Eldritch Horror Theatre

Flattered.

Faced with Excellency Nepheli's high regard, Fu Qian shamelessly took it at face value, interpreting the gesture as a senior's recognition of his professional competence.

Though he possessed a mortal body, his knowledge and mind were unbound. It was entirely reasonable for her to look forward to his performance... very reasonable indeed.

And in all fairness, Excellency Nepheli's handling of the situation was quite adept.

Since she couldn't explain away the minor inconsistencies, she might as well create a massive one, justifying her actions from an entirely different angle.

It might have seemed like a drastic overreaction, but one had to remember that those minor doubts had already been snowballing into a major crisis. If she hadn't done something, she would have wound up on the receiving end of a collective beatdown.

The effect was undeniable. Looking at the hand pointing toward him, Fu Qian could sense the crowd's focus shifting. A second version of the story had just been established—

Nepheli was indeed interested in Wen Li's captive, but she wasn't on his side, nor did she have any intention of saving him. It was merely playful curiosity.

Her sole reason for stepping forward first was to see how the target would react to such torment.

"So you think this is just a coincidence? That the changes in him have nothing to do with the poison we've been afflicted with?"

Clearly grasping this point with ease, Wen Li casually summarized Nepheli's stance.

"Yes, and no."

However, the latter's lazy aura only grew thicker, her words dipping into paradox.

"In terms of subjective intent, yes. To me, it is pure coincidence.

"But at the same time, I feel this consistency might not lack a deeper cause. We just blindly stumbled our way into a rather fascinating result."

...So you're saying you deserve credit for this?

Even though she offered this immediate explanation, her audience didn't seem to buy it—especially after hearing Nepheli's final conclusion.

Not only had she washed her own hands completely clean, but she had also spun this suspicious anomaly into a serendipitous discovery. Her ability to dress up a funeral as a wedding was truly staggering.

"That sounds very reasonable."

To everyone's mild surprise, however, the historically strict Wen Li actually accepted this explanation after a brief moment of thought. Instead of questioning it, she swept her gaze over the crowd and smoothly pressed the issue.

"So, what do you think the cause of this coincidence might be?"

...

Just point out who you want to accuse and be done with it.

Aside from seeming a bit too lenient, there wasn't much to criticize about Wen Li's response—

Setting aside the question of innocence for now, since she was so intensely curious, she might as well share the results of her research.

Of course, that was only on the surface. In Fu Qian's eyes, her words were far more naked than they appeared: You say you're clean? Then point out someone who isn't.

Yes, that sweeping gaze proved that Nepheli's situation couldn't be smoothed over with a slapdash report.

The situation was deteriorating by the second. Wen Li clearly wasn't content to let everyone sit around paying lip service; she demanded tangible, incremental results, no matter what.

There was no room for prevarication. If Nepheli wanted to walk away from this, she had to bite out the next suspect. Failing to do so would only prove that she was still the one with the problem.

Perhaps it seemed a little too harsh at first glance, but to Fu Qian, it only proved that his earlier high praise had been dead on.

Even with her shallow jianghu experience, Eldest Miss Wen hadn't dropped the ball at the critical moment.

If one wanted to act as the person in charge during a crisis and direct a group's actions, it was acceptable not to see an immediate path to victory—but they absolutely could not stagnate.

Certain gears had to keep turning just to maintain structural stability. The moment they stopped, everything would fall apart.

Demanding that Nepheli name a new suspect was the next step forward.

Otherwise, this fragile consensus before them would be instantly swallowed by endless suspicion, making it near-impossible to organize everyone again.

"The causes for this coincidence... Well, there are quite a few possibilities."

It was obvious Nepheli had picked up on this as well.

With a smile, she mirrored Wen Li, letting her gaze sweep past everyone's faces one by one as she muttered to herself.

And practically everyone she looked at felt a faint twinge of discomfort.

"Fortunately, I think someone here might know."

Finally, her gaze locked onto a single face—Professor Lisa, the only person who had prepared food for everyone.

...

"And why exactly would I know?"

It felt somewhat like an undeserved disaster, but Lisa clearly understood that Nepheli had just assumed the role of a tainted witness.

As someone who always wore her loves and hates on her sleeve, she didn't show any indignant outrage at being wronged. She simply offered a cold smile, gesturing for the other woman to state her reasoning.

"Because it's strange. Even though I haven't seen this face before, I can't shake the feeling that you look somewhat familiar."

Nepheli didn't hide her thoughts, immediately sharing her own insight.

It was just that this insight... was a bit too casual.

"Why does looking familiar mean I'd know anything?"

For a moment, Lisa didn't even seem to know how to respond to that, furrowing her brow as she pressed the issue.

"Because I keep feeling that this sense of familiarity is very reliable—like you definitely have the answers."

Yet the other woman's response grew increasingly absurd. Even her gaze seemed unfocused, as if, in that moment, Nepheli was trying to trace out another Shadow over Lisa's body.

What an absolute honor...

It was obvious that Professor Lisa was ready to hit someone in that moment. Though she managed to suppress the urge, she couldn't even be bothered to ask any more questions.

"It's a pity, but she doesn't seem to know, and your reasoning doesn't appear very reliable, either."

With things progressing to this point, Wen Li finally stepped in at the right time to take control of the situation.

Her meaning was clear: Nepheli's answer lacked punch.

"That's normal, since I was joking."

Faced with this statement, Nepheli's explanation seemed even less serious.

"It has nothing to do with her appearance. It's just that, from the sounds of it, she arrived the earliest."

...

So we're sticking to the original verdict?

The word "joking" initially made it seem like Nepheli was about to accuse someone else.

In the end, she had simply swapped her reasoning, looking for all the world like she was dead set on picking a fight with Lisa. It left people at a loss for words.

The only comforting thought was that, while this reason was flimsy, it was at least a sliver more normal.

"I see. Because I arrived early, I had plenty of time to leisurely set things up."

For a moment, even Lisa nodded, offering a sliver of friendly agreement.

"But it seems she arrived early as well?"

It was Wen Li who gestured toward Classmate Liushuang, offering a different perspective.

"True... but she clearly follows the sword path. She shouldn't be very adept at poisoning."

"And what about her?"

Wen Li withheld comment, gesturing next toward Madam Number Seven.

"She doesn't have the capability."

As it turned out, Nepheli's critique this time was even more biting.

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