Eldritch Horror Theatre

She was still a bit too green, after all.

A highly efficient and pleasant exchange had practically cleared up the situation for all parties involved. Next came a sense of concern regarding Excellency Serana's predicament.

Honestly, she hadn't even been careless; the enemy was just too cunning.

From the perspective of that Blood Clan Demigod, she had chosen the most cautious plan possible, yet she had unfortunately still fallen for the trap.

It could only be said that sometimes, life simply left you with no choices. Walking into a cash shop and coming out completely intact was just too difficult.

In the end, it all came down to being too trusting.

The moment she accepted a treacherous trickster's guidance, certain things had already been destined—such as her role as a mere tool.

In contrast, the true culprit had reaped an incredibly bountiful harvest.

Returning this time, his vegetable garden was thriving exceptionally well.

He had found the Greed Worm, understood Anjing's plan, and even arrived at the place excellency Solondil had been searching for all along.

Although he couldn't yet see how much this had to do with the Ash Sea, its intrinsic nature alone was already quite fascinating.

Most importantly, through her behavior as a pay-to-win player, Excellency Serana looked like she could continue providing a reference point for the upcoming exploration.

"Have you never thought about walking in to test it? A guess is just a guess, after all, and you only have my side of the story. Even without malicious intent, it might not necessarily be the truth."

While Fu Qian was imagining this wonderful prospect, the old man beside him spoke up again, curious as to how he could remain so composed.

"Not interested."

Fu Qian shook his head decisively.

The old man's statement was startlingly honest, even emphasizing that even if he harbored no malicious intent to deceive, what he knew still might not be the truth.

Not to mention, even if he did fall for a trap, the mere lingering traces of a higher entity's power wouldn't necessarily cause him much trouble.

But testing it was out of the question; this was a matter of professionalism.

It was certainly possible to disprove some of the old man's claims this way, or to quickly gain a deeper understanding of this Realm of the Dead.

However, compared to that expected gain, many of his existing resources would simply be squandered for nothing first.

For example, the precious opportunity for a comparison—between blending into this place and remaining detached.

Excellency Serana had already chosen to blend in. If he did the same, how would he compare the differences later?

On the other hand, inviting the King of the Abandoned Prison to embrace Death—even if the Dominator of Death came in person, they would probably have to carefully consider the consequences of such an idea, right?

He had finally found a few traces of his peers; what if this place collapsed under the strain of such a reckless maneuver?

A true academic worker would absolutely never voluntarily reduce their testing options.

"Not bad... then what do you plan to do next?"

His suggestion instantly rejected, the old man fell silent for a moment before speaking again.

"Continue searching for that lady, of course."

Fu Qian's line of thought remained perfectly clear: he was determined to keep fleecing the same sheep.

"But there shouldn't be any more clues here. Where do you plan to look?"

The old man didn't stand on ceremony at all, unexpectedly taking an interest in Fu Qian's specific plans.

"Did you forget where I came from? Just because there are no clues here doesn't mean there aren't any on the side of the living. I know a few places she might go. Anyway, thanks for answering my questions along the way."

Fu Qian tapped his head, signaling that he had his own clever plan, while not forgetting to offer his sincere thanks.

"You're welcome. I'm just quite curious about how you've handled yourself."

The old man's tone remained mild as he gestured back the way they had come.

"It's rare to see someone enjoy the storm so much."

...

So these holes were probably smashed out in anger when Excellency Serana realized she had hemorrhaged resources after all?

The reason the old man gave was slightly abstract, but Fu Qian didn't press the matter, simply bidding the guide farewell and taking his leave.

And when he returned along the original path to the entrance, his impression of that scarred and battered door was undoubtedly a bit more special.

If this series of speculations proved true, he could perfectly imagine how the ever-cautious Excellency Serana must have felt when she discovered flames igniting on her body.

Of course, as a Demigod with abundant survival experience, Excellency Serana definitely knew the importance of maintaining her rationality in such a situation. She wouldn't have truly let it go to her head.

Her primary motive for doing so was probably just to save time, right? Smashing straight out without even opening the door.

As for why the door was still closed even though someone had already gone inside?

It actually wasn't surprising. Given her cautious style along the way, one could easily picture Serana's wariness when entering this place.

To avoid detection, could she have used her ability to melt into the shadows to slip in quietly without even opening the door?

Naturally, the more this was the case, the easier it was to imagine her burning frustration after being baited into spending.

As for where she headed after rushing out?

He hadn't actually lied to the old man earlier when answering this seemingly open-ended question.

First, when faced with such an unexpected change, Serana's possible reactions were limited to essentially two choices.

One was to decisively adopt a conservative approach and find a way to escape from this place.

Two was to sacrifice stealth for efficiency, taking advantage of a window of opportunity that had suddenly become much shorter to uncover as much information as possible.

It was undoubtedly the second option. Even if he hadn't seen those Fire Bats earlier, Fu Qian would have chosen the same.

It went back to the same point: Excellency Serana's style was simply too easy to figure out.

Then the next question was simple: how would she improve her efficiency?

Taking a trip to the pier to try and find the character who had screwed her over seemed to be human nature, right?

She could also conveniently check if Solondil had found his way in.

Given how things were, Serana should also be fully aware that this place was the target of that Siren Demigod.

And Solondil, who was hell-bent on finding this place, could not only help confirm what exactly was going on here, but also had a significantly higher chance of knowing a way out.

In short, as long as it wasn't a wasted trip, this maneuver was absolutely not a loss—and it seemed it truly hadn't been a wasted trip.

...

The storm showed absolutely no signs of stopping, and he didn't encounter another guide like the old man along the way.

Fortunately for Fu Qian, he was already intimately familiar with this part of the city's layout.

He cut through the curtain of rain with high efficiency. Soon, the wind and waves ahead grew even more violent, and as a bolt of lightning tore through the night sky, he could clearly spot a familiar ship out on the sea.

Upon it was the even more familiar Trident Emblem, though it was already heavily rusted.

The painstaking person is not failed by heaven; would excellency Solondil be able to get what he wished for this time?

The entire ship appeared to have completely lost control, putting up no struggle against the crashing waves. It looked like it could be swallowed into the depths at any moment, yet there was still no sign of his heroic figure.

"Don't move."

But none of this was a problem, because his main point in coming here wasn't to look for him anyway, but to find the person looking for him.

Following a cold yet familiar warning, Fu Qian turned his head, his gaze falling upon a figure radiating the aura of a pay-to-win player.

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