Eldritch Horror Theatre

Swish!

He was indeed well-trained. The moment he processed what Fu Qian had just said, Norvell—who had still been stubbornly scanning the room for evidence—practically leaped to his feet, drew his weapon, and aimed it straight at Fu Qian's head.

"Transcendent power..."

Tommy looked equally shocked. Perhaps his age made him less agile; his hand twitched instinctively, but he didn't assume a defensive stance like his partner.

His rear remained firmly planted in his seat.

"To be honest, after spending so much time in Loss, I've heard so much exaggerated jargon that I've grown a bit numb to the word..."

A moment later, he locked eyes with Fu Qian, his expression solemn.

"Are you trying to say that what Claire saw earlier wasn't some sleight-of-hand magic trick, but the result of genuine non-human power?"

"Yeah. Does it not look the part?"

He even turned his palms to face each other, letting the two swirling energies complement one another.

...

"It does, but that makes your motive even harder to understand."

Although the magical display only lasted a few seconds, its impact struck deep. Norvell looked ready to pull the trigger at a moment's notice.

Fortunately, the older Tommy remained seasoned and composed. With a swift, pacifying glance, he signaled his partner to lower the weapon, then turned back, thoroughly perplexed.

"If you really are a transcendent, you should know the implications of using such methods on ordinary people. The meager fee you collected is nowhere near worth the risk."

"Is taking pleasure in helping others not allowed?"

Tommy was stating the objective truth, but unfortunately for him, Fu Qian still didn't seem to care.

"I have no intention of questioning your motives... but even if that were true, you acted far too recklessly."

"What are the odds that an unfamiliar client—one you share little trust with—ends up dragging you into an interrogation with the Night Watchers?"

Shaking his head slightly, Tommy remained steadfast in his judgment.

"No matter how I look at it, you don't seem like the type to enjoy that kind of trouble."

"Even if you acted out of goodwill, you normally would have found a way to make her believe you entirely just to avoid this risk. I know transcendents possess plenty of methods to do exactly that."

"Sound logic."

Once the old man got serious, his analysis was remarkably clear and systematic. Fu Qian nodded along in agreement for a moment before smoothly firing back a question of his own.

"Then what exactly is my goal here?"

...

"I don't know."

Faced with Fu Qian's probing question, Tommy shook his head again.

"You young folks always have the strangest ideas. I've grown entirely too tired to waste energy trying to understand them."

"But one thing is clear: once the lab finishes testing that bottle of potion you gave Claire, finding out whether it's truly harmful will go a long way toward deducing your motives."

"Of course, I personally lean toward believing what you said earlier—that the concoction is completely harmless."

Even as he expressed a degree of faith in Fu Qian's character, Tommy had already stood up.

"I'm even willing to leave you here instead of taking you in, but you must promise not to leave this room until you receive further notice."

'Just a simple grounding?'

"That works."

The terms Tommy offered were remarkably lenient. Maintaining his cooperative attitude, Fu Qian agreed without missing a beat.

"...And until then, you are not allowed to continue working."

Perhaps finding his prompt agreement a bit too eager, Tommy hesitated for a split second, uneasily tacking on an extra restriction.

"That works too."

Fu Qian didn't act troubled by the demand. After a brief moment of thought, he nodded again.

"Let's go."

Casting a deep look at Fu Qian, Tommy didn't waste any time. He called out to his still-bewildered partner, clutching Fu Qian's business card in his hand as they saw themselves out.

...

"Why didn't we just haul him in? That guy didn't strike me as being entirely honest."

Silence reclaimed the room. Sitting quietly amid his forced suspension of business, Fu Qian genuinely seemed to be honoring his promise, showing no intention of moving from his spot.

It wasn't long before a familiar voice echoed within his perception range.

It was obvious that after leaving the room, Norvell had managed to process the situation. Feeling indignant, he couldn't hold back from questioning his senior officer.

"Are you really sure he'll still be there when we come back?"

"From start to finish, all we had was a single tip. Not only did we fail to find any evidence, but we couldn't even prove the guy harbors any actual malicious intent."

Unfortunately, Tommy sounded to be in a rather foul mood.

"I've been sick of these charlatans for years. But I'm even more sick of the idiots who are stupid enough to seek them out, only to turn around and stop believing in them."

"I really am getting old. You're driving later—I need to get some food in me."

"...All right."

Although he still felt a sense of indignation, Norvell clearly deferred to Tommy's authority and agreed without missing a beat.

...

"We need to contact the Night Watchers as fast as possible."

A little while after their earlier strictly-by-the-book conversation, Tommy's voice rang out in Fu Qian's perception once more. Though the audio had grown muffled with distance, his tone was noticeably grimmer.

"What's going on?"

Norvell was clearly startled by this sudden shift.

"That guy is highly likely to be a transcendent. This has already exceeded our jurisdiction, and I'm afraid Claire's family is in grave danger."

Not only had his tone become dead serious, but Tommy's speaking pace had accelerated considerably.

"But didn't you just say—"

"If I hadn't said that, we might not have ever made it out of that room. Do you honestly think bullets would have worked against him?"

Norvell's question was instantly cut off.

"...So he put on that show on purpose earlier to mislead us with a reverse-psychology bluff?"

Proving himself decently sharp, Norvell quickly replayed their prior exchange in his head.

"The effects he produced on his hands were real? Is that why we couldn't find any magic props whatsoever?"

"It certainly seems that way. This is Loss, after all. He might be able to kill us with ease, but he definitely wouldn't want to face a horde of Night Watchers."

Tommy confirmed his partner's suspicion.

"Uh... are you sure?"

Briefly imagining the mortal peril they had just been sitting in, Norvell pressed the issue with a lingering sense of dread.

"I'm not sure. This isn't a television drama; I don't possess some magical ability to see through everything."

Tommy sighed.

"But I could sense that he was different. This Grimshaw is fundamentally unlike those charlatans who just pretend to speak with ghosts. We couldn't afford to take that risk."

"...But if that's your only reasoning, it's going to be difficult to convince the Night Watchers to act on it."

Norvell didn't question his partner's judgment too harshly, but he did voice his practical concerns.

"That is an issue. They've never put much faith in our judgment... so it's best we warn the informant first, or better yet, head straight to her house to take a look ourselves."

Tommy had clearly already considered that particular hurdle.

"Her husband is obviously the key figure here. If we spot anything unusual there, it should go a long way toward convincing the Night Watchers..."

Dedicated and professional, while still exercising a healthy dose of caution.

Their conversation faded into a blurry murmur. Still strictly observing his house arrest, Fu Qian silently gave the two law enforcement officers a mental thumbs-up, especially the older Tommy.

Of course, even with caution like his, the man was still bound by the limits of his own knowledge—such as his complete ignorance regarding a transcendent's perception range.

They should have held their little private chat a bit further down the road.

But judging from their conversation, his plan was progressing incredibly smoothly. Not only would he have the Night Watchers knocking on his door soon enough, but he had even gained two extra volunteers along the way.

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