Eldritch Horror Theatre

It was well-reasoned and consistent from start to finish.

Professor Fu's assessment of the Rebirth Club was genuinely hard to refute.

But once that premise was accepted, the Rebirth Club's ambitions became all the more shocking.

"But how on earth did they do it?"

Effortlessly weaving a shadow that shrouded the entire world—Serana still found that level of achievement hard to fathom, akin to building a particle accelerator out of Legos.

"You might as well ask why they'd be interested in the Blood Clan."

Yet the next moment, she received an even more explosive response.

Fu Qian looked at Serana with a smile, clearly reminding her to worry about her own people.

The events of the past few days had never been as simple as they appeared.

Serana's crimson eyes practically glowed, as if she had instantly pieced a great deal together.

Dayun Mingwang, the suspected member of the Rebirth Club, had first made contact with Taylor, the rising star of the Blood Clan...

Including the subsequent transmission of the Mark of the Death Sovereign within the dream realm, which had also been done through Taylor...

And wasn't his earlier pursuit of those bugs also due to their ambiguous stance toward the Blood Clan?

Gulade had never been collateral damage caught in the vortex; they had been at its core the entire time.

Even the man in front of her—he might suddenly possess the backing of a legitimate organization and a deep relationship with the Night Watchers, but no matter how you looked at him, he was definitely no saint.

Including his dealings with Yuan Shan, he clearly maintained a considerable degree of autonomy; he wasn't passive at all.

So why had he appeared here, and why all his interactions with the Blood Clan...?

"That's right. The moon."

Fu Qian gestured toward the window. He had evidently read the shifting messages in Serana's eyes, outright admitting to a chilling speculation.

"You can assume I only appeared here because of the moon."

......

As expected!

Even though she had prepared herself for this, the light inside the bookstore still seemed to dim slightly in that moment, faint shadows roiling within the gloom.

One could only say it was fitting for a creature of the night; Excellency Serana's emotions possessed one more avenue of expression than those of ordinary people.

Unfortunately, even faced with such a concrete manifestation of her negative emotions, Professor Fu still seemed to be enjoying himself, showing not the slightest hint of shame.

"But you came here much earlier than that..."

Breaking the uncomfortable silence, Serana finally regulated her emotions and spoke again, though her words sounded rather disjointed at first.

"That might be because my relationship with it goes back even further."

Fortunately, she had a good listener. Fu Qian's gaze remained fixed on the moon outside the window, his tone carrying a hint of sentimentality.

The so-called "earlier than that"—specifically the "that" part—referred to something very simple:

A severe mass incident had once occurred in Shangjing. The source was an elder demigod of Gulade who had sensed an omen and decided to advance to Tier 2.

Yet very few people knew that whether it was the moon's anomalies or the divine oracle sent down by the Red Moon, they were all entirely connected to Professor Fu.

As for the timeline mismatch Serana mentioned, it naturally referred to the fact that when he had first appeared in Shangjing, those unusual disturbances hadn't yet begun.

Her reasoning was indeed sound. After all, he had first taken over this little shop during a mission; the core objective had been to handle the leak of the Blood of Thorns.

And while he was in a mission, the Red Moon obviously lacked the Blazing Rainbow's ability to lock onto or even observe him.

He had previously deduced that the reason the Red Moon sent down a divine oracle to the Blood Clan likely stemmed from the first time he had used the Emissary Mask to synchronize with Shangjing.

It just went to show that Serana had indeed investigated his whereabouts thoroughly and had probably been pondering this time gap for quite a while.

......

Their relationship went back further?

This peculiar answer clearly left the questioner's imagination running wild.

However, Fu Qian spoke without the slightest trace of a guilty conscience. After all, as early as the Full Moon Garden, he had already formed quite a connection with the concept of the moon.

"You knew something was going to happen here... so you came early to set things up?"

She had just witnessed what it meant for a shadow to shroud the world. Before she could even digest that, another layer had emerged—and no matter the layer, Gulade always seemed to be the prey.

Even though her sense of family loyalty was rather thin, Serana's tone had grown somewhat hostile.

"Don't imagine me to be so omnipotent. Most so-called earth-shattering schemes are just artistic embellishment. A lot of things are still driven by coincidence—or do you think I can influence the actions of a higher entity?"

In response, Fu Qian merely smiled and waved a hand, signaling that some things were just matters he had stumbled upon after arriving.

Hmm...

Efficient communication wasn't always smooth. Serana fell silent once again.

No matter how highly she estimated him, she still found it impossible to believe that the man before her had earned a seat at the table of a higher entity, or even held influence over that level of power.

Thus, the enlightenment from the Red Moon back then seemed to be a mere coincidence as well.

It had to be said, this conclusion made her feel somewhat better.

Otherwise, let alone Gulade's crisis of survival, even Serana's own past actions would seem like the antics of a clown on a stage upon closer reflection.

"So what exactly is your goal?"

Her emotions were far too complex. In that moment, Serana broke a taboo she had been warned about earlier, directly questioning Fu Qian's motives.

"I am an academic."

Fortunately, Professor Fu remained magnanimous, casually reminding her of his title.

"Want some tea? You shouldn't have any trouble sleeping, right?"

......

"Thank you."

It was hard to describe Serana's feelings as she accepted the teacup, but no matter how you sliced it, this was at least an upgrade in hospitality, right?

He had even brewed the tea himself. Serana had seen far too many instances of him tossing the work to others while he sat back to rule by inaction.

"So you're saying that to you, those actions are no different from working at the Academy?

"And the reason you've stayed in Shangjing for so long is simply because several things that interest you happen to converge here?"

Taking a sip to wet her throat, Serana finally tried to believe Fu Qian's explanation, summarizing her understanding.

"Pretty much. The truth often isn't all that complicated. Of course, when I mentioned earlier that I like doing business, I wasn't joking around."

Fu Qian freely admitted to this, though he still hadn't forgotten to survey his commercial empire.

"...So what is your purpose in telling me all this today? I find it hard to imagine that someone like you would suddenly develop a pursuit of honesty."

Even after all her tempering, Serana almost couldn't hold back her urge to retort in that moment. She had to take a deep breath to keep from getting sidetracked.

"Weren't you the one who pursued honesty first?"

Fu Qian just blinked at this, reminding her of how today's conversation had started.

"Besides, you're right. I do have an ulterior motive—for instance, figuring out why the Rebirth Club is paying so much attention to the Blood Clan."

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