Claudora's flesh..."

Waiting a moment after he finished speaking, Rob actually offered the sword back once again.

"If you're interested, you can take this to run a few tests. I have a new one growing right here anyway."

"But then that risky plan you hatched will have been broken off halfway."

Fu Qian shook his head, not reaching to take it.

"Keep it. Follow through with your original idea. At least from my perspective, it's still a perfectly logical experiment."

"Besides, I was already planning to apply for my own sample of the demigod flesh."

"...All right."

Not only had Demigod Fu resolved his dilemma, but he also showed utmost respect for his research plan. Faced with the Demigod's approval, Professor Rob's face filled with a mix of surprise and delight.

"And you can hang on to the real sword as well. Return it to Li Weixuan for me in a couple of days."

...Ah?

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