Eldritch Horror Theatre

There was no more spectacle to watch.

Seeing the Red-Haired Slaughterer leave the hall, Fu Qian finally stood up from his seat.

The young girl’s duo was likely taking a route that let others draw enemy fire, while the Wartime Alliance members clearly didn’t dare make a move against him.

There was no point in staying here any longer.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Fu Qian strode away without looking back.

...

”The bedchamber of this Goddess of Sins looks a bit shabby!”

Stepping outside, Fu Qian surveyed his surroundings and let out a heartfelt sigh.

The hall he had just left was indeed part of a magnificent structure, but it was now largely collapsed and utterly dilapidated.

Only the faint outlines of its high walls and spires offered a glimpse of its original grandeur.Further out, an endless expanse of ruins stretched into the distance—broken walls and shattered foundations, gloomy and desolate.

More importantly, not a single patch of sky could be seen overhead. Was this place Underground?

No wonder they weren’t worried about the prisoners quitting the game and running away.

The way out had surely been sealed off behind multiple layers the moment the game began.

Right now, the surroundings were completely empty, the buildings shrouded in an indescribably quiet, eerie glow.

There was no sign of the prisoners who had come out earlier.

This wasn’t surprising. In a place this large, finding a hiding spot was hardly difficult.

”Hello.”

As Fu Qian was taking in the sights, a crisp, cheerful call came from behind.

Looking back, he saw that the girl in the white skirt had chased after him. She stood at a safe, non-threatening distance, greeting him with a bright, charming smile.

The cold-faced young man was still guarding her side, staring at Fu Qian with piercing eyes.

”Hello there.”

Being a polite person, Fu Qian replied amiably.

”Forgive the intrusion, but how should I address you?”

The young girl offered a flawless bow.

”You can just call me Mr. Fu.”

Fu Qian remained refined and easygoing.

”Alright, Mr. Fu. I am Elena, and this is Cross.”

The girl in the white skirt politely introduced herself first, then pointed to the person beside her.

”Nice to meet you.”

This girl was quite interesting. She was treating a perfectly good deathmatch like a cultural salon.

Fu Qian studied the duo with keen interest.

He wondered how the conflict between them had been reconciled. In theory, these two should be locked in a life-and-death struggle.

”Good evening to you both.”

William had earlier declared the end of the dinner banquet, so it was undoubtedly nighttime now.

Cross lacked Elena’s grace. Clearly repulsed by Fu Qian’s appraising gaze, he merely turned his head and scoffed, not even offering a greeting.

”May I ask what business you two have with me?”

Fu Qian paid his attitude no mind.

”It’s like this,”

Elena covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

”Would you have any interest in working together with us, Mr. Fu?”

”Working together?”

Fu Qian looked at her curiously, pointing toward the hall.

”If you believe there’s strength in numbers, I recall there being quite a large group inside.”

”Numbers don’t necessarily equate to strength.”

Hearing this, Elena shook her head.

”They are nothing but a disorganized rabble, a flock of sheep huddling together for warmth.”

”They might be pooling their strength to face the immediate threats right now, but the slightest incident will make them fall apart instantly.”

”I’ll agree with you on that.”

Fu Qian nodded; this girl actually had a clear head on her shoulders.

”Now give me another reason to cooperate with you.”

”It’s simple. You don’t seem familiar with this death game.”

Elena’s smile didn’t fade.

”Your strength may be exceptional, but a lack of information will undoubtedly make winning harder. As it happens, I couldn’t be more familiar with the game.”

”Therefore, cooperating with us will save you from wasting unnecessary energy. Is that reason enough?”

”It does sound pretty good.”

Fu Qian acknowledged Elena’s point.

Her eyes were quite sharp. From his performance in the hall, she had deduced that he hadn’t been a spectator of this death game before.

”Although we will inevitably become opponents at the end of this game, cooperation benefits both sides until that moment arrives.”

”Besides, I am a person of my word. I promise I won’t stab you in the back.”

Having gained Fu Qian’s approval, Elena’s smile grew even sweeter.

”It doesn’t matter. Whenever you feel the time is right, you’re entirely welcome to try.”

This time, however, Fu Qian shook his head.

”Because when the time is right for me, I will also kill you.”

...

The moment those words came out, Cross instantly radiated killing intent, and even the ever-smiling Elena was stunned.

”Promises are the most useless things, especially between competitors. The foundation of cooperation is a consensus regarding the situation.”

Completely unfazed, Fu Qian tapped his temple.

”I thought you understood this principle.”

”Once the situation shifts and backstabbing an ally becomes more advantageous, the alliance has already dissolved.”

Fu Qian didn’t think this mysterious girl who had sought him out was some kind, pious saint.

But if her head was clear enough, taking her as a temporary ally wasn’t an issue.

Just as she said, having an experienced guide lead the way would save him a lot of trouble.

”Here’s to a pleasant partnership.”

After staring at Fu Qian in astonishment for a few seconds, Elena stretched out her fair, slender hand.

”Here’s to a pleasant partnership.”

Fu Qian reached out and shook it.

...

”Where were you originally planning to go, Mr. Fu?”

After their bizarre partnership was formed, Elena asked politely.

”To find the Statue of the Goddess of Sins.”

Fu Qian answered very honestly.

”That actually aligns perfectly with our plan.”

Elena’s eyes lit up at his words.

”We were also planning to find the Statue’s location first and monitor the situation there.”

She was probably telling the truth about this too.

Fu Qian wasn’t surprised by their plan.

Judging by their actions earlier, they clearly intended to lay low in the early stages rather than go on an indiscriminate killing spree to quickly amass an advantage.

The benefit was avoiding too much attention, letting opponents like the Slaughterer draw eyes and deal with the Sin Seekers first.

Of course, the downside was equally obvious. Once the growth of certain opponents couldn’t be contained, they might lose the initiative, raising a tiger to bring trouble later.

Under these circumstances, real-time control over the situation became extremely crucial.

And to achieve that, there was no choice more suitable than guarding the area around the Goddess Statue.

”Right, to avoid any misunderstandings, there’s one point I need to clarify.”

Elena continued.

”This is the Shattered Land, a space full of disorder and danger.”

”This means that every time the favor appears, the location of the Goddess Statue changes.”

”So, right now, we don’t know where the Statue is either.”