Eldritch Horror Theatre

Li Weixuan's grandfather, Li He, was the core figure handling the aftermath of that year's incident?

It made sense, considering he had been the Academy's person in charge for so long.

As someone in a primarily administrative role, he might not have had the strength to lead an exploration team, but when disaster struck, taking point on the emergency response was his undeniable duty.

Listening to Cass's account, however, the aftermath of the entire incident seemed quite suspicious.

The reason for making Cass stay behind was justifiable; it could even be understood as a gesture of goodwill, keeping him out of danger.

After all, a group of elites had been completely wiped out. According to Cass's own admission, his talent and achievements back then couldn't even compare to Claudora's.

Given that even those in the Demigod Realm faced immense risks, leaving behind a core member of the younger generation like him to preserve a spark for the Academy was standard procedure.

But no matter how one looked at it, the way things were handled upon returning suggested a hidden agenda.

Heavy casualties, no conclusion, and the entire incident immediately sealed away—with a strict gag order on anything related.

For Li He to enforce such a policy of silence—just as he had convinced Cass—the difficulty would be staggering.

Yet, it appeared he had managed to do exactly that.

"So Li He retired right after that incident?"

Clicking his tongue in marvel, Fu Qian brought up the position of Academy Dean, which had remained vacant ever since.

"About a year later," Cass said. "The public explanation was that he had gained a sudden insight and touched upon an opportunity for advancement, thus needing to set aside worldly affairs and travel."

It was obvious that Cass shared his suspicions regarding the connection between the two events.

Though the excuse Old Man Li He gave was largely beyond reproach.

That was the advantage of cultivation; some things were impossible to quantify and entirely dependent on a person's own word.

No matter how prestigious the position of Academy Dean was, it couldn't compare to genuinely taking a step further to reach Tier 2.

"But it seems he failed to grasp that opportunity in the end?"

However, being hard to quantify didn't mean it couldn't be disproven. Recalling his experience in Ehm Palace, Fu Qian blinked.

While Old Man Li He's standard was indeed top-tier—and his oppressive aura was far stronger than the Demigod Realm expert he'd seen at the Sword Comprehension Institute—he was, at best, on par with Excellency Logan.

It was only after another Demigod Realm expert, Ji Ning, had tragically fallen victim to Fu Qian's own ruthless hands that the old man achieved a breakthrough and unleashed that heaven-shaking sword strike.

Even after giving up the position of Dean, his travels didn't seem to have yielded much.

"It seems so," Cass said. "Though I haven't seen Li He since then, his attitude when giving that excuse was noticeably perfunctory."

Cass didn't bother to hide his disdain for the claim of an opportunity for advancement.

"At least from my perspective, I couldn't sense any sign of him taking a step further. Even his mentality felt like that of someone who genuinely just wanted to retire and enjoy his twilight years."

...

He had indeed seemed quite leisurely.

If he remembered correctly, Li Weixuan had even mentioned his grandfather vacationing in the Southern Hemisphere.

Cass's evaluation easily brought to mind Fu Qian's first encounter with the Academy's faction.

Back when they were facing Senior Feng Yunhong—who had been trapped on the Other Shore, destined never to be mourned by the world—Li Weixuan had ruthlessly shattered the man's self-satisfaction by declaring that the Academy's fourth Dean was his very own grandfather.

Even during their last face-to-face encounter, though the old man's skills hadn't dulled, he indeed lacked a certain drive, appearing much more focused on enjoying life.

"For someone in the Demigod Realm, it was a bit early to be knowing the mandate of heaven..." Fu Qian noted. "Do you think his findings during the investigation of that incident led to this? And the Night Watchers just never looked into it?"

Sharing Cass's sentiment, Fu Qian actively brought up a faction that seemed unavoidable in this matter.

It was true that the Night Watchers seemed to respect academic freedom, and their primary focus had always been maintaining harmony between transcendents and ordinary people.

Still, completely ignoring an incident of this magnitude seemed entirely illogical.

That was a group of High-Tier Transcendents. Even if the Night Watchers fully respected their choices and refused to rescue those courting death, wouldn't they at least quarantine such a dangerous source?

"At least not officially, but there are many possible explanations," Cass replied. "For instance, the expedition might have involved some severe violations. Even if the Night Watchers assisted in the investigation, they wouldn't announce it to the public."

Cass shook his head, clearly having considered this point long ago.

"Makes sense," Fu Qian agreed. "Otherwise, unless the Night Watchers violated their own principles, the Academy would have faced severe disciplinary action... But that also means the Will of the Night Watchers played a part in covering up the incident."

Cass's implication was clear: the Night Watchers had almost certainly intervened, but certain matters didn't need to be made public. Fu Qian agreed with this assessment.

They had already established the logistical difficulties. Persuading Cass was one thing, but smoothly suppressing the entire incident without the Night Watchers' coordination would have been practically impossible.

Even if the Night Watchers hadn't said a word, their very silence would have acted as a form of support for Old Man Li He.

"So why did they do it? What could make the Night Watchers take such a cautious stance?"

Rapidly deducing the flow of the incident, Fu Qian finally posed the critical question.

"That's exactly what I want to know."

...

'Actually, I think I have a clue,' Fu Qian thought. 'Crystal Blessing.'

Seeing Cass's immediate agreement, Fu Qian sighed inwardly.

That special boon Claudora had mentioned—the one shared by the entire team—undeniably had something to do with their eventual annihilation, and perhaps even her current state.

Not one to withhold information unnecessarily, Fu Qian shared this specific detail with him.

"An 'Academy' with absolutely no records?" Cass murmured. "That actually aligns a bit with what I've learned—the Wise Dead, and the Inverted Lake within the sea."

Cass had listened intently. After a brief moment of thought, he nodded and revealed two peculiar names.

The phrasing was incredibly bizarre, almost like a grammar correction exercise.

The benefits of sincerity were evident; what Cass shared in return was undeniably highly classified information.

However, the moment Fu Qian heard it, an intense sense of awkwardness washed over him.

The modifiers and the nouns they accompanied seemed inherently contradictory.

'Dead' could still be explained away as someone who was wise when they were alive. But a lake in the sea? Would they have to find an island in the ocean first?

"That year's expedition was strictly confidential," Cass explained. "Since I didn't participate, this was some of the only information I managed to gather."

Fortunately, Cass didn't try to be unnecessarily cryptic and quickly elaborated.

"Specifically, they were searching for a certain place, using a special entity known as the 'Wise Dead' as a landmark... Unfortunately, it remains unclear what exactly made them so special.

"The only thing I can confirm with relative certainty is that the 'sea' mentioned refers to the Ash Sea."

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