Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Don't make us out to be so terrifying. It's just that Excellency Logan has a rather explosive temper."

Yuan Shan explained with a helpless expression at Fu Qian's mention of Logan.

"Of course, your style does tend to draw a lot of hostility."

"And you don't need to worry about that at all. Some members of the Council did show up over the past two days, but they've already hurried off to Ye Island."

"Because of the conflict? Was their response really that fast?"

Fu Qian nodded.

"Mainly because Gin Kazuhiro's request for backup was incredibly urgent."

It was clear that after their recent dealings, Yuan Shan had dropped much of her previous wariness toward Fu Qian. She no longer minded sharing minor details about certain events with him.

"If I hadn't kept emphasizing that the situation here is still unstable, the guy would have expected me to go over and help too."

The image of the figure who had shown up at his door to issue a warning naturally surfaced in Fu Qian's mind.

"What was his reason for requesting backup? To apprehend Sybil for causing civilian casualties?"

"If a demigod is dead set on escaping, they won't be caught so easily."

Yuan Shan offered a wry smile.

"His reasoning was rather vague. He simply stated that the conflict between the two corporations was at risk of spiraling out of control and requested assistance to contain the situation—the more people, the better."

So he acts like he has everything under control, but immediately calls for backup the moment things go south?

Fu Qian nodded to himself.

Given Gin Kazuhiro's relationship with Yasui Tokiyuki, he must have realized something is wrong by now.

But no matter what, there's no way he could have guessed that Yasui Tokiyuki is already dead—though strictly speaking, he isn't completely dead just yet. It's more accurate to say he's been neatly rolled up into a ball.

"So how is Old Man Logan doing?"

Although Yuan Shan had shown considerable sincerity, the Ye Island situation involved operational secrets. Prying any further would just be rude.

Fu Qian smoothly changed the subject.

"Not bad... Judging from the latest reports, the situation seems to have taken a turn for the better."

Given their previous conversation, Yuan Shan didn't find his question abrupt at all. She answered with a note of relief in her voice.

Just like the mission summary indicated, it's probably related to the "flame" turning out to be fake.

Fu Qian nodded at her words.

It also seems that Chaumont and his group managed to escape safely. Otherwise, the Night Watchers wouldn't be nearly this calm right now.

The water had boiled by now. He casually tossed in a handful of tea leaves, poured the water, and pushed a cup across the table to Yuan Shan.

"Thank you!"

Watching the tea leaves swirl in the hot water, Yuan Shan actually looked a little flattered.

"In short, you don't have to worry about Gulade's people causing you any more trouble here in Shangjing. Well, aside from Serana possibly wanting her Items back."

"Are they being targeted right now?"

"Grantham is definitely having a hard time. Honestly, the happiest person right now is probably Gan Zuoxun."

Yuan Shan sighed.

"When the news of Ambor's death spread, I took a rather harsh stance on a few matters. It helped clear some obstacles for our new municipal officer to push through certain regulations."

"Don't put on that reluctant, long-suffering act. You've probably been laughing about it the whole time."

Unfortunately for her, Fu Qian instantly saw right through the act.

"It's rare to have such a perfect excuse handed right to you, especially with an ironclad scapegoat already in place. No matter how upset the other organizations are about their lost interests, all they can do is take out their anger on their peer."

"Those guys are always itching to make a move."

Faced with Fu Qian's sharp critique, Yuan Shan's facade broke in an instant, and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"If we don't crack the whip from time to time, we end up with situations like Ye Island."

"Anyway, thank you very much for this. If you ever need my help with anything, just ask."

Talk about more haste, less speed—the payoff was already here.

Fu Qian was extremely satisfied with Yuan Shan returning the favor.

This high-ranking Night Watchers official might have seemed unreliable on the surface, but in reality, she knew exactly how the game was played.

Those words all but guaranteed that she would act as his protective umbrella from now on, so long as it didn't cross her bottom line.

"Actually, there is something I wanted to ask you."

Fu Qian didn't stand on ceremony and immediately pressed his advantage.

"What is it?"

Already well acquainted with Fu Qian's complete lack of shame, Yuan Shan didn't look surprised in the slightest.

"I'm looking for someone. Do you know a transcendent named Nepheli?"

Fu Qian intentionally held back the name of his actual mission target.

"...Nepheli?"

Yuan Shan repeated the name, visibly taken aback.

"A demigod?"

She actually knows her?

Fu Qian frowned slightly as he ran through his memories.

"At the very least."

"Someone with a wide array of abilities, particularly skilled at concealment?"

That was entirely accurate. Fu Qian nodded.

"That's her."

"I have no idea where you ran into her, but the person you're describing sounds exactly like a former instructor from the Academy. She went missing years ago for unknown reasons."

She was actually connected to the Academy?

Fu Qian thought back to his fight with Nepheli.

"The Benevolent Curse Institute?"

"You certainly know your way around the Academy!"

Yuan Shan shot him a surprised look.

"To be exact, she was the previous Dean of the Benevolent Curse Institute. They say the institute has been stuck in a slump ever since she left."

So that was it. No wonder she was so ruthlessly efficient at using Miracles to blindside people!

Did this count as abandoning a sacred academic land to join an evil organization?

Is the old saying about villains becoming three times stronger after turning evil actually true?

According to Yuan Shan, Nepheli was only at the Demigod Rank back then. But during this incident on Ye Island, she was unquestionably a Divine Emissary.

Even ignoring her ability to directly summon a True God via Descent, she was still a far bigger headache to deal with than Ariel!

This is quite the unexpected windfall!

Fu Qian hadn't actually expected Yuan Shan to know much about Nepheli. He had only brought her up to lay the groundwork for his real question.

"Regardless, if you ever do run into her, don't drop your guard for a single second. Out of all the demigods from her era, she was easily one of the most dangerous."

Yuan Shan didn't seem inclined to press for details. She picked up her tea and took a slow sip.

"Is there anything else you want to know? If not, I should get going. I've got a mountain of work waiting for me."

"There is."

Fu Qian nodded smoothly.

"Do you know a transcendent named Jiang En?"

He had always planned to use the Night Watchers to track his target down, but dropping a random name right out of the gate would have been too suspicious.

However, by introducing two names together, if something happened to one of them later, he wouldn't even need to explain himself—the connection would naturally spark endless speculation.

Besides, given the current situation, the mission only required him to sabotage the ritual. Fu Qian didn't feel absolutely obligated to kill this Jiang En.

After all, he was running a business here. And as they always said, harmony fosters wealth.

"A transcendent named Jiang En?"

To his surprise, Yuan Shan nodded once more.

"I'm not sure if it's the same person you're looking for, but I do know one."

...Isn't this getting a little too easy?

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