Eldritch Horror Theatre

"The Benevolence Society... I have to say, this alternate persona is truly brilliant. It makes doing things far too convenient."

A moment later, the laughter of the Two Giants of Apocalypse—a sound terrifying enough to stop a child from crying at night—subsided slightly. Professor Fu did not hold back in flattering his returning leader.

Indeed, given the scene before him, who else could have been responsible for the events over at the Night Watchers Base?

Sufficient and necessary conditions were not the same. Excellency Kelin could certainly accomplish that with ease, but that didn't mean one absolutely needed her level of power to pull it off.

Fu Qian firmly believed that the old man's skills in sneaking around and stealing were absolutely top-notch. At the same time, he likely harbored very little reverence for anything.

Of course, this didn't mean the claims involving the Benevolence Society were pure nonsense. His analyses had always been well-founded.

It was just that, due to a lack of further intelligence, he hadn't reached the most crucial conclusion—the Dean of the Academy's Apocalypse Branch was also a core member of the Benevolence Society.

It seemed to validate that old saying: idealistic groups often tended to infiltrate and fragment existing powerful organizations.

While it couldn't compare to the Night Watchers, the Academy was still a renowned establishment in its own right.

Sure enough, in the very next moment, Cas maintained his smile and directly admitted it, even agreeing that it made things convenient.

The Dean was truly a man of his word. He had previously promised to introduce him to an alternate persona used specifically for roaming the world, and he had arranged it the moment he returned.

For a moment, Fu Qian deeply felt how highly valued he was.

"Lily's situation looks quite good. She has already actively requested to see real scenery."

He then briefed Cas on the progress over at the Night Watchers' side prior to his departure.

"Is that so? That is indeed good news."

Cas clearly didn't have high expectations for this; it wasn't the primary objective of this operation.

"And my situation is also good. A special organization's shadow has gotten mixed into Ian's affair, making the probability of me being bothered even lower."

Fu Qian wasn't surprised, casually adding to his report.

...

Every action had a purpose. Just as idealistic organizations didn't act for fame or fortune, they could still have other demands.

When faced with this strange incident, back when he was conducting his well-founded analysis, Fu Qian had thought about it in reverse: who else could be a potential beneficiary? The answer was himself.

Even though he had seemingly been forced to run an errand, it wasn't entirely without its benefits.

No matter how the Ian incident was ultimately classified, his own overly dazzling performance would undoubtedly draw far more attention than what was written in the reports. Any related investigation could easily dredge up old matters.

Cas, who had constantly supported him, was clearly aware of this as well. Thus, aside from endorsing him at the hearing, granting him a Lifetime Professor title the very next day, and even giving him a laboratory, this man had evidently returned from his scientific expedition and conveniently done a little something else on the side.

The final result was a controversial organization meddling in the Invitation Letter incident at an unpredictable time and in an unpredictable manner, muddying the waters even further.

This was also why, when Excellency Aiko had asked, his own response had been equally ambiguous.

Even though he wasn't sure if it was related to the Dean at the time, having less trouble was always a good thing.

Furthermore, to say this didn't serve the purpose of expanding the Benevolence Society's influence and continuing to build up their persona... Fu Qian felt that wasn't entirely true.

Big shots were all about achieving several gains with a single action, after all.

From the perspective of such an organization, Lily was indeed a very suitable case to make a point with, not to mention that they had successfully provided some help in the end.

Therefore, while at the Night Watchers Base, Fu Qian had fully fulfilled his duties as a consultant, quickly hinting at an answer they likely would have figured out later anyway.

As the saying went, flower sedan chairs are carried by people. Out in the world, mutually flattering each other was a virtue.

"That's good. When I came back and found the atmosphere quite lively, I just casually joined in the fun."

Naturally able to hear that Fu Qian had also done some PR for the Benevolence Society, Cas smiled and explained the motive behind his actions.

At first glance, it sounded very perfunctory, but Fu Qian believed this was actually the closest thing to the real truth.

It was indeed high risk with low reward, but one couldn't forget the nature of that bunch from Apocalypse. Subordinates following the example of their superiors was perfectly normal.

At the same time, because of the poor cost-to-benefit ratio, it wasn't even easy to arouse suspicion.

Of course, this current exchange wasn't something to be shared with outsiders. If the Night Watchers found out, there would definitely be severe consequences to face.

On this point, Classmate Liushuang was very obedient. Seeing Cas visit in person, she directly gave up the space, letting the Dean of Apocalypse wait here alone.

Moreover, not only did she brew tea before leaving, she likely also dragged Wen Li out for a day trip around the Academy.

"Everyone is indeed very enthusiastic. Quite a few tutors in the Academy have reaped considerable gains recently. You might want to pay attention to their results, Dean."

Having sorted out his thoughts, Professor Fu didn't dwell on his own merits. The first thing he communicated was the progress on the projects, particularly praising Academy mainstays like Professor Lisa.

...

"You've worked hard. I'll go take a look a little later."

Cas was also quite gratified by this scene of thriving competition. Furthermore, though he didn't ask much, he had no doubts at all about the contributions Fu Qian had made.

"You've worked hard too, Dean. Did your scientific expedition go smoothly this time?"

Dismissing his own efforts as nothing but fleeting clouds, Fu Qian casually asked about his leader's harvest.

"Also very good."

Cas wasn't nearly as humble. He let out a strange chuckle and even patted his pocket.

Such a gesture undoubtedly didn't fit the image of an academic worker; it looked more like he had just returned from a robbery.

'I knew it. The Benevolence Society...'

'Gene's unlucky encounter is probably related to him too.'

'In fact, his core motive might not even have been carrying out justice on behalf of heaven.'

Fu Qian completely understood the action, sighing with emotion in his heart at that moment.

His statement about the Benevolence Society being a brilliant alternate persona was by no means insincere flattery.

Hadn't he seen how even the Night Watchers frowned when they heard about it?

One of the greatest advantages of idealism was that its label was so overwhelmingly distinct. As long as something was cloaked in it, it was easily concealed.

The Academy was indeed full of talent. The Dean of Apocalypse right in front of him probably had a part-time job robbing the rich to help the poor on the outside.

For example, seemingly taking advantage of the conflict between two major organizations to act as a vigilante, but actually snatching away certain precious Items and materials while he was at it...

Then, regardless of whether they were the victims or the beneficiaries, they would all just feel like they had been bitten by a lunatic. No one would care if there was a gold ring on that chunk of flesh.

It was simply a perfect alternate persona, directly materializing the term "going out to gather material."

And the moment he returned with a full harvest, the leader had risked stirring up trouble just to back him up. Inviting him to drink tea was truly the least Fu Qian could do.

"So Professor Lisa still doesn't know you're back?"

Speaking of this, Fu Qian seemed to recall something.

"Yeah, I haven't been to her place yet."

Cas sounded a bit puzzled as he listened.

"So, does Professor Lisa know she looks like Claudora?"

Fu Qian just nodded and continued asking in a very natural tone.

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