Eldritch Horror Theatre

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

Even in an unpredictable Nightmare, this simple axiom remained as charming as ever.

The Lake wasn't deep. Fu Qian soon touched the sand and gravel at the bottom, which didn't shift his trajectory by even a fraction of a degree.

After tearing forward a bit further with unyielding momentum, scarlet mist poured from his body, and he activated Blood Crusade.

When he reappeared, his back pressed against a stone wall inside a dim tunnel.

A woman slightly younger than Lady Raven stood frozen right in front of him, staring in surprise.

He had only used Blood Crusade for a line-of-sight jump because this woman had appeared in his perception.

The situation was obvious. Beneath the shallow lake that had replaced the West District Church sat a peculiar Underground structure.

The tunnel walls were constructed entirely of stone blocks, their design noticeably cruder than the inexplicably vanished West District Church.

In that brief moment, Fu Qian sensed even more living people all around him—and directly beneath his feet.

"Good evening."

While sizing up his surroundings, Fu Qian made sure to greet the lady he had used as a springboard.

The Thread of Attachment tracking the Class Representative still led deeper into the Underground, but he didn't keep moving in a straight line.

He had come here to extract information. That man's only purpose was to serve as a tracking beacon.

Now, it was time to talk.

His very first discovery was already gratifying: the woman standing before him was clearly a living, breathing human being.

...

"Good evening... Dark Moon Apostle?"

Even more gratifying was that after her brief shock, the stranger returned the greeting with a slight frown and immediately stated Fu Qian's identity.

"You may call me Xia. You arrived quite fast, I must say!"

There seemed to be a rather unique connection among these people.

Growing increasingly pleased, Fu Qian quickly reached a conclusion.

At this moment, let alone wings, he had completely retracted the red eyes and fangs that marked his Blood Clan traits. Yet she had recognized him at a glance.

It strongly brought to mind the ability Lady Raven had displayed earlier. Could this group also share each other's senses to some extent?

True telepathy was unlikely, otherwise the Class Representative wouldn't have needed to shout orders earlier.

"First Apostle of the Dark Moon."

Fu Qian confirmed and emphasized his identity, entirely unbothered by her implication that they had been expecting him.

It saved him the trouble of introducing himself, after all.

"Impressive. I can't even begin to imagine how you got in."

Madam Xia made no attempt to hide her admiration.

"But you didn't attack me the moment you saw me, unlike what you did outside. May I ask what your purpose for being here is?"

"I was a bit heavy-handed earlier, so I came to check on him."

Such a question naturally couldn't stump Fu Qian. He answered without a moment's hesitation.

"You know he didn't die?"

Madam Xia's eyes narrowed. She didn't hide her escalating shock, and an immediate realization seemed to dawn on her.

"You not only knew he was alive, but you also used that to track him here?"

Quite the sharp reaction. Just as he had thought, these Nightmare Guards were humans with perfectly normal minds.

Seeing the Class Representative's state near death earlier, he had actually worried the guy was just a suit of armor that had gained sentience.

Now, it seemed clear that it had just been a unique combat form.

As the invisible threat the awakened ones constantly worried about, these people likely operated with ordinary daily identities in the outside world.

"More or less. I'm just not very familiar with this place, so it seemed more efficient this way."

Fu Qian maintained his conversational sincerity and goodwill.

That was nothing but the truth. The purpose behind his previous actions had always been crystal clear: find this opposing faction fighting the awakened ones and help stimulate their minds.

"Your Excellency is truly a unique individual... please, come with me."

Staring at Fu Qian, Madam Xia finally fell silent for a moment.

When she spoke again, she actually extended an invitation, gesturing toward one end of the Corridor.

"I believe that despite their surprise, they are ready to receive you."

As expected, sincerity is the ultimate killer move.

After a brief exchange, he—the intruder—had actually received a formal invitation.

Highly satisfied, Fu Qian gained an even deeper appreciation for the power of honesty.

"Don't go to too much trouble. I just came for a simple chat."

"I'm sure they are looking forward to exactly that..."

A flash of surprise passed through Madam Xia's eyes when Fu Qian so readily accepted the invitation. A moment later, she fell into step beside him, seemingly completely unconcerned about suffering the same fate as the Class Representative.

"As for the man you wished to visit, I apologize, but it might be a bit inconvenient right now."

...

What a fascinating organization.

Following Madam Xia down the path, Fu Qian knew perfectly well that he was descending deeper into the Underground.

Without a doubt, this secret underwater structure belonged to the Nightmare Guards.

Xia was clearly not feigning her calm demeanor. Compared to the hunting squad he had encountered earlier, her attitude was vastly different.

Not only had she refrained from attacking him on sight, she was now personally leading the way.

Such overwhelming confidence would have placed immense psychological pressure on anyone else in his position.

After all, even someone as narcissistic as Fu Qian didn't actually believe they planned to treat him as an honored guest.

They simply possessed absolute confidence in their control over the situation—even with his unexpected intrusion.

This realization only made Fu Qian look forward to the upcoming conversation even more.

"Here we are."

After a long series of winding descents, Xia finally signaled for Fu Qian to stop, pointing to a door made of a peculiar material.

"Good."

Without wasting a second, Fu Qian stepped forward and pushed the door open himself.

...

"Good evening, everyone."

Inside the somewhat cramped Stone Chamber, three people—two men and a woman—were already seated.

Just like Xia, their appearances and attire were thoroughly ordinary, standing in stark contrast to the awakened ones.

Of course, their expressions were noticeably more severe.

So much so that when Fu Qian greeted them, they only responded by flashing him synchronized glares.

"I ran into Mr. Dark Moon Apostle upstairs. He seems quite eager to have a chat with us."

Xia then casually closed the door and stepped fully into the room.

So he had actually ended up using a core member as his springboard?

As Fu Qian mused over this, one of the silent trio—a bronze-skinned man with a thick mustache—finally spoke up.

"It certainly seems so. However, I am rather curious. After all the stunts Your Excellency just pulled, exactly how do you plan to ensure our cooperation?"

"Simple. Look here."

Unfazed by the hostile tone, Fu Qian answered smoothly. In the next moment, a crystal-clear Bell materialized in his hand.

The instant the others glanced over, he gave the Eternally Lucid Mind a sharp ring.

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