Eldritch Horror Theatre

Like entering an unpopulated realm, he stepped straight into an occupied room.

Using Blood Crusade to enter Interdimensional Transit, Fu Qian had a simple goal: the only familiar aura in the entire building. It belonged to his first customer, Claire, who had just lost her husband.

Tommy and his partner were nowhere to be seen. The Night Watchers had likely taken over the case with unusual efficiency after a brief initial visit, prompting the two officers to make an equally efficient departure.

This wasn't a bad thing. It meant they most likely hadn't visited that special room yet.

"Care for another glass?"

Canceling Blood Crusade in the dim light, Fu Qian sat down in a round-backed chair. He grabbed a bottle of wine from the table and greeted the woman across from him.

The sudden voice clearly startled the haggard housewife.

Her brows tightly furrowed, Claire's cheeks bore a flush that hadn't been there during their earlier meeting, and the scent of alcohol hung on her breath.

This mood was entirely understandable. Today's series of shocks had been quite intense, making it perfectly normal to seek a little relief through the power of alcohol.

...

They said that under extreme tension, a person might try to scream but find no sound coming out.

Upon realizing the identity of her uninvited guest, Claire's reaction undoubtedly proved that theory.

It also successfully prevented the situation from becoming too impolite.

"Shh."

Gesturing for silence instead of covering her mouth, Fu Qian simultaneously topped off the empty glass in Claire's hand.

Whether because the scene was too grotesque or because she knew the man before her might not be human, Claire's hand gripping the glass remained frozen in place, showing no intent to politely decline.

"Please, don't worry. Although this bottle looks quite valuable, I don't make a habit of drinking on the clock."

Faced with her reaction, Fu Qian offered comforting words, signaling that she didn't need to worry about him stealing her drink.

"I'm aware of the situation here. It's a pity the treatment hasn't gone smoothly. If you can promise to converse at a normal volume, I think I can offer some further advice."

"Excellency Grimshaw, I..."

After a seemingly endless silence, Claire finally managed to force out a sound, though her voice was frighteningly dry.

It was clearly not easy for her to process the scene before her.

Why was this unfathomable and dangerous figure here?

And why was he treating her like this now that he had arrived?

But it didn't matter. At the very least, she had grasped the most important instruction: controlling her volume.

"Few people can truly understand their own circumstances. Your reaction is human nature. The same goes for your husband."

Satisfied, Fu Qian casually continued his reassurances.

"So for the first step, let's try finding him. I remember you mentioning earlier that there was a room no one was allowed to enter?"

...

"Ah?"

In that moment, Claire finally seemed to regain a fraction of her ability to think, and she began to guess at his intentions.

She couldn't figure it out... but there was obviously a heavy element of scheming involved.

"Your Excellency wants to take a look? I can take you there, but I really don't have a key."

Whether he was scheming or not, her own safety was the most important thing right now. Claire quickly expressed her willingness to cooperate.

"So no one has gone in yet?"

Fu Qian gave a slight nod, asking with a smile.

"No... The two police officers came, found that my husband was missing, and left quickly. No one else has come since."

'But there will be soon.'

Claire's answer wasn't unexpected, but Fu Qian quietly added that thought in his mind.

If Raylan and the others wanted to find someone, their first priority would naturally be to leverage their organization's advantage and cast a wide net.

Beyond that, if they wanted to be more proactive, they were basically left with his current strategy.

Therefore, they were almost certain to come over and thoroughly investigate for clues.

One piece of evidence was the shifting position of the Thread of Attachment at this very moment. It was hard to say for Raylan, but Winona was clearly being very proactive.

Of course, her only result in this race against time would be arriving second.

"Understood. Then I'll have to trouble you."

Fu Qian stood up and politely made his request to Claire.

"It's no trouble..."

Claire subconsciously stood up with him, not even knowing why she had said that.

Was it because his excuse was to offer help?

Her expectations for that possibility were so low that she hadn't even tried to ask what was going on with her husband.

Hm?

Yet even so, after hearing her response, he furrowed his brow slightly and let out a soft sound of surprise.

For a moment, Claire's breath hitched.

...

"Are you not going to finish your wine? Wouldn't it be a waste of such a Fine Vintage?"

Amid her racing heartbeat, Claire finally received her verdict, but its contents...

He just wanted her to finish her drink?

Following his gaze to the wine glass she had left on the table, Claire felt a nightmare-like absurdity wash over her.

Of course, given that this was a nightmare she couldn't escape... Gulp!

Without confusion or hesitation, Claire picked up the glass and chugged the full glass of Fine Vintage as quickly as if it were water.

Although the taste was mellow, downing it at such a speed still provided a sharp kick. Suppressing the urge to cough, she slowly set the glass back down.

"Your complexion looks much better now."

Looking her up and down, Fu Qian finally nodded in satisfaction, gesturing for her to lead the way.

"Otherwise, I'm afraid it would be too easy to mistake me for a trespassing villain."

...It was actually for this reason?

Feeling slightly tipsy, Claire froze for a moment before she finally processed his meaning.

Her expression had been too unnatural and would easily draw suspicion? The real question was, did he actually think he wasn't a villain?

Even knowing it wasn't the right time, Claire found the urge to retort almost unbearable.

But exactly because of this... she touched her slightly flushed face.

Forcing down a full glass of wine on top of this bizarre conversation had seemingly relaxed her quite a bit.

"Please, follow me."

Feeling a little lighter on her feet, Claire had absolutely no intention of sharing her realization. Taking a deep breath, she walked straight ahead.

...

Unsurprisingly, Mr. Rick's secret room was indeed located in the building's Underground.

As they headed downward, the exquisite decorations and the well-trained servants who constantly greeted them served as proof of The Wesley Family's wealth.

Thanks to Fu Qian's suggestion, the mistress of the house acted naturally. With her flushed face, her walking alongside a strange man drew no excessive speculation along the way.

The evidence was that after they passed by, not a single person secretly called the police.

"We're here. This is it."

The two of them finally stopped in front of a massive picture frame at the end of the Corridor. Claire finally spoke up, gesturing to a door beside it.

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