Eldritch Horror Theatre

It was clear she had been sleeping quite well recently.

Her short blonde hair was rich and lustrous, almost dazzling where the sunlight caught it.

As their eyes met, Fu Qian noted that the former Proprietress Sunny didn't seem too disheartened about being reduced to a mere waitress.

Considering he had helped clarify her current situation at the end of that mission, her attitude was a textbook example of finding joy in hardship.

"Good morning, Professor Fu."

Faced with a friendly greeting from an uninvited guest, her mind was surely full of questions. Yet, after biting her lip in momentary hesitation, Sunny returned the greeting.

She even remembered to tie the sash of her nightgown, offering a respectful bow.

"No need to be so polite. I'm just out for a morning walk."

Fu Qian was as approachable as ever, waving a hand to indicate that his standing at the Academy was just an empty title and he was merely an ordinary person—

Though his tone immediately shifted to deliver a mild reprimand.

...

It was perfectly normal for Sunny to know who he was.

Lanaya's Small Canteen had practically become their designated team-building spot, and they didn't hold back much when chatting over food.

Even without a formal introduction, a perceptive Transcendent Tier individual like Sunny could easily figure out who stood before her just from how Classmate Liushuang and the others addressed him.

Furthermore, Fu Qian noted that this proved Sunny wasn't naive enough to think she could feign ignorance.

Just seconds after he directly called out her name, she decided not to play dumb and greeted him earnestly.

However, no matter how good her attitude was, having a moral lapse like eavesdropping pointed out left her speechless.

"I..."

"Just like making a guest talk through the door."

Before Sunny could even think of an excuse, Fu Qian gestured again.

"Sorry... please come in."

Finally realizing she was still receiving him through a closed door—instantly exposing that her heart was far from calm—Sunny quickly opened it and apologized repeatedly.

"Are you used to living here yet? That couple seems to be paying you quite well."

Without standing on ceremony, Fu Qian strolled into the small courtyard, not forgetting to ask about her living conditions amidst the small talk.

"...The manager and his wife are very generous. They pay me more than I expected."

The conversation felt a bit too domestic, leaving Sunny somewhat bewildered. She braced herself to reply while watching Fu Qian admire her living space.

"They certainly are. And they pay close attention to their tax obligations—they even reminded me to write a receipt last time."

Nodding, Fu Qian gave the shopkeeper couple high praise.

Of course, there was still some ambiguity in Sunny's answer.

No matter how generous they were, they were running a business. They wouldn't offer a salary far beyond the market rate; it was more likely she simply asked for too little.

But in Fu Qian's eyes, this exactly highlighted the couple's generosity.

As the saying goes, when things are abnormal, there must be something sinister at work. With an appearance and behavior like hers, anyone would know she had a complicated past, yet they still chose to be accommodating.

"I smell coffee. Would it be convenient to pour me a cup?"

And now it was Sunny's turn to show some generosity. Fu Qian plopped into a seat and casually ordered her around.

...

"Of course."

Yielding to the situation, Sunny quickly went to work.

By the time she returned, Fu Qian had already finished inspecting the surroundings. His conclusion was that he hadn't found any dragon scales, dragon skin, or dragon offspring.

For a moment, the situation seemed even stranger.

The previous sensory anomalies were almost certainly related to Sunny's covenant target, the Dragon King.

Considering the images he had perceived in reverse, Fu Qian's first thought was that this Oathbreaker had found it difficult to resist, and under the corruption of a higher entity, her condition had deteriorated.

However, through his observations along the way and a scan with his Vision Radar, Sunny actually looked quite alright, no different from when they last met.

"Thanks... mm, this is quite good too."

Taking the drink Sunny handed him and savoring it carefully, Fu Qian offered a serious compliment.

Excellent taste meant it wasn't cheap. It was clear that during her years running the Dragon Peak Inn, she had accumulated quite a bit of wealth.

"What do you think of this place?"

But he didn't dwell on such materialistic topics. Fu Qian casually gestured outside, asking Sunny about her thoughts on the local customs.

"Not bad..."

Still weighed down by her thoughts, even as the situation increasingly resembled a leisurely morning, Sunny answered carefully.

"For me, there is no place more suitable than this."

It was a sincere statement, added after a brief hesitation.

She really had found peace amidst her withering.

A bleak fate, temporary stability, and a sliver of hope nearby that she was in no rush to shatter...

Fu Qian could completely understand that underlying sentiment.

For a remnant soul full of rebellious spirit but facing a genuinely bleak future, this could be considered a pretty good time.

Sunny's prolonged reluctance to become a test subject was probably because she didn't want to shatter all this.

"Professor Fu, did you come today... because you think there's something wrong with me?"

As the person involved, she clearly had a realization now, knowing her time was up.

Seeing that Fu Qian was in no rush to comment, Sunny finally couldn't hold back after some hesitation and took the initiative to ask, as if awaiting the judgment of fate.

"Didn't I already tell you back in the tavern that there was something wrong with you?"

Unfortunately, the judge seemed immersed in the morning's laziness. Without even lifting his head, he directly indicated that this matter had long been settled.

...

If it wasn't a problem with the Covenanter, then was it a problem with the covenant target?

It seemed this trip had been somewhat in vain.

But as the saying goes, a lack of harvest was also a harvest.

The previous weirdness definitely needed an explanation. If this minion was completely normal, then the variable came from the top.

Could it be that although the exploitation of the Covenanter hadn't gone smoothly, the Dragon King still managed to recover a bit of breath?

The possibility couldn't be ruled out. Getting beaten miserably by the Tyrant previously was a certainty, but a higher entity like that was difficult to kill off completely.

Especially since in true history, it was indeed the Tyrant who fell in the end.

But this little explanation didn't seem to be enough. Even if the Dragon King could still breathe, the probability of it constantly staring at him was very low.

Let's not forget, even if he couldn't detect it, there was still the Red Moon and the Warehouse.

The Dragon King likely didn't have the ability to hide itself to such a degree.

Fu Qian leaned more toward the idea that it was a reaction to the impact from the Other Shore. The Dragon King had been disturbed, and thus responded with a gaze.

But the question followed: how could that entity trace it back so precisely?

Not even the Blazing Rainbow seemed to have that ability.

Did the Dragon King have a special connection with certain elements, which was why it was so sensitive?

Then what element was it exactly? The Other Shore, or the Tyrant?

If none of these could explain it, or rather—did this indiscriminate probing uncover some kind of loophole? An operational loophole in the post-apocalyptic world?

"If you were already dead, would you want to know or not?"

Draining his coffee in one gulp, Fu Qian asked a profound question.

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