Eldritch Horror Theatre

So it really was untouchable?

This result wasn't entirely unexpected; in that moment, Fu Qian was once again satisfied with his earlier choice.

He had focused on the calculation process instead of checking the result first.

If he had done the reverse, he might have missed the biggest discovery of this trip.

This was a victory for the academic spirit.

As for why there was absolutely nothing at the fall point?

It was strange, but not entirely incomprehensible.

For example, it could be a manifestation of the unknowable—even if you calculated the answer, you could never verify whether it was correct.

As for why the very first one he entered had the effect of dropping SAN Values?

More than one phenomenon supported this theory. In those ruins, for instance, a pile of bizarre objects directly marked the fall point; the difficulty of finding it was on a completely different level than searching for it here.

Or, to the researchers in there, it was almost universally acknowledged that they had found the answer; the one who initially commissioned him to find the notebook was the exception.

No wonder it was called a historical fallacy. All sorts of inconceivable things were happening, and fundamentally incompatible opposites could exist side by side.

Speaking of which, he had already experienced three different versions of Etched Intellect in this place.

The connections between them were also becoming clear.

In the earliest one, the researchers found the answer but brought about their own destruction, with all survivors transforming into Brain Jellyfish.

The second one, where he met the receptionist, presented the anomaly's most normal operational state. There, he had played the role of a Shadow Cleaner.

This current one belonged to a state where everything seemed normal on the surface, yet terrible things had long since been set in motion.

On one hand, someone had found the answer.

On the other hand, the person who found that answer had been specifically locked up.

The mentality and even the physical state of the survivors—like the Person Behind the Door who had commissioned him to find the notebook—were very thought-provoking indeed.

...

When Fu Qian returned to the very top of the Tiered Lecture Hall, the final Blink of the jellyfish just happened to extinguish.

This bizarre yet sublime place subsequently sank into a darkness as deep as the waters of The Lake.

Of course, Fu Qian could still see clearly. Not only had the radiance of the jellyfish vanished, but they themselves had disappeared as well.

The intersecting patterns and the shining knowledge had all returned to their original state, leaving not a single trace behind.

Including Brother Thinker.

With a single glance, it was evident that he had followed in the footsteps of his predecessors; the part of him that belonged to the jellyfish had left no trace whatsoever.

So the price of forcibly approaching the answer was vanishing from the world right before his eyes?

If this was just a meaningless rule summarized within the Fallacy Spacetime, then what exactly did the fall point signify in the real Bookstore World?

It only made him even more curious.

Besides, he still hadn't found any traces of the Chief Judge. What exactly was His relationship with this place?

Click!

Fu Qian turned around, pulled the door shut, and retraced his steps along the path he had come from.

This trip had already yielded a rich harvest. It was time to go back and demand his reward for finding the notebook.

What was that? He hadn't actually found the notebook?

Worrying about a detail like that only showed an immature understanding of how work actually functioned.

First of all, it wasn't that he had failed to find it; he hadn't looked for it in the first place.

Secondly, who said you couldn't collect your reward just because the work wasn't finished?

Knock, knock, knock!

The road to collecting unpaid wages was always a short one. In the blink of an eye, Fu Qian had returned to the familiar door and unceremoniously raised his hand to knock.

...

"Did you find the notebook?"

Inside the Door, it was very quiet for a while. Ultimately, Fu Qian proved to be the more patient one, successfully waiting out a response.

"No."

Fu Qian answered with absolute self-assurance.

"...Did you really go in?"

As expected, the other party had begun to doubt his work ethic.

"Don't you know whether I went in or not?"

The commissioned worker's attitude was completely arrogant.

What a joke. They had discovered him almost instantly when he first arrived, yet now they couldn't keep track of his movements?

"I know you went in, but what you did inside is unclear..."

Sure enough, a response soon came from Inside the Door, implicitly admitting there were indeed cameras monitoring the workstations.

"There is a special mystical restriction there; it cannot be observed from the outside."

At the same time, they emphasized their objective limitations.

So the Tiered Lecture Hall was treated like a bathroom? They could monitor people going in and out, but installing cameras inside would be considered impolite?

Fu Qian didn't question this right away. Instead, he gave a slight nod, making the analogy based on his own understanding.

Of course, rhetorical devices were one thing. In truth, it wasn't strange that the place would receive this kind of special treatment.

On one hand, it was a highly confidential area, so academic plagiarism had to be prevented.

On the other hand, in case of any accidents, a barrier would also reduce the risk of pollution leaking out.

"It was nothing special. I walked around inside and even specifically found someone to ask, but unfortunately, no one seemed to know where your notebook was—did you really write one?"

While accepting their excuse, he completely turned the tables, directly questioning whether the other party was telling the truth.

"Could it be that you simply couldn't calculate anything at all, so you lied about losing the notebook?"

...

As expected, no matter where you were, academic integrity was a major issue.

"You really spoke to the person inside? How did he look?"

Faced with Fu Qian's reasonable accusation, the Person Behind the Door remained silent for even longer this time, taking quite a bit of effort to squeeze out another sentence, seemingly unwilling to believe his words.

"Not bad. He looked a lot more like he'd found the answer than you do."

Fu Qian simply told the truth, delivering a sharp, heart-piercing critique.

"You're speaking nonsense! It's completely impossible for him to pay attention to you regarding that kind of question."

Unable to stand being compared unfavorably, the Person Behind the Door's voice grew several pitches sharper in that moment, directly concluding that Fu Qian was lying.

It had to be said that the reasoning seemed logical. Furthermore, it was obvious they knew very well what was locked behind the door, and even what state it was in.

Following that logic, upon deeper reflection, their motive for sending him over there truly involved harboring malicious intent deserving of condemnation.

"That's simple. We mainly chatted about academic calculations and the like; the other matter was just incidental—you've been stalling on opening the door. Could it be that you want to welsh on my reward?"

Fu Qian laughed coldly, implying that the other party's thinking was simply too narrow.

"...Are you sure you want to come in?"

Seeing that they were hard-pressed to parry his words, the tone of the Person Behind the Door suddenly changed. They were no longer looking around and speaking of other things; instead, they sounded somewhat profoundly meaningful.

"Is there even a need to ask?"

It was perfectly justified and natural; Fu Qian's will was unshakeable.

"Heh... hehe..."

This time, laughter actually began to echo from behind the door, growing louder and louder as if they simply couldn't hold it back.

"Did you hear that? He wants to open the door."

Those subsequent words were clearly not spoken for Fu Qian to hear; instead, it sounded like they were chatting with someone else.

"Heh..."

"Haha..."

Then there really was a response, followed immediately by even more laughter, rising and falling in succession.

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