Eldritch Horror Theatre

She really had come and gone in a flash. Classmate Su Gao was maintaining her model-worker work ethic.

Hopefully, the Night Watcher higher-ups who hastily summoned her back would have some unique insight into her condition, performing as exceptionally as the Linghui Courtyard had this time.

"I was a bit surprised too, but Excellency Stoss was incredibly insistent. Before he left, he asked me to convey his gratitude once again—and to extend an invitation."

While Fu Qian silently marveled at Su Gao's intense workload, Yuan Fang, fully understanding his surprise, explained in more detail.

"Excellency Stoss hopes that whenever it is convenient, Professor Fu, you might visit the Night Watchers for a chat. On behalf of the Supreme Council, he welcomes you at any time."

Oh? A direct invitation to visit the power center of the world's most elite organization?

It seemed his shortcut to success through academia was working flawlessly.

The only problem was that, while Excellency Stoss might be entirely sincere, the probability of this being a banquet without good intentions was still quite high for Fu Qian.

The Old Man had actually extended the invitation in complete seriousness. Fu Qian silently clicked his tongue in admiration and quickly ran a mental political background check on himself.

He might have made a few minor contributions, but he had also shredded the Night Watchers' iron laws until they were worse off than torn linen.

"Thank you. I will definitely visit when I have the time."

Even so, how could he let such a generous invitation go to waste?

The path of officialdom was arduous; he had been mentally prepared for that the moment he set foot on it.

Not to mention, he might even have the honor of meeting His Excellency Needle Witch, whom he had long admired from afar.

Imagining that grand occasion, Fu Qian readily agreed.

...

"Additionally, Excellency Aike has remained here to handle matters related to the Globe-Pointing Incident. He may come to consult you later, Professor Fu."

Since Fu Qian had agreed so readily, Yuan Fang, acting as messenger, grew even more relaxed and continued to elaborate.

"No problem. I will still be at the Academy for the next couple of days."

He had to admit, the man was quite responsible.

Fu Qian was not surprised by this development. Besides, he didn't mind using this opportunity to gather a bit more information on Excellency Stomach. He agreed just as readily.

"Heh... Then I will express my thanks in advance. It's getting late, so the two of you should hurry and eat."

For an operations advisor so heavily relied upon by Excellency Stoss to be this supportive of their work naturally pleased Yuan Fang. He remarked that dealing with Professor Fu was truly a breeze.

He had clearly come this time simply to convey those two messages. Now that his task was complete, he dispensed with any pointless pleasantries and prepared to take his leave.

Wen Li, standing off to the side, was undoubtedly an astonishing talent worthy of attention, but Professor Fu's endorsement was more effective than anything else in the current situation. There was no need to rush things right now.

Not to mention, given the astonishing achievements this young woman had attained, she should have come over as a show of force on Linghui's behalf. Instead, they were throwing her a celebration banquet?

It seemed the pride and joy of the Linghui Courtyard would not be able to escape his demonic clutches either—Knock, knock!

A sudden knock on the door from behind abruptly interrupted his wandering thoughts.

Oh? This visitor certainly moved quietly...

"Come in."

Yuan Fang glanced at Fu Qian, only to find that the latter had already answered.

...

What a lively night. Sure enough, the Academy's academic atmosphere was finally heating up.

The door opened, and Fu Qian sized up the two entirely unsurprising visitors standing outside.

Excellency Weilong and Professor Ni Huayuan.

Though they were uninvited guests, they still maintained their bearing. Just like those two knocks on the door, they appeared completely poised—neither arrogant nor submissive.

However, as they stepped forward under the scrutinizing gazes of Li Weixuan and Yuan Fang, the visitors' expressions were inevitably a bit solemn.

"Have you two eaten dinner yet?"

Professor Fu completely ignored the tension, immediately greeting them with his deeply pragmatic pleasantries.

"...Not yet."

After greeting Yuan Fang and Li Weixuan, Weilong hesitated for a moment and actually gave a rather unexpected answer.

It really wasn't surprising. As established earlier, the people from Linghui had rather awkward, contrary temperaments.

Wen Li had come to visit him alone and had yet to return. There was a high probability that neither these two nor the other related mentors had much of an appetite right now.

Although admitting it slightly weakened their momentum, their nature obviously made them disdain lying about such trivial matters.

As for why they had allowed Wen Li to come over alone despite their obvious concerns, instead of accompanying her?

That was equally normal. They could show up to talk tough when the outcome was still undecided, but now that the victor was clear, how could these haughty individuals ever lower themselves to come over and gloat?

They weren't called awkward and contrary for nothing.

Furthermore, Wen Li had firmly demonstrated her own stance when refusing to be lured away earlier. If she now insisted on visiting alone, the people of the Linghui Courtyard would obviously find it hard to object.

"Then join us. We are having a small celebration for Wen Li."

A smile tugged at the corners of Fu Qian's mouth as he gestured in invitation, not hesitating to offer his praise.

"This young woman's talent is certainly outstanding, and Linghui's achievements are even more astonishing. Look, I even went out of my way to change my clothes for the occasion."

...

They had to admit, it really did look like a brand-new set of clothes...

Although their outstanding guest student had yet to return after so long, and the leaders of both the Academy and the Night Watchers were suddenly gathered here in a rather alarming scene, it still paled in comparison to the shock brought by Professor Fu's words.

He was actually openly acknowledging Linghui's deep foundations and graciously conceding defeat?

At that moment, Weilong and Ni Huayuan exchanged a glance, their expressions not softening in the slightest.

Even though the man truly looked as if he had bathed and changed his clothes for the occasion, their past experiences with him had nearly given them a stress response akin to persecution paranoia. They couldn't shake the feeling that a "but" or a similar twist was waiting for them at any moment.

"Then we will take our leave first. Take your time catching up."

However, what shocked them once more was that Li Weixuan merely let out a laugh and took the initiative to excuse himself.

He was just leaving?

Seeing that Professor Fu had absolutely no intention of asking them to stay, Weilong and Ni Huayuan watched Li Weixuan's group leave, entirely unable to find a reason to refuse the dinner invitation.

He was probably afraid of being asked to mediate, wasn't he?

In contrast to their confusion, Fu Qian completely understood Li Weixuan's decision to excuse himself.

Since there didn't seem to be any major hidden dangers, there would be plenty of opportunities to monitor the situation closely later on. There was no need to rush.

The two new arrivals clearly hadn't come for a dinner party. If they suddenly started crying foul over Professor Fu's overbearing actions, it would undoubtedly create a headache-inducing situation for Li Weixuan.

Although highly responsible, Li Weixuan had no intention of voluntarily wading into those muddy waters, so he simply chose to walk away.

It was truly gratifying that the Academy had a prospective Dean with such excellent leadership qualities.

Amidst his silent praise, Fu Qian naturally invited Weilong and Ni Huayuan to take their seats. The expressions on the two guests' faces were already so fake they looked pasted on.

"So, how exactly did you pull it off? I need to know all the details."

Fortunately, the awkwardness didn't last long. The next moment, Professor Fu's expression turned entirely serious. He gestured toward Wen Li, immediately zeroing in on Linghui's technical secrets.

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