Eldritch Horror Theatre

See, proper rest really was important. Balancing work and rest was the only way to get half the result for twice the effort!

Being scolded so suddenly and directly would inevitably leave anyone a little displeased.

Yet in that moment, his poise as a technical leader was on full display once again. Professor Fu's immediate reaction was actually one of profound gratification.

His Etched Intellect had flared up again. It was a terribly easy judgment to make.

Rather than believe the Academy harbored some mysterious Demigod Realm expert he didn't know—one capable of fooling his eyes to open the door right in front of him or even teleport inside—Fu Qian leaned toward the idea that this mysterious High Tier entity didn't actually exist in reality.

But in such an obviously distorted situation, how could he conclude that "rest really was important"?

Simple. First, a Demigod Realm entity had appeared. No matter how much of a genius Classmate Liushuang had been last time, their Rank was still firmly suppressed.

Even distortions had varying levels of intensity, after all.

Now, after a good night's sleep, the scale of the anomaly had clearly expanded. Did that not count as progress?

If he recalled correctly, Professor Lisa's place had just as long a history as his own Laboratory. That meant before it belonged to Cass, there was very likely an original owner—for instance, a casualty of that past exploration mission?

If that were true, wouldn't it mean he had achieved a major breakthrough in the time span he could reach?

Even more progress.

"Her. She's the one who let me in."

Of course, progress aside, the virtue to respect the aged and honor the wise could not be forgotten.

Facing the elderly demigod's interrogation, Fu Qian didn't even blink as he pointed directly at Lisa beside him.

...

Within the state of the Etched Intellect, other people would also react; they weren't merely background props.

The surroundings were extremely quiet in that moment, but it didn't delay Fu Qian's ongoing analysis in the slightest.

Watching Professor Lisa's expression shift from utter bewilderment to a rich array of colors, Fu Qian knew perfectly well that the party in question had received his accusation.

Wen Li's previous deduction had been spot on. All of this felt like it was happening in the gaps of time, freezing the people around him into a snapshot, completely detached from the real world.

"And who are you? How did you get in here?"

Though she was usually dissatisfied with the two demigods of Apocalypse, Lisa didn't drop the ball at all in this state.

Even though Professor Fu had instantly turned state's witness against her, she showed no intention of arguing with him. Instead, she turned her head to stare at the Old Lady and snapped back with an even harsher tone.

"I am the owner of this place, naturally..."

Seeming to sense that something was slightly off, the elderly demigod responded flatly while her gaze swept across the faces of Fu Qian's trio one by one. The mortal Lotte had already gone stiff as a board in that moment.

She admitted it just like that? Fantastic.

Naturally, Fu Qian didn't mind the impolite stare. He even smiled in response to this new harvest of information.

Had he really encountered one of the Academy's former elites? He had to admit, this Etched Intellect was finally starting to live up to the word "Intellect."

No matter how bizarre the form, how tricky the angle, or even how much danger it entailed, it had finally helped him glimpse something incredible.

One needed to look at the big picture; human intellect was bizarre and multifaceted to begin with.

"What are you doing?"

Just as Fu Qian was tallying his gains, the elderly demigod asked another question.

Following her gaze, he noticed she was staring at the pile of documents on the desk.

"Finding value in the failures of former instructors."

Her tone was still unkind, but in that moment, Fu Qian honestly couldn't have been more satisfied with her question. He answered truthfully right away.

...

"A mistake is a mistake. Constantly trying to spin them into something good is typical behavior for a fool!"

As it turned out, that instantly provoked a fierce reaction.

Seeming to have struck a nerve, the elderly demigod's gaze turned almost vicious as she delivered a cold, biting critique.

"Is that so? Can you guarantee that you're always right?"

But before Fu Qian could comment, Professor Lisa couldn't listen to this anymore.

She had been a little stunned earlier by the other party's claim of being the "owner of the laboratory," but right now, she found the word "fool" even more intolerable.

"Success might have an element of chance, but failure definitely has a cause. Generously sharing that to provide enlightenment to others—do you think that is something to be ashamed of?"

It had to be said that this was quite the contrast. Despite her previous criticisms of Cass's Preservation Chamber plan and Professor Fu's "the leader is always right" attitude, in this special situation, "Lisa" stood firmly in defense of the idea.

Facing her unyielding questioning, Fu Qian mentally noted that quite a few of those words were suspected plagiarism of his own speech.

"Quiet!"

Unfortunately, she was ultimately too young. Almost the instant her voice faded, Professor Lisa suffered an all-encompassing dimensional strike.

The elderly demigod didn't even cast an extra glance her way, merely delivering that cold reprimand.

And as she exhaled those words, the wrinkles on her face actually smoothed out slightly, while something formless expanded outward.

...

What was this? A Silence Technique?

Despite bearing the brunt of it, Fu Qian wasn't really affected, and it certainly didn't delay him from savoring the nuances of the situation.

The other party had undoubtedly activated something. To describe it specifically, it was as if the very concept of language was forcefully suppressed wherever the effect blanketed.

It wasn't quite at the level of total prohibition. For Professor Lisa and the others, it was probably akin to having their language centers paralyzed.

Not only that, but it also showed signs of spreading to other areas; he noticed their gazes turning vacant.

Lisa, who had clearly intended to say more, was soon left standing there dumbly.

"Is there truly nothing of value within mistakes? Nothing worth exploring at all?"

Confronted with this scene, Fu Qian was in no rush to help lift the seal. Instead, he argued strongly in defense of Professor Lisa's earlier persistence.

"You... how? Just who are you?"

The Old Lady, who had been full of imposing momentum a moment ago, was visibly startled by his voice.

"Just call me Fu Qian. So, is there really nothing? You seem to place quite a bit of importance on these things."

His smile undiminished, Fu Qian politely introduced himself and gestured toward the desk again.

"Never heard of you... nor am I interested. And I have absolutely no intention of telling you anything."

It was a pity that the Old Lady was too much of a seasoned veteran of the jianghu. She merely sneered as she sized up her surroundings, stubbornly impervious to persuasion.

"While I'm not entirely sure what the hell you're up to, it's still not the place of some beast to lecture me."

As her gaze swept over Lisa, her choice of words was exceedingly merciless.

"In fact, I think her mental state is somewhat worrying. You had better take her to get treated."

"Is that so?"

Fu Qian followed her gaze. Professor Lisa's charming face showed no reaction whatsoever; her brain seemed to have completely stopped functioning.

"Well, that is truly a pity—"

Yet before his words even faded, a giant claw had already torn the Old Lady's figure apart.

...

So characters within the Etched Intellect could also be killed, and doing so might bring about a premature end.

The "original owner of the laboratory" was wiped away without a single trace. Looking at Lisa's tightly knit brow in his line of sight, Fu Qian derived yet another test result.

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