Eldritch Horror Theatre

In the end, the tour leader didn't press her lingering worries, although she seemed to have noticed Clara's odd behavior.

Fu Qian could completely understand this.

When Clara left, she most likely hadn't stated her true purpose, meaning the tour leader didn't know she had gone to the same venue as him.

Yet, while he had been the one engaging in high-risk behavior, it was Clara whose reaction was odd.

Given that both dropouts from the tour group were similarly young and had ultimately ended up at the Cafe together, it was impossible for anyone not to let their imaginations run wild about what had happened in the meantime.

And the more that was the case, the ruder it would be to press for details when a customer was reluctant to speak.

Ultimately, amid a joyous and harmonious atmosphere, the aroma of coffee grew increasingly rich. As the exhausted group replenished their energy, the mood of their conversation gradually warmed up.

During this process, Fu Qian also reconfirmed that An Ke was indeed his assigned name here, and that the female tour leader was called A Lian.

"So you'll be joining us for the next stop?"

Seeing the group gradually recover their energy after a short rest, she immediately sought out Fu Qian to confirm.

"Of course."

Although he "hadn't suffered any losses," Mr. An Ke didn't seem prepared to act alone again and agreed very readily.

"That's good. Otherwise, the tickets I went through so much trouble to get would be totally wasted. Their verifications are extremely strict, so there's no way to resell them."

Seeing that Clara also had no objections, A Lian looked quite relieved. She pulled a stack of cards from her backpack and gestured with them.

...

It was indeed strict.

The distance to the second stop wasn't too far, but it was in a completely different direction from the performance.

And this Royal Imperial Garden A Lian had mentioned, although it was the oldest building they had seen so far, was still brimming with a magnificent and solemn aura.

That included the security check at the entrance.

Several core areas, such as the renovated museum before them, were staffed with a full three reviewers. They had to completely verify the reservation holder's identity before allowing entry.

Although one of the reviewers was slacking off, sitting there so lazily he was about to fall asleep, it actually matched the city's temperament quite well.

At the same time, the Old Man in the group—who had spoken with uncommon elegance and maintained a lofty posture along the way—showed a trace of imperceptible nervousness.

It couldn't be more normal. Knowing the reason perfectly well, Fu Qian politely refrained from taking a second look—the Old Man had made his reservation as an ordinary person.

As for that slacking third guard, although his Rank wasn't much higher in comparison, his imposing aura easily brought to mind a certain violent organization of transcendents.

Worthy of a former royal residence, the Night Watchers still seemed to place some importance on it. Transcendents might be allowed to enter, but judging by this setup, they would most likely receive extra attention—and the Old Man didn't want to be noticed.

This group was very interesting indeed.

Although the sharp gaze hidden beneath the Night Watcher's drowsy eyelids was real, he was still far too lacking to recognize a High-Tier Transcendent. After smoothly passing the identity check and entering, Fu Qian didn't forget to keep an eye on the other team members.

The Old Man had clearly invested heavily; his disguise was solid in all aspects. In the end, the guard merely took an extra glance at his face without even shifting in his seat.

By comparison, the man and woman wearing matching couple's shirts were actually more suspicious.

Not only did their eyes dart about, but the excitement on their faces felt a bit strange, not at all like people here to admire history.

Comparatively, Brother Mediterranean was actually the most normal one. He paid no attention to the verification process, repeatedly peering inside before he even crossed the threshold.

As for Clara, whose origins and behavior were both somewhat mysterious—she seemed to be doing the exact same thing as him.

Having been somewhat silent since earlier, it was obvious she was paying more attention to everyone's reactions than to appreciating the historical sites, bringing to mind her previous question: "How was the show?"

"Follow me, I'll take you to experience how an emperor feels."

In contrast, A Lian clearly hadn't paid attention to so many details; she was simply pleased that everyone was present.

After finally entering the gates, she signaled for the group not to mingle with the other crowds. With a mysterious expression, she led them to an inconspicuous corner.

...

"How is it? Isn't the view quite different?"

A moment later, at the highest point of the museum, A Lian gestured for them to stand where she was and spoke with a hint of pride.

"From here, you can look down on every part of this building complex, and even the eastern half of Lanphilai. And because of the special design, people down below can't tell if there's anyone inside."

"In the past, absolutely no one other than the owner was allowed in. Even the path we just took was specially designed, making it very hard to sneakily check if anyone had come up."

A Lian waited for the group to look down for a moment before she began her introduction.

"One of the owners even shared your name, An Ke. Doesn't that make you feel particularly immersed?"

Seeing Fu Qian earnestly taking in the experience, she didn't forget to offer a little tidbit.

"Oh?"

Fu Qian cooperatively showed his interest.

"An Ke Vinland. It's said he was the most merciful monarch of this ancient family... Uh, at the very least, he wouldn't slaughter half the city's nobles in a fit of rage like the others."

It was just that the information she went on to provide could hardly be called complimentary.

"Slaughtering half the city? It seems I really can feel that sensation."

Yet Fu Qian still nodded very supportively. With his hands resting on either side, he looked out through the dim window, gazing down at the world.

Although this seemed like a joke, he wasn't speaking nonsense.

Given the exceptionally good field of view from this position, Fu Qian, who was already proficient in using Vision Radar, was very certain that if he wanted to, he could trigger Calamity Descent with a single thought and crush this half of Lanphilai.

It matched the scene A Lian had described perfectly—and he wasn't even in a hurry to rule out doing it.

"Why does this city planning look a bit familiar to me?"

The next moment, Fu Qian pointed out at the landscape, gesturing toward the distance.

With this area as the center, one could distinctly make out a familiar structure.

...

"Inviolable, right? So, what do you think the origin of those Blue Eyes is?"

Although the customer's reaction was a bit overly invested, seeing his genuine interest in what she shared secretly pleased A Lian.

She reached out, tracing a few lines against the backdrop of the ancient city.

"The Vinland Family, who originally built this estate, were also the planners of this city. During the reconstruction following a natural disaster..."

"It was only later that those special amulets began to appear—wait, why are we missing a person?"

However, halfway through her introduction, she seemed to finally realize something and whipped her head around.

Within the group that had been so difficult to gather, the oldest member was nowhere to be seen.

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