Eldritch Horror Theatre

'This really feels like exploring a map and walking right into the boss room!'

Looking at Ariel sitting there, striking such an imposing posture, Fu Qian clicked his tongue in silent marvel.

Without a doubt, running into the current ceiling for Combat Power during such a complex situation was far from a good thing.

Furthermore, the probability that Ariel harbored good intentions by appearing here at this exact time was extremely low.

There was also another crucial point. Fundamentally, this guy couldn't even be considered human; every single one of his actions and expressions clearly served a final objective.

It wasn't yet clear what his exact "objective" in Laidunis was, but Fu Qian had no doubt that if he displayed any behavior contrary to that goal, Ariel wouldn't hesitate to strike.

In fact, he was very likely here precisely to confirm that—waiting to see if Fu Qian would show up.

Analyzing the current situation, Fu Qian quickly formed a few guesses.

If that really was the case, Ariel's behavior actually proved one thing: this was indeed a vital location.

"You came to investigate because of special information, yet this place is quite remote. May I know what that information is?"

Ariel remained noncommittal toward Fu Qian's previous answer, staring at him as he pressed the question.

"The beast-transformation disease."

Scrutinized by that gaze, Fu Qian didn't panic in the slightest, simply spitting out the term he had only just heard.

...

"The beast-transformation disease?"

Ariel wore a faint, ambiguous smile.

"Why would that make you feel it's worth investigating?"

"It's very simple. I'm evaluating the danger of the operation. If I deem it excessively dangerous, I'll choose to flee before the battle."

Fu Qian answered with unusual bluntness, looking completely shameless about it.

"Under normal circumstances, I would still be confident in fulfilling Wehle's request. However, the scene I witnessed at the Opera House made me doubt the Night Watchers' attitude."

"I can take risks for the Council, but I refuse to be meaningless cannon fodder."

"I see. So, am I to understand that if you believe there is unexpected danger, you are very likely to refuse cooperation with the prior arrangements?"

Ariel's tone noticeably deepened into seriousness.

Such an expression on a Divine Emissary was undoubtedly quite oppressive. Unfortunately, to Fu Qian, who knew his true background, it felt entirely different.

The way he saw it, the current situation was like having a robot standing in front of you, pointing a gun at you.

The moment you gave the wrong answer, it would pull the trigger.

It might be extremely dangerous, but there was no need to care about the emotions the other party displayed. For any information they revealed, one only needed to consider the underlying motive.

And judging from his previous experiences, Fu Qian believed that Ariel and Wehle were aligned in certain aspects. For example, neither of them was particularly worried about him deserting.

In other words, even if he did desert, the negative impact on Ariel achieving his goal wouldn't be worse than killing him right now.

"Yes."

Therefore, faced with Ariel's highly threatening question, Fu Qian reaffirmed his stance.

"After searching so bitterly for so many years and having just seen an opportunity to advance to the Demigod Realm, I will absolutely not squander my life so casually."

"...So, you came here. Have you found any answers?"

Faced with his frankness, Ariel fell silent for a few seconds before smoothly changing the question.

Found any answers?

Fu Qian turned his head to look around, and in the next moment, began to analyze the scene with deadpan seriousness.

"First of all, this is an officially registered special faith group."

"The peculiar symbols around the room should be the mark of the entity they worship."

Fu Qian lowered his head and unfolded the manuscript he had picked up.

Under the dim light, a figure sketched out in rough lines could be seen. It was only half-drawn, vaguely resembling a spider.

In the next moment, under Ariel's watchful gaze, he picked up a few more pages of manuscripts from the floor.

The contents of the manuscripts were largely identical, with some slight variations in their shapes. Taken together, their common feature was that the body and the legs were completely out of proportion; the latter were crushed beneath a massive abdomen, looking utterly deformed.

"Their object of worship looks more like a beast than a human."

"I'm starting to believe that this place is the origin of the beast-transformation disease."

"And the Night Watchers guarding the perimeter prove this to a certain extent."

"A very reasonable deduction."

After Fu Qian finished his analysis, Ariel nodded.

"The Night Watchers aren't guarding this place for no reason—"

Halfway through his sentence, Ariel suddenly frowned and looked in a certain direction.

'It really was the right move not to leave earlier!'

Seeing Ariel's reaction, Fu Qian silently noted.

He knew exactly why Ariel had reacted this way—in that direction, a Night Watcher was suddenly walking toward this very spot.

Incredibly sharp perception. This guy had most likely sensed his arrival earlier as well.

If he had just turned and left at that moment, not only would he have failed to avoid a conflict, but he would have exposed too much. It was even possible that Ariel would have chased him out and attacked him.

For a time, the air was dead silent. Neither Fu Qian nor Ariel spoke, both quietly tracking the movements of the man outside.

Theoretically speaking, without any anomalies, the guard would at most take a couple of steps in the Corridor for a routine patrol; he wouldn't just run into the room—

Click!

Unfortunately, in the very next moment, the footsteps stopped right at the room's doorway.

And with a soft sound, the mottled wooden door was pushed open without hesitation, and a figure wearing a black trench coat walked in.

The newcomer first swept a casual glance around, until he spotted the two people sitting in the corner, deep in discussion. His movements froze instantly.

...

'No matter how you look at it, this looks like being caught red-handed.'

Fu Qian mused inwardly, yet remained firmly seated without even shifting his weight.

Because he noticed that Ariel hadn't moved either.

This Divine Emissary had come here because something in this place might interfere with the fulfillment of his goal.

And in their earlier exchange, the motive Fu Qian had demonstrated was to minimize the risks he took.

A constructed persona was not something to be discarded lightly.

So no matter what happened next, this scene would definitely be entirely under Ariel's control.

"You two..."

In the seemingly frozen air, Trench Coat Guy finally broke the silence, whipping out a heavy, sturdy-looking cane in the process.

Weapon in hand, he displayed astonishing courage and professionalism in the next moment, actually stepping forward to stand before a Divine Emissary and a Demigod Realm expert.

"Don't be nervous."

Ariel remained as calm as ever, not even sparing a glance at the intruding Night Watcher until the man walked right up to them. He simply waved a hand at the guy.

"We merely have a very clever guest."

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