Eldritch Horror Theatre

Fu Qian’s words were shocking, but Su Gao didn’t react much. She was clearly prepared for this.

”Was that dream-like illusion just now meant to confirm this?”

Her mind was still quite clear.

”Yes.”

Fu Qian raised a hand and peeled off two layers of masks. Then he sat down, picked up the tea in front of him, and took a sip.

”You said before that Anjing only had one Emperor. Now, I’m afraid there’s more than one.”

He described the appearance of the person who had just been sitting there, then gave his assessment.

”It seems she used some sort of mental infection to achieve an effect where even Demigods couldn’t detect her.”

”If it weren’t for the strange reactions your body showed, I probably never would have realized she was there. To flush her out, I had to resort to some mental techniques.”

Fu Qian pointed at Su Gao’s face.”You must have noticed this yourself?”

”I did notice the physical changes. Normally, I would have stopped to figure out the cause, but just now, it felt like some force was making me subconsciously ignore them.”

Looking at the seat beside her, Su Gao fell into deep thought.

To think someone had been sitting in this seat the whole time—a Divine Emissary.

Fu Qian made it sound effortless, but she could imagine some of the sheer danger.

That meant, while she was completely oblivious, he had gone toe-to-toe with a cryptic Divine Emissary all by himself.

And he hadn’t even seemed to suffer any losses.

”Looking back, that must have been the blinding effect you mentioned.”

”A Divine Emissary’s methods are truly bizarre. I was still too careless.”

”You can’t blame yourself. Since you were the primary target, you didn’t have the chance to observe from the outside.”

Fu Qian always stuck to the facts.

”Also, I happen to have encountered a similar figure before. Do you know of a Demigod with the title Raven Feather?”

Fu Qian gave a brief rundown of Raven Feather’s actions in Dunis.

”I’m fairly certain he was a member of the Origin Council, and his methods were quite similar to this Goddess Envoy.”

”Never.”

Su Gao listened carefully, then shook her head firmly.

”I do pay attention to information on the Origin Council, but I’ve never seen or heard of such a Demigod.”

”Not surprising.”

Fu Qian showed no sign of disappointment.

”Speaking of which, can one of your abilities automatically respond based on a target’s characteristics?”

”Something like that. In fact, it’s the only ability I have.”

Su Gao nodded, not minding at all that she was revealing her core secret.

”I named it ’Echo’.”

”It’s hard to describe. Basically, when facing a target, I don’t even have to think to find and use the most suitable lethal method—including but not limited to fire and lightning.”

”The same applies when taking attacks. That strange physical reaction you mentioned must have been my body automatically adjusting to the threat. Unfortunately, her Rank was so high that I still didn’t notice.”

Mhm.

Fu Qian recalled the ripples that had instantly obliterated Old Man Takahashi’s avatar, nodding in deep agreement.

Echo. The name was quite fitting.

Su Gao might have been modest about having only one ability, but a little thought revealed how terrifying it was.

She truly followed her instincts. This practically meant she had a counter for opponents of any nature.

It was like swinging a sword that came with a targeted enchantment.

There was one more thing. She could alter her physical form even more smoothly than he could, but she could only turn into people she had encountered. That fit perfectly with the concept of an Echo.

So she didn’t actually follow the sword path. Using a weapon was probably just her preferred way of attacking.

If necessary, it wouldn’t be strange to see her throw out a Diamond Dust punch.

As for how she acquired such a miraculous ability, Fu Qian immediately thought of the White Ring in his possession.

[Purity is also a kind of power]

Under the circumstances of her fusion with the Perfect Doll, that sentence might well describe Su Gao right now.

”Looks like it’s time to go.”

Amidst his reflections, Fu Qian suddenly spoke up.

”Now?”

Su Gao was a bit surprised this time.

”Yeah, after all, the purpose of this trip seems to have been achieved.”

Fu Qian nodded.

There were still many unfinished matters, of course, like the follow-up observation on Kisaragi Kana and testing the notoriety law.

But as he had said before, this was just an investigation born of interest. There was no need to put the volunteer in danger.

In the current situation, Anjing didn’t just have two Divine Emissaries; they had even set their sights on the two of them.

Su Gao’s status as a Demigod would undoubtedly trigger many assumptions.

Things might not necessarily develop in a bad direction, but once this level was involved, the situation was no longer so controllable.

And while Su Gao was powerful, she ultimately lacked his ability to return to base at will. There was no need to leave her exposed to such a threat.

”Or should I use my original identity and go find the local Night Watchers first to confirm that Divine Emissary’s information?”

Su Gao clearly understood Fu Qian’s meaning, but she also understood his style, knowing he wouldn’t give up easily, and she wanted to do more.

”Who’s in charge of the Night Watchers here on Ye Island?”

Fu Qian thought for a moment before asking.

”Gin Kazuhiro. He’s also a Demigod, and he’s been in charge of things here for a long time.”

It seemed Su Gao had been keeping an eye on Ye Island all along.

”Just like you.”

Fu Qian’s tone was flat.

”And during his tenure, the Miracle Potion and the notoriety law appeared in Anjing.”

...

”I’m not saying there’s a problem with him. I just doubt how much useful information could be found, and the price would be exposing your identity.”

It would essentially be a reverse strike the grass to startle the snake, Fu Qian added silently.

...

”Besides, the fact that you detected the Goddess Envoy’s presence would also be exposed.”

...

Seeing Su Gao fall silent, Fu Qian pushed another cup of tea in front of her.

”Have some tea here for a while. PR Sakura’s craftsmanship is pretty good.”

Mhm.

Su Gao obediently accepted it, while Fu Qian downed his cup in one gulp and stood up.

”I’ll be right back.”

...

[Identity verification complete, today’s work begins]

[Warning, leak incident]

Finding a room, Fu Qian activated the Decree of Return for a brief moment before peeling off his third mask, ’Emissary,’ and entering the Warehouse.

It wasn’t that he was dedicated enough to come in just to clock on.

Fu Qian wasn’t a blindly optimistic person. In the current situation, being targeted by at least one Divine Emissary—one skilled in concealment and deception at that—meant he couldn’t afford any carelessness. He needed to make full preparations immediately.

He planned to take out some things he had previously left in the Warehouse and arm himself to the teeth.

Things like Mercy, or the Eternally Lucid Mind.

Opening hostilities directly in this state would undoubtedly be an unwise choice, but if the other side couldn’t wait, then even a Divine Emissary wasn’t unkillable.

Of course, the Warehouse’s daily leak was completely expected.

But slacking off on this thing was incredibly easy. He just had to enter the mission and find an opportunity to forfeit.

[Name: Divine Seal, Designation: 3-0129]

...Starting with a 3?