Chapter 32: How could this not be considered an improvement in the situation?

Mythic Magic—The Eye of Eibon.

The original name of the spell was Eibon’s Gaze, requiring an intricate preparation process and demanding conditions for release. It was modified by Lu Mingfei during an "ordination" ceremony in a moment of sudden inspiration, adapted to monitor new initiates of the cult.

Resorting to mythic magic was a last resort. Setting aside the mundane distractions of wealth and worldly affairs, if Lu Mingfei could not successfully align himself with the extraordinary forces of his homeland, his past life’s knowledge and methods would be insufficient to create any new variables before Nyarlathotep.

The eager attitude of Cassell College and the actions of his parents had all assured him that this 3E examination would be a mere formality. Yet, in the end, his bloodline refused to resonate with the "Dragon Text."

His mockery is always causeless, trampling human reason underfoot without logic. But without the support of reason and wisdom, how could weak humanity escape the fate anchored by Nyarlathotep?

Lu Mingfei sighed and closed his eyes slightly. Veins bulged on his temples and the backs of his hands. Tiny "points of light" lingering on his retinas flickered, dimming and brightening as they expanded.

The rustling, furtive whispers that always circled his ears transformed into illusory, chaotic ravings as the "points of light" grew. The entire world became disordered, as if countless ominous things were approaching from afar, testing the proximity of his body.

Lu Mingfei relaxed his spirit as much as possible, letting it all draw nearer and nearer. As a seasoned mage, he knew well how to minimize the sanity cost of using magic; the more terrified or tense one became, the faster one’s sanity would plummet.

Suddenly, he felt a tap on his head, followed by a moment of clarity. Even though his eyes remained closed, the colors of the world suddenly brightened. The entire classroom was laid bare before him—his spell had succeeded.

Or had it failed?

The previously noisy atmosphere of the classroom had become eerie; the students no longer whispered to one another. Some sat blankly, as if they had just lost their entire families; others shuffled along the aisles, their eyes vacant, like Qu Yuan walking by the Miluo River or some other walking corpse.

One girl climbed onto the podium and began writing frantically on the whiteboard, her movements broad and sweeping, unaware that the ink had long since run dry. A charming girl shouted "Hallelujah," filled with joy, and began to dance. It was clear she was trained, her movements graceful, but what made one’s skin crawl was that she wasn't dancing alone; it seemed an invisible man was holding her hands, and she cast a look of deep, tender affection toward him.

The Eye of Eibon only reflects what is truly happening around him. This chaotic scene made him want to open his eyes to see if his spell had suffered some unknown interference.

But if he opened his eyes rashly, two sets of images would appear in his brain simultaneously, which might further aggravate his visual distortion. Lu Mingfei suppressed the impulse.

He shifted his gaze to a girl who looked like an ice sculpture. Amidst the chaos, she alone sat with her back as straight as a stalk of bamboo, answering the test quietly—she looked reliable.

Lu Mingfei saw at a glance that her paper was filled with "little ducks" (zeros). After finding his pencil on the desk, he began to work. His calligraphy had originally been mediocre, but after drawing countless talismans, he had mastered the craft. No matter how abstract or messy the sigil, he could replicate it, so the Dragon Text was no challenge. He quickly caught up with the girl’s progress.

Following too closely risked mistakes. Lu Mingfei slowed his hand. Driven by some base instinct, he shifted his gaze to the girl herself. Viewed from above, her fair, delicate neck and collarbones were clearly visible. The scenery further down was hidden by the tightly buttoned white shirt, but judging by the slender frame of this petite girl...

Lu Mingfei was about to observe more carefully when his vision was jolted by an external force and shifted to the girl’s rear.

A boy, looking perfectly well-behaved, sat there, swinging his legs. He wore white leather shoes, a small black suit, a white silk cravat, and possessed a pair of faint, golden eyes.

Lu Mingfei felt his entire body go numb; the risqué atmosphere of admiring the beauty vanished instantly.

"Are you here to complete our transaction?"

The boy hopped off the desk, walked to the window, and nimbly climbed onto the sill to sit, his legs dangling outside. "I told you, I have never traded with you, and it was you who summoned me. If you wish, we can sign a contract and begin."

Lu Mingfei stared at the boy, stunned for a moment. He seemed to ponder and experiment; then, he suddenly clapped his hands, realizing with a start: "We haven't traded. So that’s it—you are the thing I saw within the 'Dragon Text'."

The boy turned his head, glancing at the people in the classroom, some sad, some joyful: "Yes. Everyone’s 'spirit vision' is different, but they all see what they care about most deep in their hearts. You saw me in your 'spirit vision'."

A sudden flash of insight hit him. Though some questions still lingered, Lu Mingfei understood much in that instant. He exhaled a long breath, his tension finally beginning to ebb.

The boy sighed and said, "Brother, look, everyone is so sad because they saw the deepest things in their hearts. What is at the deepest part of your heart?"

Lu Mingfei drifted away, saying nothing. How could one reveal the thoughts of their own heart to others? Even though the child before him might just be a fragment of his personality or a product of schizophrenia, Lu Mingfei remained tight-lipped.

The truth he had realized was exactly this.

The reason his bloodline could not resonate with the "Dragon Text" and why his sanity had shown such abnormalities was not because Nyarlathotep had directly altered his soul with divine power, but because of this child.

He represented a fragment of Lu Mingfei’s "spirit" and possessed his own will, which had left Lu Mingfei’s "spiritual body" incomplete. An incomplete spirit is naturally fragile, and it was only logical that it could not respond to the call of his bloodline.

Things had become better.

Lu Mingfei had originally feared that Nyarlathotep had already rewritten his soul, meaning no matter how he struggled, he would remain a puppet in His hands. Now, at least, other possibilities had emerged.

The boy’s so-called "transaction" was nothing more than an attempt to steal his nest and occupy this physical body.

With an evil god watching from without and a soul fragment coveting from within, Lu Mingfei had no kin or friends; he seemed to have no factors in his favor.

But so what?

When he first transmigrated to that dark, alien world, he had nothing, was helpless, and was even shunned by scavengers because of his Asian appearance. He had to outwit police and human traffickers daily, fight for food against others and wild dogs, and go to sleep with the fear of freezing to death in the cold night—yet he had survived, hadn't he?

Now, although Nyarlathotep walked the earth, His character was malicious, preferring to drive people to despair through trickery rather than divine force. The boy coveted his body but had to use a transaction to obtain it; until then, he was forced to protect him.

Having cleared up the logic of it all, weren't these his advantages?