Eldritch Horror Theatre

This was the gap. The chasm of the Demigod Realm wasn't just for show.

Wen Li and Yuan Shan's starkly different answers only drew a sigh from Fu Qian.

While Wen Li was undeniably sharp for someone at Tier 4, she ultimately lacked legendary divinity. When it came to overly abstract changes, she simply didn't have the sensitivity for it.

A full seventeen fish. That didn't mean Chief Yuan had gained the authority of a glutton and actually stuffed that many into her stomach.

Rather, she had experienced the process of eating the fish seventeen times.

It was a profoundly subtle sensation. It didn't mean Yuan Shan had eaten the fish in seventeen different ways; rather, the exact same experience had continuously looped in her consciousness.

Fu Qian was sure that even for Chief Yuan, it felt like nothing more than a strange counter added to her perception.

Wen Li couldn't detect this counter at all.

Of course, the gap didn't just exist between the two of them—on his own counter, the number was twenty-nine.

"This process repeated itself imperceptibly? A full seventeen times?"

Listening to the two powerhouses speak, Eldest Miss Wen quickly caught on. She drew a breath of disbelief and stared blankly at the plate in front of Yuan Shan.

She was probably just relieved that seventeen fish from her stock hadn't actually been eaten, right?

Expertly slipping into the mindset of a treacherous capitalist to feel happy for her, Fu Qian gave a slight nod.

"You can think of it that way, though it's over for now."

Out of consideration for Chief Yuan's feelings, he didn't even correct the statistics.

...

"During my previous experiences, I didn't notice any signs of this at all."

Wen Li certainly knew that Fu Qian and Yuan Shan hadn't come here just to eat fish.

After sending her away earlier, the two had clearly reached a consensus. Believing that incredible power would definitely manifest again, they decided to wait for it right here in this remarkably casual manner.

It was just that the anomaly hadn't merely arrived a little fast; it was becoming increasingly bizarre.

"Even my current emotional state is normal. I don't feel the way I did back then."

Unable to detect anything, Wen Li didn't waste time venting her frustrations. Instead, she chose to examine herself as thoroughly as possible to provide them with a frame of reference.

"Your perception is correct. Just now, it was purely helping you enjoy the meal a few extra times."

Fu Qian casually validated her and immediately looked over at Yuan Shan, seemingly wanting to hear more of her insights.

"There really were no other negative effects... I didn't even gain any extra enjoyment from it. That form of repetition was completely abstract."

With a light sigh, Yuan Shan finally set down her cutlery, looking as though she had lost all interest in the food.

"Our opponent this time isn't simple."

This time, however, it was Fu Qian's turn to work up an appetite. He made the observation while stuffing another mouthful in.

That went without saying...

It was undeniably the honest truth, leaving Yuan Shan momentarily speechless.

Being able to perceive it was one thing, but the biggest problem was that the influence they'd just experienced seemed completely impossible to resist.

Just because it hadn't slipped in an attack this time didn't mean it wouldn't do so later.

Their opponent this time was truly far from simple.

Of course, she wasn't sighing out of fear of the difficulty, but for two other reasons.

First, such a bizarre and high-level method undoubtedly aligned with their speculations. The probability that the Needle Witch was truly behind this had only increased.

No matter how you looked at it, an internal threat within the Night Watchers was never anything to be happy about.

Second, although her "top strategist" had been fairly proactive earlier, the more he spoke, the more he showed signs of yielding the stage to her.

In this reverse investigation operation, it seemed she wouldn't be able to slack off even a little bit.

...

Being proactive was just basic courtesy. After all, theoretically speaking, he was the one directly involved in this incident.

From Chief Yuan's expression, it wasn't hard to guess what she was thinking, though Fu Qian felt absolutely no shame about it.

No matter what stood behind this power, this probe was fundamentally aimed right at him.

Wen Li was merely an implicated tool, while Chief Yuan was the strategic ally he had sought out.

Therefore, even though he had completely hidden his Transcendent Tier with the Dazzling Visage, Fu Qian had still stepped up immediately, pointing out the discrepancy in the number of times they'd eaten the fish.

But that was the extent of it. This was an internal mole-hunting operation for the Night Watchers, after all. As the grand regional chief and the Shepherd of Shangjing, how could she not put in some effort?

"Any other discoveries?"

Fortunately, Chief Yuan was a highly self-aware person. She quickly overcame her negative emotions and naturally took control of the conversation's pacing, looking at Fu Qian to confirm.

"No. I can't even be sure if the person is still here. There hasn't been a single trace in my perception from beginning to end."

Praising her in his heart, Fu Qian shook his head decisively.

"However, considering the situation just now, I lean toward the other party having a special concealment method related to space and time. That was just a preliminary greeting."

"I have to say, I think so too."

Shifting her gaze from Fu Qian's face, Yuan Shan looked around the empty room.

To make communication easier, Wen Li had already sent the servants away, acting as the server herself.

It was just a pity that the current scene no longer offered any sense of peace. Instead, it felt as if a pair of invisible eyes were peering down at them across time.

Sigh...

With another faint sigh, Yuan Shan turned slightly, a fist-sized sphere suddenly appearing in her hand.

...

Small and delicate, its somewhat uneven surface gleamed with a bright metallic luster. At first glance, it looked like a finely crafted piece of art.

However, a bright red bloodstain shaped like a flower at the top—seeping deep into the sphere—served as a striking finishing touch. It instantly stripped the item of any mundane appearance, rendering it mysterious and alluring.

Looking closer, one could see that the entire sphere was actually composed of uniform, petal-shaped metal blades.

They interlocked to form a chain, winding tightly around each other layer by layer like a ball of yarn.

And with Yuan Shan's movements, it was already unfurling.

The flexible whip, dotted with threads of bright red, stretched and coiled like a snake, its tip rearing high.

Yuan Shan had to grip the "tail" firmly, looking as if she were afraid it would fly away if she let go.

A high-end item.

Fu Qian had naturally made his judgment the moment it appeared, knowing this thing was far from ordinary.

Especially that flower-shaped bloodstain—even his current self felt a wave of discomfort just glancing at it.

Moreover, careful observation revealed that the blood hadn't just been splashed onto it.

As the chain unspooled, he could see that on almost all the bloodstained petals, the red was concentrated exclusively at the sharp tips, as if left behind from violently tearing through flesh.

It looked more as if it had been retracted after whipping a target, only coincidentally forming that floral pattern when fully coiled.

"Don't look."

Yuan Shan's voice rang out again. Her tone was slightly strained as she warned the weakest person in the room, Wen Li.

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