When an evil deity's professional efficiency in achieving multiple benefits with one move met an academic leader's skill in utilizing volunteers, you had no idea how terrifying the result could be.
Aside from guiding the situation over at Linghui Courtyard, his other goal for this trip was to briefly verify his previous guess that a Miracle might exist here.
At the same time, aside from acting as a test volunteer, Su Gao also needed to provide some reverse consulting.
The reason he clung to this guess about a Miracle was quite simple.
He could now be almost certain that The Ark in the Underground was connected to the Origin Council. For instance, it was very likely the birthplace of at least three of their "experts."
Even the former director of the Benevolent Curse Institute, current Tier 2 Transcendent Ms. Nepheli, had most likely manipulated things quite a bit from behind the scenes.
That brought up an unavoidable question. It was such a special place, such an important resource, and they even had the confidence to let the Prison Archangel hide inside it to evade a Meteor Execution. So why leave it here at the Academy?
Just to add a little extra thrill every time they went in and out?
As Fu Qian saw it, the only explanation was that they couldn't move it.
Even if it were, relocating it shouldn't have been much of a problem with the methods of more than one Tier 2 Transcendent.
Thus, the greatest possibility was that The Ark—whose state of existence was somewhat surreal—relied on a special object as an Anchor Point to remain here and be interacted with, such as a Miracle.
The unique aspect of this Miracle might even be that, regardless of who originally guided it, Nepheli had no way to reproduce it.
Otherwise, she could have simply guided it again somewhere else.
And what was the reason for that uniqueness?
Driven by this curiosity, Fu Qian had decided to run a few more tests before the new personnel arrived, which would also allow him to observe and compare their methods when the time came.
It was best not to delay. After all, given the "turbocharged" pressure he had applied earlier, their backup wouldn't take long to arrive.
For now, things seemed to be going rather smoothly.
Not only had he proven that an invisible Miracle likely existed here, but he had even confirmed that it could affect the state of the Mind World.
"Tell me about it."
Wrapping up his thoughts, Fu Qian gave the volunteer a gentle nod.
...
"It's actually a rather simple story."
Classmate Su Gao had clearly been organizing her words from the very beginning. Upon receiving his cue, she began to recount it softly.
"A Deity prophesied a storm that would destroy the world, predicting that all the lands would eventually be covered in floods and lightning. Unable to bear this, He entrusted a kind-hearted young man in a dream..."
"He told the man to build a massive wooden ship, put people and animals inside before the storm arrived, and store as much food as possible..."
That aunt's story is surprisingly proper this time.
Fu Qian listened attentively, commenting inwardly.
Furthermore, it was quite similar to the story of The Ark he had heard before, just with a slightly different form of disaster.
"And then?"
He looked at Su Gao and prompted her to continue. It was visibly difficult for her to recall.
This wasn't strange. Although he had helped her advance to the Demigod Realm, her mind had been severely shattered ever since she drank the Fool Tree Sap. Remembering anything at all was already an impressive feat.
"And then, if the storm ended one day and the floods receded, the great ship would take them to a place where trees sprouted their first green leaves anew, so they could start a new life..."
Her brow furrowed, Su Gao was undoubtedly trying her best to reconstruct the story.
"If... what if the storm didn't stop?"
However, her phrasing struck Fu Qian as a bit odd.
"If it didn't stop... and even brought about a true doomsday, the great ship would take them back to their homeland for a final docking before it shattered."
...
That aunt truly never disappointed.
Moreover, his earlier inward appraisal seemed to have been too conservative. Her story actually had multiple endings.
As Classmate Su Gao painstakingly finished her recollection, Fu Qian finally let out another long inward sigh.
Boarding the ship didn't guarantee your safety. After the storm, true doomsday might arrive, but no matter what, the ship would at least let you die in your hometown.
Was this supposed to be dark humor? Was it really okay to tell this to a child?
Of course, considering the various legends circulating in this world, who knew how many harbored ulterior motives? And that aunt was a habitual offender when it came to heavily altering stories.
Therefore, even a story like this could only be used as a cautious reference.
"Professor Fu, do you think that ship is connected to this story?"
Not wanting to interrupt Fu Qian's train of thought, Su Gao had waited a moment before finally voicing her question.
"I can't rule it out, because I've heard a saying before—that every Miracle is a story that actually happened."
Fu Qian nodded slightly.
"So the dock down below where the ship is anchored is maintained by a Miracle... and is even related to this story? This place is where the first leaf grew?"
Su Gao reacted quickly, almost subconsciously deducing along his line of thought.
"Hard to say, though the leaves here really do seem a bit special."
Fu Qian shook his head again. The image of the snow tree he had seen last time surfaced in his mind, and he casually mentioned its special property of turning white whenever snowflakes fell upon it.
This strange anecdote Classmate Liushuang had mentioned was unexpectedly fitting for the moment.
But it was merely fitting, nothing more.
"They are a bit special, but it still seems hard to say if there's a direct connection. The subsiding of the storm somewhat correlates, though, because the sea in the dream just now also grew quiet..."
Sure enough, after some thought, Su Gao came to a similar conclusion.
"Or perhaps... doomsday arrived?"
But the next moment, as if suddenly remembering something, she looked over in shock.
"But how is that possible? You just mentioned that Miracles have to actually happen. Could it be That Long Night that ended the Mythological Era?"
As bizarre as it sounded, she actually managed to find an explanation for it as she spoke.
"I can't rule it out."
Shaking his head for the third time, Fu Qian kept his assessment conservative.
A Miracle recreating the world-destroying disaster from a thousand years ago—it didn't sound like too much of a stretch.
However, on one hand, it was hard to say whether the doomsday ending in the story was just added by Su Gao's Mother herself. On the other hand—what if it wasn't that doomsday?
He didn't know the exact parameters this world used to define an apocalypse, but a fair number of people had survived That Long Night a thousand years ago, hadn't they?
If that didn't count... had another true doomsday occurred before?
"Let's head back first, just in case our guests arrive and can't find us."
Gazing at the still-empty Underground and seemingly feeling the excessive weight of history, Fu Qian didn't voice these wildly branching thoughts.
"Alright. Keep the theory about the Miracle a secret for now?"
Although they hadn't reached a definitive conclusion, Su Gao clearly felt the trip had been worthwhile, nodding to confirm.
"We can observe the backup personnel's methods first when the time comes."
"Okay."
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