Eldritch Horror Theatre

Surging undercurrents, indeed.

The conflict between South Taylor and Northern Jiang En had yet to resolve, yet a peerless secret art like the Mechanism Guiding Art had suddenly surfaced. Even Shangjing's alliance leader—bah, municipal officer—was getting restless, going so far as to send his daughter to sniff out information.

A simple outing had birthed so many unexpected complications. Even though he had stayed out of worldly affairs for years, Fu Qian still breathed a sigh over this autumn of many troubles.

"Chief Yuan."

The young Ms. "Gan Baobao" had already seized the opportunity to approach.

To his relief, she greeted Yuan Shan first.

It was no surprise that Gan Zuoxun had sent his daughter.

Yuan Shan clearly preferred some peace and quiet. But with both the open and hidden centers of attention gathered in one place, the atmosphere was bound to be a bit overwhelming.

The young woman still looked a little green, but she was clearly meticulous in carrying out her father's instructions.

Chief Yuan was right. It was a good night.

Fu Qian was perfectly happy to let them talk. While the two women chatted, he devoted himself to demolishing the food piled on his plate.

...

"Rare to see you so kindhearted. Jiang En definitely isn't having an easy time right now, and neither is the Chen Clan."

It wasn't necessary for any dramatic incidents to occur. The charity banquet eventually drew to a harmonious close.

On the drive back, Yuan Shan, acting as chauffeur, couldn't hide her surprise as she evaluated how Fu Qian had shifted the entire situation with just a few words.

"The Chen Clan hasn't recovered since the last incident. With your approval, their younger generation should at least find a bit more confidence."

Yuan Shan clearly understood the consequences of Fu Qian's somewhat heavy-handed demand.

It seemed like he was forcing them into a difficult position, but in reality, it was a stamp of approval.

If the Chen Clan had previously suffered from a lack of Demigod Realm experts for many years, their current withering talent pool was pushing the family to the brink of irrelevance.

Yet their cultivation secret art, which even their own members were losing faith in, had suddenly caught the interest of such a focal figure?

It didn't even have to be outright approval. Under that kind of attention, one could easily imagine the renewed fervor among the youths, terrified of missing out on a mountain of treasure.

Even their overall situation in Shangjing would become a lot more comfortable.

"That was compensation."

Fu Qian certainly wasn't bored enough to pretend his actions had been unintentional, or that he hadn't thought that far ahead.

On the contrary, he bluntly stated that this was only the first step. The benefits the Chen Clan reaped from his earlier words were merely a down payment for what they would soon provide.

"Don't mess around... although I have heard about your reputation over there."

True to her role as Shangjing's guardian of order, Chief Yuan immediately sniffed out the volatile implications. She looked him up and down, offering a cautious warning.

It wasn't surprising. His identity as Professor Fu of the Academy's Apocalypse Branch was practically public knowledge now. With so much happening over there recently, it was both easy and entirely justified for Yuan Shan to want to gather more information.

"Does Chief Yuan harbor some misunderstanding about those of us in scientific research? Volunteers receive compensation for their contributions, not as reparations for their losses."

Professor Fu, unwilling to let scientific researchers suffer such baseless slander, immediately spoke up in their defense.

"Even if the project's focus is improving their secret art to help them walk the path of the demigod more easily, the compensation won't be lacking."

...

"Understood. No wonder the Apocalypse Branch has been flourishing lately."

After a brief silence, Chief Yuan let out a long sigh, expressing that she had been thoroughly educated.

It was also clear from her words that the Academy's recent achievements were no longer contained to academic circles.

"So you genuinely believe the Chen Clan's family secret possesses mysteries even they aren't aware of?"

Although it sounded slightly sarcastic, Chief Yuan wasn't so stubborn as to think Fu Qian was just making up random excuses.

Just as she hadn't needed to overthink things at the banquet, as perhaps the one person in all of Shangjing who understood the man beside her best, she knew full well that Fu Qian had no need to posture over such matters.

So, a moment later, Yuan Shan's curiosity naturally followed that train of thought.

"I don't think so, but it makes for a good observation sample."

As expected, Fu Qian's candor continued. He harbored no blind optimism for the Chen Clan; his eyes shone only with the pure clarity of scientific research.

...

Although his actions tonight were just a casual pointer brought about by coincidence, the Chen Clan truly deserved the evaluation.

Cultivation, bloodlines, divinity... every single one of them was a focus for his next phase of research.

Especially after his cooperative investigation with the Witch, the concept of the Offspring had sparked endless thoughts and ideas.

And within this family, these elements had achieved an excellent integration.

To the point where there was no need to introduce overly intense variables. Today's words of encouragement were enough; he just needed to observe them moving forward.

He could even contrast them against a super-magnified control group—the Ji Clan.

Classmate Liushuang's family would always be one of the projects most worthy of study. Senior Ji Feng's legacy still hadn't been fully deciphered.

The final point was that the Chen Clan actually had a research report from long ago. If he got the chance, he could use it for comparison as well—

In Chen Xing's earliest False Demigod project, while Deng Feizhou was the direct executor, it wasn't impossible that Excellency Nepheli—who clearly excelled in this field—had also been involved.

"For the Chen Clan, it is already a fairly good trade."

The assessment was a bit ruthless, but after a soft sigh, Yuan Shan nodded anyway.

Aside from a small minority of lucky individuals, everyone walking the path of the Transcendent Tier deeply understood its hardships.

To seek even a sliver of an opportunity for advancement, paying a massive price to fight to become a research subject was entirely worth considering, let alone actually being paid in return.

"I'm getting a little curious about your research results myself. If I have time, I might just visit the Academy to admire them. When are you heading back?"

The principles and curiosity the consultant displayed seemed to make Yuan Shan look forward to seeing his research facility.

"Now."

Fu Qian clearly had no objections.

Industrious, as expected...

"Then I truly don't have the time. Do you need me to arrange transportation for you?"

To abandon business for academia in the blink of an eye—Fu Qian's efficiency left Yuan Shan slightly stunned.

She certainly didn't think he was joking. A moment later, she shook her head and sighed, having no intention of sharing in that hardship.

Still, a consultant's perks had to be maintained. Before they parted ways, she made sure to ask that extra question.

"Not this time."

However, Fu Qian, who was never one to stand on ceremony, uncharacteristically declined the trouble.

"Alright, suit yourself."

Chief Yuan seemed to be pushing her sense of relaxation to the limit today, not offering a single extra pleasantry.

...

Very nice.

Watching Yuan Shan's taillights fade into the distance, Fu Qian lowered his head and pulled a black eye from his pocket.

This deformed, dim creation was currently trembling bizarrely, as if resonating with another Eye of the Punished Consort far away.

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