Eldritch Horror Theatre

Thanks to Nepheli's methods, Sawada already looked like a walking corpse.

Even when the three of them came to blows just now, he had simply stood there in a daze, completely motionless.

So when Fu Qian suddenly lunged for him, he was yanked back without uttering a single sound.

Forcefully dragged through the water mist, he looked to be in terrible shape, his face twisted into a hideous grimace.

Fu Qian couldn't have cared less, simply shoving the man down onto a stool.

Looking closely, it was the exact same stool Nepheli had occupied earlier.

Almost at the same time, Su Gao slashed down with her sword once more, causing the water mist to dissipate at over ten times its previous rate.

Naturally, this wasn't because Su Gao had suddenly grown ten times stronger.

A moment later, Fu Qian studied the figure solidifying out of thin air a short distance away and nodded in satisfaction.

Studying the deeply manipulative Goddess Envoy, Fu Qian pointed to the side.

"Though you might need to find a new seat."

"How did you know?"

Her face covered in frost, Nepheli clearly had no intention of sitting down.

"It was too staged."

Since she seemed short on patience, Fu Qian didn't bother prevaricating and pointed straight at Sawada.

"I've always been the type who likes to ask why."

"At first glance, today's little scene seemed perfectly logical—you brought a coconspirator right to my door to expose my true colors."

"But in reality, as a Divine Emissary, you only had to mention the conspiracy, and my only choice would be to believe you. There's no way I would gamble on the chance that you were bluffing."

"So for a Divine Emissary to show up with a completely useless burden who only brought negative side effects—this kind of redundant behavior made me curious about your true motives. He couldn't have just been here to announce your arrival, right?"

"His hysteria earlier was probably genuine, but your subsequent reprimand? It would have been natural if PR Sakura had done it. But as a Tier 2 Transcendent operating on an entirely different level, would you really need to speak up if you were displeased? No matter how you look at it, those words were meant for my ears."

"As for your objective..."

Fu Qian extended two fingers and plucked something out of Sawada's pocket.

It was a flower that seemed carved from gray crystal. Its four petals embraced one another in strange, intricate patterns atop a perfectly straight stem devoid of leaves.

Yet despite looking utterly artificial, it was a real flower. One could even catch a faint, intoxicating fragrance wafting from it.

"If I'm not mistaken, there should be something similar sitting in my tearoom right now, correct?"

Fu Qian twirled the flower between his fingers, keeping his eyes on Nepheli as he continued.

"Whether it was sending him off to brew tea, or chasing him into the corner right after my shocking revelation, it was all a cover to secretly plant this. Naturally, that water mist served the same purpose... Given the extremely sensitive nature of our conversation, it was all too easy to find a convenient moment to feign shock. This was clearly planned out well in advance."

"As for your goal, that's simple too. I firmly believe you have a similar item on your person, which perfectly aligns with these two to form three points. Then, all you needed to do was find the right moment to silently recite a special 'incantation' and bring a Miracle down upon us, right?"

Looking at the expressionless Nepheli, Fu Qian smiled and shook his head.

"And that is very likely a Miracle bearing a God's authority. Its effects gave you the confidence to take on two beings at the Demigod Realm in one fell swoop."

"A rather brilliant trick. The materials you used didn't even contain a hint of supernatural aura, likely to minimize the chances of detection."

"The only pity is that your target happens to be a researcher as well. Not to mention, I witnessed a very similar technique not too long ago."

"So, after sensing how staged everything felt, I kept a close eye on Sawada's movements. I quickly realized that you, him, and the tearoom formed a nearly perfect equilateral triangle."

"So, as the host, my job was simple: considerately finding new topics to keep the conversation going and never letting the atmosphere run cold. Of course, from your perspective, it meant your attempts to chant your incantation were repeatedly interrupted."

"After all, from what I understand, the core of a Miracle is akin to a prayer. The requirements for one's attitude and form are incredibly strict. Thus, even if recited silently, it would require a solemn state of mind, even for a Divine Emissary."

"Good... very good!"

As Fu Qian explained his actions, Nepheli's gaze remained locked onto his face. Only now did she finally offer a slow nod.

"Mister Dancy, you are a constant source of surprises."

"You flatter me."

"You're not wrong. That was indeed a Miracle, and I did leave something special in your tearoom."

"Then might I ask what the effect would have been if this Miracle had succeeded?"

"You would have been banished into a space-time rift for a period of time."

Nepheli didn't seem to mind revealing this detail.

"Even beings in the Demigod Realm wouldn't be able to break free from it anytime soon."

"I see. Despite our long chat, we're still considered unstable factors, aren't we?"

Disappointment was written all over Fu Qian's face.

"My apologies. While our conversation was pleasant, I must still fulfill my promise to Yasui Tokiyuki."

"And given your performance today, you are most certainly an unstable factor."

"But now this unstable factor hasn't been eliminated."

Fu Qian waved a hand dismissively, his tone insufferably smug. He didn't seem to care in the slightest that he was being targeted by a Divine Emissary.

Fu Qian certainly wouldn't underestimate an opponent of her caliber. Judging from their two encounters, there was no doubt she possessed a myriad of methods.

But so what?

If she had a less troublesome way of achieving her goals, why would she have put up with all of his constant interruptions?

It was obvious that with her other methods, she wasn't confident in quietly disposing of two beings in the Demigod Realm.

So at this very moment, what Divine Emissary Nepheli truly needed to figure out was how to clean up this mess.

"I've gained quite a bit of interesting information today, and I imagine you have as well. Therefore, I suppose I should put some faith in your ability to weigh the pros and cons."

As she spoke, Nepheli didn't make a single move, yet Sawada abruptly sprang to his feet.

"I wish you both a fruitful stay on Ye Island."

Dropping those parting words, Nepheli simply turned and left without so much as a second glance at Fu Qian.

That was certainly a blunt way to wrap things up!

Noticing that Nepheli had kept her eyes entirely on Su Gao during her parting speech, Fu Qian found validation for a certain suspicion of his—this woman seemed to harbor a bias against men.

Her attitude just now perfectly mirrored the one she had displayed during her last infiltration.

From that perspective, it must have been quite difficult for Nepheli to force herself to stay behind the same curtain with him just to lure him and Su Gao into her trap.

"It feels like there was some credibility to her words."

A moment later, Su Gao withdrew her gaze and turned to Fu Qian, voicing her judgment.

"Yeah. Which means our previous guess was correct—Yasui Tokiyuki really does want to take things a step further."

"Then how should we handle this?"

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