Chapter 2976: The Seed of Ecstasy and the Condensation Nucleus

Things were definitely taking a turn for the worse. Who said fortune-telling wasn't accurate?

Beneath that true double-layered smile, Demigod Aike's reaction gave the distinct impression of a flesh-and-blood shell breaking down.

The shift from stern, domineering executive to revealing her true colors took only an instant, and she didn't even seem to realize it herself.

Not only was she involuntarily echoing the mask's laughter, but the highly infectious curve of her mouth looked like it existed on a completely different layer from the rest of her features.

Meanwhile, the churning bloodstains on the "Emissary" traced out a nearly identical expression.

Was she also intoxicated by pleasure?

Just like the Calamity that had erupted from Professor Ian earlier, she was being influenced by the surrounding elements.

Having utterly won this clash of fortune-tellers and proven she was indeed fated for a bloody disaster, Professor Fu paid no mind to the petty achievement.

It was practically undeniable that Excellency Aike was in a bad spot. To Fu Qian, this double-layered smile carried far deeper implications.

Placing the mask on Aike's face hadn't just been a spooky performance.

His core reason was the guess that the "Emissary's" appearance was closely tied to her.

Whether Aike actually had a problem could be tested with a Gospel Shockwave—a plan he had formulated long ago. But rather than using it directly on her, Fu Qian wanted to see if she would react if he used it on the mask.

That would confirm whether an invisible link existed between them.

To maximize the effect, he had slapped it directly onto her face.

...

From Ian to the "Emissary," what was the true essence of these things only he could see?

For Fu Qian, this was a question he couldn't ignore, as it concerned his SAN Value and inspiration.

These two special attributes had accompanied him right from the start of his career.

And over a long period of study, their miraculous properties only proved deeper the more he dug.

Now, this trip to the Birthday Party seemed intimately tied to his own ascension ritual to become a God.

Perhaps because of his prior gains from Ian, he already had a faint idea of what to do next.

For instance, while resisting the tearing force, he could continually wipe out similar entities along the way and gather his inspiration to the threshold.

Even if it drained a bit more SAN Value, considering he still had 115 points, it was worth a shot while he lacked other leads. However, beyond this simple conjecture, an academic worker would naturally ask another question: why did killing those things result in a plus one and a minus one?

Whether it was Ian or the "Emissary," what was the true essence of this corruption being torn from his own body?

It might not stop him from making the same choice in the end, but as everyone knew, a Hongmen Banquet was fraught with hidden dangers. There was no harm in getting things straight.

And now, things seemed a bit clearer—the appearance of these things relied heavily on external triggers.

In Ian's case, it was easy to see: the trigger lay with Lily.

It wasn't about some grand romance; one shouldn't forget that the former's acquisition of divinity was heavily tied to the latter.

The reason the "Emissary" had appeared just now was because Aike had been left with a hidden affliction during the battle to slay the God—she harbored a latent Seed of Ecstasy.

In short, he was currently a bit like a supersaturated solution mixed with various components.

Under the scouring and tearing, he might barely remain intact, but as soon as he encountered the right condensation nucleus, crystals would rapidly precipitate.

It wasn't a rigorous hypothesis, but building on it, he could pose a further question: why was he the only one turning into a supersaturated solution?

Judging from the reactions of Stoss and the others, not only were they not suffering from similar troubles, they clearly had no concept of them at all.

Because he was an outsider? That was certainly an easy answer.

But the same issue remained: despite his wildly exaggerated performance, Stoss and the rest seemed genuinely clueless.

Even Excellency Half-Art didn't seem to know anything.

That was a bit contradictory.

It was highly probable that the Night Watchers knew about the administrator's existence. The administrator was an outsider with a special status, and it was hard to believe this would be an absolute secret to them.

Even if there was a minuscule chance they didn't know about outsiders, had no other administrator ever visited the Birthday Party before him?

Judging by Needle Witch Kelin lying in wait over at Wen Li's side, the Night Watchers clearly had specific targets in mind, so that probability didn't seem very high either.

And if one had visited before, the Night Watchers should have at least some idea of what an administrator might encounter. They shouldn't be as clueless as they were now.

To sum up, the probability that the appearance of Ian and the others was related to his status as an outsider was likely quite low.

With that ruled out, another possible option became glaringly obvious—it was because of the False God.

Yes, this was his own ascension ritual, so the reason wasn't all that complicated. It was simply because he was already at Tier 2.

The False God, the King of the Abandoned Prison, walking through the Birthday Party was bound to encounter scenes like this. The Night Watchers' lair truly was a wonderful place, well-deserving of its reputation.

...

"Thank you very much, though I don't know how you managed it."

Unfortunately, Excellency Stoss's reaction was so fast that he left no further opportunities for testing.

While Professor Fu had blasted out a Gospel Shockwave and quietly secured some theoretical gains, the old man was clearly extremely sensitive to the aura of pleasure.

The next moment, he approached with lightning speed and offered his solemn thanks.

"I..."

As the person in question, Aike reacted as though she had suddenly lost the ground beneath her feet.

That peculiar smile at the corners of her mouth had vanished without a trace, yet her dry throat simply couldn't force out another word.

It seemed that even among the Night Watchers, the Seed of Ecstasy was not an easy thing to deal with.

"I must inform the Council of this situation," Stoss said.

His eyes were complex. It was obvious that while Professor Fu might be highly efficient, the result he produced was not what they wanted to see.

There was nothing wrong with his decision. Given what was basically a confirmed diagnosis, covering it up wouldn't be a good choice, even for Aike herself.

"Understood... Does Professor Fu have a solution?"

Aike clearly understood this as well, but as she murmured her agreement, she couldn't help casting a glance at Fu Qian.

The bleaker the situation, the easier it was to turn to a master for help. Such behavior was entirely normal, and Fu Qian understood it completely.

"Hard to say. I'll need to try something first," he replied.

But the reason everyone harbored this reliance on the occult was precisely because, no matter how bleak things looked, the occult would always offer a sliver of hope.

Deep in thought, Fu Qian locked onto the "Emissary" and rapidly opened his Calamity Eyes—'Wait, what is this?'

As the terrifying Power of Calamity gathered, it posed a threat that would undoubtedly make even a Deity tremble.

However, right in the middle of carrying out this execution, Fu Qian realized he had unexpectedly been locked onto in return by a wave of malice.

Deity-level malice.