Eldritch Horror Theatre

Was this the Shattered Crown's response to him, its violent intruder?

Watching the miraculous scene before him, Fu Qian marveled silently.

The singing continued. From this distance, it sounded even more unpleasant.

But he had to meet the singer, no matter what.

This was an entity that had only been forced in front of him by his string of violent actions since entering the Shattered Crown.

It had begun less than a minute after he crushed that fishman's skull. To Fu Qian, the song's timing was a little too coincidental.

It was hard to say whether it held goodwill or malice. But if this reaction was a direct response to his actions, it meant one thing: the singer could monitor activity in other, distant fragmented sea regions.

In other words, its perception of the Shattered Crown far exceeded any other entity's.

If there truly was a way to leave, this entity was far more likely to know it.

With such transcendent perception, how could it not be used to sense the anomaly he had brought along?

A sharper probe—now that was a truly valuable harvest.

...

Staring fixedly at Fu Qian's face, the Poaching Collective didn't even dare to slow the boat without his signal.

In the blink of an eye, the boat rapidly closed in on this unique Floating Island.

At this distance, the perfectly textured yet completely motionless leaves were clearly visible.

"Are we going in?"

Watching Fu Qian stand up without a second thought, Rachel asked hesitantly.

She was clearly apprehensive about this bizarre place.

"I am going in."

Fu Qian shook his head, correcting her phrasing.

"By yourself? But..."

Realizing he intended to act alone, Rachel—who no longer had to risk the danger herself—actually grew anxious. She subconsciously glanced at Lane, hesitating to speak.

As a fellow criminal herself, she knew this gang's style all too well.

Never mind how utterly terrified they looked right now; given the chance, this lot wouldn't hesitate to stab someone in the back.

And if Mister Fang left, they wouldn't even need to wait for her back to be turned to deal with her.

"Yes. I'm in a hurry."

Unfortunately, his reply left Rachel, who had already resolved to brave the danger with him, completely speechless.

He wasn't going alone because the place was dangerous, but because he thought she was a burden.

"Are you worried they won't be polite to you once I'm gone?"

Just as her heart sank, Mister Fang bluntly voiced her exact fear.

"How could we..."

"Burning Ash, you're overthinking things..."

"We've lost so many people already. How could we be stupid enough to kill each other now..."

The entire group, Captain Lane included, hurriedly chimed in to swear their peaceful intentions.

"Sounds very sincere."

Fu Qian commented.

'You actually believe that nonsense?'

Rachel didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Don't worry. Until he confirms my death, Captain Lane won't do anything that stupid."

While she hesitated, he leaped right off the speeding boat and headed straight for the Floating Island.

His parting words, however, made Lane stiffen.

The implication was clear. Mister Fang didn't believe their promises at all; he only trusted Lane's ability to assess the situation.

And it was spot on. Although Mister Fang didn't seem to have much of a relationship with Rachel and might not care if she died, Lane certainly didn't dare gamble on that "might not."

Unless he was dead.

Slowing the boat to a crawl, Lane watched his freeloading passenger disappear quickly into the dense forest. He looked back at his surviving crew and suddenly realized that, having made it this far, he had no idea what to do next.

He didn't even know whether he wanted the man who just left to succeed or fail.

...

There was actually a river in the middle of the island, even wide enough for the boat to enter.

Moving at a breakneck pace, Fu Qian evaluated the scenery along the way.

He wasn't the least bit worried about the group's next move.

Now that they were here, no matter how much they agonized over it, there was no way they wouldn't come in.

A whole boatful of materials—how could he throw them away so easily?

...

It was practically a tailor-made Pilgrimage Road.

The Floating Island was massive, but it was still no match for Fu Qian's speed.

He soon approached the source of the singing.

For the second half of the journey, he followed the riverbank almost the entire way.

The river wasn't exactly straight, but it maintained a decent width, winding all the way toward the center of the island.

Along the way, another of his guesses was confirmed: despite looking vibrant and full of life at first glance, there wasn't a single living creature on the island.

He had arrived.

Fu Qian came to a halt as the view before him suddenly opened up.

Behind what was arguably the tallest patch of "woods" lay a sizable lake.

Its waters were the same ashen white, so still that there wasn't a single ripple.

On the opposite side of the lake was a jagged cliff.

The singing had completely stopped the moment he drew near, but that didn't prevent Fu Qian from locking onto a specific spot behind the cliff.

What an extraordinary presence!

Walking along the lakeshore, weaving through the ashen forest step by step, Fu Qian watched the scene behind the cliff gradually reveal itself.

There was a fairly large cave, significantly grander than the one Ms. Li Min had found.

But that wasn't what Fu Qian found extraordinary.

There was something inside—an entity within the Transcendent Tier.

Yet even he couldn't discern its Rank. In his perception, its presence felt incredibly murky.

This was a truly rare occurrence, as well as a sign of danger.

Fu Qian felt deeply gratified by this. His footsteps didn't falter in the slightest.

A moment later, a brilliantly shimmering, tail-shaped object slowly came into view.

A mermaid sleeping inside?

The problem was, wasn't this tail a bit too long?

Fu Qian studied the dazzling sight amidst the ashen waters.

That long, sparkling strip was clearly different from both a fishman and a mermaid.

It was crystal clear from end to end. Although shaped like a fish's tail, it had no fins, looking more like it was pieced together from precious orbs.

Its length was also rather exaggerated, stretching all the way into the cave and disappearing around a corner without revealing an upper body.

But without a doubt, the singing from just now had come from inside.

"Hello there!"

Stepping forward over the water, Fu Qian greeted it politely.

There was no response. Not even the tail twitched.

"Sorry for the intrusion. Actually, I just have a question I'd like to ask."

Unbothered, Fu Qian continued with a smile.

"Where do I collect the emotional damage compensation for listening to that song earlier?"

"Go back... This place was not prepared for you."

This time, a voice finally emerged from the cave.

To be fair, its speaking voice was far more pleasant to the ear than its singing.

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