Eldritch Horror Theatre

”So, what exactly is your purpose for coming here?”

Fu Qian’s overly detailed answer, combined with his recently ”exposed” identity, undoubtedly delivered a stunning shock.

Even a powerful Demigod like Kelsen briefly lost his composure, his tone taking on an impolite edge.

”I think experts like us should maintain a little grace. If you want this conversation to continue, it ought to be your turn to answer questions, right?”

Fortunately, Fu Qian was quick to offer a helpful reminder.

”Our goal is actually quite simple... to catch a sly bug.”

This was undoubtedly a test of patience and composure. After Fu Qian’s reminder, Demigod Kelsen briefly considered the situation and clearly realized he held no advantage in either.

In terms of patience, the man across from him was speaking with unhurried ease. Even though the others over there were embroiled in a frantic chase, he didn’t show the slightest hint of anxiety.

As for composure, that went without saying. The guy hadn’t moved an inch since he first sat down.

And if they failed to uncover the motives behind the Origin Council’s two recent moves, Siren would be left in a terribly passive position.Quickly recognizing that he couldn’t just walk away, Kelsen frankly admitted to Fu Qian’s earlier assessment and explained his reasoning.

”A series of recent incidents led us to believe that during this annual blessing, an entity with unknown motives has been actively targeting Siren and provoking conflict at every turn.”

”So for this operation, aside from being absolutely determined to secure our hunting target, dragging that bastard into the light is also a major priority.”

”Judging from our previous deductions, that guy possesses unimaginable observational skills within the blessing, which meant I had to go through a bit of trouble to lay an ambush.”

”So An Gui didn’t come?”

Fu Qian nodded, his tone implying this was exactly what he’d expected.

”He wasn’t in the Wasteland to begin with, and we didn’t need the Ji Clan to do much this time anyway.”

Kelsen’s statement undoubtedly confirmed the tacit understanding between their two factions regarding this matter.

”Understood.”

Fu Qian murmured in appreciation.

”Also, judging from the current situation, although things deviated slightly from your plan, the outcome seems to have played out in your favor?”

”Your hunting target and the bug you want to catch appear to be one and the same.”

”...Although it’s a bit unexpected, it certainly looks that way.”

Although the man was only guessing, his tone carried absolute certainty. Kelsen hesitated for a moment before readily confirming Fu Qian’s theory.

”In my original estimation, the bastard hiding in the shadows provoked those conflicts to keep us busy fighting so we wouldn’t have time to hunt at full strength. And right now, it seems the most valuable target within the blessing is that Ancient Giant Dragon.”

”So you deliberately acted as though you weren’t overly affected by it. Once the target appeared, your operational efficiency was incredibly high, all to goad him into making another move so you could catch him.”

Fu Qian helped him fill in the rest of the blanks.

”But you didn’t expect that after meddling twice on the outside, the other party would suddenly go completely quiet once inside.”

”Even when the Ancient Giant Dragon fell into your hands and you deliberately dragged out the execution, there was still no sign of them showing up. This forced you to launch an indiscriminate sweep, hoping to strike the grass to startle the snake.”

”After all, even if they felt the situation was too hopeless to show their face, it would still be perfectly normal to watch such a thrilling spectacle from the sidelines.”

”But to your surprise, the results were exceptionally good. The Ancient Giant Dragon was just an illusion, and its true body appears to be the very bug you were searching for. It looks like it went to great lengths to protect itself.”

”I’ll have to wait until I catch it before making a final judgment... Anyway, that is my purpose for this trip. So, Mister Lu, what are you here to do?”

”Me? ...I’m also here to catch that bug. Alive.”

With Kelsen asking a second time, Fu Qian finally gave an honest answer to satisfy his curiosity.

”...Are you joking?”

Kelsen absolutely hadn’t expected such an answer. After a brief moment of shock, his anger surged uncontrollably alongside crackling arcs of lightning.

”Believe me, it’s far more useful in my hands.”

Fu Qian turned a blind eye to the display and continued explaining.

”In fact, this was destined from the very beginning.”

”If that’s the case, I’ll have to invite Mister Lu to come back with me. We still have some old scores to settle.”

Kelsen’s voice was ice-cold; he clearly felt Fu Qian’s words lacked sincerity.

”What scores? Are you still falsely accusing me of murder? Though you did just remind me—by my calculations, you guys owe me a lot of money.”

Fu Qian suddenly looked thoughtful.

”But as everyone knows, debtors are the ones in charge these days. I don’t mind showing a little goodwill—like returning this to you.”

The next moment, he lifted the Sunken Anchor on his arm, gesturing with it.

”You want me to help you take it off? You must be joking—”

Kelsen was abruptly cut off mid-sentence by a bizarre sound.

In his field of vision, the man’s right middle finger—which bore a gray eye—flicked against the very bottom of the Iron Anchor. A mournful, trembling vibration rang out, and the surrounding space suddenly felt like a still pool of water erupting with countless hidden undercurrents.

Kelsen was incredibly sensitive to these changes. It was obvious that the Sunken Anchor’s state had just become wildly unstable, threatening to break down at any second.

How was this possible? With just a simple flick...

He felt as if his very sanity had taken a blow.

...

Anything was possible, after all!

Fu Qian naturally had a perfect read on Kelsen’s sudden loss of facial control.

Truthfully, his action just now had merely been a tentative experiment.

As the Original Sin Sage who fought using his brain, he was already used to displaying overwhelming, crushing power when striking people. But what if his target was a transcendent item?

The facts proved that there was indeed a difference between the two. Transcendent items displayed a stability far exceeding that of transcendent creatures... though they still weren’t stable enough.

His targeted destruction clearly still had quite an effect.

This was undoubtedly a good thing. Otherwise, he would have had to figure out how to swallow the Sunken Anchor, or directly assume his Tyrant Form to break free.

And both of those methods were a little too visually shocking.

”My subordinates did offend you earlier. Please don’t take it to heart, Mister Lu.”

As it turned out, Demigod Kelsen was perfectly capable of recognizing goodwill.

Even as he forced those words out with a cold face, a spherical object slowly materialized in his hand.

Only, this wasn’t a terrifying attack condensed from lightning. Instead, it was a cyan bubble rippling with watery light.

If Fu Qian wasn’t mistaken, this had been cast by crushing a Talisman.

The moment the bubble fully formed, it wobbled through the air toward him, rapidly expanding in size as it flew.

Fu Qian didn’t move, simply allowing the bubble to envelop him.

Once his entire body was fully inside the bubble, the heavy sensation on his arm abruptly vanished. The Sunken Anchor that had been tightly entangled around his body quickly loosened until it slipped completely off and hit the ground on its own.

After a final ripple, the bubble shattered into nothingness.