Eldritch Horror Theatre

Master... Yuhun?

After some maneuvering, he had finally gleaned a potentially key piece of information from Old Man Stoss.

But relief aside, didn't the style of this title feel a bit too bizarre?

Fu Qian didn't think he was the only one who felt that way. Among the many listeners eavesdropping on this secret, more than a few were staring blankly.

"It sounds very strange, but that was indeed how he addressed himself."

Fortunately, Excellency Stoss was extremely considerate, explaining before anyone even had to ask.

"As for his real name, he claimed he had long since forgotten it, so I didn't press the matter."

Since when is a Night Watchers bigshot so accommodating?

To be honest, Old Man Stoss's explanation seemed somewhat out of step with his usual style.

However, Fu Qian was in no rush to question the old man's unusual leniency. Instead, he used this detail to deduce a possibility.

His reasoning was quite simple. He could excuse his own ignorance by saying he hadn't been in this world for long, but Aike and the others were all veteran transcendents.

If the transcendent realm truly harbored an expert with such a bizarre title, it was highly unlikely they would be completely ignorant of him.

"He was indeed not a transcendent, but in certain aspects, he was not ordinary either."

Stoss confirmed this guess in the next moment, though a trace of oddity flickered across his expression as he spoke.

Just as I thought. The Night Watchers likely wouldn't be so lenient toward a transcendent, but an ordinary person was a different story; the organization had always been quite accommodating in that regard.

With his guess confirmed, Fu Qian grew increasingly curious about what made this person extraordinary.

To be so highly praised by a Tier 2, the man clearly had to possess some exceptional qualities.

"It is no great secret. We can discuss it on the way. For now, everyone, check your conditions."

The old man hadn't forgotten the important matters, gesturing for the team members who had just returned from danger to first check for any hidden issues.

...

"Judging from the changes in my own body, the degree of distortion is roughly equivalent to ten hours outside."

Prompted by Stoss's reminder, more than one person finally remembered their actual business, hastily employing their respective methods to inspect themselves.

Meanwhile, Demigod Su delivered another piece of good news.

She had clearly drawn this conclusion through experiential comparison, and given her consistently reliable track record, it did an excellent job of steadying the team's morale.

"About the same here."

Since this assessment effectively saved him the effort of putting on an act, Fu Qian welcomed it completely, casually voicing his agreement.

Of course, because his constitution made him immune to distortion, he couldn't verify it the same way Su Gao did—but he had a simpler method.

The architecture of the Benevolent Curse Institute had been thoroughly ravaged. It was no longer a sealed structure; even from the Underground, one could catch a glimpse of the sky.

It was clearly still a ways off from midnight.

Furthermore, since everyone was only mildly affected, it seemed there was no need for him to make a fool of himself by deploying the Decree of Return.

"The situation is indeed not severe."

Soon enough, the old man—who held the highest Rank among the remaining three—reached the same conclusion.

"It's a very peculiar state. Even if we ignore it, we should be able to recover slowly. Let's head out first."

With a slight nod, the old man indicated that they could take their time dealing with it, taking the lead as he walked at the front.

"Alright."

Bolstered by Fu Qian and Su Gao's excellent credibility, Ah Kai and the others had already been quite relaxed during their self-inspections. Now, with the further certification of a Tier 2, they followed without a single complaint.

...

"It happened just after my advancement. To stabilize my state, I wandered outside for quite some time, and during that process, I encountered that Master Yuhun... Do you want to guess where?"

Under the deep night sky, the group ascended the steps as Excellency Stoss continued sharing his past.

His impromptu quiz clearly wasn't aimed just at Fu Qian, but at everyone.

"A Church of a niche faith? It sounds like a title related to religion, but it's still very weird. It shouldn't be mainstream, at least."

The first to respond was surprisingly Aike. The sudden lifting of the long-standing crisis had left her feeling quite relaxed.

In Fu Qian's view, her judgment was perfectly reasonable.

One could tell from the situation in the Sacred Night Capital that while the Night Watchers appeared non-interfering on the surface, they secretly maintained strict supervision over matters of faith. Considering their precautions against ancient deities, this was entirely understandable.

Under such circumstances, as a high-ranking member of the Night Watchers, Aike's familiarity with various faiths wouldn't be low.

But could there be any other possibilities?

Since the old man had posed the question in such a manner, the real answer was probably much more interesting.

"A philosophy class? A seminar?"

Seeing the harmonious atmosphere, Fu Qian joined the fun, offering a guess befitting his current identity.

He had heard plenty of these 'profound of the profound' titles in his own world. Out of respect, of course, he didn't outright guess 'motivational speaker.'

"You are actually very close."

To his surprise, the old man let out a soft sigh.

"At first, I heard about an interesting gathering where a mysterious master was teaching the true meaning of the mortal world. It attracted many people who were tireless in their faith. Out of curiosity, I decided to attend.

"To be honest, although the place was cramped, I hadn't seen that many people in a Church in a long time."

It actually was a Church... Furthermore, the contrast in numbers wasn't strange at all.

Listening to Stoss's account, Fu Qian quietly mused to himself.

It was a fact somewhat contrary to first intuition: in this world where extraordinary powers existed, the passion ordinary people held for religion wasn't even as high as it was where he grew up.

But thinking carefully, it made perfect sense.

As previously observed, although the Night Watchers forcibly maintained the social system so that ordinary people were spared direct devastation by transcendents, psychological impacts were ultimately unavoidable.

The 'God' in religion—originally a supreme entity to be prayed to—was now a state that one's own kind could theoretically reach... This natural demystification posed a massive psychological trial for anyone trying to convert.

Because of this, Fu Qian had long felt that compared to faith, ordinary people in this world actually needed psychological counseling more. They were a high-demand demographic for a true 'happiness course.'

And from the sounds of it, this Master Yuhun was actually playing a similar role.

"My luck was quite good. Not only did I really encounter the mysterious figure attending in a mask, but I even learned quite a bit.

"For instance, that transcendent power is nothing but a false temptation, and one must reject this fallacy, illuminating the mind and seeing one's true nature to become their true self, and so on..."

Excellency Stoss's reminiscence continued.

"While it was hard to empathize with the content, what was interesting was that after I finished listening, I tried tracking him and found that this mysterious figure was actually teaching at a nearby school under a fake identity.

"This discovery deeply intrigued me, so I found an opportunity to pay him a face-to-face visit."

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