Eldritch Horror Theatre

One must always look on the bright side. No matter how bizarre the situation, the absence of a failure notification meant he was still on the path to success.

The concept of fighting fate was no doubt exaggerated, but as a professional task runner, Fu Qian was never easily deceived by appearances. He quickly grasped the main point.

"I just thought of a question."

He pondered for a moment before suddenly looking up at Yuan Fang.

"So the future you saw includes this conversation?"

"Yes."

Yuan Fang sounded incredibly certain.

"But theoretically speaking, if the bright future brought by the flame is already destined, then this meeting seems unnecessary, or at least nothing to rush."

Fu Qian rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

"Very sharp. A good question too."

Yuan Fang looked slightly surprised before breaking into the textbook smile of a charlatan.

"But the marvelous thing about fate is that your will is simultaneously useful and useless."

"First, I am absolutely certain that the future will arrive."

"Second, the significance of today's meeting does not lie in our posturing, but in my passing on the message that you are the Savior. It doesn't even matter whether you believe it."

"And next, I will indeed have a favor to ask. But whether you do it, and how you do it, is entirely up to you. I won't force anything."

'Prophet Yuan, you vividly illustrate exactly why charlatans deserve a beating.'

Fu Qian thought to himself as he listened to Yuan Fang.

"What is it? Let's hear it."

"It's very simple. I need you to play the role of an outsider."

'...Is this the power of fate?'

'The legendary Dust to Dust?'

'I clearly blended in perfectly, yet I'm still being asked to play an outsider?'

Yuan Fang's very first request provoked a deep sigh of realization from Fu Qian.

"Then what?"

"For your own special purposes, you outsiders blasphemed the saint and spread pollution, plunging this place into a massive crisis."

"You want to create a common enemy?"

Fu Qian instantly understood Yuan Fang's intention.

"Yes."

Seeming accustomed to his sharpness, Yuan Fang let out a long sigh.

"A crisis isn't always a bad thing. Having a common threat helps maintain a certain level of order."

"Otherwise, it's hard to say how people like Ballard would react when they realize what they've been upholding is nothing more than a pile of rotting garbage."

"Unless it's a blessing in disguise."

Fu Qian nodded.

"Yes, a blessing in disguise. When the time comes, the flame can be explained as an unexpected benefit caused by the pollution, allowing them to slowly explore and accept it."

Staring straight at Fu Qian, Yuan Fang finally admitted his plan.

"Furthermore, the nourishment of the flame is a gradual process. Without the overarching premise of pollution, some people might grow impatient and resort to extreme measures, hunting flames from others."

"And that would inevitably be incredibly cruel."

Yuan Fang sighed again.

"It's hard to imagine how many of them would survive to see that future amidst such bloody struggles. Especially with the Flame Blessing, I'm not sure they could ever return as they were."

"But if we do that, the Hunting Squad will have to die."

Fu Qian recognized the merit in Yuan Fang's logic, though he clicked his tongue in response.

'For a fake to become real, the original had to be killed.'

"Not necessarily. They can run. In fact, judging by their actions, their strength must be quite terrifying."

"You saw it right. Two Divine Emissaries, two demigods."

Fu Qian nodded.

Two Divine Emissaries...

Yuan Fang subconsciously took a sharp breath.

"Regardless, once you expose their trickery on your end, Ballard will organize his forces to wipe out the remaining outsiders at any cost."

"And because you are there, whatever they say will be dismissed as lies spun to survive."

"Understood."

Fu Qian nodded, showing complete understanding.

Sometimes, the ways of the world were just bizarre.

Chaumont's group treated this place as an unreal existence, hunting ruthlessly to save Logan.

Meanwhile, the Natives—knowing full well that the Hunting Squad were the true Saviors—were trying to silence them to minimize their own sacrifices.

Everyone had ample justification, acting with painstaking effort reaching alone into untrodden realms, and having a clear conscience.

...

"I completely understand what you mean, but have you considered that as a character of unknown origin, I might not be capable of verbal communication?"

Amidst his musings, Fu Qian raised his cobweb-wrapped fist, gave it a squeeze, and asked an interesting question.

"What if I'm moody and unpredictable? Or what if I just kill you outright?"

"I believe you have the ability. Akasha still underestimated you; these restraints mean very little to you."

Yuan Fang's expression remained flat, completely devoid of fear.

"I've even genuinely foreseen that possibility. But one thing is certain: it will have no impact on that blessed future."

He revealed a smile as he spoke.

"These are all irrelevant details!"

"Got it."

Fu Qian nodded, offering no further comment.

"Let's align our stories first."

...

"What took you so long!"

When Fu Qian went back downstairs, Akasha was surprisingly still waiting. She immediately came up to grab his arm, a look of reproach on her face.

If one ignored the several bone claws aimed directly at the back of Fu Qian's head, the atmosphere was actually quite harmonious.

Although she appeared unreliable, she actually had her own schemes in mind.

It wasn't surprising. Otherwise, how could Ballard feel comfortable forcing her to do this work?

Of course, even so, Akasha was still the one showing the most amicable attitude toward Fu Qian.

As she led him outside while clinging to his arm, a sizable number of demigods—Ballard included—were already waiting.

Fu Qian spotted almost every demigod face he had ever seen among them.

Without exception, their expressions were incredibly grave.

It was obvious that the transcendents had already learned of the outsiders' despicable actions.

"How is the situation over by The Lake?"

Standing at the center of their collective gaze, Fu Qian didn't mind at all. He looked at Ballard with a smiling expression.

"What do you think?"

Ballard's tone was rather unceremonious.

"They escaped?"

Fu Qian offered a casual guess.

After such a long time, Logan's abnormal symptoms had surely surfaced. Old Man Chaumont wasn't stupid; it was highly unlikely he would stubbornly hold his ground.

Besides, if they hadn't escaped, why would so many demigods have the free time to come running over here?

"Exactly right. Despite being heavily surrounded, those people vanished like evaporating water. So, do you happen to know where they might have gone?"

Ballard clapped his hands mockingly.

"After such an unpleasant incident, shouldn't outsiders return to where they came from? Or do you think... they'll come looking for me?"

Fu Qian looked deeply thoughtful.

"I sincerely hope so."

Ballard sneered and glanced at Akasha beside him.

"From now on, keep an eye on him. Don't leave his side."

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