Eldritch Horror Theatre

This was the curse of knowledge.

Classmate Liushuang, the willing volunteer, rarely showed such a lapse in composure.

Faced with the results she provided, Wen Li momentarily just turned to look at him.

Clearly, the situation Ji Liushuang reported was the exact "difference" she herself had just mentioned.

"Joy" had come alive?

Manipulating emotions had always been Wen Li's primary ability. The fact that her powers remained tied to it even after touching divinity could only be described as staying true to one's original aspiration.

In the past, however, whether she was inducing, amplifying, echoing, or simply unleashing a Beautiful Girl Kaleidoscope, the essence had always remained the manipulation of emotional intensity and type.

Saying it had "come alive," though, was an entirely different concept.

Classmate Liushuang's self-assessment that she was "relatively sensitive to mental influences" was by no means an empty boast.

But a mere peculiar ability was not enough to bring her the kind of shock she had just experienced—Ecstasy.

It was precisely because she had followed the academic lead in multiple important research projects that she had suffered this rare lapse in composure.

The core symptom of those Invitation Letter victims was that their "desires came alive," completely inverting the priority between Ecstasy and the self.

While the concept of emotion could not be directly equated with desire, the two shared far too many similarities, easily triggering such associations.

So much so that as Wen Li looked over, Ji Liushuang made the exact same movement, gazing at him while waiting for the leader's instructions.

Although the "Ecstasy" incident had not blown up too much in the end, the nature of what it involved was as vile as it could possibly be...

"Describe it in detail."

At this moment, the academic lead's demeanor shone through. Professor Fu casually gestured for both of them to sit, not forgetting to top up their tea as he spoke.

He was as calm as ever, and as curious as ever.

...

"Just as Ms. Wen said, it is a very unique feeling..."

The scientific research atmosphere was always vital. Professor Fu's reaction and dedication to the truth quickly calmed Ji Liushuang down. She focused her gaze, organizing her words.

"At first, a strong sense of joy appeared in my heart. It felt incredibly good, sweeping away all the gloom in my mind. However, it soon became more active...

"It was no longer just an emotion to be felt, but rather, it actively began to erode, devour, and occupy more... Throughout the entire process, I am certain my mind was clear, and I did not generate any bad impulses. In that regard, it does not seem to prove it is harmful."

Having quickly described the emotional value Wen Li had just provided, Ji Liushuang clearly held back when it came to her concerns about its connection to "Ecstasy," as that involved highly classified secrets.

"Very good... Is that so?"

Fu Qian nodded in praise. He did not rush to offer his opinion, but instead turned to Wen Li for confirmation.

"Yes. This is the biggest change I felt after digesting that thing."

The latter quickly agreed.

"It is a special, relatively independent ability. When influencing emotions, I can choose whether to append it or not, and it works on myself as well.

"I used myself to test it initially. As a result, it took quite a bit of time for me to roughly shake off that influence..."

Wen Li tapped her head. Evidently, she possessed a bit of that "use the good stuff on yourself first" demeanor, which fit perfectly with the current Laboratory culture.

"I can imagine."

Having dealt with Excellency Stomach so many times, and having been forcibly infected with the Seed of Ecstasy in the Realm of Bliss not too long ago, how could Fu Qian fail to imagine the hardship involved?

"And now?"

The next moment, Fu Qian snapped his fingers to attract their attention and activated the Decree of Return.

...

"The hidden danger seems to have been completely lifted..."

Sure enough, Wen Li saw results faster. Not knowing what Fu Qian was going to do, she had initially just stared at his snapping hand, but she soon couldn't hide her pleasant surprise.

As expected of Mr. Fu. Not even matters of the mind could stump him...

"...Me too. It seems to have lost its activity again. The emotion is beginning to decay normally."

A bit later than her, Ji Liushuang carefully considered the feeling before earnestly describing her own changes.

Not only was the aura still usable, its effects were not even diminished. This was quite good.

Having also obtained his test conclusion, Fu Qian was quite satisfied.

"Switch to another emotion."

The next moment, he signaled Wen Li to continue.

Preparing an initialization method in advance was naturally meant to avoid experimental risks; on the other hand, resetting to the initial state was the most basic operation before starting a new test.

"Alright..."

This time, the experimenter and the subject spoke in unison. Neither dared to disobey the will of the academic lead.

"Fear... It has come alive too, and it is even more intense... It is rapidly devouring other emotions. I can almost see its shape."

Soon, even though Classmate Liushuang tried her hardest to control it, the flicker in her eyes was still visible.

It had to be said, Eldest Miss Wen was quite considerate.

For the first experiment, she had chosen a positive emotion like "joy" to give the subject the best possible experience.

When asked to continue, she decisively switched to an emotion with a starker contrast to make the comparison clearer.

Was it to reach a conclusion more efficiently and reduce the number of times the volunteer was tortured?

Although it was all just a silent understanding, Fu Qian believed Classmate Liushuang would interpret it that way.

Moreover, the most comforting thing was the subsequent comparative result provided by the latter.

"It still feels fundamentally different... The distinction between different emotions is extremely obvious. I even... I almost feel like the thing that came alive this time is not the same 'it'..."

Even with a will as firm as Ji Liushuang's, a tremor had already crept into her voice.

"The process feels more like awakening some ancient essence, rather than planting a seed that constantly catalyzes... Although this activation is also uncontrollable and affects self-restraint..."

But eventually, under Wen Li's concerned gaze, she resolutely delivered her experiential report.

"I feel the same way."

At this point, Professor Fu finally offered his personal opinion and casually activated the Decree of Return.

Toward the end, Ji Liushuang no longer bothered to hide much regarding Ecstasy, even making direct comparisons.

Although he was entirely immune to Wen Li's new ability and thus unable to empathize, Fu Qian was still inclined to agree with Classmate Liushuang's judgment.

Having provided on-site guidance and written the report, his research assistant's understanding of the essence of Ecstasy probably ranked among the top in the entire Academy.

Coupled with the sharpness of her Lucent Sword Heart and her own caution, if Classmate Liushuang could draw such a definitive conclusion, then there was basically no need to doubt it.

However, being inconsistent did not mean they were unrelated.

The two concepts of emotion and desire were truly just a bit too similar.

If the pinnacle of Wen Li's Divine Path was not Excellency Stomach, with whom she had maintained a close connection all along, then what could it be?

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