Eldritch Horror Theatre

'Excellent. My ideological guidance wasn't in vain.'

Fu Qian felt deeply satisfied as he looked at Qiu; she had finally gotten on the right track and quickly raised several valuable questions.

His original goal in seeking out this group had been to stir up some trouble in the seemingly peaceful West Plain and see if he could trigger any anomalies.

The current situation, however, was even more ideal—the anomaly had actually been there all along. It just took this little push for the people involved to finally realize it.

This anomaly even corroborated his own encounter outside the Night Watchers Base, pointing to a single conclusion: the Tree of Corruption, capable of bestowing the protection of the Sacred Law, hadn't vanished. Instead, it had adopted an even more active state of existence.

Furthermore, compared to the suspected members of the Blood Lion Squad, one thing about Qiu was practically certain: she hadn't actively sought it out.

Yet she had still received its protection.

This was easily the most terrifying contrast in the entire situation so far.

So much so that when contemplating the reasons behind it, Fu Qian naturally recalled a specific scene: an entire city of people looking up, rapidly turning into idiots beneath the giant tree's glory.

What if it didn't even require methods like the Ill Omen? What if more than one person in West Plain had already been granted a share of its divine glory?

Like a mop dipped in shit, splattering everywhere without restraint.

And the victims themselves were entirely unaware—like Qiu standing before him, or that spy outside the Night Watchers Base whose behavior had seemed so incredibly contradictory.

Could it be that she hadn't known she was protected by a divine Dispelling Halo either?

That would make everything make sense. She really had been taking a risk by spying on the Night Watchers' movements, hoping to find some clues.

Because as far as she knew, her trip had yielded absolutely nothing.

...

It strained the imagination a bit, but it was at least a plausible hypothesis.

To some extent, it could even explain the two questions Qiu had raised.

For instance, her bizarre behavior of simply walking away after a murder. The spy outside the Night Watchers Base had done the exact same thing—walking away without a backward glance after the Dispelling Halo took effect.

The tree didn't just grant them protection; it also seemed inclined to keep it a secret—even from the recipients themselves.

This style of doing good deeds anonymously was perhaps the reason why West Plain hadn't erupted into total chaos yet.

As for why her good friend Yuri had attacked her for no reason?

That was actually even simpler. If the counterattack was unconscious, why couldn't the initial attack be?

What if the Punishment of Decapitation was triggered by another instance of Sacred Protection that the owner themselves was oblivious to?

Of course, he couldn't take anything for granted. He hadn't been at the murder scene to see it with his own eyes, so the details were still open to various possibilities.

But the moment this line of reasoning was introduced, the cause of the tragedy made perfect sense.

In fact, Fu Qian suspected that Yuri hadn't even been the first one to lose her head.

If a perfectly normal, upstanding citizen suddenly saw his girlfriend's head fall off her neck, it was hard to imagine his first reaction being to attack rather than scream.

A far more logical sequence was that he was the one possessing the Sacred Protection, and he had accidentally triggered it, resulting in his own decapitation.

Only Yuri, who was accustomed to life and death, would possess the psychological fortitude to remain calm, analyze the situation, and even employ covert methods to try and detain her suddenly erratic friend.

"Then take your time and think."

Fu Qian casually replied to Qiu's confusion while rapidly organizing his thoughts.

Do not do unto others what you would not want done to yourself.

The reason he had shot that Air Bullet at Downs earlier was precisely because the man had deviated from the main point.

The reason this group was even here was simple: he was using them to test just how "peaceful" West Plain truly was, and in return, he would offer them a potential reward of safety.

That did not include information consultations. No going off-topic.

"Excellency..."

Clearly, Fu Qian's overly principled approach had deeply shocked the group, who were fully invested in the issue and eagerly awaiting an answer.

This was especially true for Qiu, who had pushed her mental state to the absolute limit. Faced with the mysterious expert's "encouragement," she felt as though she'd been struck by lightning. She just stared at him blankly, trying to confirm he wasn't joking.

"Thank you all for your help, but no feast in the world lasts forever."

To her dismay, right before their eyes, he cracked his neck, offering his thanks as he prepared to leave.

"Wait—"

Unable to hold back any longer, Hao Ke—the one who usually looked out for his friends—was the first to jump out and try to make him stay.

"What is it?"

Fu Qian stopped and glanced at him, not looking particularly annoyed.

"Considering we provided a bit of help..."

However, under that stare, Hao Ke's momentum rapidly deflated until he couldn't even finish the sentence.

If he really thought about it, providing usefulness in exchange for a reward was entirely his own wishful thinking. The man had never promised any such thing.

Even their initial motivation for cooperating had obviously been the threat to their lives.

"Finding this place and realizing the danger you're in—does that not count as a reward?"

Yet, shockingly enough, he hadn't played dumb as expected, but had directly addressed Hao Ke's unspoken demand.

"Do you have any suggestions... for what we should do next, Excellency?"

The man's previous words had been concise, yet left them utterly unarguable.

Everyone had heard that bizarre exchange, and while Fu Qian's logic was indeed hard to refute, Downs hadn't dared to remain silent like the rest. Bracing himself, he had spoken up to ask for guidance.

"Suggestions? I actually mentioned this to Hao Ke earlier—he doesn't have to be here when dawn breaks."

Fortunately, Excellency Grimshaw didn't cut the conversation short and leave, though he was looking at Hao Ke as he spoke.

"Wouldn't it be feasible to safely secure Qiu somewhere first, and then look for a solution?"

Though he hadn't heard Hao Ke mention it, Downs instantly understood that Fu Qian meant leaving West Plain entirely. Startled, he carefully offered an alternative idea.

"So you think she's the only anomaly in West Plain right now?"

Unfortunately, Fu Qian only replied with a rhetorical question.

...Of course not.

Downs was instantly rendered speechless.

The logic was simple. If the Shadow looming over West Plain was merely limited to Qiu, then this man—who had obviously come here specifically for this—would have absolutely no reason to leave.

"I'm not leaving. Not until I figure out exactly what's going on... so that part of your reward is meaningless to me. Can I exchange it for something else?"

It was then that Qiu finally snapped out of her daze. She firmly stated her stance, staring right at Fu Qian as she made a rather courageous demand.

"You may. This is very likely tied to the Huang Clan again. If you want to investigate, you can go take a look around their turf."

Surprisingly, Fu Qian remained excessively accommodating, genuinely swapping out her reward.

"Thank you... and I suppose our actions will conveniently provide you with some valuable insights, won't they?"

Qiu didn't question his advice, though she did point out his true underlying motive with a fearless, nothing-to-lose candor.

"Yes. But the choice is yours."

Fu Qian admitted it without the slightest hesitation. And with that, he turned and began to walk away.

"After all, your fate is in your own hands."

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