Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Rest assured, I chatted with her before coming."

Casi's question was somewhat abrupt. Fu Qian sighed softly, looking completely understanding.

"Even though she seems incredibly lucky, Wen Li is clearly aware that all power comes with a price."

The situation couldn't be more obvious. Old Man Weilong had finally figured out the relationship between Wen Li and himself.

It wasn't surprising. He was a veteran demigod, after all, and the type who excelled at self-reflection.

He might have been a bit arrogant, but noticing the anomalies in the situation was only ever a matter of time.

Wen Li had indeed come at their invitation, but the whole affair was simply too coincidental.

A core reason for her successful promotion this time was that Master Yuhun's mental influence over Linghui's group ran too deep.

So much so that when the group was helping her seek a transcendent path—such as the title of Sufferer—they had leaned a bit on that person's wisdom.

Furthermore, if that were all, Wen Li's ordeal could simply be chalked up to a blessing in disguise.

The problem was that she wasn't the only one who received a blessing in disguise. The moment her cultivation was successfully completed, Linghui's own underlying issues were exposed.

And with the powerful assistance received shortly after, those hidden dangers were completely and successfully resolved.

Aside from not knowing the name Master Yuhun, Old Man Weilong saw the situation as exactly that version of events.

It just seemed that the Old Man wasn't entirely satisfied with the explanation of mere coincidence, going so far as to run a quiet background check on Wen Li.

It wouldn't have taken much effort for a Bookstore Owner who hadn't really concealed his identity to enter his sights, and even be matched up with a certain someone in the Academy.

Then, this person not only seemed to be stirring up trouble in both "blessing in disguise" incidents, but also shared a tacit understanding with Wen Li to hide the fact that they knew each other.

At this point, even the most obtuse person would undoubtedly start suspecting a conspiracy.

Although for Old Man Weilong, the conclusion of this conspiracy theory was that Linghui owed a massive favor—someone had noticed Linghui's hidden dangers and used this method to force them to the surface.

It wasn't Linghui helping Wen Li, but rather Wen Li helping Linghui.

...

Wen Li was just fishing bait.

She seemed like a favored, lucky individual, but in essence, she was entering the game as a piece, an act that required immense courage.

Under these circumstances, it could be said that not only had she not received a favor from Linghui's side, but it was actually the other way around.

For such a young person, what problem could there be in treating her as an honored guest?

As for whether this conspiracy theory was true or false?

Fu Qian felt it was half true and half false.

When Wen Li received the invitation, she had been eager to try. When she consulted him about it, he had indeed offered sincere advice and respected her personal wishes.

It was just that after actually arriving, Linghui began displaying more and more unusual behaviors, which gave rise to some suspicions.

Then came hiding their relationship, cranking up the pressure, and using relatively drastic measures to mobilize Linghui's subjective initiative...

After a series of maneuvers, Wen Li had indeed theoretically become the bait, although in the end, she had feasted to her heart's content as well.

Old Man Weilong had clearly figured this out and realized the true favor Linghui owed, which led to this formal visit to express his gratitude.

As for Casi, who had long known that Wen Li was one of their own, he had probably harbored similar doubts for a while. Thus, after accepting the thanks, he was now curious about Wen Li's exact situation.

Given Linghui's many years of collections, it was equivalent to directly opening their Warehouse to Apocalypse, so Old Man Weilong's gratitude was certainly substantial.

And having taken such a huge advantage, Apocalypse obviously needed to acknowledge the source of this windfall, such as by understanding the sacrifices Wen Li had made in the process.

"Not bad. She's already a very rare young person... Some things are too easily taken for granted."

Faced with Fu Qian's explanation, Casi nodded repeatedly, giving her a rather high evaluation.

"However, knowing there's danger is one thing. As for what exactly lies behind that danger, she still lacks a clear concept of it."

Fu Qian added a very honest remark, pointing out that while she had the awareness of being bait, she was still far too lacking when it came to controlling the event. Ultimately, she was still just a character being used by a "hidden hand."

This was the truth. Even though Wen Li had realized her own situation during the operation, she had decided to continue after some deliberation.

Due to the disparity in their power levels, she had essentially left her safety in his hands out of pure trust.

"Sounds like her future is limitless. After all, aren't we the same?"

Hearing Fu Qian's words, Casi laughed heartily, his appraisal of her rising even higher.

"In any case, thank you very much for the contributions both you and she have made. I'll take my time to consider if Apocalypse has anything suitable to gift Wen Li... As for you, just mention whatever you need."

"Is that so? Actually, there really is something."

Fu Qian blinked and brought up a request directly.

"Earlier, when sorting through the Preservation Chamber's materials, I saw that a mentor had tried crafting items to lure mermaids. Does the Academy have any finished products here?"

...

Preparing some maritime supplies before going out to sea—that was very reasonable, right?

He hadn't been spouting nonsense earlier. Fu Qian was genuinely interested in the mentors' whimsical ideas and had read through the materials very carefully.

And one of those items had evidently brought back memories of some eventful days, such as Captain Lane's poaching tools.

He might not necessarily use it, but he had quite a few acquaintances within that race, and they were indigenous creatures with a certain degree of intelligence. If the opportunity arose to interact with them and ask for directions, wouldn't that be nice?

"Just this? I'll arrange to have it sent over as soon as possible."

He did not disappoint. Although the improved versions mentioned in the medical file became gradually more outrageous later on, a small item like that was truly a simple matter for Apocalypse's collection. Casi agreed immediately.

"It seems I need to review things personally as well. I can't push all the work onto Lisa."

In fact, the very next moment, his interest seemed thoroughly piqued. He stated that he also wanted to read more of the young people's whimsical ideas.

This impulse was so strong that as he spoke, Casi finished his tea, said his goodbyes, and left in high spirits.

...

"Where's Professor Lisa?"

Almost immediately after Casi left, the door was pushed open once again.

Fu Qian glanced at Ji Liushuang as she walked in and casually asked about their colleague.

Of course, there was no such thing as a coincidence. Casi had made Lisa wait outside, obviously to intercept Classmate Liushuang upon her return.

"Dean Casi said he had something to discuss with her... I was worried there might be a lot of things to handle here, so I came back a bit early."

Just as expected, the research assistant said with a smile, even providing an extra explanation as to why she was back so early.

"There actually are."

Seeming to be suddenly reminded of something, Fu Qian looked thoughtful.

"Let's find a place for a department activity tonight."

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