Eldritch Horror Theatre

If nothing else, they were always perfectly polite.

He was undoubtedly a member of the Greed Worms, but he wasn't their person in charge, Laurie, nor was he Gene, who was always showing his face.

The man calling out from under the tree was a new face, and it was obvious he had disguised himself just like Laywoman Tooth-Throat.

Even so, that didn't stop his opening line from being "I've heard a lot about you"—triggering the exact same sense of déjà vu as back in Shangjing.

Of course, compared to Dayun Mingwang back then, the Rebirth Club's reputation was indeed a bit more resounding.

But one had to remember that while the Greed Worms directly calling out the "Rebirth Club" was a full-on showdown posture, they probably didn't have much certainty about the specific identity behind this face—which looked like a younger version of Old Man Lu.

"You flatter me. It's just an empty reputation."

That was fine. He could help point them in the right direction on that front.

Laughing, Fu Qian waved a hand, dismissing it all as fleeting clouds.

"Your Excellency... if you have no pressing matters, would it be convenient to come sit with us?"

When the Greed Worm under the tree first called out, he had clearly mustered considerable resolve, even preparing for a potentially violent clash.

Yet his target had not only admitted it without blinking but also adopted the posture of a casual roadside chat, leaving the worm somewhat at a loss for how to react.

Still, it was ultimately much better than a direct fight. After composing himself, Brother Shulan immediately extended the invitation, gesturing for them to speak elsewhere.

"It's fine even if I have pressing matters."

Professor Fu's easygoing attitude persisted as he simply gestured for the man to lead the way.

...

Everything proceeded in a friendly, smooth manner. Unfortunately, once they actually reached an agreement, the inviter grew somewhat hesitant.

Though he shook off his daze and led the way, the journey was rather silent.

"Have you all been here for a while?"

But it didn't matter. As a professional who had spearheaded numerous inter-departmental collaborations and stirred up countless bloodbaths, Professor Fu had always excelled at breaking the ice, and the next moment, he had already taken the initiative to speak.

Hmm...

Fu Qian was naturally certain that the Greed Worms weren't Natives. He had asked casually, but it sounded completely different to the listener.

From this one sentence alone, it was clear that Laywoman Tooth-Throat's earlier performance hadn't fooled him at all.

The other party so generously acknowledging the Rebirth Club name was likely because he already had a clear grasp of their group's information.

"Not too long."

After deliberating for a long while, Brother Shulan finally offered this rather vague admission.

"Not bad. That really is a bit better."

Fu Qian nodded slightly in response, seemingly in full agreement with their choice.

The key point was: why was it better?

Already on edge, Brother Shulan clearly couldn't follow the logic. He shot him a solemn look.

Was everything already calculated?

Was it simply easier to catch everyone in one fell swoop now that they were gathered?

"The weather here is still too unstable. If you have enough people, even if it's too miserable to go out, playing cards indoors is a nice pastime."

Fortunately, Professor Fu wasn't trying to be a riddler. He quickly elaborated, even linking it to his own previously mentioned experience—

His old friend who invited him wasn't around, leaving him with nothing better to do than wander outside as soon as the rain stopped.

"True... unfortunately, some of our people don't like playing cards."

At that moment, Brother Shulan looked like he had given up on thinking entirely. But after taking a deep breath, he actually adopted an attitude where destruction precedes creation, chatting much more freely.

A child worthy of teaching. This was exactly the purpose of a guide.

Fu Qian was naturally very satisfied with this progress.

For a time, the duo walking the streets of Moore didn't look noticeably out of place compared to the other pedestrians strolling around them.

...

"I am very sorry for presumptuously inviting Your Excellency over."

The rest of the journey was exceptionally harmonious. After exchanging opinions on Moore's local customs, they successfully arrived at their destination.

It even brought a bit of an unexpected delight. The first person to greet them when the door opened was actually a familiar face—

Old Man Laurie?

With his white hair and youthful complexion, exuding an ethereal presence, who else could it be but the Greed Worms' person in charge?

He even presented an incredibly sincere posture, cutting straight to the point right away and frankly admitting that their series of actions earlier had indeed harbored ulterior motives.

At a glance, however, Laywoman Tooth-Throat was surprisingly absent... and what was even more of a pity was that everyone else was missing as well.

That was right. Other than Laurie, who was personally receiving them, none of the numerous Greed Worms were anywhere to be seen. The room was empty, not even leaving enough for a Three Waiting for One match.

It was understandable enough. While there was strength in numbers, it also made them a larger target.

Given how tense things were, it made sense for everyone to scatter and hide, allowing them to monitor more areas in the process.

"It's fine, I was just taking a walk anyway—so, is it the lady from earlier who doesn't like playing cards?"

Trying to understand the Insect Swarm's choice, Fu Qian waved it off, signaling him not to worry. The latter question was directed at Brother Shulan.

"...She really doesn't like it much."

Surprised that he actually remembered such a detail, the latter was somewhat stunned, but he firmly admitted it nonetheless.

"That's fine. Honestly, I don't have the time either. I still have to keep an eye on Siren, after all."

Fortunately, their guest didn't mind the poor reception as Fu Qian shook his head.

...

A dropped needle could be heard.

Old Man Laurie's face, originally slightly solemn because Fu Qian had been rambling instead of getting to the point, was completely shocked by this single sentence.

Wasn't this getting to the point a little too quickly?

No matter how harmonious it looked, this meeting was clearly an extreme tightrope act.

Both sides were cautiously probing each other, unwilling to carelessly expose any information.

Even Laurie's posture of getting straight to the point was just a way to get the meeting off to a good start.

As a result, the other party hadn't even blinked before directly stating his intentions in his second sentence?

And such a specific intention at that.

Keeping an eye on Siren?

At this point in time, such an action was as sensitive as it could possibly get...

"Is The Club... paying close attention to Siren's actions in Moore?"

So much so that when Laurie finally spoke after some deliberation, he deliberately held back from mentioning the Insect Swarm's own attitude toward Siren.

"Yeah. Solendil recently fell in love with surfing. You guys should have heard about this?"

Fu Qian, however, remained completely unrestrained, happily sharing his findings with his followers.

"Their ship's... behavior is indeed rather strange. A lot of people have noticed it.

"Based on what we know, Solendil, one of Siren's top executives, is indeed on board."

Having reached this point, it really felt inappropriate not to say something. After exchanging a glance with the person beside him, Laurie finally agreed with Fu Qian's statement, though his wording remained tactful—

"He's looking for something."

Fu Qian, entirely lacking in tact, directly continued sharing. A moment later, he looked up to stare at Laurie, shifting to a meaningful expression.

"Do you know what he's looking for?"

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