Chapter 2969: No Joy in Plus One

"Not a problem."

As the saying went, transcendents didn't sweat the small stuff.

Excellency Stoss's eagerness to press the advantage might have been a bit too obvious, but at that moment, Fu Qian didn't mind. He agreed without hesitation.

Even though he had called it a Hongmen Banquet, the original theme of this trip was supposed to be an academic exchange anyway.

Excellency Stoss's proposal sounded like he had encountered a difficult medical case and just so happened to need Fu Qian's professional opinion. It couldn't have been a more perfect fit.

And that was only on the surface, not to mention the goodwill hidden behind this plea for help.

The old man seemed very worried that Fu Qian would get into a conflict with Excellency Half-Art.

Yes, as far as Fu Qian could tell, there might actually be a tricky case, but the intent to find an excuse to move him elsewhere was equally strong.

Excellency Stoss had been busy, yet he had rushed over right after a meal. He had probably caught wind that Fu Qian's very first stop was to visit a patient.

In his imagination, was Excellency Half-Art really that hard to get along with?

Fu Qian reflected on their previous exchange and figured it could barely qualify as a pleasant conversation, couldn't it?

"Great, then we'll be going now."

Regardless, faced with Professor Fu's generosity, the relief on the old man's face was genuinely heartfelt. A moment later, he looked toward Excellency Half-Art, as if seeking permission.

"Thanks for your trouble."

Of course, it was hard to say whether such petty schemes could deceive an expert like him. Excellency Half-Art's expression was somewhat profound.

But in the end, he gave a slight nod, even expressing his gratitude for Professor Fu's willingness to join the consultation.

"Just a small favor. Besides, this is inherently a very enjoyable matter."

Professor Fu's response was somewhat cold, though he didn't forget to turn to the patient a moment later to offer an extra word of advice.

"Rest well. I'll be back for a follow-up."

...

With the hospital room suddenly so lively, Lily seemed somewhat out of her element.

She gently stroked the doll in her hands, opening her mouth but failing to make a sound.

"You think anyone buys this hypocrisy of yours? We've always been cut from the same cloth. Everything is just a matter of its use value."

Instead, it was her lover who spoke up for her. After a long silence, Ian seemed to have finally found an opening, twisting his somewhat deformed face into a mocking sneer.

"No amount of begging and tail-wagging will save you. The moment you entered the Night Watchers' sights, your final ending was already sealed."

Clearly, he had taken Professor Fu's medical advice as some kind of act to build a persona.

"Heh... nothing left to say?"

Amid a string of laughter, his emotions reached their peak.

"I'll be very happy to watch you die a gruesome death, and that will undoubtedly be your fate. Even if you kill me, it's useless—"

His voice came to an abrupt halt. Ian lowered his head, his gaze suddenly drawn to his own fingertips, as if dancing lightning were there—Sizzle!

To the sound effect playing in Fu Qian's head, dense, scalpel-sharp arcs of lightning spread out from there, instantly dicing his body into fingernail-sized fragments.

The suffocating power of destruction didn't even give the fragments a chance to hit the ground before turning them entirely to ash.

And the way the ashes rolled and dissipated—even without him wearing the Mask of the Destined God at this moment—still reminded Fu Qian of the black river he had seen earlier.

Interesting. Had even the form of Calamity become special?

In theory, this was a scene only Fu Qian could see, and at that moment, he found the sight before him quite interesting. It was simple—he had just locked onto and detonated the Calamity Eyes on Professor Ian.

Moreover, it had nothing to do with the man's provocations; it was a testing step he had decided on long ago.

Studying Professor Ian's form of existence would obviously be very helpful in figuring out his own current situation.

If nothing else, that special sense of disgust was already worth delving into.

The facts proved it really was quite interesting. The power of Calamity, which normally had a high probability of manifesting as frenzied flames, had actually been replaced this time by much more dazzling electric currents. It forced one to ponder the deeper meaning behind it—

[SAN Value -1, Inspiration +1]

There was even something more shocking. The very moment Professor Ian completely lost all trace of existence, a special voice actually rang out in his ears.

...

Such a thing was possible? An ebb and flow?

In theory, he had heard both of these prompts more than once, but this was the first time they had been put together like this.

And ever since completely transforming into the Mechanical King of the Abandoned Prison, he had finally heard the Inspiration attribute mentioned again.

While Fu Qian felt deeply gratified, the logic behind it was also hard to ignore. Considering all the assorted reasons for losing it in the past, having his SAN value drop by one again, regardless of the cause, wasn't actually too surprising.

He had even described it before: the Ian over there was formed from something akin to pieces torn from his own body, combined with this special place.

So it was completely logical that certain damage inflicted on Ian would reflect back onto himself.

But this 'Inspiration +1' challenged the imagination a bit too much.

An attribute that had theoretically bugged out on him had actually quietly reappeared?

Was this place, the Birthday Party, really that special?

The key was that it came right on the heels of the SAN value drop, forcing him to consider whether an "exchange" had occurred.

Because of his self-harming behavior, the lost SAN value had converted into another mental attribute.

Thinking about it closely, it wasn't even that outrageous. Wasn't the concept of asceticism in various religions somewhat similar?

Although it was rather a pity that it seemed to just be an empty promise.

Yes, his Inspiration had already reached 99 points a long time ago.

Theoretically speaking, adding one more would mean a qualitative leap, bringing it to unprecedented triple digits.

Even if the past points didn't count and everything was starting from scratch, this single point of Inspiration should still cause his Transcendent Perception to stir.

However, he had already tested it immediately. The items within his flesh and blood that required Transcendent Perception to activate still showed no reaction whatsoever.

The only change on the mental level was perhaps an extra sense of strange, wondrous pleasure.

A pleasure that appeared simultaneously with Brother Ian's fall, perfectly mirroring his earlier disgust.

"What did you do?"

Then, his careful savoring of the feeling was quickly interrupted.

He had clearly just finished giving his medical advice and even signaled to Excellency Stoss that they could leave; his actions throughout the whole process had been so easygoing and natural.

Yet just as the old man was preparing to lead the way, Excellency Half-Art, who had already given his permission, suddenly spoke emotionlessly, causing everyone's movements to freeze.

Although there was no inflection in that voice, as the unquestionable target of the interrogation, Fu Qian still felt a genuine sense of oppression.

The man hadn't transformed into his Mythical Form, and even his silver-gray suit remained impeccably fitted.

But the brilliance flowing over him at that moment made it seem as if a thunderstorm of pure destruction had descended right before his eyes, searing the mind.

"I killed the guy who was just talking to me."

The situation had suddenly grown tense, but Fu Qian remained honest. He nodded and shared this selflessly, while musing inwardly.

He seemed to know why the Calamity had erupted in that manner—and even when he had crossed paths with this new god standing before him.