Eldritch Horror Theatre

His trip to Shangjing was merely to settle a few simple matters; he had no intention of staying long.

And despite being the mastermind who had stirred the Academy into a chaotic mess, Fu Qian wasn't in a hurry to head back after settling his affairs.

The busier things got, the more crucial it was to keep his priorities straight.

While he might now qualify as a literal evil god descending upon the world, the disappearance of his Transcendent Perception could hardly be considered a normal phenomenon.

Even if he wasn't in a rush to fix it, he still needed to figure out the exact cause.

Furthermore, he needed to resume normal communication with the Witch as soon as possible.

Exploration of the Law and research into the moon's history were still waiting to be discussed.

And the greatest harvest of this trip was none other than the Witch's guidance.

She had remained astonishingly reliable. Not only had she cooperated in confirming his current state, but she had also forged a new path to offer him guidance.

He took a white box from his pocket, opened it, and looked at the Spine Lock inside.

In just a short time, it had grown much quieter than before.

Its blood-red hue had dimmed, the bone spurs along its edges had retracted somewhat, and its overall form had gone stiff.

And this was just a paper box, featuring a few metallic decorations at most.

Fu Qian had inspected it earlier; it was originally meant to hold a special kind of writing brush.

Despite its astonishing Rank, the item's autonomous foraging ability was clearly subpar. Once isolated from living creatures, it would easily stiffen up.

In that regard, carrying it around wouldn't be troublesome.

Next, he needed to find it something to eat—and it couldn't be his own flesh. Braving the Night Watchers Headquarters didn't seem pressing at the moment, but the Deity corpses in those "bubbles" were indeed a viable idea.

He might not be able to visit that particular Bone Burial Ground right now, but weren't there some corpses left exposed in the wilderness?

Given the current situation, finding that tree over in West Plain wouldn't be easy, but at a certain location the Academy had once used for an extracurricular activity, he had personally touched a despair-inducing barrier.

...

The Furnace, that place which permitted entry but forbade exit, where he had first met Brother Weixuan and Classmate Liushuang.

If one truly fell inside, they would also be subjected to an effect akin to an Antimeme.

The true origins of that place had always been something Fu Qian was curious about.

Unfortunately, even when casually chatting with Classmate Liushuang about their field trip experiences, he hadn't gleaned anything particularly useful.

The relative upside was that his imagination was free to run wild, such as with the example of Ambergris he had once brought up with her.

Although it was just a metaphor, and he had already eliminated the largest source of corruption within it, could that place truly be conceptually akin to a "whale" or a "whale fall"?

An invisible, ancient behemoth; Transcendent Tier remains possessing miraculous power—in fact, during that mission, he had seen a certain counter-clockwise rotating Four-Handed Emblem in more than one location.

And after his recent days of study, there was every reason to suspect it was a symbol of some higher power.

So, if his luck held, could that suspected motionless, traceless yet tangible Transcendent Tier creation be used as food?

Resources should never be wasted lightly. Something only he knew about was, without a doubt, a resource under his control.

Even before Excellency Serana's visit, Fu Qian had already made up his mind.

"I wonder if security will flag this kind of thing..."

Muttering to himself, Fu Qian casually tipped the contents of the box out and transferred them into a much lighter pocket-sized wrapper.

Once he confirmed there were no issues, he even double-checked his other pocket for the scientific research funding he had packed before the trip.

...

He had to admit, the convenience of Shangjing's transportation was a comfort every time.

With everything settled and the shop casually closed for business, Fu Qian soon embarked on his nostalgic journey.

Although certain methods of crossing space were restricted, the Pass sponsored by Chief Yuan was as effective as ever.

Before the sky had even grown dark, he had successfully boarded an aerial transport.

The destination for this trip was quite remote; getting there would have been somewhat troublesome if he hadn't departed from Shangjing.

In fact, because it was so remote, there wasn't even a "randomly select an unlucky bastard" phase this time, considering the seats weren't full—wait, there actually was one.

"Hello there."

Amidst a greeting that bordered on cloyingly sweet, Fu Qian sized up the young woman blocking his path.

Long straight hair, a red trench coat, and a radiant smile.

Though her face wasn't particularly outstanding, she made up for it with sheer confidence. While taking the initiative to greet him, she was unabashedly looking him up and down.

"You're sitting inside? What an honor."

Even as she spoke, she made absolutely no move to uncross her shapely legs. She even adjusted her posture slightly, seemingly hoping Fu Qian would squeeze his way past.

"Hello."

Despite being a walking evil god, Fu Qian never put on airs. Faced with the greeting, he immediately replied with a beaming smile.

"Take her away."

And in the very next second, he turned his head and issued the instruction.

...Huh?

It was obvious that the witnesses were all shocked.

"Sorry... we can't do that."

That included the two staff members who had escorted him on board.

Having witnessed the preceding exchange, they had never expected such a twist. One of them practically stammered out his response.

"Why not? Look, the person in question doesn't even object."

Fu Qian's tone was completely matter-of-fact as he gestured with his chin.

Hmm...

Prompted by this, the two finally seemed to realize something and couldn't help but follow his gaze.

It really was strange. Not only was she not arguing, her reaction wasn't even anger...

Anyone would find such an infuriating encounter hard to stomach. Yet, while the young passenger had paled in shock, her expression was a shattered, ashen white—exactly like someone caught doing something wicked.

"Sorry..."

Following another swift apology, the aisle ahead was genuinely cleared out, and Fu Qian smoothly made his way to his seat.

...

Hmph, your acting was passable, but it's a pity that while waiting earlier, this seat carefully read the safety management regulations and knows the standards for contraband like the back of my hand.

I don't know how you brought whatever is hidden inside your clothes on board, nor what unspeakable grievances you might have, but my scientific expedition will not be delayed.

This seat also has absolutely no interest in playing the hero and capturing a terrorist in mid-air.

Amidst the dead silence of the cabin, Fu Qian thought of two old acquaintances.

Even though he hadn't run into those frequent travelers—the Night Watcher Xiaozhi and her partner—his act of eliminating a hidden safety hazard could be considered a result of their influence, couldn't it?

Moreover, with this little interlude, even if the flight wouldn't be canceled with him sitting there, it would still be delayed to some extent.

It didn't matter, though. He wasn't going to arrive before midnight anyway.

A moment later, just as the journey commenced with surprising efficiency and barely any delay, Fu Qian casually removed his mask.

[Warning, Containment Breach]

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