Eldritch Horror Theatre

As a qualified person in charge of his team, old man Chaumont was absolutely decisive and ruthless.

Of course, what he couldn’t have known was that Fu Qian had already seen this move.

In fact, he had seen another of his tricks as well.

As his movements grew unusually stiff, Fu Qian felt the same familiar sensation of being marked. It was the exact move used in the bar to assist Stoss in trying to kill him.

Old man Chaumont was truly determined to get his way!

Unleashing two major moves at once, he was holding absolutely nothing back.

Beneath the restraint and the mark, he sensed himself being pulled into some special medium where Chaumont’s presence lay in wait.

Fu Qian clicked his tongue in admiration.

Sure enough, he had a special method of concealment, and the technique was somewhat similar to the Shadow Shuttle used by that old auntie, Serana.

Unfortunately, despite old man Chaumont’s gracious invitation, all things were empty—only good food could not be let down.Just as he was about to be dragged into that special space, Fu Qian fully opened his perception and reverse-locked onto old man Chaumont’s true body inside. Then, with a wave of his hand, he activated the Thread of Attachment.

The next moment, a figure seemed to cross space and dimensions as it was forcefully yanked out.

...

”What happened?”

As the familiar voice rang out, the seat was already empty.

Instead, standing in front of Fu Qian, was a much more real-looking old man Chaumont.

The latter was subconsciously looking around, his expression a mix of shock and anger.

Naturally, this old man Chaumont had never seen the Thread of Attachment before. Otherwise, he might have guessed a thing or two, and his shock wouldn’t have been so immense.

”Are you sure now is the time to chat about this?”

Even though it took considerable effort to move, Fu Qian still stuffed a piece of fish fillet into his mouth, then pointed around them.

Akasha and her companion moved in perfect unison. They were sizing up their surroundings at almost exactly the same time, frowning in confusion.

With old man Chaumont losing his composure, his Illusion Control faltered, and the anomaly was finally noticed.

Of course, even if it had held perfectly, it wouldn’t have mattered.

”Don’t blame me for not warning you, but outside, at least a double-digit number of Demigods have already noticed your arrival.”

”I take it you don’t want to stay and eat with us?”

Fu Qian pointed at the table.

...

Old man Chaumont stared at Fu Qian’s face without saying a word.

Experienced as he was, how could he not anticipate the consequences of being exposed?

The only option now was to leave immediately, while he still could.

But... a trace of unwillingness appeared on his face.

Leaving now meant that Logan’s slim, ethereal ray of hope would be completely destroyed.

”Bathing in fire doesn’t necessarily bring Rebirth; it’s just that sometimes the living need this kind of hope more.”

Fu Qian, who usually drew maximum aggro, neither made a move to keep him there nor threw out any taunts to mess with his head. Instead, he ended with that cryptic remark.

”Very well, Andiel...”

Finally, with a profound sigh, old man Chaumont’s figure began to blur.

And almost at the same time, imperceptible blades and several vicious bone claws pierced the spot where he had just stood.

Unfortunately, amidst the white frost, the master had completely vanished without a trace.

As for the rather tasteless ”I’ll remember you” type of parting words left by a dignified Divine Emissary, Fu Qian didn’t take them to heart at all.

His enemies were already all over the world; one more didn’t make a difference.

If things really blew up, he would just claim to be a guardian of the Rebirth Club when the time came.

Instead, standing in the biting chill, he watched the once-delicious dish with its perfect color, aroma, and taste turn into a block of ice in half a second, prompting him to let out an incredibly regretful sigh.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to eat it!

...

”Who was that just now?”

Ballard, the Knight of Order who was always the first to arrive on the scene, was no exception this time.

Standing in place for a few seconds to fully confirm there were no tracks to follow, he didn’t bother with the pointless act of digging three feet into the ground. Instead, he turned and questioned Fu Qian.

Even though his face couldn’t be seen, the gnashing of teeth could still be felt.

”The person in charge of the Outlander Team.”

Fu Qian answered with absolute honesty.

”Though it looks like you guys couldn’t keep him here.”

”So why didn’t you notify us the moment he arrived?”

As he spoke, Ballard’s faceplate opened, revealing an expression as cold as ice.

”This makes me doubt how credible your surrender actually is.”

This accusation was quite heavy. The implication was: were you faking your surrender?

”I just faced a Divine Emissary alone, and survived in the end.”

Fu Qian pointed at himself, using a tone that seemed to demand justice for his traitor’s heart.

”And I was supposed to figure out a way to notify you? A bunch of hatchet men who were casually bewitched?”

”I’m a little curious. Where do you get the nerve to question me?”

...

After Fu Qian finished speaking, it wasn’t just Ballard’s trio; the Demigods who had rushed into the restaurant upon hearing the commotion also fell silent.

These words were undoubtedly dripping with sarcasm, yet they were impossible to refute.

For a surrendered general like him, even with the Prophet’s endorsement, there was hardly any trust between them to speak of.

He was originally placed here as bait. Frankly speaking, whether he cooperated—or even lived or died—didn’t matter.

Yet, despite their confident dragnet, not only did the target actually arrive, but he did so like entering an unpopulated realm.

Questioning the bait at this point was indeed a bit unreasonable...

”Even the Prophet only just sent out the message, didn’t he? Are the standards for a traitor this high nowadays?”

Fu Qian, however, was unforgiving now that he had the upper hand. He glanced at Akasha and Shuijing.

The two of them had just broken free of the illusion and attacked at the same time. Rather than their hearts linked by spiritual affinity to see through the delusion simultaneously, it was clearly more probable that Yuan Fang had notified them remotely.

...

Akasha and her partner exchanged a look and didn’t say a word.

This action clearly confirmed Fu Qian’s guess, leaving the Demigods even more speechless for a moment.

In fact, what they didn’t know was that even though Fu Qian used this point to interrogate them, in his own judgment, Yuan Fang might not have just noticed.

He was currently deeply integrated. Theoretically, as the Prophet, even if Yuan Fang’s perception of his situation wasn’t as sharp as the others, it shouldn’t be too far off.

Therefore, the very instant Chaumont appeared earlier, that guy had very likely already noticed him.

But he chose to not react at all. It wasn’t until Ballard and the others discovered the anomaly and charged in that he notified Akasha and her partner to make their presence known.

The reason for doing so was actually very easy to understand—this guy never intended to actually kill Chaumont and the others. That would mean massive casualties for the Natives.

The content of his exchange with Chaumont was probably something far more worthy of his attention.

Naturally, Fu Qian didn’t disappoint him. With his familiar tone and bizarre commentary, he believed that both Chaumont and Yuan Fang had been slightly shocked.

...

”Thank you.”

The next moment, Fu Qian smilingly accepted a serving of roast meat from the old waiter.

Although many figures had suddenly barged in, to this man, the impact was still nowhere near that of the Guanghan Palace, so he managed to hold his ground and not flee the battle.

”Want to sit down and join me?”

After setting the plate down, Fu Qian’s first reaction was to warmly greet Ballard.

The appetizer had already been eaten; it was time for treatment.