Eldritch Horror Theatre

When Fu Qian told Su Gao to ask about whatever she didn’t understand, he naturally wasn’t talking about Kisaragi Chie, this second-rate diviner.

As he had said earlier, even if she paraded down the street banging a gong right now, no one would believe the news of Yasui Tokiyuki’s death.

But there was one person who would definitely react intensely and care deeply about his whereabouts—Nepheli.

Without a doubt, this technical advisor from the Origin Council knew that Yasui Tokiyuki had gone to make trouble for him and Su Gao.

Not only was he currently unaccounted for, but as the designer of the advancement ritual, Nepheli would know Sybil’s condition inside and out. And now, Sybil was having problems too.

As for why Sybil had been rapidly flip-flopping, it was easy to deduce the reason from what Yasui Tokiyuki had said.

The demigod had two distinctly divided wills inside her head, one of which had been forcibly implanted and twisted.

She even knew it wasn’t normal, but under Yasui Tokiyuki’s violent suppression, she still had to act on that twisted will.

And the scene at sea had clearly occurred because Yasui Tokiyuki lost his authority, throwing that violent suppression out of balance.

Nepheli might not care how many people died in the Anjing Company, but the moment the incident with Sybil occurred, she absolutely knew something was wrong with Yasui Tokiyuki.It was certainly mind-boggling for a newly advanced Tier 1 to run into trouble. As a technical advisor, if she were cautious enough, she should have fled instantly.

That was certainly one possibility, but Fu Qian chose to believe in Nepheli’s scholarly nature. Her thirst for knowledge would drive her to figure out what had happened.

Fortunately, while Lady Nepheli lacked the courage to confront him head-on, she had seemingly held back from running away. Instead, she was using what she considered the safest method to quietly figure out what was going on.

...

”Ask her what aspect actually counts as a harvest.”

Fu Qian studied Nepheli, who was simply standing there without even bothering to get herself a seat.

She had clearly lost her relaxed demeanor from their last encounter and was even speaking out loud.

This simple sentence showed that she was indeed anxious; it also indicated she had most likely only infected Kisaragi Chie.

In other words, besides himself—as the controller of the Lucid Dream—Su Gao probably couldn’t see her either.

”For Violetta, what kind of thing counts as a harvest?”

Facing the command, Kisaragi Chie carried it out with incredible naturalness.

”Knowledge.”

Su Gao was deeply in character, answering smoothly.

”Knowledge?”

The answer visibly took Kisaragi Chie aback.

”In the Transcendent domain?”

”Yes. Sometimes the path ahead is unclear; dispelling any confusion is a harvest.”

Su Gao spoke with assurance, not even trying to hide much.

Although everything around her seemed normal, having experienced it once before, she knew she had already entered the Lucid Dream.

And with no extra signaling from Fu Qian, she clearly remembered the guidance he had given her before they arrived—if she didn’t understand something, just ask, and don’t worry about anything.

”So you’re interested in Transcendent powers too?”

Kisaragi Chie’s astonishment was evident, and she subconsciously glanced toward Fu Qian.

This man had shown a lot of interest in Kana earlier, and in the end, it proved that Kana did indeed possess extraordinary traits.

Was Violetta in the same situation? Then what was Mister Dancy’s goal?

”Yes. I’ve had contact with them for a long time.”

Su Gao continued, never resting until her words astonished.

”Ask her what she thinks of the King of Ye Island.”

In Fu Qian’s field of vision, Nepheli spoke up again, choosing to continue this bizarre Q&A.

Excellent!

Fu Qian nodded silently to himself, highly satisfied with this development.

In fact, his reason for coming here instead of waiting at home was simple—he didn’t think Nepheli still had the guts to show up at his door.

No matter how confident she was in her stealth techniques, could they compare to a New God utterly crushing two Tier 3s?

Yasui Tokiyuki had disappeared without a trace. In Nepheli’s eyes, Fu Qian’s place was definitively a haunted house by now.

That was also why he had taken Su Gao for a leisurely stroll over here—to give the woman the courage and time to prepare.

It was yet another successful mutual approach.

”If that’s the case, the one you are most interested in on Ye Island should be the King of Ye Island.”

A moment later, facing the new instruction, Kisaragi Chie smiled and spoke, continuing to guide the topic.

”As a nearly god-like existence, he is the idol of countless young people. Especially compared to most legendary figures, you can even see him on TV.”

”I’ve seen him. He’s too old.”

Su Gao expressed her disdain with incredible naturalness.

Unsurprisingly, Kisaragi Chie’s expression froze.

Obviously, very few people on Ye Island would offer such a sharp critique of Yasui Tokiyuki.

”And word has it that even though he’s a Tier 2, he’s very unstable.”

”I suspect this has also affected his mental state.”

Are you saying the King of Ye Island is psychologically twisted?

It was obvious that Kisaragi Chie was a bit dumbfounded. In Fu Qian’s line of sight, even Nepheli’s brows visibly furrowed, her expression a mix of shock and suspicion.

”To me, Yasui Tokiyuki’s only value lies in finding out how he ended up in that state, just to satisfy a bit of morbid curiosity.”

Yet Su Gao’s critique wasn’t over; it even sounded increasingly sharp.

”Answer her: Yasui Tokiyuki might not have been in control of himself. At that level, he is already gradually approaching the essence of the world; his state might just reflect some kind of essential chaos.”

The next moment, having finished her internal struggle, Nepheli chose to speak again.

Although Su Gao’s performance made her somewhat vigilant, after some mental debate, she was still unwilling to drop the topic of Yasui Tokiyuki.

”Yasui Tokiyuki might not have been in control of himself either. Gradually approaching the essence of the world, his state might just reflect some kind of essential chaos.”

Obviously, these words exceeded Kisaragi Chie’s realm of comprehension; she could basically only parrot them back.

”Are you trying to say the world is chaotic? The closer one gets to its essence, the more unstable it becomes?”

This notion clearly piqued Su Gao’s interest.

”Now that’s a novel viewpoint.”

”Many people want to predict the future through divination, but in the eyes of a diviner, the world is actually the most unpredictable.”

Forced to recite her lines, Kisaragi Chie was visibly trying her hardest to understand why she had just said those words, and for a moment, she looked even more like a charlatan.

”Ask her what she thinks Yasui Tokiyuki’s final outcome will be, since she doesn’t think highly of the King of Ye Island.”

By this time, Nepheli was already getting a bit impatient, directly ordering Kisaragi Chie to strike while the iron was hot.

”So if you don’t think highly of Yasui Tokiyuki, how do you think he’ll end up?”

Kisaragi Chie fully cooperated, asking directly.

”That’s easy.”

However, this time, without waiting for Su Gao to answer, Fu Qian—who had been playing the spectator all along—suddenly spoke up.

”He will die.”