Eldritch Horror Theatre

From the Greed Worms' perspective, the current situation was far from pretty.

Gene's disappearance was one thing, but handling the Rebirth Club showing up at their door was a far more imminent crisis.

But a crisis was also an opportunity. Treating Old Man Laurie's group as nothing more than fish on a chopping block would be severely underestimating them.

One couldn't forget how contact was initially established.

He had just been sitting there drinking his juice when Laywoman Tooth-Throat deliberately approached him, even using Rebirth Club-like ideologies to test the waters.

His guess at the time was that they were making a highly risky move, most likely prompted by Serana's disappearance.

Judging by Serana's behavior, she had clearly been extremely cautious in Moore; it was highly probable she hadn't exposed her Blood Clan traits.

So, whether by pure coincidence or through some special method, if the Greed Worms had genuinely noticed such a mysterious figure, there was a high chance they had mistaken her for the one from their enlightenment.

Under those circumstances, the necessity of cooperating with Anjing had to be thoroughly re-evaluated.

Otherwise, they had no reason to abandon a perfectly good hiding spot and expose themselves—especially right in front of a troublesome opponent like the Rebirth Club.

In short, he could sense the Greed Worms' determination in pulling chestnuts from the fire. While he observed their behavior, they were undoubtedly watching to see what he would do next.

For Old Man Laurie's group, no matter how passive their position, finding even a slight trace of that demigod made it somewhat worth it.

There was no such thing as a baseless coincidence. They clearly didn't believe the Rebirth Club's appearance there was unrelated to the mysterious female demigod.

If his guess was correct, they really were related—just not in the way the Greed Worms thought.

That didn't matter. Many things were built upon a strange twist of fate; one didn't always need the wisdom to see through everything.

Not to mention, this time they had the object of their faith offering them offline guidance.

Fu Qian's reason for going up to take a look was very simple. As theoretically the only personnel Anjing and Siren had left onshore, they represented both organizations' understanding of Moore. Figuring out their baseline would be highly meaningful for uncovering the true nature of this place.

At the same time, Excellency Serana had suddenly vanished for reasons he couldn't yet fathom. Any progress on that front would be equally meaningful to Old Man Laurie and his people.

Cooperation was all about striving for a win-win situation, after all.

As for whether they would be terrified once they actually found her, that was another matter entirely.

"Alright."

The Greed Worms truly were determined. Casting a deep glance his way, Laurie quickly nodded.

...

"Hello, do you offer security services here?"

They hadn't mobilized in full force. Laurie and Brother Shulan actually stayed downstairs to keep watch, sending only Laywoman Tooth-Throat to lead the way—a display of immense trust.

It turned out they weren't hiding too deeply. That special company was situated right on the top floor of one of the buildings, complete with a receptionist sitting out front.

Under her slightly wary gaze, Fu Qian walked up with a smile, greeted the woman in her thirties, and directly stated his business.

She was indeed very weak—she hadn't even reached the Mid Tier.

Even among the few faces that poked out from inside upon hearing the commotion, the strongest one picked up by his Vision Radar was merely at the level of Laywoman Tooth-Throat.

He got the feeling that even if Laurie's group engaged them in a head-on bloodbath, wiping out this entire place wouldn't be a problem at all.

Furthermore, they were absolutely right; their ranks might not be high, but they were remarkably pure. Everyone here was a transcendent.

That said, they were all currently dressed just like the receptionist—quite formally, looking every bit like standard office workers—and the gazes they directed his way were kept as gentle as possible.

Faced with such profound professionalism, Fu Qian responded by returning their smiles one by one.

"Yes... but we only handle a set roster of regular business. I apologize, but we aren't open to the public at the moment."

It was clear they were well-trained even in this regard. After a brief moment of shock, the receptionist swiftly produced an excuse and rejected the business that had just walked through their door.

"Actually, you should hear the details and the offer first."

The customer, however, proved rather persistent. Insisting on securing their services, he sat down right beside her without waiting for an invitation.

...

Looking somewhat at a loss, the receptionist cast a helpless glance toward the inner office.

Yet, even the individual Fu Qian had pinpointed as the strongest of the bunch simply sat there without moving in response to her plea for help.

"I'm truly sorry, but no matter how generous the compensation might be, we cannot accept it."

Left with no other choice, the receptionist stepped forward and firmly reiterated the company's operational policies. As she spoke, she even glanced at Laywoman Tooth-Throat nearby, as if hoping she might talk some sense into him.

Unfortunately, the laywoman was clearly intimidated by the Rebirth Club's domineering attitude. She seemed hesitant about whether she should even take a seat herself. Exhibiting the perfect posture of a mere lackey, she obviously couldn't be counted on to intervene.

"Ash Sea."

In fact, his overbearing attitude only escalated. Turning a deaf ear to the receptionist's explanations, Fu Qian spat out a single term.

Hmm...

The receptionist's reaction wasn't particularly surprising; after staring blankly for a second, she looked back for help once more.

Too bad that this time, no one even bothered to poke their heads out.

Of course, in Fu Qian's judgment, the people hiding behind those cubicles weren't suffering from social anxiety. They were frantically evaluating whether it was necessary to rush out and kill him.

After all, no matter how slow-witted they were, they had to have realized by now that this visitor came with ill intent.

Their strength might be lacking, but since he hadn't deliberately masked his presence, it shouldn't have been too hard for them to sense that both he and his companion possessed transcendent physiques.

Not to mention the destination of the "Ash Sea"—that was a place ordinary transcendents refused to even set foot in.

Putting himself in their shoes, his and Laywoman Tooth-Throat's actions could easily be interpreted as having seen through their disguise and marching right up to their door to provoke them—though they hadn't actually drawn blood just yet.

The atmosphere was incredibly tense, but the fact that they had held back this long already revealed a few things—

They were clearly a team specifically left behind to hold the fort, yet their strength was noticeably lacking...

And they were managing to endure the provocation even knowing they had been exposed, which suggested they had been issued absolute orders to maintain a low profile...

With the situation in Moore so volatile, what purpose could a group like this serve by staying behind?

"I'm very sorry. Aside from the business scope I just mentioned, it's impossible to head out to sea right now anyway. A storm is coming."

While Fu Qian tallied up his observations, the unsupported receptionist was forced to continue dealing with him alone, remarkably managing to keep her tone polite.

But that excuse?

Fu Qian glanced out the window. The day had passed in a flash, and the sky had grown dark once more. Yet, no matter how one looked at it, the starry sky was clearly glittering brightly—Rumble!

Right at that moment, a highly dramatic scene unfolded as a deafening clap of thunder suddenly exploded across the sky.

"My predictions have been very accurate lately."

Seeing that Fu Qian had fallen silent, the receptionist's expression turned just a little bit smug.

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