Eldritch Horror Theatre

Slogans weren't just for show. If he said he was second to none, then he was second to none.

First and foremost were the experimental conditions.

It was unclear what methods the people from Spirit Ash used to resist the withering, but a professional like him had plenty of power and methods at his disposal.

What Fu Qian had just done was very simple. As he followed her into the cave, he had casually activated the Decree of Return, transforming himself into the conceptual core of existence.

Although it lacked visual effects, this was an aura that could effectively mitigate even the Red Moon's corruption.

And its performance didn't disappoint in the slightest. The moment it activated, it blocked out all adverse effects and expanded to create something akin to a safe zone.

Simply put, Professor Lisa was now under his protection, right after demonstrating her courage and resolve.

Venturing forward despite knowing the dangers fully demonstrated her drive for knowledge.

Even with Death bearing down on her, she remained resolute, refusing to succumb to instinct.

Aside from the gains of their exploration, he believed this trial would hold its own value for the young woman's growth.

Being the person in charge was never that simple.

"What is this... I can't seem to feel any negative effects at all."

As expected, Professor Lisa took the initiative to share her impressions without any prompting.

"A little protective measure for our exploration. Courage and caution have never been contradictory."

Fu Qian didn't bother with pointless modesty and directly admitted he was responsible.

"When we move later, make sure not to stray too far."

"...Alright."

Naturally, Lisa had no objections to this.

Just half a minute ago, this scenario would have been completely unimaginable to her.

An operation she had initially assumed would exact a massive, perhaps even irreversible toll had suddenly turned into a stroll through a museum.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she felt incredibly light.

"This... does it consume a lot of energy?"

Even so, she hadn't forgotten that this was her own project. Subconsciously leaning a little closer to Fu Qian, she carefully asked for confirmation.

It was undoubtedly a reasonable deduction. With an effect so exaggerated it bordered on cheating—where simply standing nearby left absolutely no trace of the withering on her body—it was hard to imagine what kind of price was required to continuously maintain it.

Energy consumption...

Professor Lisa's concern made Fu Qian briefly, and uncharacteristically, ponder the question.

The answer was obvious—it was negligible.

Classifications weren't assigned lightly. Since it was called an aura, it naturally possessed its core advantages: zero consumption, infinite duration, and blessings for all.

Although it lacked the visual flair of the other two, the essence of the Decree of Return had always been pure.

Speaking of this characteristic, it was indeed close to the core of the Law he had encountered before. It certainly lived up to the reward description mentioning the Residue of the Law Patterns.

For a moment, Fu Qian naturally thought of his upcoming scientific expedition in West Plain City, as well as the tree with which he had quite a history.

"Don't worry, there's practically no consumption."

His internal musings, of course, never delayed his communication. At the same time, he shook his head generously, signaling for her not to worry.

...

Huh?

Out of habit, when Expert Fu told her to rest assured, Professor Lisa subconsciously cast him in the role of someone making selfless sacrifices without claiming credit.

However, her touched feelings didn't even last half a second before she connected the dots and straightened out her logic.

What if that was actually the truth...?

"Then why didn't you use it from the start?"

Blinking her eyes, which had now returned to normal, she asked softly.

"How could it serve as a training exercise then? It would only deprive the youth of their opportunities to grow."

Fu Qian shook his head as if it were a matter of course.

"Sooner or later, you all have to stand on your own. Cas and I can't protect you forever."

It's fine. Go ahead and deprive me of the opportunity. I don't mind.

Elder Fu's tone and demeanor were so perfectly normal that it was hard to harbor any doubts in the moment. But if that was actually the case...

Lisa naturally recalled the mental journey she had just gone through, especially her inner struggle when she nearly transformed.

Was this guy doing it on purpose?

"Although it's obvious you still have a final trump card left unplayed, I believe this trial holds its own value for you."

While Lisa roared inwardly, Fu Qian continued his solemn critique.

He definitely did it on purpose!

Of course she had a trump card. When returning from their last exploration, she had even proactively exposed herself in an attempt to turn the tables, stating that she could undo her restraints once she returned to the Laboratory.

Even now, as the guy in front of her spoke, he was looking right at her neck.

Could he actually be looking forward to seeing that?

Although her blood boiled the more she thought about it, Professor Lisa didn't take any drastic action beyond glaring fiercely at him. She didn't even voice an accusation—this was her own affair.

As a meticulous scientific researcher, she had never forgotten this fact.

By stepping up to support this operation and ensuring no one dared to jump out and stop it, he had already done his duty.

She hadn't sunk so low as to self-righteously demand that others go beyond their obligations.

That included the earlier decision to continue downward. In essence, he had merely offered a suggestion; she had made the choice herself after weighing the options.

After all, it was truly hard to resist the urge to take a look at the corpses mentioned in the description.

"Thank you for your hard work, Professor Fu."

Therefore, even though she spoke through slightly gritted teeth, she still chose to thank him.

"An effortless favor."

Of course, because Expert Fu's humility was so exceedingly understated, it still nearly made her lose her composure.

"So, from here on out, there might be corpses present?"

Fortunately, Fu Qian clearly didn't care about the young woman's inability to manage her expression, already switching to the next topic in an instant.

As they spoke, the two had already passed through the winding cave, now facing yet another new area.

...

Densely packed, like a honeycomb.

Compared to above, frankly speaking, this place was much more orderly.

Although it didn't look like a place for the living, it truly resembled stacked dwellings.

Considering they couldn't even see the end of it, a simple estimate based on the habitable population meant the probability of corpses being present was clearly much higher.

"Yes, but it's not certain."

Under the protection of the Decree of Return, Lisa could easily focus her attention on what lay before her, affirming Fu Qian's statement.

"According to the report, the state of those corpses is extremely fragile. They will dissipate if one isn't careful."

"Especially as we go deeper, the probability of those things outside wandering in seems to be higher. On one hand, they could cause damage; on the other, we might need to exercise appropriate caution."

As if to confirm Lisa's words, a faint, rustling noise came from behind a door not far from them a moment later.

Following the sound, what entered their line of sight was a shockingly dense cluster of long, thin bone claws, much like reeds, reaching out from the gap.

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