Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Mr. Anke’s thinking is truly meticulous.”

Although the demigod Aike had experienced an enlightenment, the heavier pressure clearly fell on Fu Qian, who had helped trigger it.

In that instant, Li He and Ji Ning simultaneously slowed their pace, locking their eyes on Fu Qian.

”Actually, speaking of which, I also have a question.”

She hadn’t flatly denied it. A moment later, a playful smile appeared on Excellency Ji Ning’s face.

”That situation just now was clearly a sudden attack. Why use ’Thunder’ as a secret signal? Did this place make you feel like there was no hostility?”

As expected of an old veteran of the jianghu. This sharp counter-question showed deep skill.

Clearly, Excellency Ji Ning’s attitude toward his earlier performance was acceptance, not understanding.

And now, facing his question, she didn’t avoid it. Instead, she mirrored his move, expecting an answer.

”Very simple. Based on my role in the team, that choice offered the highest expected return.”Seeing the formidable lineup of their temporary alliance tottering after just a few words, Fu Qian remained perfectly calm, not hesitating to pursue a deeper collision of ideas.

”I’m too weak.”

Pointing at Aike, Fu Qian made his second self-deprecating remark.

”Against a trap where you can’t even see the initiator, as a non-High Tier who specializes in flesh-and-blood power, there’s very little I can do besides trying my best to break free of the influence. Just ensuring I don’t become collateral damage is good enough.”

...

Although Ji Ning’s words had also piqued her curiosity, the mention of ”collateral damage” still made Aike slightly uncomfortable.

If Ji Ning hadn’t spoken up in time just now, her own conditioned reflex would have almost certainly engulfed this temporary ally.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t realized this at the time; rather, she had weighed the options and made her choice.

Even if she had to do it again, she would likely make the exact same choice, but having it pointed out now still felt a bit awkward.

”But it was precisely because this precious window of sensory confusion wasn’t utilized—leaving us free to react after springing the trap—that things felt abnormal. Just as you mentioned, it lacked hostility.”

Unfortunately, no one cared about Aike’s awkwardness. Without so much as a glance in her direction, Fu Qian continued to speak with assurance.

”After all, in a place like this, a brief moment of sensory confusion followed by a ruthless surprise attack would be a more normal progression.”

”Therefore, while pondering the purpose of a trap lacking in malice, I thought of the most optimistic possibility—a probe by our own kind.”

”Without a target, it was impossible for me to bypass Excellency Aike and move to the front, so I immediately chose to signal that our team was open to communication.”

”...I have to repeat my earlier assessment. Mr. Anke truly has a meticulous mind and astonishing adaptability.”

The expression on Ms. Ji Ning’s face relaxed almost in perfect sync with Fu Qian’s explanation. By the end, she couldn’t help but exchange a glance with Li He, whose eyes also made no effort to hide his appreciation.

”You indeed made the most logical choice.”

Given their Rank, they naturally knew that this mysterious figure with his odd background wasn’t lying about his abilities.

Because of that, his ability to maintain such a calm mindset under the current circumstances was even more remarkable.

”As for your question—yes, we do have some tentative conclusions, but please believe our concealment was not out of malice.”

...

He knew it. How could these two have reacted so slowly?

Ji Ning’s words, unsurprisingly, verified Fu Qian’s guess.

The previous situation had seemed simple. Li He and Ji Ning, equally trapped in this predicament, had realized—just like him and Aike—that the new royal family member was the crux of the problem.

Then they had chosen the same counter-strategy and even the same route to search for possible traces.

But that was only on the surface. A moment’s thought would reveal the inconsistencies.

How could these two only be realizing it now?

They hadn’t been the least bit surprised by Aike’s appearance at the banquet, so how could they have missed the danger accompanying that newborn?

Not to mention, the two of them had run into trouble while on their way to see the infant in the first place.

Having the presence of mind and time to set up that trap also indicated he was likely the only anomaly in this predicament. The others should have entered at relatively consistent times.

Yet Li He and his companion—who completely outclassed them in both information and strength—had actually been caught up to on the search route.

What had they been doing in the meantime?

It left much to the imagination.

”We did immediately realize this place’s eroding effect on our bodies, as well as the possible connection between the omnipresent crying and that newborn.”

At this moment, Excellency Li He sighed softly, cutting straight to the point.

”It’s just that before going to the potential Nursery to search, Ji Ning used her ability to conduct a small test, and we discovered something very strange—the crying is not omnipresent.”

...

Such a thing was possible?

Even at the risk of lowering their operational efficiency, Fu Qian had still raised his question. His purpose had been precisely to use these two newly joined heavy-hitters to gain a deeper understanding of their current predicament.

These two might not harbor malicious intent, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t held things back.

This was his impression after their initial exchange. After all, considering Li He and Ji Ning’s strength, their findings were truly mediocre.

Facts proved that the two really had been holding back, even if the information itself was rather counterintuitive.

Huh?

Excellency Aike’s shock very much confirmed this.

However, she still had a sense of propriety. Instead of using meaningless interjections to express her emotions, she gritted her teeth and continued to listen.

”This was an accidental discovery, as our initial goal was to try and break out directly.”

Li He looked quite satisfied with his audience’s reaction.

”Ji Ning’s ability allows her to enter a brief state of death on a mental level. When we first arrived, we judged this to be some sort of extremely high-Rank illusion or dream, so we didn’t dwell on the elements inside. Our first reaction was to just get out.”

It was indeed a highly logical reaction. For those with true strength, there was often no need to play along with pointless rules.

Direct mental death was truly a table-flipping, brute-force method for breaking through various deceptive techniques.

Fu Qian naturally understood this mindset, nodding repeatedly as he listened.

But it was obvious they hadn’t succeeded.

”Of course, as you can see, things weren’t quite that simple.”

Toying with the Royal Crescent Sword in his hand, Li He sighed again.

”After I stood guard over her for nearly a minute, Ji Ning’s resurrected will still appeared in here. She failed to return to reality.”

”Of course, that doesn’t mean we gained absolutely nothing. While checking her own condition, she was surprised to find that the power slowly eroding her body had actually paused during that time.”