Eldritch Horror Theatre

He continued to use Insight.

His mention of a magic trick naturally echoed their conversation from when he ate the Ear Stud.

And the cylinder's contents suffered the exact same fate as that Ear Stud.

Indeed, asking Professor Lisa to request the Claudora Flesh on his behalf had been preparation for the scientific expedition.

But that preparation was never about taking it into the Ash Sea.

As mentioned before, one shouldn't blindly worship equipment upgrades in academia, but having the equipment and not using it would be an even greater folly.

The Claudora Flesh was precious material forcibly retrieved from the site of that year's incident. There was absolutely no reason not to use Insight on it.

Not to mention that Eldest Miss Wen had just provided another interesting observational finding.

So Fu Qian's action was simple: a mouth grew from his palm once again, and he swallowed that chunk of Divine Flesh.

"Professor Fu... how are you feeling?"

Staring at the empty metal cylinder, Wen Li recovered from her brief shock. Her gaze moved up to Fu Qian's face. Showing no signs of discomfort, she merely called out to him softly.

"I feel fine."

Seeing the rather solemn look on Eldest Miss Wen's face, Fu Qian nodded to indicate she didn't need to worry.

It wasn't pure comfort. Tonight had already seen plum blossoms blooming twice, and what he had just swallowed was similarly far from pleasant.

But compared to the mushroom from earlier, at least he didn't show obvious symptoms of poisoning the moment Insight finished.

[Etched Intellect]

There was even text information.

[When you gaze at the world, the Reflection in your eyes begins to grow less reliable.]

...

So was this the difference between the original factory version and a reprocessed product?

Silently reviewing the information produced by Insight, Fu Qian couldn't help but marvel for a moment.

He had actually gained a skill, though its effects seemed somewhat hard to understand and might not even be positive.

Still, one had to look on the bright side. For instance, after the upgrade, the slots for Insight had indeed expanded, just as expected.

This ambiguously effective skill didn't require him to select an existing one to replace; it simply etched itself directly in. Moreover, it was clearly a passive skill.

As for its specific effects...

"Professor Fu, are you injured again?"

Following Fu Qian's reassurance, Wen Li had stayed silent for a moment.

But while he was silently savoring the changes, another familiar voice rang out from the side.

It was his research assistant, who had gone upstairs to rest earlier. She had returned and was now staring fixedly at her boss, her expression just as solemn.

The perception granted by a Lucent Sword Heart was no joke. Classmate Liushuang had once again noticed something off about Professor Fu.

"I feel fine."

Faced with his research assistant's concern, Fu Qian gave another slight nod and repeated his previous answer.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation, but Wen Li's expression earlier made me a bit worried."

Although Fu Qian's response wasn't very convincing, Classmate Liushuang ultimately didn't press the issue. She merely let out a soft sigh and explained why she had come back down.

It wasn't surprising. Anyone with a bit of attentiveness would easily notice Wen Li acting so obviously out of character.

Not to mention that Classmate Liushuang had already noticed his injuries back when they were with Professor Lisa.

"It's fine. Do you have any thoughts on the voice inside the flesh?"

Eavesdropping on someone else's report was certainly impolite, but as a Laboratory assistant, sitting in on a group meeting was perfectly justifiable.

Fu Qian waved off Classmate Liushuang's apology, completely unbothered, and even asked for her opinion on the subject.

...

"To be honest, I can barely grasp what's in there—neither the emotional shifts nor any other similar fluctuations."

While being valued by her boss was certainly gratifying, Ji Liushuang was an honest student. After a brief moment of thought, she shook her head.

"But if there really is some specific emotional projection, I quietly hope it doesn't belong to Professor Claudora..."

Her added comment clearly carried a heavy sense of sorrow.

"True. If it really is a struggling soul, it has suffered far too much."

It might have sounded a bit cold at first, but at that moment, Fu Qian also sighed.

Even if his previous series of analyses had been entirely wrong and that emotion truly belonged to Professor Claudora, such a rigid loop of suffering gave an undeniably dreadful impression.

For one's personal will to never completely die over decades, instead remaining sealed within this lump of tainted flesh, feeling oneself rot and even be sliced apart inch by inch... one only had to imagine it to understand the agony.

And to eventually be tortured into madness, leaving behind nothing but this bestial murmuring, seemed like a relatively optimistic guess at this point.

"It's truly hard for me to imagine... and I don't want to."

Hearing him agree, Ji Liushuang's face grew even more melancholic, filled with unbearable pity for that potential fate.

"If possible, I hope no one ever has to experience something like that... I'll be heading back."

Amid her lament, she couldn't help but look up at Fu Qian, her tone rather distinct.

Had she sensed something, yet didn't want to cause trouble by saying too many meaningless words?

Carrying this sort of feeling, seemingly reluctant to face her own heart, Ji Liushuang abruptly stood up in the next moment and actively ended the conversation.

"Very impressive... Liushuang has been a bit worried about your condition."

As Fu Qian watched his research assistant return upstairs, Wen Li, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke up.

She praised his brilliant magic trick while following Fu Qian's gaze with a soft sigh.

...

"You sensed it?"

From the way they addressed each other, it was clear that over the past few days, the two had become quite familiar.

Hearing Wen Li's words, Fu Qian glanced at her and asked casually.

"I wasn't actually trying to intentionally pry... though it really was through Liushuang's reaction that I realized something was wrong with you."

Wen Li's expression turned somewhat ashamed as she explained it hadn't been intentional. She admitted that even though she was already in the Demigod Realm, it was still Classmate Liushuang who had noticed Professor Fu's injuries first.

"A Lucent Sword Heart is indeed somewhat unreasonable. Sometimes I even need her help to confirm a situation."

Fu Qian's assessment was much more straightforward, stating that his research assistant's talent was truly astonishing and her future was limitless.

"Even though she hasn't slept yet, she should be studying hard..."

Wen Li seemed to misunderstand his remark about needing her help. She subconsciously looked toward the stairs again, signaling that it might be best not to disturb her.

"True. Let's hope this part-time job in the Laboratory hasn't affected her progress."

Chiming in, Fu Qian readily agreed with this assessment, his gaze falling upon the Chair where Classmate Liushuang had just been sitting.

So... was this what it meant by 'the Reflection in your eyes begins to grow less reliable'?

Was this skill really just an ultimate enhanced version of eating hallucinogenic mushrooms?

"What did I just say?"

The next moment, he suddenly asked a question.

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