Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Wasting food is a shameful act."

Fu Qian sighed with considerable regret, casually tossing his dinner into the trash can before pointing at the piled-up furniture.

"Besides, pulling something like this means the landlord is going to deduct from the deposit when the lease is up."

Given that he was the only person in the room, Fu Qian looked as though he were arguing with the air.

"This house is a Siren asset. Considering what you did today, they probably won't hold this against you."

The next moment, the door opened on its own. A gloomy-faced middle-aged man stood outside, answering his complaint.

Seeing Fu Qian look over, the man nodded slightly in greeting.

"Truly out of the ordinary."

Without waiting for an invitation, the middle-aged man stepped inside and sat down opposite him.

He pointed at the silver-white mask on the table.

Fu Qian had taken it off a moment ago while washing up.

"To be able to conceal an aura to such an extent—that single effect alone makes it worth a fortune."

"You flatter me. However, this is an achievement item and isn't currently for sale."

Fu Qian picked up the mask and toyed with it as he spoke, not minding that his true face was exposed to his guest.

"How should I address you?"

"An Gui."

The middle-aged man answered simply.

Both the name and the face were completely unfamiliar.

Fu Qian shook his head. The only thing he could confirm was that the man sitting before him was another demigod.

This was the third demigod he had encountered since arriving in the Wasteland.

"Someone from the Ji Clan?"

He made no attempt to hide his lack of knowledge, opting to verify the guess honestly.

"The Ji Clan's person in charge in the Wasteland."

Fu Qian offered no polite platitudes about having long admired his name, but An Gui didn't seem angry, earnestly adding the detail.

Person in charge?

This answer caught even Fu Qian slightly by surprise.

The Ji Clan's person in charge in the Wasteland—theoretically Ji Yicheng's superior—didn't actually have the surname Ji?

He had assumed the man was a top-tier enforcer; he hadn't expected him to be the highest decision-maker outright.

Merely possessing the strength of a demigod didn't seem like enough to earn that position.

This man's status within the Ji Clan had to be far from ordinary.

"Honestly, when I received Yicheng's report, I was considerably skeptical."

An Gui continued.

"Looking at you now, it wasn't an exaggeration at all!"

"I'm very curious—for what purpose would a figure like you come to a place like the Wasteland?"

"Not to mention your incomprehensible actions."

"You don't seem to belong to Siren, yet you secretly helped them."

So it really was that guy, Ji Yicheng, just as expected?

Fu Qian nodded to himself as he listened.

The amount of information packed into An Gui's few casual words was massive.

First, it was obvious that the person he had encountered in the Ruins was indeed Ji Yicheng.

But contrary to what Fu Qian had imagined, upon learning of his return, Ji Yicheng hadn't chosen to come knocking to silence him. Instead, he had gone to An Gui to handle it.

He didn't seem to worry at all that Fu Qian might exchange information with his superior.

"Actually, if you really do have some special goal in mind, I have a suggestion."

An Gui seemed to deliberately wait for a few seconds, allowing Fu Qian to digest the information he had just dropped.

"An individual's strength is insignificant. If you want to overcome inefficiency and limited scope, joining an organization is a very good choice..."

"I agree with that."

Fu Qian nodded earnestly.

"Advanced relations of production can promote the development of productive forces, after all!"

"Don't misunderstand. Even if you saved Kelsen's life, Siren might not be suitable for you."

An Gui looked at Fu Qian.

"Their style has always been the exchange of benefits. Everything has a clear price tag; friendships and favors hold no value."

So in the story of what happened in the Ruins, had the roles been swapped?

Fu Qian rubbed his chin.

It seemed that in Ji Yicheng's current version of the story, Ji Yicheng had become the one lurking on the side, waiting for a chance to strike and cause trouble, and just as he was about to succeed, Kelsen and Sybil were saved by Fu Qian himself.

It wasn't exactly unexpected.

"So where is this friendship of yours with the Ji Clan?"

Amid his thoughts, Fu Qian suddenly asked out of nowhere.

...

Faced with Fu Qian's sudden question, An Gui simply looked at him deeply.

"I am the adopted son of the current family head."

No wonder!

With An Gui volunteering his identity, Fu Qian's earlier confusion was instantly resolved.

There was a reason this man held such a high position, to the point where even Ji Yicheng had to bow his head and obey orders.

On one hand, it was certainly due to the strength of a demigod, but on the other hand, it was clearly because of his status as an adopted son.

Although he didn't bear the Ji surname, he was at least half a member of the Ji Clan.

"Is this your ability?"

Fu Qian thought for a moment and pointed at their surroundings.

"You seem to have given this house life. I'm probably already trapped?"

"Very sharp. That is indeed the case."

An Gui nodded, offering a word of praise.

"Although the form is different, it feels somewhat similar to Ash Descent. Could it be that the Old Man of the Ji Family took you in as an adopted son precisely because of this?"

"You really are a smart young man."

An Gui's eyes held surprise mixed with regret.

"The specific situation is a bit more complicated than that. It's a pity, but you are about to die."

"You flatter me."

"Do you have anything else you want to say?"

"Is there any point?"

Fu Qian sighed.

The moment this man revealed his identity, Fu Qian understood why Ji Yicheng had dared to go to him.

The key lay in An Gui's status.

Unlike Siren, although the Ji Clan was a conglomerate, its essence was still centered around bloodlines. For example, Ji Yicheng was clearly very proud of his Ash Descent ability.

If the Ji Clan's person in charge in the Wasteland had been a demigod born into the Ji family, Ji Yicheng most likely wouldn't have dared to leak a single word.

After all, given what he had done, he might have been directly subjected to family law.

But An Gui's status as an adopted son made things very delicate.

Being at the Demigod Rank and holding a high position certainly reflected how highly the Ji Clan valued him.

But ultimately, he couldn't possibly be the true core of the Ji Clan, so many matters became sensitive.

Ji Yicheng seeking him out for help was undoubtedly based on the assumption that Fu Qian would reveal the truth of the matter.

But that wasn't important, because as long as Ji Yicheng did so, An Gui had only one choice.

For example, suppose he told An Gui right now that it was actually Ji Yicheng who had saved Kelsen and the others. What would An Gui's reaction be?

Admitting he was unable to decide for himself and truthfully reporting it to the Ji Clan's higher-ups?

Setting aside the fact that it was nearly impossible to verify, even if it were ultimately confirmed and Ji Yicheng was punished because of it, would that bring An Gui any benefit?

His status was too sensitive. No matter what happened to Ji Yicheng, An Gui would almost certainly face suspicion.

In fact, this move by Ji Yicheng was equivalent to handing over one of his own vulnerabilities into An Gui's hands, making it an expression of goodwill.

As long as An Gui wasn't stupid, his best choice was to share a tacit understanding with Ji Yicheng and accept this gesture of goodwill.

The truth didn't matter.

"Good! Good!"

Fu Qian's words made An Gui freeze for a moment before bursting into laughter and pointing at their surroundings.

"Then you might as well try and see if you can break through it. Be careful—though it's different from Ash Descent, it's still not to be underestimated."

"Thanks for the reminder."

Fu Qian nodded.

"Rest assured, I've always had a knack for breaking things."

As he spoke, he took a deep breath.

[SAN Value -1]

Amidst the notification, tentacles exploded from his body like clusters of bombs, blasting out in all directions with the momentum to crush everything in their path.

TendrirrageDevastator!

It had been a long time since he used this move.

"A demigod?"

Amidst the sweeping destruction, An Gui's voice rang out, questioning life itself.

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