Quadruple split.

Chapter 2806 Myth of Another World
"The topic of Tianzhu Mountain..."

Mo Tan didn't seem surprised. He simply looked at the tall, handsome, unfathomable, and powerful dark elf in front of him and asked, "Why would Captain Foster be interested in that place?"

"Look at what you're saying, Brother Mo."

Foster chuckled, pushed up his sophisticated glasses, and said with a smile, "Tell me, across the entire continent, who among those with lofty ambitions wouldn't be interested in Tianzhu Mountain?"

Mo Tan nodded slightly, then said, "Of course I know that. So what I mean is, under what 'ambition' did Captain Foster become interested in Tianzhu Mountain? Was he the captain of the [Academy City] enforcement team? Was he a top student graduating from [Dannu Military Academy]? Or perhaps... the King of Hearts in [Clown Cards]?"

"It seems our 'uncrowned king' is ready to begin fulfilling his responsibilities."

As soon as Mo Tan mentioned the words 'top student,' Foster slightly raised his hand, as if he had done something, yet also seemed to have done nothing. He smiled slightly, and then, after completing the 'unreasonable blockade' of the office, he smiled again: "I'm curious, what exactly is your relationship with our JOKER, the one who created the 'Clown Card'?"

Mo Tan sighed silently, then replied succinctly, "I know him."

"Thank you."

Immediately realizing that the 'uncrowned king' in front of him clearly didn't want to talk much about JOKER, Foster didn't ask any more questions. He simply said casually, "So, back to the question, although I am indeed curious about Tianzhu Mountain, the reason... is not my identity and responsibilities in this city, nor my position in a certain non-profit organization."

Mo Tan gave a wry smile and shook his head, saying, "To be honest, I have always sincerely hoped that you can become a genuine public welfare organization."

“A genuine non-profit organization is no match for an entity like [Viper], Brother Mo, we both know that.”

Foster smiled slightly and said in a light tone, "Similarly, a genuine non-profit organization cannot absorb any non-compliant, unreasonable, or inappropriate gray assets. So, if I may say I'm being nosy, then at least once the [Woof Woof Adventurers Team] and [Clown Card] have reached a basic consensus, even if you don't like that JOKER, it would be best if you could cooperate with us based on the principle of 'mutual benefit.' That way, at least we can maintain a pleasant mood."

Mo Tan pinched the bridge of her nose and casually asked, "Was my resistance that obvious?"

"It's so obvious that I can't even find a reason to avoid talking about it, Brother Mo."

Foster nodded and sighed earnestly, "Every cell in your body is resisting."

"..."

Completely unable to refute Foster, Mo Tan shrugged helplessly and said with a subtle expression, "I'll be careful. Let's talk about something else."

Foster readily nodded slightly, and said in a light tone, "Then let's talk about something that will bring us closer, or to put it simply, something more 'private,' I..."

"Please wait a moment, Captain Foster."

Mo Tan suddenly raised his hand to interrupt the other party, and said seriously, "Before that, I must make it clear that, given that my relationship with a certain person is indeed extraordinary, everything you are prepared to tell me can be regarded as being completely unreserved to that person as well. Under this premise, if you don't mind, please continue."

Foster paused for a moment, then let out a soft sigh and said calmly, "I wanted to discuss this matter with you, Brother Mo, for two reasons. Firstly, because you and Miss Yege both have close ties with Tianzhu Mountain, and you even have an unfathomable dragon agent protecting you. Secondly, I believe you are an upright person, so it wouldn't hurt if you knew some secrets that I personally value. But now it seems that I was inconsiderate."

Mo Tan shook his head and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, but rather than let things spiral out of control, I have no choice but to admit that I will betray your trust."

"That's... alright."

Foster casually took off his glasses and looked at Mo Tan with his bright red eyes, which were as striking as those of a normal dark elf, yet seemed to have some kind of twisted and strange lurking in the depths of his eyes: "After all, I had thought before about whether to share this secret with that JOKER. Now it seems that this is really a rare opportunity."

Mo Tan frowned slightly and reminded him, "Are you sure? Although it might be a bit inappropriate to say this, I think you should know very well that that guy has never been..."

"A lamp that saves fuel? I remember that's a proverb from you otherworldly people, very apt and insightful."

Foster calmly interrupted Mo Tan, his crimson eyes gradually reflecting a distorted starry sky: "But this won't really bother me too much. After all, sharing secrets isn't always a bad thing. In fact, at the right time, it can even increase our importance."

Knowing exactly what kind of person Foster was, and also knowing that even in a state of 'chaotic neutrality' he couldn't manipulate or toy with him at will, Mo Tan didn't waste any words and simply replied seriously, "Okay, I understand."

"First of all, I want to thank you people from other worlds. It is because of your existence that I have come to know my somewhat shy 'friend' better. Although the circumstances are different, the knowledge that was just a strange tale and a figment of my imagination in another world has indeed helped me a lot."

Foster spread his hands and said in a friendly tone, "To be honest, I've wanted to talk to JOKER about this more than once, but I never made up my mind. But now the situation is different, Brother Mo. Now that we've figured out his relationship with the other JOKER, I believe that even if Tan Mo has the urge to do something malicious at any time, he won't risk completely breaking the balance by pushing me towards that lady. After all, to put it somewhat arrogantly, once I join forces with that lady, Tan Mo will definitely lose completely in some 'game' where I don't know the details, with no chance of turning the tables."

“That man doesn’t like being threatened, Captain Foster.”

Mo Tan first spoke in a cautionary tone, then revealed a pleasant smile: "But you're right. Although he's a person who's hard to fathom, and although he's never known what rationality and restraint are, in a priority I can't reveal, the confrontation with that lady is indeed more entertaining for him. So you really don't need to worry about him... pointlessly causing you trouble in a very broad range of situations."

Foster nodded slightly and said sincerely, "Thank you for reminding me. This will be very helpful for my normal interaction and cooperation with JOKER. Now, let's get straight to the point. Are you... ready?"

Mo Tan nodded meticulously and replied, "I'm all ears."

"The Cthulhu Mythos".

Foster casually opened a fan given to him by Mo Tan, inscribed with the words "Cephalexin with Alcohol," the meaning of which was unclear in the current worldview. He covered the lower half of his face and asked Mo Tan, whose expression had slightly changed, "Brother Mo, have you heard of this term?" Mo Tan gave an affirmative answer without hesitation: "I have."

"I think so too, after all, the so-called fabricated story system is very famous in your world."

Foster smiled slightly and asked, "Then, could you briefly share your personal understanding of the Cthulhu Mythos, Brother Mo?"

"A mythological system formed by a group of writers centered around H.P. Lovecraft, encompassing a wide range of influential horror novels and their derivative works."

Although she had only dabbled in the subject out of interest, Mo Tan, whose knowledge base still surpassed that of 99% of ordinary people, recalled slowly, "The creative concept and essence of the Cthulhu Mythos is cosmism, that is, the universe is indifferent, the existence of mankind is meaningless to the universe, the universe has no consciousness, only instinct, and all gods are neither good nor evil, but..."

"In later works—"

Foster picked up the conversation in a light tone and calmly stated: "The gods in the Cthulhu Mythos are divided into Outer Gods, Great Old Ones, and Ancient Gods. Since the core of the Cthulhu Mythos is the cosmological idea that 'humanity is insignificant in the universe,' 'displaying incomprehensible and immense terror' is the main form and content of the Cthulhu Mythos system. Am I right?"

Mo Tan nodded and said seriously, "Absolutely correct. At least it doesn't conflict with the Cthulhu Mythos in my memory. Speaking of which, Captain Foster, who is a local... where did you see these settings?"

“There are countless otherworldly beings in Academy City, and every minute of every day they bring all sorts of knowledge that I, as a ‘native,’ have never heard of to this world through our daily interactions.”

Foster raised his right hand and pointed to his ear: "And I, who am used to living in 'noise,' am very good at picking out the parts I need most from countless meaningless words."

Easily suppressing her curiosity, Mo Tan didn't dwell on what the 'noise' was, but simply followed the topic Foster had brought up and asked, "So why are you interested in the Cthulhu Mythos?"

"You should have already guessed it, shouldn't you?"

Foster laughed, and the distorted starry sky in his eyes became even brighter: "Obviously, Brother Mo, many years ago when I had just arrived in Academy City, preparing to enter the city's number one ranked [Phoenix Comprehensive Academy] with a guaranteed admission spot, I was caught up in an unfortunate accident."

Mo Tan leaned forward slightly to indicate that she was listening.

"I'm sorry, I can't reveal the details of that accident, but the final result was that a half-elf student named 'Xin Zizhi', who was a fifth-year student at the [Dannu Military Academy], died, while Foster Ward, who should have died that day, survived."

Foster closed his fan and said with a deep gaze, "After that, I made a decision that would sever ties with my family: I refused the recommendation from Phoenix General Academy and chose to study at Danu Military Academy, which was not suitable for me. This is not a secret, so anyone who wants to investigate me can still piece together the above information by following some clues."

Mo Tan gazed at the distorted starry sky in Foster's eyes, which seemed to be shining on him, or perhaps was actually staring at him, and said calmly, "I'm sorry."

"Me too. Although we didn't spend much time together, that senior was really a good person."

Foster smiled gently and continued, "And what no one knows is that I made a second decision that day... to allow an ineffable, indescribable being to reside 'here'."

Mo Tan looked at Foster's slender index finger pointing to his own forehead, his expression gradually becoming serious: "So, you're allowing an 'indescribable thing' to reside in your brain... or your mind?"

"At the time, I didn't know what it was. An evil god? A cursed spirit? A mental aberration? A warp monster? Its existence was beyond my comprehension and could not be successfully matched with any of the existences within my knowledge."

Foster shrugged and continued, “But I also learned some things, such as its name being ‘Historus-Lask,’ that it had lost its memory but still retained unsettling instincts, that it harbored no ill will toward this world… at least no active malice, and that it possessed a lot of twisted, godlike, and bizarre, yet difficult-to-exercise, authority.”

While battling the strange and malevolent malice emanating from the depths of that distorted starry sky, Mo Tan tentatively asked, "And now?"

"Just as you guessed, I have now found an answer, an answer that, though somewhat bizarre, is sound enough to stand up to scrutiny."

Foster put his glasses back on, blocking Histas-Lasker's gaze, and said calmly and clearly, "I believe it doesn't exist in our world, but rather, like you, comes from another world. Perhaps that world isn't connected to yours, but there's some inexplicable connection between them. For example, some exceptionally gifted 'recorders' will record those 'non-existent' 'truths' in other forms and pass them on through 'art,' 'philosophy,' or 'entertainment,' just like..."

"The Cthulhu Mythos?"

"That's right, it's like the 'Cthulhu Mythos'."

"So what you mean is..."

"Histas, who resides in my mind, is an amnesiac Great Old One."

"But that's just a 'story'."

"Is the [Boundary of Innocence] just a 'game'?"

"..."

Chapter 2797: The End

(End of this chapter)