Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Very good, Stella."

As he rattled off the names impassively, Fu Qian finally got what he was looking for from that giant face.

"Tell me about your history with that lady."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

She suppressed her reaction almost instantly, frowning with perfect naturalness.

"I've never heard that name."

"Did I make a mistake? Fair enough, a single name hardly proves anything."

Faced with her denial, Fu Qian looked exaggeratedly agreeable.

"Then how about I add one more?"

"Goto Hi?"

The innocence on the giant face instantly froze.

...

He had obtained a total of two important pieces of information regarding the Ash Sea from Chief Yuan.

One was the coordinates mentioned earlier, and the other was the name of a fallen Demigod.

The files didn't contain many details, but during his later conversations with Su Gao, he learned that the Demigod had entered the Ash Sea because she was chased in by Night Watchers hunting a fugitive.

Of course, that alone wasn't enough to conclude that the fugitive was right in front of him.

But Su Gao also mentioned that the target had eventually vanished without a trace, right from under everyone's noses.

That matched the properties of the Shattered Crown a little too perfectly.

However, even if she really was that fugitive, Fu Qian had no interest in playing vigilante right now.

He had come back because of a guess he made when Su Gao described the incident: could this fugitive be a predecessor?

Had she disappeared by returning to the Warehouse using a method similar to taking off a mask?

It was exactly this lingering theory that prompted Fu Qian to make absolutely no effort to hide the wound on his arm when he encountered his first target above the Demigod level in the Ash Sea.

Because of the Dimensional Poison, the wound not only healed slowly, but that unique dissociation of flesh and blood could still be observed.

This special power, which purportedly originated from the cosmos, should have been somewhat shocking and incomprehensible to most people.

Yet Vivian's reaction had been entirely too plain, and she had even quickly proposed a collaboration right afterward.

...

"Goto Hi, that's rather a nice name. So what exactly are you trying to say?"

"I've already destroyed the Glove."

Fu Qian interrupted her.

"It's no longer possible to proceed with the previous plan."

In the silence, that colorful long tail—the one that had smashed one of Fu Qian's arms with a single strike—stretched into the shape of a long hook, hovering in the air and aiming right at him.

"Don't be nervous. Take a breath and adapt to the new situation."

Fu Qian remained completely unfazed.

"And don't be in a rush to say things that insult both your intelligence and mine."

...

"How did you know?"

After a long while, the long hook ultimately didn't strike.

Vivian—or rather, Goto Hi—finally did not start with a denial.

"Scars are a man's medals, but you weren't surprised enough by my special medal."

Satisfied, Fu Qian showed off the wound on his arm again.

"Generally speaking, a mermaid that only stays in the sea shouldn't be so well-informed."

"That is still a long way from being a scar."

Goto Hi didn't directly refute him, finally realizing that he had been testing her.

"Is there more?"

"Of course, that's just one of three reasons."

Fu Qian raised his hand and slowly extended two fingers.

"Number two: you were far too certain that I had a way to leave. I know it's a negotiation tactic to keep me from haggling too much, but there's a phrase called judging others by oneself."

"After that little exchange just now, I'm almost certain you don't know the normal way to leave this place."

"What you possess should be a simple, crude, and unconventional method, and you thought I was your kind—especially after I showed my wound."

"Keep talking."

Seemingly realizing it was having no deterrent effect, Goto Hi had already pulled her tail back.

"Third, your current state is truly miserable."

However, Fu Qian's third reason almost made her lose control and strike again.

"You've clearly advanced to Divine Emissary, yet you can't even maintain a humanoid form."

Fu Qian acted as if he hadn't noticed, continuing to twist the knife.

"You appear to rule the roost inside this Miracle, but in reality, you wouldn't dare take a single step outside it. That includes not daring to use the simple, crude escape method I just mentioned."

"Because the moment you leave this Miracle—which allows the creatures of the Ash Sea to remain stable—you run the risk of breaking down."

"This place is your cage. Even if the door were open and you had no chains on, you wouldn't dare leave."

"Have you said enough—"

"No."

Goto Hi's dissatisfaction was immediately cut off, and Fu Qian continued to shake his head.

"I can tell you aren't stupid. If you hadn't been specifically targeted by a special power, you wouldn't have ended up like this. And I'm the same."

Fu Qian extended his third finger and delivered his final conclusion.

"Something is targeting us. Something very powerful."

...

Under the rhetorical art of tearing her down to build her back up, Goto Hi's emotions settled very quickly.

And the three reasons Fu Qian listed left her unable to argue back.

"I am Goto Hi."

When she spoke again, she finally admitted that she was indeed the fugitive pursued by the Night Watchers.

"It seems we are indeed the same kind."

"However, out of all those names you mentioned, I have honestly only ever heard of Stella."

"Heard of, but don't know personally?"

Fu Qian wore a disappointed expression.

"Of course. Do you actually know any of our predecessors?"

Goto Hi shot back coldly.

"I do. Otherwise, where would those names have come from?"

Fu Qian answered matter-of-factly.

...

"Then I truly fall short in comparison!"

After making an effort to adjust her mood, Goto Hi sneered.

"I haven't met anyone this entire time. It was only by pure coincidence that I learned the name Stella."

"What kind of coincidence?"

"...A work log."

"Hmm?"

This term made Fu Qian frown slightly. Did the Warehouse have such regulations?

"Or perhaps I should call it a diary."

Goto Hi sighed.

"At the end of one mission, I found an extremely well-hidden piece of paper, and the signature was Stella..."

"Could they just share the same name? After all, a single name hardly proves anything."

As a listener, Fu Qian displayed a rigorous, investigative attitude.

"It was written on there that it was her third mission."

Goto Hi said coldly.

"She was in a very good mood, not only because she had helped others, but also because she had smoothly advanced to Demigod during her previous mission. That made the new mission quite easy."

"And reading that made you a little envious?"

'Reaching Demigod in just two missions... these predecessors are really too much,' Fu Qian sighed inwardly.

"Exactly."

"And then?"

"And then I tried to find more logs to look for anything I could use as a reference. Unfortunately, my methods during that process were a bit too heavy-handed, and as a result, I was targeted by the Night Watchers."

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