Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Willpower also transforming into a Mythical Form—that is indeed an apt metaphor."

Gathering around the serpent to boil tea and chat cheerfully, the atmosphere in Professor Fu's laboratory at the Apocalypse Branch painted a picture of peaceful years, despite the gloomy weather outside.

This was true even though any random snippet of their actual conversation could easily terrify a listener.

In response to Fu Qian's remark, Cass pondered for a moment before agreeing it was highly apt.

"But I don't consider that a normal condition, even though it feels incredibly good in that state."

"Unlike certain cultivation paths, it doesn't even end in nihilism. It is simply a more perfect self."

Yet he immediately shook his head; his overall evaluation remained somewhat negative.

"That actually sounds quite nice. Why wouldn't it be a good thing?"

Cass's evaluation clearly contradicted his own description. Fu Qian refilled his teacup, signaling for him to explain.

It truly wasn't just him convincing himself. Cass revealed another secret, his tone certain.

Perfect, but unable to advance further?

Fu Qian clicked his tongue in amazement at that moment.

If his Eternal Lock hadn't still been sitting in the Warehouse, he would have suspected the dean had secretly taken it.

Furthermore, the man was truly ruthless. If most people encountered this kind of situation, they would typically treat "losing oneself" as a grave taboo.

Yet this man's focus seemed to remain solely on whether he had a chance to advance further.

"For example, right now?"

Blinking a moment later, Fu Qian asked a startling question.

"Heh... hehe..."

The air fell silent for a few seconds. Then, Cass began to chuckle, even shaking his head as he laughed.

"I could say I'm perfectly fine right now, but there's really no way for me to help you tell the difference."

...

Just as he thought. What did it matter if Professor Lisa listened in on something so fascinating?

It might involve a few secrets, but was there a shortage of secrets she had already overheard?

If Lisa ever defected like Nepheli and broadcasted the secrets she knew, the Academy's reputation would drop by several more percentage points.

Glancing at Lisa, Fu Qian once again confirmed the reason for her current predicament.

It was indistinguishable.

Earlier, when he had chatted with her about Cass's condition, he had brought up the main difficulty: it was already impossible to judge whether the dean's words were his own thoughts or a disguise masking an out-of-control consciousness.

Applied to the current situation, it was exactly this "perfect self" Cass had just mentioned.

It seemed the most troublesome scenario had indeed happened.

His physical Mythical Form had been dispelled, but what about the mental one?

Was it possible that even with Cass paying a personal visit, the difficulty he had mentioned to Lisa earlier still remained?

Had he truly eradicated the hidden danger to take another step forward, or had he finally failed to convince himself this time, compromising and accepting that perfection?

Could he have even persuaded himself in reverse, spouting these words to confuse his colleagues and snuff out any possibility of outside help?

It truly was indistinguishable.

Honestly, he had encountered quite a few psychiatric cases lately, but the dean's condition was truly an intractable affliction.

Even Cass's own description of his condition was extremely precise—an inability to self-prove.

He could say he was fine, and he could act like he was fine, but it was completely meaningless because it could all be a disguise.

"It doesn't actually matter. If you just keep up the disguise forever, there's no difference."

Fortunately, Professor Fu was highly optimistic and open-minded. Having no intention of stubbornly splitting hairs, he immediately declared that they should judge actions not intent.

As long as you could keep acting as the person in charge of Apocalypse like this, it didn't matter what your rich inner world was actually like.

"Haha... To be honest, before I attempted it, that's exactly what I thought."

He hadn't expected such a bystander's attitude to resonate so deeply with the leader.

Cass practically burst into laughter, remarking that great minds think alike.

...

A true pragmatist.

It was tossed out like a casual joke, yet its underlying meaning was profoundly sobering.

Every attempt to cure the hidden danger was a gamble, highly likely to trap him in "perfection" forever.

Yet Cass continued to make attempt after attempt, showing absolutely no intention of giving up.

As for the reason—

"The world is getting more and more chaotic these days... The Academy truly needs a Tier 2."

Fu Qian shook his head, lamenting that human hearts are no longer pure.

Striving to advance was the underlying nature of almost every transcendent, but to willingly brave such danger and insist on pulling chestnuts from the fire—the dean might very well just be continuing down the path he had walked years ago.

It had to be said that Cass's instinct for crises was quite sharp. Aside from the mess caused by the King of the Abandoned Prison, the world was indeed growing increasingly turbulent.

Therefore, even though the Academy had been flourishing recently, it probably still needed a sufficiently weighty Combat Power to hold down the fort.

"You really don't need to think of me as so self-sacrificing. Human motives are rarely ever pure. After all these years, I'm equally looking forward to the scenery that lies another step ahead."

Cass shook his head, having no desire to drape such a grand and righteous image over his shoulders.

"There's even another motive I've never told anyone else before—under those conditions, I should be able to somewhat handle the Ash Sea."

He really did still have an obsession with it.

Sighing inwardly, Fu Qian noted at that moment that this wasn't all that surprising.

As just established, the man was a pragmatist. Cass was clearly the type who couldn't care less about the restraints of rules.

The Repository Plan was proof enough of that.

He hadn't minded playing the oath-breaker at all, insisting on sharing the information regarding the Ash Sea with him.

He hadn't even tried to hide it, instead helping to draw as much fire as possible away from Fu Qian.

And listening to him now, it sounded exactly like he was preparing to handle certain matters personally.

"However, your own achievements are astonishing. I increasingly feel that you can handle this far better than I ever could."

Sure enough, Cass cast his gaze over in the next moment. His eyes were filled with the utmost approval, completely unbothered by the risk of looking like a coward who feared death.

Evidently, concepts like reputation weren't something he valued very highly either.

"I will do my best to make that a reality."

Coincidentally, Fu Qian also put on a live demonstration of what it meant to have no concept of humility, signaling for the dean to rest assured.

Besides, although it wasn't outright stated, he couldn't shake the feeling that Cass's words carried a hidden meaning. His confidence in Fu Qian might not just stem from his capabilities; he likely harbored suspicions about his Rank as well.

"Earlier today, I took a trip over to the beneficent curse side. It looks like you didn't just induce an effect on Professor Lisa; even certain Miracles they invoke seem to have been strengthened a bit."

Their mutual flattery ended there. Changing the subject, Fu Qian finally began trying to answer Cass's initial question—why exactly he had induced such a reaction.

"From what I understand, this area of the Academy might possess certain special conceptual attributes, and certain actions will trigger them. The simplest example is the Snow Tree Leaves, which only change color in this vicinity."

Moreover, he was equally frank about it.

"The core of that concept is a single name—Melia."

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