Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Not at all. The place was just so interesting that I lost track of time wandering around."

It wasn't an overly luxurious place, but the location was excellent, and the interior was spacious and bright.

Facing Captain's friendly greeting, Fu Qian offered a casual explanation while studying the ceiling decorations, which clearly incorporated some Blue Eyes motifs.

"I can tell."

Though sitting comfortably on the soft sofa, Captain was clearly a bit bored. He looked Fu Qian up and down with a chuckle, gesturing for him to take a seat and rest.

It wasn't just a perfunctory remark. Compared to when the group had dispersed earlier, Fu Qian had changed his outfit from head to toe, adopting a heavily traditional folk style.

What Captain didn't know, however, was that this was already his second change of clothes.

He had departed quietly after the deed was done, hiding all fame and achievement.

Naturally, he wouldn't wear that Mysterious Person Attire back here. Not only would it ruin his sightseeing experience, it would likely scare Old Man Sanhao half to death.

As for his sunglasses, backpack, and the like, he had casually tossed them away earlier, fully embracing the carefree vibe of a traveler living in the moment.

"So, you must have heard about that lightning strike today? Rumor has it that it completely shattered a building."

Seemingly noticing the change, Captain gave a slight nod, feeling a tinge of envy at the young man's spirited energy before bringing up the major event that had occurred not long ago.

He clearly hadn't been an eyewitness or seen the aftermath firsthand, leaving him somewhat skeptical of the rumors.

"I saw it. It was truly miraculous. The lightning even gave off an unusual color."

Fu Qian didn't hold back, stating directly that he hadn't just heard about it. As he spoke, he gave a polite nod to another figure approaching them.

Wearing a well-tailored black coat, meticulous with every button from the inside out, Old Man Sanhao walked over.

Despite his advanced age, the old man showed no signs of his earlier fatigue. In fact, as he looked around, he exuded a distinct sense of invigoration, calling to mind the saying that happy occasions lift the spirit.

He had also changed his outfit, but unlike Fu Qian's folk style, his was far more formal, which seemed to explain his energized state to some extent.

A man who paid such careful attention to style was naturally sensitive to the appearances of others. From the moment he came downstairs, he kept his piercing gaze fixed on Fu Qian.

Others might have considered this a normal reaction, but Fu Qian could guess the deeper reasons.

...

He was already doing quite well; how could he not be a little rattled?

If someone aiming for great things lacked even this little bit of psychological resilience, how could he ever hope to shoulder the heavy responsibility of folklore research?

Seeing Old Man Sanhao sit to the side with a serious expression, Fu Qian fully understood his feelings and didn't feel embarrassed in the slightest.

Although he had successfully established contact with The Club, the mysterious person who had offered him guidance this afternoon had undoubtedly placed an immense psychological burden on him.

The styles might be different, but Fu Qian's carefree act of swapping outfits still proved too striking for the old man.

Of course, given the old man's perspective, Fu Qian genuinely doubted he would suspect him.

"Ah? You saw it with your own eyes? Was it really that incredible? An entire building shattered?"

Captain clearly didn't care about any of that. Since his style completely clashed with Sanhao's, he merely offered a brief greeting before returning his attention to what Fu Qian had said.

"Strictly speaking, it didn't shatter. It just split open."

Fu Qian didn't shy away from the topic, recalling his memories to accurately describe the specific damage.

"...That's still terrifying. This place really is somewhat extraordinary."

Captain didn't question Fu Qian's account, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"Why else would we spend money to travel all the way here? ... So, did you guys schedule a meet-up? What are you going to do?"

Agreeing casually, Fu Qian motioned with his eyes, making no attempt to hide his curiosity.

He didn't believe Old Man Sanhao had come over and sat down just because he noticed a suspicious person like him.

"Yeah, A Lian rounded people up to go out for dinner—and if anyone's interested, there's even a special program scheduled afterward."

Replying instantly, Captain made a point to wink at the end, his tone suggestive.

A special program? It sounded nice.

Regardless of how suggestive the man's expression was, Fu Qian didn't think A Lian, their tour leader, would organize any shady, below-the-belt activities.

Judging by her previous reactions, even the chances of them watching a traditional folk dance were slim—not to mention that two of the people present had already enjoyed one.

"Hey—"

Fu Qian called out to another familiar face.

It was clear he had returned at exactly the right time. Clara, wearing a different style but still in a white skirt, soon arrived.

Though compared to Old Man Sanhao, the emotions hidden deep in her eyes were far more complex.

"What program?"

It wasn't strange for young people to be a bit sentimental, and Fu Qian had no intention of analyzing her specific feelings. He immediately turned his attention back to his conversation with Captain.

Precisely because A Lian most likely wouldn't arrange anything inappropriate, whatever she did have planned was highly anticipated.

For this dedicated tour leader, as evaluated by the Warehouse, Fu Qian still expected her to deliver an outstanding performance.

This was actually one of his motivations for rejoining the group.

...

If his earlier speculation about the source of the desecration was correct, it was actually quite easy to come up with a few plans for handling the aftermath.

For example, the simplest method: if this whole thing started because of the Dancer, he could absolutely try visiting all the practitioners Mister Layton had mentioned, since their total number wasn't too large.

Then, acting as the master of the Third Cause, he could demote all of them into the discarded—or take it a step further and execute them all.

If those two methods only treated the symptoms and not the root cause, thus failing to complete the task, his arrangements with the Night Watchers could come in handy. He could make them gradually realize there was a problem with this traditional culture, eventually leading them to take targeted measures to wipe it out entirely.

Unfortunately, methods that addressed the root cause took longer to show results. He was currently only on the first step of guiding them, and he needed to see how things developed before taking further action.

At the same time, all of this assumed his guess was right. If there were more points of reference, Fu Qian naturally wouldn't turn them down.

This was also why he had expectations for A Lian. It was never a bad thing to learn more about an ancient place like Lanphilai.

"I don't know yet. It wasn't on the original itinerary; it's an extra bonus."

Sadly, A Lian seemed to have kept the secret well. Captain shook his head regretfully, indicating they still had to wait for the reveal—

"A Lian is taking us to burn incense."

However, in the very next moment, Clara, who had been listening in, suddenly spoke up and shattered the mystery.

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