Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Isn't the effect a bit much?"

Marveling, Fu Qian tore his gaze from the giant tree that had erupted from the sea to tower dozens of meters in the air. He took two steps forward and looked at the stunned Tree Planter.

"So you yelled for it to stop just to hang it up there to dry in the sun? Or were you planning to teach it how to fly?"

...

The Tree Planter was a sturdy middle-aged man with dark, ruddy skin, black hair, green eyes, and a thick beard that covered more than half his face.

Fu Qian's voice snapped him back to reality. He jolted, suddenly remembering his current predicament.

"Who are you?"

He leaped to the side like he had been shocked, eyeing Fu Qian warily instead of answering the question.

"A nobody. Just stepping in when I see an injustice."

"Honestly, it's a bit over the top. Even with two tails, it's pretty hard for a fish to take flight, isn't it?"

...

Faced with Fu Qian's nonsense, the Tree Planter was indignant but found himself completely unable to retort.

The mermaid, trapped from the very beginning, was now locked in a cage of giant branches dozens of meters above the water.

Her violent struggles radiated an overwhelming, nearly palpable terror.

However, the bruised, dark vines displayed astonishing resilience. Instead of snapping, they only tightened their grip.

...

Though her face was inhuman, the emotion written across it was unmistakable despair.

A shriek far more harrowing than when she had been stabbed ripped from her throat.

"Don't scream—"

The Tree Planter panicked, lowering his voice into a suppressed roar.

"You'll draw people over."

Despite the height difference of dozens of meters, his voice carried clearly.

The mermaid paused for a split second, then—as if answering his plea—shrieked even louder.

Bang!

However, less than half a second later, a crisp gunshot cut off that bloodcurdling, soul-reaping wail.

A bullet struck the wood right next to her, instantly stopping her cries.

The mermaid stared at the gun in Fu Qian's hand, temporarily forgetting to struggle.

The Tree Planter sported the exact same look.

"That's more like it!"

Fu Qian casually blew the smoke from the muzzle before offering his critique.

Considering the dangers of this trip, he had come fully armed, which naturally included Mercy.

As it turned out, carrying Chief Yuan's special pass meant the guards hadn't dared to check his household registration, let alone perform a security pat-down.

And right now, all that ample preparation was really paying off.

"You're welcome."

Sliding Mercy back into its holster, Fu Qian nodded at the Tree Planter.

"Mr. Delanlai."

"Who exactly are you? I certainly don't remember seeing you on Lane's ship."

The Tree Planter recovered quickly. Showing zero reaction to Fu Qian using his name, he calmly fired back a question.

"Not surprising. After all, this is my first time seeing you too."

Fu Qian smiled brightly.

"But weathering such a brutal storm to show up in a desolate dead zone like this, and catching up to a stray mermaid this quickly... however you look at it, I'd have to be tied to that ship, right?"

"That's right... I am Delanlai."

After a brief hesitation, the man finally conceded the point.

"But speaking of fast, you've clearly got me beat. What exactly are you here for?"

"Relax, I have no interest in the one up in the Treetop. I've just heard about the Ash Sea for a long time and decided to take a stroll and see the sights."

Take a stroll and see the sights... Is this guy out of his mind?

Seeing Fu Qian's innocent expression, Delanlai's face darkened further.

A forbidden death trap that even the fish steer clear of, and you came here on a sightseeing tour?

You think I'd believe that crap?

Still, if this guy truly wasn't interested in the mermaid, there seemed to be a chance to avoid a fight. Because of that, Delanlai didn't press the issue.

"You don't look like you believe me."

To his surprise, Fu Qian actually called him out on it.

"I don't... After all, it's common knowledge that the Ash Sea isn't worth exploring."

Seeing that the mermaid had stopped thrashing and screaming—and even seemed to be eavesdropping on their conversation—Delanlai relaxed a fraction and nodded.

"Why not? I heard this place isn't completely empty."

Fu Qian maintained an innocent expression.

"You're right. Not only is it not empty, it's actually filled with plenty of lethal things."

Delanlai sneered, clearly convinced Fu Qian was playing dumb.

"The only problem is that even if you're strong enough to hack their heads off, the moment you try to carry your spoils past the outer boundary, they turn to ash."

That lines up perfectly with the files.

Fu Qian nodded to himself at Delanlai's explanation before posing another question.

"So what if I just don't bring anything out? Say I just digest and absorb it right here?"

...

"You'd better not make plans like that unless you intend to stay here forever."

Delanlai couldn't fathom why he was standing in a place like this discussing something so ridiculous. But given the inexplicable sense of danger radiating from this man, he forced down his impatience.

"Because when you finally leave, the parts inside your body that were meant to turn to ash will still turn to ash."

He looked Fu Qian up and down, a slightly cruel smile touching his lips.

"No matter what form they happen to take right now..."

"I see. Thanks for the warning."

He hadn't expected the mysterious man to accept his mocking explanation with such earnest gratitude.

"I won't cross that boundary."

Wait... is this guy actually trapped in here?

Delanlai's mind raced as he tried to parse that last sentence. An instant later, a crazy theory struck him.

I know for a fact I didn't see this guy on the way here. Could it be he never came from the ship at all?

Did he notice the commotion here and come rushing over from deeper inside?

That would explain why he's acting so completely at ease while stuck in a deadly zone like this.

The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Delanlai stared at Fu Qian as if he were looking at a monster.

"So why did you do that? It was obvious your accomplices were pretty confused."

Fu Qian ignored the stare entirely, instead pointing back the way he had come.

"I was never their accomplice..."

Figuring Fu Qian had likely run into Lane's group first, Delanlai wasn't surprised that he knew about them. He gave a cold snort.

"Those cold-blooded Butchers should have died a long time ago. The only reason I saved Lane last time was so he could gather them all in one place."

An environmentalist, as expected.

Fu Qian wasn't particularly surprised by the answer.

With no other apparent motives, a clear intent to kill, and the fact that he had tracked them all the way here to save a mermaid, his claim was fairly credible.

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