Eldritch Horror Theatre

“Huh?”

The question was genuinely bizarre. For a moment, even with her talent for reading people, Wen Li couldn't help but freeze.

“You didn't say anything. I just saw you looking toward the stairs...”

Her pause only lasted a moment. She quickly recovered, answering earnestly despite not being entirely sure what was going on.

Just as he had expected.

Wen Li's answer, however, gave the situation an instantly terrifying twist.

She hadn't said anything at all...

Fu Qian sighed inwardly, realizing he had just gained a much deeper understanding of his harvest from this Insight.

He was right. Classmate Liushuang hadn't been standing there just now.

According to Wen Li, the entire conversation had taken practically zero time, and the words he thought he had spoken never actually left his mouth.

Just imagining the scenario made it rather astonishing. It was almost comparable to utilizing the Warehouse to deploy The World.

At a specific point in time, certain pieces of false information had quietly poured into his consciousness—a process unfolding more naturally than nature itself.

No time was consumed during the event, leaving the people around him completely oblivious to anything out of the ordinary.

Was this the so-called Etched Intellect?

When gazing at the world, the reflection in one's eyes became unreliable, and what one saw was no longer reality... That description was suddenly very vivid.

Most importantly, he couldn't forget that his target was a genuine higher entity—and a mechanically reset version at that.

To Fu Qian, even if Blazing Rainbow came in person, they might not necessarily possess such a capability.

If he were to specifically evaluate the sensation, it felt like neither a dream nor an illusion. The level of realism was incredibly high.

Take the Classmate Liushuang he had just seen, for example. Her Rank aura had been perfectly normal, and the response speed of his Vision Radar hadn't shown the slightest irregularity.

The same went for Wen Li beside him.

Although the real her stated that everything had happened in the blink of an eye, Wen Li's silent posture throughout the entire phantom conversation had been completely natural.

As for why he was relying so heavily on Wen Li's account instead of suspecting that her perception had been influenced?

Simple. Fu Qian already leaned toward the same conclusion, and for at least two reasons.

First, no matter how suppressed his Transcendent Perception was, it was impossible for Classmate Liushuang to just abruptly appear right beside him.

In truth, the moment he started interacting with his research assistant, Fu Qian had begun wondering what exactly was going on.

Being disturbed by the conversation downstairs and coming down to chime in—the reason she gave might have been reasonable, but it didn't excuse skipping the actual process of walking down the stairs.

The second point was even simpler. During the Laboratory equipment upgrade, Professor Chang Mo had at least provided him with a clock.

After his research assistant, Classmate Liushuang, relocated it once, it currently sat directly opposite the Candlestick.

When he realized that “Classmate Liushuang's” arrival was strange, Fu Qian had conveniently checked the time.

The facts proved that although the clock had been ticking normally throughout the entire interaction, the moment Classmate Liushuang left and Wen Li spoke, the time had snapped back to its starting point.

Academic workers needed to be logical, and they needed to know how to use tools.

...

The world seemed to be getting weirder and weirder.

Clearly realizing something was off, Wen Li didn't say another word after her answer, quietly waiting for Professor Fu's questions.

As he silently pondered, Fu Qian fully assessed the complexity of the issue.

At first glance, the situation was quite simple. Just like certain mental patients, his brain had short-circuited for a moment and automatically conjured up a sequence of fabricated events.

Once the short-circuit ended, reality was still reality, and no actual impact had been made.

It wasn't even hard to distinguish. If there wasn't a reliable person nearby to act as an Anchor Point, wearing a watch would suffice.

Whenever he encountered a crucial interaction, he just needed to remember to check the time before and after.

But these were just instantaneous countermeasures; they didn't diminish the astonishing nature of what lay beneath the surface.

It was worth noting that during the violent brawl after eating the mushrooms earlier, he had remained perfectly aware of his own circumstances.

But this time, the entire process had been so natural that even while immersed in it as the King of the Abandoned Prison, he couldn't detect any obvious flaws from a purely technical standpoint.

It didn't feel like a simple means of deception. Instead, it felt as though, for a brief moment, the world genuinely had operated in such an unstable manner.

In short, the state of the world seemed to be growing increasingly chaotic, and the harvest from this Insight was quite extraordinary.

“There really is no need to disturb her with trivial matters like this.”

It seemed he had picked up a fair bit of extra trouble, but Fu Qian just nodded, smoothly picking up where Wen Li had left off.

If there was a solution, how could it be called trouble? A result like this merely proved he had done the right thing.

Claudora truly lived up to her reputation as a highly respected senior of the Academy; she really had contributed far too much to the cause of academia.

However, that flesh and blood possessing divinity genuinely felt as if it contained the mysteries of the world.

What he could look forward to next was how this power would perform once he reached the Ash Sea.

Feeling no displeasure whatsoever, Fu Qian didn't tell Wen Li what he had just eaten either. He merely offered the youngsters a beaming, caring smile.

“Actually, the same goes for you. You're all in a crucial period of growth.”

...

“Understood. I'll go rest now.”

She could naturally tell he was holding things back, but Wen Li had no objections. She even offered a genuine, smiling goodnight.

During her time at the Academy, it wasn't hard to notice that most people didn't even know Professor Fu's true Rank. While this gave her a strong sense of being trusted, Wen Li was also deeply aware that the hidden dangers involved were beyond imagination.

The Demigod Realm might be an unattainable dream to many, but having seen so much of the world by his side, she had always kept her own position in strict perspective.

To sum it up: she would know whatever Mr. Fu wanted her to know, and there was no need to blindly pry into what he didn't.

As for why she was in such a good mood, it was mainly due to his incredibly domineering evaluation of the situation as “trivial matters.”

It seemed Professor Fu still had a firm grasp on the current situation, so there was no need to worry too much.

“Very good.”

Seeing Eldest Miss Wen leave so decisively, Fu Qian felt a sense of gratification.

Based on the current situation, her ability as a Sufferer likely tied into certain hidden secrets. Once the news spread, the attitude of the Night Watchers would be well worth referencing.

Relaxing a bit more right now was no bad thing. There probably wouldn't be many peaceful days ahead in the near future.

Of course, he didn't even have that peace right now.

Knock, knock!

Just as Wen Li headed upstairs with muffled footsteps, someone was already knocking on the door outside.

“Professor Fu.”

After Fu Qian offered a casual welcome, Rob—who had been busy searching for someone all day—immediately rushed in.

“We've organized a few tutors from the Benevolent Curse Institute and are currently analyzing the situation. Do you want to come take a look?”

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