Eldritch Horror Theatre

[It really is Ji Ping’s face.]

Under Nora’s questioning, Old Man Tyr didn’t make a sound. Instead, he dipped his finger in his liquor and wrote a line of words.

When they saw what he had written, both Nora and the craftsman beside her were momentarily struck by shock and fear.

Gerald had just mentioned taking the man back to confirm his identity, yet someone sitting right here actually recognized Ji Ping.

”Are you sure?”

Subconsciously stealing another glance at Fu Qian, Nora lowered her voice even further.

[I saw him in the Archipelago.]

Wiping away the previous message, Tyr quickly wrote another line.

...

[Should we leave, then?]After exchanging glances with the craftsman, Nora finally copied Tyr’s method and wrote her suggestion on the table.

[Amir is lying. Are they planning a major move against Siren?]

Confirming that the man sitting there was very likely Ji Ping gave her far more to imagine regarding the hidden dangers of this trip.

[No, we are staying.]

To her great surprise, however, Tyr shook his head.

[No one would ever want to impersonate the Origin Council. That would bring immense trouble.]

[Instead, the attention of the Ji Clan and Siren will be drawn to him, giving us more room to explore.]

After quickly explaining this, Tyr’s expression remained as calm as still water as he sought his two teammates’ opinions with his eyes.

The situation was bizarre. Siren and the Ji Clan would spend more energy guarding against potential dangers and subsequent troubles, which meant their own exploration efforts would be impacted...

Nora understood Tyr’s meaning perfectly. There was even a point he hadn’t mentioned: because of the perceived risks, many others had already fled. Their competitors were unprecedentedly few...

Nora was visibly tempted. She gritted her teeth and looked at the craftsman. The latter frowned in thought for a moment before nodding with slight difficulty.

”Let’s go.”

Seeing that they had quickly reached a consensus, Tyr stood straight up without the slightest hesitation.

Before leaving the small inn, he even remembered to wipe away all the words written on the table.

...

’Be greedy when others are fearful?’

’No wonder he managed to make a name for himself in a lawless place like this. Old Man Tyr really isn’t an ordinary figure.’

Watching the three leave silently, Fu Qian praised them inwardly.

Although he wasn’t sure of the exact details of their conversation, it was obvious that they had reached a consensus with astonishing efficiency, deciding that wealth is found in danger. Tyr was clearly the core of their decision-making.

’An ordinary old man of his age wouldn’t have such drive.’

’Even though their team doesn’t have many members, it really is quite a good group.’

’Of course, being good doesn’t guarantee a good outcome.’

’There are far too many people out there who possess the qualities of heroes and champions, yet lack the necessary luck.’

...

Old Man Tyr still had some influence in the jianghu. Just after his team left, others quickly followed them outside.

It was clear that even without seeing the words on the table, they had still borrowed his judgment.

Of course, the Blind Idiot Trio probably wasn’t among them.

”You guys go on ahead. I’ll catch up as soon as I finish my drink.”

Meeting Elena’s gaze as she walked past, Fu Qian nodded and raised the drink in his hand.

”...Alright.”

Elena’s expression was a bit complex. Looking as though she didn’t quite know how to respond for a moment, she ultimately just gave a slight nod.

Catch up as soon as he finished his drink? He said it as if it were true... Was he planning to get the Sunken Anchor drunk?

The few remaining sturdy fellows in the inn suffering from indecision could hardly hold back their urge to mock him when they heard that.

”Business is so good it’s enviable!”

Fu Qian ignored them entirely. Instead, he struck up a conversation with the proprietress.

”It only happens once a year. If business wasn’t good now, I wouldn’t be able to sell my alcohol at all.”

”Though this year has indeed been pretty good. The blessing was delayed until now, which let me sell for a few extra days.”

The proprietress seemed to have recovered from her shock at Fu Qian’s astonishing display.

Chatting with a smile, she brought out a new glass, wiped it until it sparkled, and handed it to him.

”So, with this kind of excitement every year, do you never think about going out to take a look?”

Expressing his thanks, Fu Qian took the glass and continued the idle chatter.

”Greed easily leads to trouble. I’ve already taken too much from in there, and I’ve seen far too much.”

The proprietress pointed outside with a smile.

”Makes sense. If there were a few more people like you in the world, things would be a lot more peaceful!”

Fu Qian poured himself a full glass.

”I’d rather not.”

The proprietress, however, let out a sigh filled with untold stories.

”The fewer people there are opening shady inns like this one, the better.”

”Everything exists for a reason, after all... Actually, I have a bit of experience myself when it comes to running shady inns.”

...

The pleasant conversation by the counter made this small inn deep in the ruins seem a little more normal.

Unfortunately, leisure time was always brief. After pouring the last drop of alcohol into his mouth, Fu Qian returned the glass and stood up.

”It’s getting late. I should take my leave.”

Thanks to the dual effects of precise control and surface tension, Fu Qian finally completed the feat of finishing an entire bottle of liquor in just two glasses.

The few remaining people in the inn had clearly been paying attention to his casual chat with the proprietress all along. They all looked over at once, wanting to see exactly how he planned to ”take his leave.”

”...Please come again next time.”

The proprietress was obviously just as shocked. However, after weighing her words for a moment, she smiled and went with the classic farewell.

”I’ll do my best. Thank you for the hospitality.”

Fu Qian nodded, his gaze sweeping across her chest.

Just like the thoroughly serious Hundred Leaf Sect, not only was she dressed in a meticulous manner, but she even had a deep red nameplate pinned to her chest.

”Store Manager Sunny.”

Clang!

The next moment, amid a crisp crashing sound, Fu Qian reached out and grabbed the Iron Anchor directly in his hand.

Of course, this action merely made him look a little more agile.

On a transcendent level, the resistance against his movements hadn’t eased in the slightest.

The Iron Anchor locked onto his body was like pinning a person in formless quicksand. No matter which direction he struggled, he would only sink deeper.

’It’s quite interesting. Siren seems to have quite a few of these things related to sea monsters and tides!’

Amid his musings, Fu Qian stepped forward step by step, pushed the door open with the hand gripping the Iron Anchor, and drifted away.

Only after a long while did the inn’s patrons recover from their shock, their gazes blank.

’Did the Sunken Anchor not work? Was he faking it just now?’

This thought flashed through the minds of more than one person.

Obviously, compared to that possibility, they were even less willing to believe that the guy had simply walked away step by step while bearing the crushing resistance of the Sunken Anchor.

...

’Aside from being completely abnormal, it all looked far too normal!’

As he approached the ruins bathed in the Bright Light step by step, Fu Qian was thinking about his recent conversation with the proprietress.

Clear thinking, agile reactions, not too old, strength barely at the Mid Tier, and the bracelet on her left hand was a transcendent item.

No matter what angle one looked at it from, she was just a transcendent who didn’t know how to choose a good location for a shop.

But his feeling just now couldn’t be wrong. Under the shroud of the Lucid Dream, she was actually even less affected than Lorraine, and just like Lorraine, she had perfectly chosen to feign being affected.