Eldritch Horror Theatre

That was just how tour groups were.

No matter how many dangers and endless problems cropped up along the way, when the time came, most of the group could still be hauled away on a single bus.

It was obvious that A Lian had mixed feelings in that moment.

Yet the change came so suddenly. The situation, which had just been on the verge of collapse, abruptly settled back into a state of calm.

Everyone was accounted for and in high spirits, ready to resume the tour at any moment—just like back at the Cafe.

”...Where did you go just now? I couldn’t find you anywhere.”

But pretending nothing had happened didn’t seem quite right either. As the silence stretched into awkwardness, A Lian finally broke it to check on the Old Man, her tone mostly devoid of emotion.

”I’m not entirely sure myself. I just meant to take a short walk, but when I turned around, the crowd was thinning out, and I couldn’t find my way back.”

The apology written on the Old Man’s face was so natural that he didn’t even bother making excuses for wandering off.

”I remembered you mentioning that some areas inside were off-limits, so I decided to try and find my way out on my own without alarming anyone. It took quite a bit of effort before I stumbled upon a familiar path.”He even offered a perfectly sound explanation for why he had stayed so quiet the entire time.

”I see. It really is easy to get lost in a place like this.”

Even Clara, who had fruitlessly helped search for him, nodded and chimed in with surprising understanding at his explanation.

See? He hadn’t even needed to say anything himself.

As another enthusiastic team member, Fu Qian wore a polite smile, showing absolutely no signs of dissatisfaction.

Although before Clara spoke, she had clearly checked his reaction first.

As an observer, she clearly didn’t want the group to fall apart so quickly, so she was hoping to inject a more conciliatory tone into the current situation.

Unfortunately for her, as the observer’s observer, Fu Qian had a perfect grasp on her intentions, which was exactly why he knew he didn’t have to step in at all.

”I’ve caused trouble for all of you.”

Only now realizing that the others had actually been helping to search for him, the usually poised Old Man felt a surge of shame and apologized once again.

”...It really would be quite troublesome if you were caught wandering into some of the areas here.”

Amidst this newly harmonious atmosphere, the tour leader A Lian finally spoke up, offering her quiet agreement.

Although she remained noncommittal about the Old Man’s choice to keep quiet, her attitude alone explained a lot—

Obviously, after weighing her options, she still didn’t want to throw away this already small-scale bit of business.

”Can everyone stick close to me from here on out?”

...

The second half of the tour through the Royal Imperial Garden went seamlessly and pleasantly.

As if relieved of their underlying fixations, the group was even more engaged than before, a sight that left A Lian looking extremely gratified.

By the time they finished admiring the luxurious estate that had originally belonged to the Vinland Clan, the group was ravenous.

A Lian, gradually regaining control of the situation, became increasingly energetic. After treating the group to a rather decent local meal, she spared them from any grueling back-half to the itinerary. Instead, she handed the rest of the time over to the team, allowing them to stroll freely through the Old Town as they pleased.

It was an undeniably popular arrangement. The slightly fatigued team members instantly perked up.

That included the oldest among them—the Old Man who had just gotten lost.

Not only did he set off quickly, maintaining a brisk pace, but he also had the spare energy to stay alert to his surroundings along the way, ensuring no one was paying attention to him.

Unfortunately, just like before, certain things were simply beyond his grasp—

So, the man’s only harvest from his earlier excursion had actually been an address?

As he effortlessly tailed him, Fu Qian found himself rather surprised by the Old Man’s actions.

He knew the books the man had selected weren’t forbidden transcendent items of any kind.

But in his original estimation, even if the man had genuinely only come for the information inside them, his prize should have been something along the lines of a cultivation method or a ritual formula.

Yet, instead of returning to the hotel to properly digest what he had learned, it was painfully obvious that he was searching for a specific location...

It was a gratifying outcome. If it really had been a formula or something similar, it actually would have been of less value to Fu Qian.

As expected, the man hadn’t let him down in his unofficial role as an information screener. An address that piqued the interest of a Transcendent Tier individual could undoubtedly serve as an entry point into the transcendent world of this city.

Although, from the looks of it, the Old Man wasn’t going to have an easy time making his entry.

Eventually, Fu Qian stopped walking and found a seat by the street, going so far as to buy a drink specifically so he could comfortably enjoy the activity in the distance.

...

Even though the neat row of buildings along this street was entirely painted white, this area undoubtedly belonged to Lanphilai’s Old Town.

Based on the outline he had mentally sketched while looking down from above earlier, Fu Qian could even pinpoint which part of the Inviolable pattern this street occupied, making the whole viewing experience quite fascinating.

However, such deliberate, sweeping designs also tended to introduce a few inconveniences.

Although the road in front of him appeared well-maintained, it had clearly borne the brunt of spatial sacrifices, rendering it narrow, winding, and highly inconvenient for traffic.

Of course, that made it a genuinely pleasant place for a stroll. One might even stumble upon a situation where winding paths lead to a secluded place, uncovering some hidden location—just like the Old Man was doing right now.

It was clear that this was the destination he had been searching for.

Finally stopping in front of the second-to-last house, the Old Man made a point to look left and right. Only after confirming once again that he wasn’t being followed did he attempt to knock on the door.

It was just a pity that while he spotted no movement behind him, the people inside didn’t pay him much attention either.

After a cautious wait, the door didn’t even open. Only a single face peeked out from behind it.

And after only a few sentences of exchange, that face withdrew once again.

...

A private club? Then that made perfect sense.

Actually, Fu Qian had been curious about what exactly this place was for.

And even though the Old Man had the door slammed in his face rather quickly, it didn’t stop Fu Qian from gleaning a bit of information.

Considering that clues to its existence could be found in an old book like that, The Club seemed to boast quite a bit of heritage.

No wonder they had the nerve to shut an Old Man with such style out of their doors.

Of course, the Old Man clearly found this result a bit hard to swallow, freezing in place for a brief moment.

The final outcome was that before he could even knock again, he was shooed away by the people inside for a second time.

Finally unable to stomach the insult any longer, the Old Man resentfully headed back the way he came. A moment later, he noticed the observer sitting nearby.

People who cared deeply about their demeanor usually had a strong sense of when they were being watched. With just a moment’s thought, he realized that his humiliating dismissal had fallen entirely into the eyes of the man sitting right in front of him.

”No admittance for unauthorized personnel? They’ve always been like that.”

Yet, as the Old Man approached him with a hostile expression, Fu Qian showed absolutely no intention of leaving. Instead, he rubbed salt in the wound using the casual tone of a local.

The reason was simple—he was a local right now.

It was just a matter of altering his face and changing his clothes.

The Old Man, who prided himself on his abundant anti-reconnaissance skills, had no idea what a dimensional strike was.