Eldritch Horror Theatre

Not bad. A very fast response.

At first glance, Fu Qian's actions were undeniably unrestrained.

For the Night Watchers, the commotion over in Lanphilai alone would be enough to set off alarm bells, alerting them to the possible glorious return of a certain ancient higher entity.

It wouldn't even be surprising if the Flame of Frenzy allowed them to pinpoint exactly which higher entity it was.

Furthermore, Old Man Stoss's sudden loss of abilities served as corroborating evidence.

In short, this golden flame had to be an extremely sensitive matter within the Night Watchers right now.

Any display of it was enough for them to raise the alert level to purple—just like right now.

Although it was only a tiny release with its output controlled, just like the Gospel Shockwave, it was still enough to completely annihilate the mass clinging to his leg.

Even the Burlap Doll, which hadn't been caught in the blast, vanished on the spot and reappeared in the corner of the room.

Not only did this confirm his earlier guess, but it also fit Excellency Needle Witch's style perfectly.

Of course, this was merely the surface reaction. What kind of violent storm this scene had sparked among the Night Watchers behind the scenes was left entirely to the imagination—and triggering their imagination was exactly what he wanted.

Aside from those glorious deeds, various signs of this Flame of Frenzy had actually surfaced much earlier.

For example, in the investigation report on the Finger Orb, Professor Fu of the Academy had mentioned a suspected sighting of a golden flame.

Later, inside the Burial Ground of the Gods, the White-Faced Man had wielded his blade and committed murder, unleashing the flame right in front of the guards.

Coupled with the fact that the world had not been peaceful lately, with various ancient entities seemingly getting restless, how could the Night Watchers—the guardians of order—not carry out targeted operations? Rooting out the hidden dangers of the Flame of Frenzy, for instance.

As for what exactly the Night Watchers were doing in this place, Fu Qian believed this was a highly probable answer.

He had wondered earlier why their style was so uncharacteristically conservative and what their specific purpose might be.

They didn't want to overly disrupt the stability of this place, yet they still brought in an expert like Excellency Kelin. No matter how you looked at it, this was far from simple.

...

Once this assumption was factored in, their various actions made much more sense. This was also why he had praised their quick response earlier.

The Night Watchers were indeed serious and responsible, which was rather gratifying.

If this assumption held true, it also meant another question might have an answer: why here?

A careful investigation naturally targeted places that harbored hidden dangers.

Why would they think this place had hidden dangers?

Was it a sensitive location? Rapid growth?

These traits certainly seemed to be present—or, to put it more directly, was it the result of his own guidance?

That's right. The bloodthirsty impulses of the two gatekeepers after the interview had already struck Fu Qian as fitting the occasion, faintly reminding him of an old acquaintance.

And after he came inside, everyone's behavior had grown increasingly deranged, culminating in the white-collar trio before him.

Their collars were white, so was it possible that, taking it a step further, their faces were white too?

Just like Brother Zhege, whom he had encountered in Akons?

Without his earlier guesses to support it, such an association would clearly be a stretch.

But right now, with all these elements combined, the sense of déjà vu was growing stronger by the second.

Did the White-Faced Man, Brother Zhege, come from this place?

Was it because this place shared a similar nature with Akons that he was able to shuttle back and forth from time to time?

And because of his actions in the Bone Burial Ground, had the Night Watchers—who were normally quite tolerant of such situations—suddenly raised their vigilance to the absolute maximum?

If that was indeed the case, the workings of fate were truly wondrous beyond words.

And he believed his actions just now would certainly achieve an eye-catching effect.

They were looking for the Flame of Frenzy, right? Well, now it was here.

Of course, the main point wasn't to scare people, but to help Brother Ariel seize the center stage in this lively atmosphere.

...

Staying true to one's original aspiration.

The Night Watchers had other important matters to attend to, so they displayed a rare leniency toward the lawbreakers operating right under their noses.

Flexible law enforcement was understandable, but it wasn't the situation he wanted to see.

He still needed to rely on them to find someone.

If he hadn't realized the Night Watchers' possible motives, and everyone really stuck to knowing when to stop, he wouldn't just be missing out on assistance—he'd be gaining an extra source of resistance.

After all, the Night Watchers would definitely keep an eye on him no matter what. Once their goal was achieved, they might even look for an opportune moment to deal with him.

Therefore, "Ariel" had to be deemed worthy of their full attention—like right now.

He was certain that Excellency Needle Witch and the other experts behind her were already starting to exhibit a stress response.

Even if everything earlier was purely speculation, and there was a chance the Night Watchers truly weren't here for the Flame of Frenzy, it actually wouldn't affect the outcome—

Even if they weren't looking for it, now that the Flame of Frenzy had appeared, were they really going to sit back and do nothing?

Thanks to his recent efforts to continuously hype up the atmosphere, Fu Qian believed that possibility was extremely small.

Once this heavyweight chip was tossed onto the table, even if Excellency Needle Witch had snuck over here for a secret tryst, she would have to put her pants back on first—wait, did she just take off another pair?

As a Night Watchers operations advisor, Fu Qian habitually placed himself in their shoes to help analyze the situation.

And in the very next moment, a change indeed occurred quite swiftly, although it was also quite bizarre.

A pair of dolls?

The Burlap Doll that had ducked into the corner earlier to dodge the Flame of Frenzy was clearly still there, yet right before his eyes, another one descended from the ceiling above his head.

It had the exact same size and appearance, and its face—which only featured a mouth—was smiling at him.

As the saying went, one should never strike a smiling face. Facing a threat that had suddenly doubled, Fu Qian remained perfectly poised and didn't make a move.

...

It was said that when describing a smile, people often used the metaphor of sunshine.

As they exchanged a glance, the smile on the Burlap Doll's face seemed to grow even more radiant—so radiant that sunshine truly spilled out from it.

As expected, the changes were not over yet. An endless Sea of Light submerged everything before his eyes.

This warmth was so intense that even Fu Qian could feel his hair and skin being mercilessly scorched, turning into glass and ash.

...

So it really is you?

He had just been thinking that Excellency Needle Witch's response was a bit too proactive.

Even a Tier 2 physique couldn't withstand it. In that moment, Fu Qian felt as if a hole had already been burned straight through his stomach.

However, this slight pain awakened a familiar memory.

Back when he had first arrived in Shangjing, he'd had the privilege of observing Old Man Logan's ambush operation, as well as the moment the old man was ultimately injured by a treacherous scoundrel.

Although he had been far away at the time, this impact felt exactly the same.

His Excellency Ariel.

This newly appeared Burlap Doll was definitely not Excellency Needle Witch's second pair of pants.

On the contrary, this power was precisely the target he was currently looking for.

And if that point alone wasn't convincing enough—

[Current mission updated: Prevent the Solitary King from birthing Offspring.]

In the next moment, a pleasant notification chimed beside his ear.

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