Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Bullshit! One look is enough to tell you're trapped here just like the rest of us."

Unsurprisingly, Fu Qian's question provoked a strong reaction.

Brother Huang Lezhan, whose earlier attempt at coercion had failed, was the first to jump out and voice his doubts.

But as everyone knew, dispelling the doubts of a seeker of the Dao was the first rule of being a charlatan.

And for a seasoned veteran like Fu Qian, doing so was as natural as breathing.

"True. You don't have to believe me."

He casually agreed with the man.

...

"What else do you want to know?"

She not only explicitly expressed her belief in him but took the initiative to negotiate a price.

She didn't bring up actual money, of course, or even more valuable transcendent items.

Given the setting, his character, and his posture of knowing the way out without being in any rush to leave, moving him would hardly be easy.

Miranda's reaction was clearly influenced by the fact that he knew her name and had proactively confirmed it from the start. She leaned toward the assumption that her information might be more valuable to him.

It was a remarkably clearheaded assessment. Naturally, her unrestrained compromise left the other participants of this secret operation feeling restless.

On one hand, they felt a visceral aversion to information leaking; on the other, they were anxious that someone had beaten them to the punch in offering a price.

"Very good."

Fu Qian was highly satisfied with this cooperation. Under the group's uncertain, suspicious gazes, he didn't even waste time pulling her aside for a private conversation.

"When did Huang Zhixun go missing?"

He posed his question directly.

"...Last night. Before dawn, it was discovered that he had gone missing."

This simple question was enough for Miranda to confirm that Fu Qian was here for the operation. Naturally, that didn't stop her from answering quickly after a brief thought.

"Who noticed?"

Fu Qian showed no particular reaction to her answer, continuing his calm questioning.

"Sha Ming..."

Miranda was already answering fluently, displaying a strong will to survive.

Sha Ming?

The final member of the Family-Visiting Trio?

He noticed someone was missing in the middle of the night?

Sure enough, they all possessed unique skills; none of them were simple.

Because of his prior conversation with Tan Mingxue, Fu Qian was naturally no stranger to the name. He finally nodded, casting a glance around.

"Did you run into any other trouble after coming inside?"

"Shortly after realizing there was no way back, we fell into this place... Then, just as Your Excellency said, we hesitated for a long time before choosing this stupid method."

"So, aside from our current dead end, we haven't actually had time to run into any more trouble."

Miranda gave a bitter smile, paying no mind to the feelings of the others as she mocked their present predicament.

"Sometimes, being a bit stupid isn't necessarily a bad thing."

Smiling at the group and sensing their quiet wave of shame, Fu Qian casually offered a dash of comfort.

"And for my last question: is this your first time coming in?"

Retracting his gaze, he plainly signaled that her reward was about to be fully paid out. As he asked his final question, his eyes fixed pointedly on Miranda.

...

This time, Miranda's response wasn't quite as swift.

In contrast, the gazes of the other spectators grew visibly sharper. They all stared intently at her, waiting for the answer.

"No... We came in once before midnight yesterday, but we left quickly."

Even though she kept her eyes straight ahead, Miranda could still feel the oppressive weight of their stares. Ultimately, she chose neither to stay silent nor to prevaricate.

"You really did sneak in already!"

As soon as the answer was out, before Fu Qian could even comment, Brother Huang Lezhan flew into a rage, looking as if his earlier suspicions had just been confirmed.

Even the rest of the group grew restless, voicing their displeasure at being dragged into this mess by these three conspirators.

"But when we came in, everything was completely normal. There were no strange things, none of these incomprehensible rules—nothing at all."

Unfortunately for them, the resolute Miranda had absolutely no intention of paying them any mind, merely keeping her eyes forward as she added the details.

It seemed quite a lot had actually happened last night.

As he digested this information, Fu Qian wasn't too surprised. At the same time, he couldn't help but marvel that he had arrived at just the right moment.

It was perfectly normal during their first entry, yet it had turned into a perilous death trap upon their return after the Blood Lion went missing. To say there was no connection between the two would be a hard sell.

Sorting through the information Miranda provided, it was almost a certainty that their trip was aimed at the tree. They had already sneaked inside without informing the Huang Clan, though they seemingly found nothing and returned at midnight.

That would also explain why she hadn't sat idle, risking a trip outside the Night Watchers Base to search for clues.

And by the time she returned, the Blood Lion's disappearance had already been discovered.

Next came the organization and execution of the rescue plan.

He had to admit, all parties involved were highly efficient, fully demonstrating their initiative.

Moreover, there was an extremely important piece of information hidden within all this—at least until midnight, everything here had been perfectly normal. Yet, Madam Qiu accidentally beheading her close friend had occurred during dinner yesterday.

This time discrepancy seemed to indicate that the anomaly within the Volcano and the sanctuary supposedly flooding the entire city did not share a direct relationship.

In other words, the Dispelling Halo on Miranda hadn't necessarily been acquired from her first trip inside.

The hidden tree, the Invisible Palace, the city-wide sanctuary—just what exactly was the relationship between these three? And what role did the missing Blood Lion play in all this? The whole situation felt rather delicate.

"I'm done answering. Can you tell us the way out now?"

Just as he was organizing his thoughts, Miranda's icy reminder rang out, indicating that it was time to settle the transaction.

The moment those words were spoken, even Brother Huang Lezhan's fury was abruptly halted. He turned to look over along with everyone else.

No matter what, their lives were what mattered most.

"Of course."

Fu Qian's response was so straightforward that they were overjoyed.

Although their eyes instantly lit up, he didn't elaborate. Instead, acting just like any other charlatan, he put on the airs of a riddler, turned around, and advanced step by step toward the Bloodfall Long Staircase.

Every time his audience thought he was going to stop and explain, he just kept walking.

It wasn't until he reached the bottom of the long stairs and glanced down that, under the breathless stares of the crowd, Fu Qian took a step up.

And then another step...

"The rules have no effect on you?"

At that moment, Miranda, who had been waiting for his answer, finally lost her composure and shouted.

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