Eldritch Horror Theatre

What a palpable contradiction.

Perhaps having kept things bottled up for too long, Kisaragi Chie wasn't strictly adhering to the principle that a diviner should be sparing with words.

She didn't even care that the man sitting across from her was no saint, readily sharing even the most private affairs of her household.

As for the contradictions in her words, while Fu Qian understood them, he couldn't help but marvel.

Strictly speaking, within the Transcendent Tier, Kisaragi Kana was indeed a talented individual.

Unfortunately, as an ordinary family, the Kisaragi Family was far too fragile in the face of such talent, easily torn to the brink of collapse.

Even though their lives were hastily patched back together afterward, the reality beneath the surface had long become completely unrecognizable.

But human greed, anger, and delusion lay precisely here—even damaged beyond recognition, even if all she cradled in her arms was a thoroughly hollow shell, Kisaragi Chie still wished to serve as a Tombkeeper for the home she once knew.

"In short, if you want to find her, you might need to come back after dark."

"Then forget it. I was just asking out of politeness."

However, his reply left her momentarily at a loss for how to react.

......

"Isn't this how old acquaintances greet each other? Asking how the family is doing, or if that fails, chatting about the weather?"

Fu Qian seemed entirely oblivious to any issue with his words, instead looking rather puzzled by Kisaragi Chie's stiff expression.

"I haven't even gotten to what I really want to ask. You didn't think I was prepared to pay money for a question like that, did you?"

As he spoke, Fu Qian actually pulled a stack of banknotes from his pocket and spread them neatly across the table.

This money naturally wasn't the revenue of The Bookstore, nor had he scrounged it from the mansion just now.

It could only be said that Eldest Miss Wen was quite thoughtful. She had tucked some funds into almost every outfit she had prepared for him.

It might not be a huge sum, but it was more than enough to cover a divination fee.

"I see... Then I misunderstood."

And just as they say money is an excellent remedy for the mood, even Kisaragi Chie, who had always seemed indifferent to fame and fortune, visibly relaxed after staring at the zeros on the bills for a moment. She decisively admitted her mistake.

While his casual disregard for her sister was galling, no longer being scrutinized by such a character seemed like a good thing.

"So, what would you like to use?"

Attributing her previous misunderstanding to her phrasing, Kisaragi Chie gestured toward the props behind her and changed the question.

"Cards."

Fu Qian actually took a moment to choose, ultimately selecting the same type that Classmate Su Gao had used last time.

"I'm looking for an old acquaintance. Help me see if she is still alive in this world."

The next moment, without waiting to be asked, Fu Qian continued his explanation, revealing his true purpose.

......

Kisaragi Kana was indeed a fine case study, but under the current circumstances, she wasn't enough to warrant the academic leader making a special trip.

He truly wasn't speaking nonsense. Fu Qian had meant it when he said this trip had another purpose, and he really had come for the elder sister, wanting to chat with Kisaragi Chie.

"I see... May I ask if this old acquaintance is male or female?"

The other party proved to be a good listener as well, not questioning Fu Qian's statement and seemingly already empathizing with his regret.

"Female."

Fu Qian answered fluently.

"When was the last time you met?"

Kisaragi Chie nodded slightly, her hand resting on the cards as she continued.

"Well... that depends on how you define it. You could say it was within the last two days."

Recalling the sparkling human bones atop the Lighthouse, Fu Qian's answer remained casual.

That's right, Excellency Nepheli.

He certainly didn't think the incident on the Lighthouse was a faked death or anything of the sort; Fu Qian still had a fair amount of faith in her dedication to the pursuit of truth.

However, what he had subsequently seen and heard in the Ash Sea, the corresponding states between the crystallized apocalypse and the 'real' world, and even Nepheli's far more transcendent posture and methods compared to others in the recently concluded mission, had provoked certain reveries in Fu Qian.

This was true even if, for now, the characters in the mission seemed akin to NPCs in his own dreams, ostensibly having no direct connection to the actual people.

"You just met...?"

Clearly unable to fathom the diverse ways Professor Fu and Excellency Nepheli could interact, Kisaragi Chie softly repeated his words, seemingly just a bit curious as to why he was in such a rush to find this person.

But if this involved some unexpected misfortune—

"You cut the cards."

Without pressing further, she pushed the cards over, signaling for Fu Qian to do as Su Gao had done last time.

......

"What is it? Does the situation look grim?"

Fu Qian complied without objection, swiftly shuffling and cutting the deck.

However, when it was Kisaragi Chie's turn, she stared at the cards in her hand and fell into deep thought, making Fu Qian momentarily curious.

"It's not quite that simple. The situation is a bit complex..."

Kisaragi Chie didn't rush to a conclusion. Her gaze remained fixed on the cards, and she even drew two more.

"Understood. Take your time."

Fu Qian didn't mind. On the contrary, he looked rather pleased, gesturing for her to engage in Overthinking as much as she liked.

Choosing to come here for a reading naturally wasn't because this second-rate diviner possessed any exceptional skill.

The core reason was that, in a broad sense, this little shop could even be considered a former meeting place between him and Excellency Nepheli.

At the time, the latter had been the technical consultant for the King of Ye Island's promotion to Tier 1.

And after the deed was done, Old Man Yasui Tokiyuki, proving that happy occasions lift the spirit, hadn't rejoiced for long before he was refined into a grand tonic pill by Fu Qian and the Red Moon.

Then, before this news could spread, he had met Nepheli here, who was desperate to figure out what had happened, and they had engaged in a highly efficient technical exchange.

To sum it up, for that lady, this was a relatively special place.

If there was still a possibility that Excellency Nepheli's will had not entirely dissipated, but had instead transformed into another state of existence, then sitting here and declaring his intentions was undoubtedly one of the attempts with the highest probability of establishing contact.

Of course, he never forced anything. Even if he gained nothing, Fu Qian didn't mind making the trip to see what kind of conclusion a second-rate diviner could deduce by reading the room, and paying for it.

......

"Your fate is indeed quite special..."

As it turned out, after a somewhat lengthy wait, Kisaragi Chie finally broke the silence, truly displaying classic second-rate traits.

Fanning and closing the three cards in her hands, her utterly hollow commentary was exactly like a clueless street fortune teller stalling for time.

"Special how?"

Fu Qian, however, was extremely supportive and instantly kept the conversation going.

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