Eldritch Horror Theatre

'This guy still hasn't forgotten about that!'

It was obvious that the claim of another "summoning of fate" had shocked Ais once again.

Given his actions along the way, and especially his inhuman reaction to the mutation right in front of them, she couldn't possibly believe that excuse anymore.

But even as her worries about his true motives resurfaced, his comment about where to go next clearly piqued her interest.

"Or are you planning an on-site dissection right here, just to see if the legendary Vacuum Flower will really vanish in a flash?"

Fu Qian frowned and looked over, pressing the issue.

"Why would I do that? If we can use him as a vessel to bring the Vacuum Flower back, the faster the better, of course. But—"

Ais finally shook her head, though she stared into the metal pool with obvious reluctance.

"But you don't want to get contaminated by getting too close."

"Relax. I don't need you for this."

He didn't need her?

"Then how are you—"

His sharp gaze contrasted so heavily with his easygoing words that it left her stunned. But before Ais could finish her thought, a grating sound cut her off.

Amidst the teeth-setting screech of tearing metal, the metal platform bolted to the floor slowly began to turn.

Fu Qian hadn't reached in to fish out the deformed corpse. Instead, he simply applied brute force, tearing the entire platform out by the roots, external equipment and all.

"...And you claimed you were just a middle school student!"

Seeing Fu Qian hoist that incredibly heavy container with a single hand, Ais's immediate reaction was to grind her teeth and question him. She looked almost thankful that she hadn't tried to fight him earlier.

"I used to be. But haven't I answered the summoning of fate now?"

Fu Qian's expression looked utterly mournful over her lack of comprehension. He gestured with his chin toward the nails that had already spread to the back of his hand.

...

"Let's go."

Even though he was deliberately holding the metal platform with his mutated hand, Ais couldn't believe for a second that he had evolved to this level in such a short time.

Still, considering their current situation and Fu Qian's track record along the way, she gave up on arguing over such details and stepped up to clear the path.

"Wait a minute."

This time, however, Fu Qian stopped her.

Strolling forward as if on a leisurely walk, he ignored Ais's guarded expression and nodded in another direction.

"I only said I didn't need your help with this one. There's still another."

"Sophia?"

Ais instantly realized what he was referring to and immediately voiced her doubts.

"But she doesn't have any traces of the Vacuum Flower on her, does she?"

"True. But it feels unfair if I'm the only one carrying any weight."

Fu Qian's reply was completely unapologetic as he shoved the object in his hand closer to her face.

"Or do you want to carry this?"

...

Of course Ais wasn't going to carry it. She had been so careful to avoid getting infected, and she even had a willing porter to do the heavy lifting.

At the same time, she didn't believe for a second that he just felt it was unfair, so she subconsciously resisted doing as he asked.

Unfortunately, given the current circumstances, she clearly had to choose one of the two options.

"You carry it."

After taking a breath to contemplate her life choices, Ais turned around and marched straight toward Sophia.

Screech—

A moment later, an identical grating noise echoed from beneath the other condensation-slicked metal platform.

Without a word, Ais's right hand—the one equipped with the Golden Armguard—displayed inhuman strength. Mimicking Fu Qian, she ripped the metal platform straight off its moorings.

She even proceeded to hold it up with one hand.

...

'That really does suit her personality.'

Her earlier helplessness regarding the heavy lifting, as well as her apparent shock when he displayed his own strength, had clearly been heavily faked.

The Golden Saint Robe she wore wasn't just for show after all.

Charlotte's golden arm hadn't shown any effect during the last exploration.

Now, it seemed their previous guess had been spot on. Compared to dealing with monsters in the Ruins, the equipment of those three was obviously far better suited for PvP.

Looking at it that way, the fact that she had held back from blasting him with a Disintegration Ray up until now was practically the height of restraint.

It was just a pity that under enough pressure, any disguise would eventually crumble.

"Haha... and you claimed this wasn't a gift of fate."

Watching this unfold, Fu Qian smiled widely.

The implication was simple: just moments ago she had been questioning his right hand's divine strength, yet here she was, showing off a similar gain of her own.

"Shouldn't we hurry up? Sophia isn't exactly comfortable like this."

Ais had no intention of replying. She simply gave a cold gesture toward the container in her hand.

He wasn't wrong. Even though Sophia seemed to only have basic instincts left in her current state, the rough handling had clearly provoked some stress-induced thrashing from her body.

"Sure. I'll take the lead."

Withdrawing his gaze and readily accepting good advice, Fu Qian stepped up to take the lead.

...

"This should be right, shouldn't it?"

Not long after, the two figures walking through the corridor came to a halt. Looking completely untired, Fu Qian gestured at the number in front of them.

Unfortunately, Ais ignored him. She simply stepped forward without a word and opened the door with her free hand.

Click!

She even flipped her palm right after, pulling out a delicate gadget that instantly emitted a bright, snow-white radiance.

Sure enough, they didn't need to stay in the dark.

Seeing that its brightness far exceeded his own equipment, illuminating the narrow passageway, Fu Qian marveled inwardly for a moment.

Clang!

Of course, even with the light, a quick glance was enough to tell that the massive objects they were carrying would never fit through. With a heavy thud, Fu Qian set down the metal platform he had hauled all the way there.

Watching as he literally pulled the corpse out from inside and unhesitatingly stepped into the passageway, Ais finally followed suit once again, fishing Sophia's twisted limbs out of the water.

...

"So what do we do now? Destroy the corpses and let the Vacuum Flower out?"

Both of them were already familiar with the route and quickly finished navigating the winding corridor.

The interior of the Workshop remained exactly as they had left it, completely unchanged.

After placing Sophia and the other three corpses into two separate corners, Ais's posture betrayed a clear sense of impatience.

"I have no objections. Be my guest."

Fu Qian, whose arm was already half-covered by nails, acted perfectly agreeable, raising no objections to her proposal—but he also made no move to act on it.

Looking at Fu Qian standing there, clearly expecting her to do it herself, Ais's eyes flickered, but she didn't move her feet either.

In the next moment, a dark red ray flashed through the air, piercing straight through the corpse in the corner.

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