Eldritch Horror Theatre

"How much do you know about the Laria Royal Court, excellency Encore?"

Facts proved that art was by no means useless—especially the art of communication.

The minor interlude hadn't changed their grim situation. Following Fu Qian's heavily postured suggestion, the team quickly resumed their journey.

They hadn't advanced even a hundred meters through this deathly silent place before Old Man Li, who had been bringing up the rear, quickened his pace and approached.

"Very little. During that era, I didn't possess a clear sense of self-will, so I wasn't familiar with them."

Seeing how the edification of communication had transformed a mutual game of suspicion and interests into an academic discussion—with a guest even taking the initiative to approach—Fu Qian felt deeply gratified and answered straightforwardly.

Was this truly the revival of some ancient will?

Old Man Li's voice wasn't loud, but it wasn't a whisper either.

In such deep silence, nearly everyone had their ears pricked to listen to their surroundings. Naturally, they caught every word of the conversation.

The Blood Clan had always been a long-lived species; thus, they often held a different perspective on the passage of time.

One could vaguely sense exactly that in this "Encore's" answer right now.

For most people, the Laria surname carried an inherent sense of historical weight. When discussing it, it was hard to speak from the perspective of "what I was doing at the time."

Furthermore, the other party claimed he hadn't possessed a clear sense of self-will back then.

Combined with Old Man Li's earlier assertion distinguishing him from the existing Blood Clan, even if the person in question remained tight-lipped, it was easy to picture certain scenarios.

Such as an ancient blood clan member finally returning from history after a long, drawn-out slumber.

This was also why he had claimed their understanding was "limited"—because he simply didn't belong to any existing branch of the Blood Clan.

As for the reason behind his return...

[His ancient glory has already returned. The unforgotten memories will eventually turn into reality.]

Although it suffered from the Blood Clan's habit of feigning profundity, this sentence was still terrifying upon deeper reflection.

Was it not just the ancient anomaly returning? Was he merely a servant to it?

And what about the power he had just displayed? The Progenitor of the Blood Clan, symbolized by the moon?

They couldn't be certain, but they all felt that the world was descending into chaos.

...

"Understood. Fortunately, although I'm not familiar with them either, I accidentally chanced upon a special secret regarding why they called themselves God-Men."

"Wasn't it because of their special bloodline power?"

Fu Qian blinked, glancing at Aike as he spoke.

This piece of information had originally come from her earlier sharing.

The old man clearly didn't mind the others listening in, so Fu Qian acted a bit more casually.

Unfortunately, Demigod Aike wasn't feeling casual at all. The speculation about the return of an ancient power had made her expression visibly grave.

"Of course. Suddenly obtaining Transcendent power without warning, a divinity that perfectly merges with oneself—even today, countless people yearn for such a talent."

"But what is the essence of this talent? And how was it passed down from ancestors who weren't Transcendents themselves?"

Old Man Li clearly wasn't surprised by his reaction, revealing a trace of an intellectual's earnestness.

"You must know, there were times when several consecutive generations were nothing more than ordinary mortals."

"Could you see anything extraordinary in those pampered bodies?"

"That is indeed a good question, though it's hard to imagine that kind of trouble..."

Faced with Old Man Li's pressing questions, Fu Qian showed no signs of aversion; instead, his interest seemed thoroughly piqued.

...

Of course you'd find it hard to imagine; the Blood Clan never had to worry about inheriting Transcendent power.

Fu Qian's muttering mildly provoked his audience.

However, despite their internal griping, everyone tacitly kept quiet and continued straining their ears to listen.

"The only Laria Family members I've seen are the ones in the Nursery just now."

And Fu Qian didn't disappoint them. The innate arrogance of the Blood Clan unconsciously bled through; he simply refused to admit defeat easily.

"They are indeed mortal flesh and blood. Pure Transcendent power is one thing, but it's hard to imagine how divinity could hide within it through any means."

Of course, he didn't waste any precious time either. Soon, he offered his perspective with a contemplative look.

"So, in my view, the essence of this family's talent might be some sort of trait inherited through their bloodline. Under specific conditions, it attracts the gaze of a higher power, allowing them to directly obtain divinity instead of experiencing an Awakening themselves. In other words, their power is indeed 'divinely bestowed'."

He wasn't just spouting nonsense to maintain an imposing facade. Ever since he learned about the concept of "God-Men" from Aike earlier, Fu Qian had actually been pondering this very question.

Although the current situation was delicate, an academic discussion shouldn't be profaned by red tape.

"I completely agree."

It seemed Old Man Li had also felt this radiant academic spirit, as his tone grew noticeably more animated.

A moment later, his expression turned solemn as he provided the answer directly.

"This trait might be the 'face'."

...

"I know it's hard to believe. In fact, when we first arrived at this answer back then, I felt exactly the same way."

Knowing his claim sounded rather absurd, Li He continued before anyone could share their thoughts, looking as if he had fallen into a memory.

"During a certain special experience, we eliminated various factors over and over again to uncover the secret of the God-Men. Ultimately, we were left with this perception-challenging possibility."

"Under normal circumstances, appearance naturally holds no meaning for Transcendents. However, for the descendants with the blood of this ancient family flowing through their veins, their faces constantly change as they grow. At a certain moment, it's as if they dial the correct number to summon a higher power..."

"We could even describe it from another angle: that face representing the correct number parasitizes this tree of bloodlines, receiving nourishment over the long years and occasionally manifesting at unknowable times to help the host continue on."

"And then Little Benjamin, harboring that special curse, eventually hit the right number with his ever-changing face at a certain point after receiving Lu Yi's purification—and that's when all this happened before our eyes?"

The things Old Man Li described were indeed rather abstract, just as he had said.

Yet, right as his voice faded, Fu Qian had already followed this line of thought to a deduction, even nodding slightly as if he had grasped something.

"A very interesting idea. The paradox of a mortal giving birth to a Divine Child is solved, and it aligns with the characteristic of obtaining power without any warning."

"And this newborn, constantly aging and growing young again, essentially had the opportunity for continuous trial and error..."

The essence of the bloodline's power was a face. It truly was... primitive yet reasonable.

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