Eldritch Horror Theatre

Now that was just insulting.

She truly was unyielding without desires. The moment she showed her true colors and declared she didn't care whether she escaped or not, Excellency Nepheli's phrasing became far more uninhibited.

She casually offered brief—and incredibly sharp—evaluations of the three people originally inside the Dark Sanctuary.

Professor Lisa was suspicious simply because she had arrived first. The reasoning for Classmate Liushuang's low suspicion was delivered with some tact, but it essentially boiled down to her expertise not matching the situation.

As for Madam Number Seven, she hadn't been nearly as polite. Saying she "didn't have the capability" sounded suspiciously like an insult to her intelligence.

So much so that as the group weighed the credibility of these critiques, their eyes unanimously landed on this last subject, curious to see how she would react.

"Thank you for the... recognition."

It proved that while her mind might not be the sharpest, she did possess a certain broad-mindedness.

After a breath of silence, there was surprisingly little gnashing of teeth in Madam Number Seven's hoarse voice. Instead, she had actually thanked her.

Faced with this display of character, Fu Qian silently praised her.

Although the assessment was harsh, rationally speaking, it was actually a good thing.

It cleared her of suspicion for free. Unless she was as indifferent to her freedom as Nepheli, her chances of being ganged up on had just plummeted.

"Thank you for your answer."

And she wasn't the only one. After quietly watching the exchange, Wen Li actually expressed her solemn gratitude to Nepheli as well.

"So, do you have an explanation?"

In the very next moment, she turned to look at Lisa.

...

Sure enough, they were moving on to the next stage.

The transition was somewhat abrupt. After all, it was just Nepheli's one-sided claim, and her reasoning was practically a joke.

Yet Wen Li had truly let the former go, turning her focus onto Lisa instead.

This slightly unreasonable behavior made perfect sense to Fu Qian, aligning nicely with his earlier deductions.

No matter what, they needed to make progress for this fragile group dynamic to hold together.

Anyone who wasn't stupid could see the flimsiness of the logic, but this was no longer a pure debate of right and wrong. It was a calculation of gains and losses.

Since this framework still had a decent chance of producing a good outcome, what did it matter if they just decided to go with the flow and play along?

"It actually sounds reasonable. From that perspective, my suspicion really does seem a bit higher."

Even the seemingly innocent victim was shockingly cooperative.

Facing Wen Li's inquiry, Professor Lisa frowned and nodded, acknowledging that while Nepheli's reasoning was crude, there were no obvious flaws in its logic.

"What I'm more curious about is, if I have no way to prove my innocence, what do you plan to do?"

But right after this cooperation, a wave of resignation seemed to wash over her.

Lisa acted as if she didn't want to waste energy defending herself, skipping straight to the consequences.

It was a bit passive-aggressive, but Fu Qian still found it understandable.

This logic was only marginally better than a fabricated charge. While it wasn't a strong argument, there didn't seem to be any way to counter it either.

Just thinking about it, truly proving one's innocence was probably no easier than committing seppuku.

Oh?

As everyone knew, the moment a troublemaker appeared, the leader's abilities were put to the test.

The moment Professor Lisa spoke, more than one pair of eyes immediately shifted to Wen Li.

At this point, showing even the slightest hesitation or weakness would likely spell the beginning of the end for her authority.

Even mindless aggression wouldn't work. They weren't here to play along with her acting like a tyrant.

"I will ask you to identify another suspect."

It proved that Wen Li hadn't hesitated for a single second. She had clearly prepared her answer long ago.

...

A chain reaction?

Had he drawn his conclusion too early? Was her style actually a bit like a tyrant's?

Wen Li's words immediately sparked a strong reaction. Not only did Lisa frown in deep thought, but even Chief Yuan seemed unable to understand her approach.

"And then? I don't see the point... Ask that person to point out someone else?"

After an uncomfortable silence, it was the more outspoken Lisa who voiced her doubts.

"No need. Two people are enough."

Wen Li shook her head, proving that this was never going to be such a boring game.

"I have a little method that can verify which of you is the problem, or if both of you are innocent."

As she spoke, she raised the hand that wasn't bound to Fu Qian, revealing a thin webbing between her fingers and skin that looked like it was encrusted with diamonds.

...

Not bad. They hadn't followed the wrong person after all.

The visual was truly dazzling, especially to the women present.

And as everyone studied that thoroughly inhuman hand, Fu Qian noted that he had seen this sight before.

Mythical Form. It was a technique that Eldest Miss Wen, as a daughter of destiny, had mastered the moment she stepped into the High Tier.

Taking even a second glance at those rhinestone-like fine scales was highly likely to stir up one's emotions and desires.

Of course, from Fu Qian's perspective, that effect didn't seem to be present at the moment.

It was likely because Eldest Miss Wen had temporarily made some adjustments to suppress its aggressiveness.

But everyone present knew what they were looking at. They could clearly sense the power—and the determination—behind this low-profile display.

Her earlier words hadn't been idle talk. Not only had she figured out how to proceed, but she also had the means to back it up.

So much so that her seemingly unreasonable, brainless demand was instantly reframed as strategizing within the command tent.

Speaking of which, it seemed that everyone's strength on this trip had been somewhat balanced out.

For instance, Nepheli, who should have been much stronger, didn't seem to have an overwhelming advantage.

Even the gap between the Mid Tier and the High Tier was no longer impossibly wide.

So, what exactly was the nature of their current situation? A wet dream?

Fu Qian touched the fresh wound on his ribs, deciding that would be a bit too erotic...

As for Wen Li's little method, considering her past advancement ritual and the fact that there were exactly two people involved, it was undeniably easy to think of Emotional Ripples.

Back then, she had managed to target two demigods, causing Emotional Ripples to repeatedly surge.

Now that she had advanced to the High Tier and was forcefully drawing upon her Mythical Form, the effects were bound to be even more impressive. She really wasn't just making an empty show of strength.

"...But doesn't it seem like there are already two?"

Clearly shocked by Wen Li's move, Professor Lisa fell into a brief silence.

When she finally spoke again, however, she glanced toward Nepheli and raised an objection.

It wasn't an unreasonable point. She even seemed to have caught a loophole in Wen Li's phrasing.

Weren't two suspects already enough?

Why hadn't she done it just now, insisting instead on finding an extra one at this specific moment?

On this point alone, that supreme confidence seemed to show a slight flaw—

"Because I truly believe she isn't the problem."

Unfortunately for Lisa, this still didn't stump Wen Li. Her response was not only crisp, but it cut straight to the heart.

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