Eldritch Horror Theatre

Their relationship really was far from ordinary!

The situation took another turn. Though they had failed to capture the creature on the spot, Excellency Ji Ning had already planted a way to track it.

A reversal of this magnitude was truly jarring. In his vision, Aike's newly recovered Sanity Value was already showing signs of crumbling once more.

Beside him, Lu Yi looked as though he had given up on thinking altogether.

This was where the benefits of exercising one's brain became apparent. Fu Qian, who had been actively strategizing all along, remained completely unfazed by the twist. He appeared highly receptive to the outcome—and in truth, his acceptance ran deeper than it looked.

Others might not have realized it, but to Fu Qian, the odds of Ji Ning's follow-up strike yielding nothing at all were remarkably slim.

Old friends reuniting with tear-filled eyes at a banquet was common enough, but that was a whole dimension away from casually giving each other attitude.

Judging by the way she interacted with Li He, their dynamic had clearly surpassed merely knowing each other inside out.

The fact that Ji Ning launched her follow-up attack the exact moment Li He's delayed strike finally connected—as if she had anticipated it all along—proved exactly that.

In Fu Qian's eyes, Excellency Ji Ning had given up far too easily.

Furthermore, and most importantly—why did they even need to kill the Tree Infant?

Since they could practically confirm the Tree Infant was merely a minion, what was the point of killing it? To boil it for soup?

No matter how one looked at it, the creature's greatest value lay in following its trail to find the elusive mastermind lurking in the shadows.

As for why they put on that little performance despite successfully planting a tracker?

It certainly was not for little Benjamin's benefit. It was meant for Fu Qian himself.

...

His origins were a mystery, his motives unfathomable.

Despite his relatively low Rank, his performance during the operation had been astonishing.

Whether they appreciated his presence or not, they were veterans of the jianghu. Why would they ever carelessly reveal their trump cards to someone like him?

Excellency Ji Ning intentionally hiding her true capabilities when dealing with mental devastation earlier was one example of this.

Even if they had genuinely followed his advice and achieved their goal, pretending to fall one step short just to gauge his reaction was entirely par for the course.

At this point, Fu Qian believed he had displayed sufficient sincerity. Even in the face of this sudden twist, he hadn't played dumb.

Compared to Lu Yi standing frozen like a statue, this reaction was undeniably far more candid to an intelligent person. He had deduced their success, and because he had no guilty conscience, he didn't mind showing he had figured it out.

Of course, if they weren't smart enough, or if they were overly paranoid and fell into Overthinking things by a few extra layers—assuming he was deliberately using this posture to shed suspicion—it would mean he had to shoulder additional risks.

But if that truly were the case, there would be no reason to blame Old Man Li and the others. It would simply mean his own judge of character wasn't up to par.

"Although we failed to capture it, I used a rather special method to leave an Imprint on the creature."

As it turned out, the two seniors truly were as experienced and venerable as their age suggested.

Following their brief exchange, Ji Ning looked over without the slightest shift in her expression. Having declared her ability to track the target, she even took the time to earnestly explain the situation to the rest of them.

"However, that creature's state is indeed quite unique. Even with this, I still cannot gauge anything as concrete as distance... so there is no need to rush. Just follow my lead."

"...Then we will be counting on you, Excellency."

After all, Ji Ning was a demigod from a professional institution; although her transition had been somewhat stiff, Aike was still remarkably quick on the uptake by comparison.

He also had a very clear grasp of the situation.

Not only did he harbor no resentment, but he actually treated finding the target as his own responsibility, expressing his direct gratitude.

"This is for the best. If we had to go through that again, recovering from the mental damage would likely be far more grueling."

Fu Qian chimed in, appearing profoundly relieved that they wouldn't have to endure another round of it.

You actually worry about that? It feels like you should be thoroughly disappointed instead.

Unfortunately, his boundless compassion was apparently misunderstood by his peers. In the silence that followed his words, Fu Qian could practically hear that exact thought broadcasting from their minds.

Whether praise or blame, let history be the judge.

Fortunately for Fu Qian, being misunderstood was an everyday occurrence. He merely let out a long, heavy sigh, making no attempt to defend himself.

"Very well. Let's head out, then."

Regardless, the team's next course of action was swiftly agreed upon. Excellency Ji Ning gave a brief call and turned to take the lead.

As for Lu Yi, it was glaringly obvious that no one cared about his opinion.

And as it turned out, that approach was perfectly fine. Even though they hadn't explicitly stated their route, he eventually fell in line right behind them without a word of complaint.

...

"Mr. Anke, would it be convenient for me to take a look at the transcendent item on your hand?"

The tracking route led by Excellency Ji Ning felt somewhat like a stream of consciousness, as though they were guests invited on a leisurely tour.

Unfortunately, the atmosphere within the team was far from relaxed; they trailed behind her in near total silence.

Amidst this quiet advance, Li He deliberately slowed his pace to fall toward the back. Glancing at the Dark Red Ring on Fu Qian's hand, he voiced his curiosity.

In theory, they were temporary teammates, but since transcendent items were deeply private, a request like this was still rather impolite regardless of the circumstances.

This was evident from the reactions of the rest of the team. Roused from their individual thoughts, everyone instinctively glanced over, struggling to comprehend why Li He was suddenly in such an inquisitive mood.

"Of course."

To their surprise, the man whose actions and words had been completely unfathomable thus far readily agreed. Casually slipping the ring off, he handed it over.

Are you kidding me? This was one of the core subjects of their little test earlier. How could he possibly forget?

Fu Qian naturally understood exactly what they were thinking.

However, the current moment was undoubtedly the perfect time to inspect the results of that test.

Judging by his reaction, the Old Man truly was quite intrigued by the effects of the Tyrant's Fist.

"It truly is a special power... Does this item have a name?"

Old Man Li appeared delighted by Fu Qian's easygoing attitude. Without standing on ceremony, he reached out and accepted it.

After turning it over in his hand several times, he seemed moved by its rather brutal, bloodstained design, naturally posing the question amidst his praise.

"It is said that the power contained within belongs to the 'Tyrant'."

He didn't hold anything back, nor did he provide a standard, rigid answer. Nodding, Fu Qian cut straight to the point.

The actual name of an item was mostly meaningless, as one could just fabricate it on the spot. What the Old Man truly wanted to know were the core elements tied to the item's effects.

And wouldn't you know it—what Fu Qian wanted to know was more information regarding those exact core elements.

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