Eldritch Horror Theatre

How to spread the gospel without annoying people had always been a profound art.

Well aware of this, Fu Qian naturally went about it with great care. He used polite language, maintained eye contact on the same level, refrained from mocking the slime coating the other party's hair, and... started with a self-introduction.

"My name is An Ke, remember? We met last night."

At such close proximity, the scorching heat of her panting breath washed over his face. The hazy, psychedelic sensation it carried was practically the physical manifestation of the most primal urges.

Even so, Fu Qian's smile didn't fade in the slightest.

"Sorry for bothering you so early, Madam Harriet. Do you know where Excellency Prout went?"

Harriet?

The three people below were undoubtedly staring up in unison at this scene of a suspended sermon, and the shock Fu Qian brought them was pushed to its peak by the name that just left his lips.

"Is she..."

She certainly remembered the target of this hunter's cleanup operation last night. At the time, she had even deliberately brought An Ke in to let him observe from the sidelines.

Why was she in here, and looking like this?

However... with that in mind, the invisible entanglement seemed much more plausible.

Recalling the sight of Harriet being held up from behind back then, Amira was already somewhat convinced.

Needless to say, this was also why the door wouldn't open earlier. Something invisible had been blocking it from the inside and quietly retreated after being disturbed.

So An Ke had noticed this long ago, which was why he chose her to question?

It seemed a bit more reasonable now, but it was still hard to understand how he had recognized her.

Between the angle and the hair plastered all over her face, she was clearly very difficult to identify.

"If it's her, the scene in here makes a lot more sense."

Reginald had obviously thought of this too. He nodded slightly, his expression complex.

"Prout..."

At that moment, the sermon overhead seemed to finally respond. The name Fu Qian had mentioned was repeated in a bizarre tone.

"Suddenly... I just couldn't find him... Ugh—"

Harriet's voice suddenly trembled violently. The next moment, her body twisted into a flexible long whip that lashed out viciously toward Fu Qian.

Unfortunately for her, Fu Qian had already let go a second earlier. Dropping into a free fall, he dodged not only this whip of flesh and blood, but also an invisible strike that had come even faster.

Bang!

Amid an accompanying crash twice as ear-piercing as before, Fu Qian landed steadily and nodded at the three team members.

"She's a little cranky from waking up, but Excellency Prout's whereabouts really do seem mysterious."

"...Should we head outside to talk first?"

This incredibly bizarre act of asking for directions had actually yielded results. The team members seemed at a loss for how to comment on it for a moment, prompting Amira to hesitate before making her suggestion.

As the one with the weakest cultivation base, a strange flush was already coloring her face.

"So, is your mission to bring me to this Church, or to find this Excellency Prout?"

Fu Qian was noncommittal, blinking as he posed the question.

"Is there a difference?"

"Of course there is, unless Excellency Prout has been here this whole time."

Fu Qian shook his head, looking at Amira with a hint of pity.

Sure enough, lustful influences damaged the brain. Her mind didn't seem to be working smoothly at all.

"Strictly speaking... the mission we received was to ensure you arrived safely at this Church."

After silently consulting Reginald with her eyes and confirming he had no objections, Amira finally spoke.

"However, the person who briefed us mentioned that Excellency Prout would be here."

"So that's how it is. Then logically, your mission is actually already complete."

Fu Qian looked thoughtful as he listened, but his eyes were fixed on Simon.

"Why not leave me here and go straight back to report?"

"As of right now, I indeed have no further obligation to ensure your safety, nor to answer your questions."

Unfortunately, the latter wasn't very polite, replying coldly.

"It doesn't even matter whether you're willing to stay in the Church or not."

"Is that so? Then let's head outside to talk."

Fu Qian smoothly accepted the advice, directly agreeing with Amira's proposal.

...

The Plaza remained desolate, and the Old Lady on the bench hadn't even changed her sitting posture.

As the Church doors swung shut, blocking out the majority of the decadent sounds behind them, Amira let out a visible sigh of relief.

"So you're still planning to find Excellency Prout?"

Fu Qian didn't push her nerves too hard, instead directing his next question at Reginald.

"Are you concerned about our actions, or your own situation? Excellency Prout isn't here, so you think you can find a chance to slip away?"

After that particular baptism, everyone's temper seemed to have flared up quite a bit. Reginald surveyed his surroundings, his expression unfriendly.

"No, I'm concerned about your situation."

Fu Qian shook his head.

"Escorting a suspicious individual to a specific location and having the mission completed without even needing a handover... it just doesn't feel like standard procedure. Do you want to test and see if you can still leave this Small Town?"

"...What do you mean?"

Amira, whose thoughts had just settled down slightly, was clearly unsettled by this remark again. She stared into Fu Qian's eyes as she asked.

"Six minutes and fifty-four seconds."

Fu Qian didn't answer her, pointing instead at the Old Lady not far away.

"From the moment we left the Mist outside the town to when this granny offered us breakfast."

"So theoretically speaking, it should take the same amount of time to return to the Mist. I'm going to take a look. Do you want to come along?"

This guy actually kept track of the time...

Once again, Amira didn't know what expression to make.

But without giving her more time to react, he actually stepped forward after asking that question, heading directly back the way they came.

Are we...

Exchanging a glance with Reginald, the two clerics finally followed before Fu Qian reached the other end of the Plaza, wanting to see exactly what he was up to.

Simon, the hunter, paid him no mind, genuinely staying rooted to the spot as if his mission was over.

...

"Back so soon?"

The return trip was just as deserted. The guarding police officer was visibly surprised by how quickly they had returned.

"Excellency Prout isn't at the Church, so we're heading out to look for him."

Fu Qian explained with a smile, completely omitting any mention of the late sleepers inside the Church.

"He's not there? Well, that's a bit strange."

The officer didn't seem to think much of it. Seeing nothing unusual about the three of them, he quickly opened the gate to let them through.

"It's just up ahead."

They soon reached the edge of the Mist, prompting a warning from Amira.

Mhm.

Fu Qian gave a slight nod and walked into the Mist without hesitation.

There was no feeling of returning to reality from a Nightmare; the transition was incredibly smooth.

Just as he thought, they weren't going to let him go easily.

Unsurprised by this, Fu Qian estimated the distance and stopped, looking at the two people who had caught up.

"I remember there should be some ruins here?"

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