Eldritch Horror Theatre

Kasi's order to take a sample immediately drew widespread disgust.

Eerie as it was, the crystal-clear pool had originally held enough allure to invite closer inspection.

Unfortunately, after Fu Qian's description, even the most skeptical among them couldn't help but make the association.

The mood instantly soured, and almost everyone grimaced.

Faced with this scene, Kasi could only assign the task with a pointed look.

A moment later, Brother Ah Kai stepped forward with a look of utter resignation. Pulling out a metal flask, he cautiously dipped it toward the "water's" surface.

Nothing happened. The crystal pool seemed to have completely lost all activity.

The onlookers breathed a collective sigh of relief. Working with brisk efficiency, Brother Ah Kai filled a flask, pulled back, and carefully sealed it.

...

With the Tombkeepers leading the way, the group kept their eyes straight ahead and moved at a blistering pace.

By unspoken consensus, Ni Huayuan's plan to hunt down the killer had clearly been abandoned.

This left the man himself wrapped in a long silence.

"Mister Yun."

Unfortunately, it seemed the rest of the group wasn't too concerned about his feelings.

During their rapid march back to the city, Kasi's trusted aide, Brother Ah Kai, even took the initiative to approach Fu Qian for a chat.

"Do you truly believe that certain ancient Divine Entities might still answer a summons?"

He was clearly intrigued by Fu Qian's earlier commentary.

'Not only do I believe it, I've actually been the one they called out to.'

Fu Qian recalled the Red Moon, who had gone to agonizing lengths to track him down. He kept his tone tactful.

"It was merely a guess."

"Yet outside of a few fringe groups, almost no one seems to believe that anymore."

Ah Kai smiled.

"The modern concept of a Deity seems to represent more of a conceptual Rank—a pedestal everyone wants to step onto. There is a profound lack of reverence."

"I don't think I possess that reverence either."

Fu Qian gave him a look. 'Isn't it a little inappropriate to preach about reverence for Deities to a cultivator of the sword path?'

"So Teacher Akai really is interested in this topic."

It was Ji Liushuang who chimed in with a laugh from the side.

This fellow cultivator of the sword path completely lacked the self-awareness of an outsider.

"Mister Yun might not be entirely familiar with the background."

She turned to Fu Qian.

"The Benevolent Curse Institute, where Teacher Akai is from, could be considered the most erudite faction in the Academy. They truly turn 'knowledge' into power. Whether it's ancient secrets or arcane legends, they have amassed an incredible wealth of lore. They use that to research the 'beneficent curse' and recreate Miracles."

"Because of this, their recruitment standards are notoriously strict. I've always admired the Benevolent Curse Institute, but sadly, my aptitude just wasn't enough."

Even as she made the introduction, Ji Liushuang didn't forget to poke fun at herself.

'Is she trying to give me a hint?'

Seeing Ji Liushuang naturally inject herself into the conversation, Fu Qian mused inwardly.

Classmate Ji had hardly spoken a word the entire trip. For her to suddenly step in and introduce Ah Kai's background—was she worried he didn't know enough about the Benevolent Curse Institute?

It was a fair concern. Though he was technically a professor at the Academy, considering he had only held the post for a few days—and had spent all of them stirring up trouble—Fu Qian really didn't know much about this final branch of the institution.

All he knew so far was that they were the smallest faction in the Academy, their numbers completely dwarfed by the other three institutes.

The reason for their small size was exactly as Ji Liushuang had said: impossibly strict recruitment standards that demanded a Transcendent talent for Insight.

However, the definition of such a talent was overly broad, leading to a lot of overlap with the other three institutes.

At the same time, their fighting style was overly indirect.

A so-called Miracle was a form of power fundamentally different from the methods of the other three branches, functioning much more like the magic spells found in legends.

But instead of just waving a magic wand and zapping someone with lightning, the casting process was supposedly incredibly tedious.

Fu Qian hadn't had much of a concept for it before, but after observing them in action just now, he understood it intimately.

Whether they were treating Kamakura Shinji or Kamakura Ki, it had required a mountain of preparation alongside highly specific gestures and "incantations." It lacked the straightforward satisfaction of just slashing something with a sword. Most young people would probably shake their heads at the sight of it.

As a trade-off, however, the level of Transcendent power they could mobilize was astonishingly high. That much was obvious from how easily they had suppressed the injuries plaguing the Kamakura Family.

Hearing Ji Liushuang's explanation now, these Miracles were actually derived from various fields of "knowledge."

It seemed they even had to undergo constant trial and error to sift through oceans of information and locate the specific circuits that could truly yield Transcendent feedback.

From that perspective, recreating a Miracle functioned exactly like an authentic prayer ritual.

Which perfectly explained why Ah Kai was so fascinated by ancient Divine Entities.

But it was only a resemblance. Surely no ancient Divine Entity would tolerate believers with such convoluted faith; they would have struck them down with a lightning bolt long ago.

"The Benevolent Curse Institute barely has any incoming students these days. If Liushuang were willing to join us, every single tutor would be fighting for the chance to teach you!"

Ah Kai met Ji Liushuang's self-deprecating words with a smile and a long sigh.

"Too bad there's no way Dean Li would ever let you go."

"Actually, there's always been something I've been curious about when it comes to Miracles."

Amidst Ah Kai and Ji Liushuang's polite exchange, Fu Qian nodded.

"Since the power of a Miracle stems from knowledge—say, if I mastered the specific contents of an 'incantation' while perfectly replicating every material and gesture without a single mistake... under those conditions, could the effect of the Miracle be duplicated?"

"Of course, if that encroaches on confidential secrets, I completely understand."

"It's no problem. It's rare for anyone to show an interest in the beneficent curse, and this question isn't exactly a secret anyway."

Ah Kai didn't look troubled by Fu Qian's curiosity.

"The answer is very simple. Yes, it can."

"If you can perfectly replicate everything I do, you will achieve the exact same effect."

Ah Kai's tone was firm.

"Oh?"

Fu Qian looked visibly intrigued.

"Then I'm struggling to understand why the Benevolent Curse Institute's ranks are so thin. It certainly doesn't make cultivation sound difficult."

"I understand what Mister Yun means. This kind of synthesized 'knowledge' could undoubtedly be distributed very quickly. In theory, anyone from the Benevolent Curse Institute could master every single Miracle."

"But unfortunately, only the first person to discover a Miracle will receive the feedback necessary to elevate their Transcendent Rank."

"In other words, you are only rewarded for discovering the knowledge. Merely knowing it doesn't count. Though, of course, that doesn't stop you from utilizing the Miracles normally."

Ah Kai chuckled.

"Looked at that way, having a tiny headcount isn't a bad thing for us at all. It means less competition and an easier path to advancement."

"At the same time, we do share our knowledge with one another—but it's entirely voluntary. No one is ever forced, and we certainly never look down on anyone who recites incantations silently."

"Understandable."

Fu Qian nodded. Just thinking about it was enough to imagine the grueling effort required for this exploration. They had to be allowed a little patent protection, otherwise it would severely dampen their enthusiasm for scientific research.

'Wait, recite silently?'

The next moment, a realization clicked into place for Fu Qian.

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