Eldritch Horror Theatre

"There's no point in deliberately provoking me. It's meaningless."

It was obvious Serana had done some mental preparation, but her composure shattered the second she faced Fu Qian.

Thanks to centuries of experience and tact, however, the demigod ultimately swallowed her anger and gave a cold snort.

"I came here today merely to attend the salon, Mister Zha."

"And I simply happened to overhear a conversation concerning the Blood Clan."

"Understood."

Fu Qian nodded, unsurprised.

Seeing his current getup and behavior, Serana clearly knew he had caught her hint.

Her message was simple: there were some things he didn't need to ask, because asking wouldn't get him an answer.

Second, they were dealing with internal disagreements.

Using Taylor to drop hints meant Serana most likely disapproved of certain plans.

But even with her disapproval, she had a hard line. She wouldn't spill everything to him unconditionally.

"Rest assured, I've never liked asking boring questions."

He couldn't use Lucid Dream on a dignified demigod, so Fu Qian decided to fully leverage the art of conversation.

As he spoke, he pulled a black leather notebook from his pocket and tossed it onto the table.

"As for why you showed up here, I imagine it's thanks to this thing?"

She had admitted previously that she could sense the Abyss Notes to a certain extent.

Serana had likely been nearby all along. Sensing the Abyss Notes through that special connection, she had followed it to figure out what he was planning.

Fu Qian had considered this possibility when he brought the notebook along, though he hadn't banked on it entirely.

"You really did it on purpose. I knew you couldn't possibly make that kind of mistake!"

Hearing his tone, Serana spoke through gritted teeth.

"How could that be!"

Fu Qian looked surprised.

"I'm attending an arts salon. It's completely normal to carry a notebook, right?"

"Speaking of which, since we ran into each other so coincidentally, want to chat about history?"

"I'm really not that concerned about current events."

...

"Your slicked-up dandy look is even more repulsive than before!"

Having suffered a massive loss at his hands before, Serana barely trusted a word he said.

At this moment, however, she was absolutely certain he had picked up on her hint.

While that offered some satisfaction, she was still annoyed that she hadn't managed to get the upper hand.

She scrutinized Fu Qian's face for a moment before speaking with undisguised disgust.

'This counts as a slicked-up dandy? Then you've clearly never seen Brother Handsome's style.'

Fu Qian kept smiling, retorting inwardly.

"What do you want to know?"

Serana let out a cold sneer.

"If nothing else, there's still plenty to talk about from the last five hundred years."

'Improving so quickly. Has she already learned self-deprecation?'

Fu Qian mentally gave her a thumbs-up.

"Actually, even earlier than that."

"Rumor has it that the Blood Clan never worships Deities, but only reveres its own Progenitor. Is that true?"

...

Faced with Fu Qian bringing up the Progenitor again, Serana silently glanced at the Abyss Notes.

"Including the moon symbol from earlier—did you learn that from there?"

"Yeah."

The chances of Serana never having read the notebook were astronomically low, so Fu Qian admitted it openly.

"You're right. The Blood Clan never believes in Deities; only the Progenitor is a truly great existence."

"And she takes the moon as her symbol, which is why you don't like the daytime?"

"The power of the Blood Clan can indeed only be maximized at night."

Serana's answer was as steady as if she were at a press conference.

"Also, why am I the only one answering your questions?"

"It's very simple. After I ask what I want to know, I'll offer a suggestion—one that might be beneficial for your current troubles."

"It's just answering a few questions, not to mention that during this process, you have plenty of time to weigh the pros and cons. You can stop at any time."

"Fine, continue."

Serana stayed silent for a few seconds before signaling him to continue.

"A pleasure cooperating. Next question: what is your Progenitor's name?"

...

"You guys probably don't just refer to her generally as 'Progenitor,' right?"

"...It doesn't matter if I tell you. The Progenitor's true name is... Annalise."

After a brief hesitation, Serana chose to answer directly.

"This isn't some huge secret. You could even find this name with the Night Watchers."

'Annalise.'

Fu Qian mentally called out the true name of the Progenitor of the Blood Clan, then waited for a few seconds.

There was no response, nor did any lunar orbital cannon appear to instantly obliterate him.

"Understood. One final question."

The next moment, Fu Qian nodded.

"Did this Progenitor of yours also fall silent during That Long Night a thousand years ago?"

...

"The Q&A phase is over. Tell me your suggestion."

Serana made no comment on his final question. She kept her expression perfectly controlled and went straight to the ultimatum.

"Alright."

Fu Qian looked regretful.

"Actually, my suggestion is very simple. Since you're troubled, you need to study harder."

"...Are you playing with me?"

For a moment, Fu Qian could practically hear Serana grinding her teeth.

"No, no, I'm serious."

Fu Qian took a pen out of his pocket, placed it on top of the notebook, and pushed both toward the Blood Clan Demigod.

"While this thing is a bit rigid, it's often an excellent tool for resolving doubts. You may use it freely now."

"And I promise I won't peek at what you write."

...

'I have a feeling something interesting is going to happen!'

Watching Serana hesitate with the pen, Fu Qian marveled inwardly.

His guess had been correct: she really was troubled by something right now.

And since she had instantly popped up just because he mentioned the Progenitor of the Blood Clan, it was highly likely her troubles had to do with Annalise.

In fact, when he first read the descriptions of the Progenitor of the Blood Clan, Fu Qian had tried using the notebook to check on her status.

Unfortunately, while his recent use proved that writing in the notebook didn't require unwavering, zealous faith, it still demanded a significantly high level of cognitive focus.

When he first met Serana, the only reason he could determine her age was because she was standing right in front of him; her appearance and demeanor combined to form a sufficiently strong cognitive anchor.

But he was entirely unfamiliar with the Progenitor of the Blood Clan. Any related words he wrote failed to meet the cognitive requirements, yielding no results.

Serana was different. As a member of the Blood Clan who had lived for over five hundred years, her cognition of the Progenitor was absolutely strong enough. She was a much better fit.

Seeing Serana still hesitating, Fu Qian smiled faintly. He completely turned his back to face the corner, silently signaling her to do as she pleased.

'As for whether she'll grab it and run?'

Fu Qian still believed in the innate pride of the Blood Clan. The more carelessly he tossed it to her, the less likely Serana would stoop to stealing it and running.

Sure enough, just a few seconds after he turned around, an invisible ripple surged behind him, followed closely by Serana's slightly ragged breathing.

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