Eldritch Horror Theatre

Mrs. Harper used the phrase ”that young man” instead of something like the Seventh Apostle.

At a time like this, one could still sense a subtle nuance.

As the subject of the discussion, Fu Qian naturally didn’t mind, but he also found the old lady’s choice of words fascinating.

”I don’t know. He was a quiet person who rarely spoke about himself... When he came back after going missing for a while, he became even more silent. And more polite, of course.”

Mrs. Harper’s reply to the Witch’s question proved once again that the nuance was no illusion.

Based on what he had learned earlier, as far back as the Withering of the Stars, an organization had already claimed responsibility for the death of the original tenant, the young man Anke.

In the widely accepted version of events, the later, more polite tenant was clearly no longer the original young man, but rather the Seventh Apostle of the Great Dark Moon taking his form, having come to offer the universal salvation of all living beings.

Yet Mrs. Harper clearly still treated the before and after as the same person.

”Oh? They shouldn’t really count as the same person, yet their habits were that similar?”

The Witch had clearly noticed this as well. She didn’t shy away from pointing it out, throwing herself into the discussion with growing enthusiasm.”Wasn’t the one who lived here later rumored to be the Dark Moon’s most beloved Divine Child?”

Unfortunately, she clearly held little reverence for apostles, so her tone remained exceedingly relaxed, completely preserving the casual atmosphere of their chat, even if her choice of words...

”Heh, I don’t care how you look at it. I’ve lived a long time and seen a lot of people.”

Sure enough, Mrs. Harper’s desire to share hadn’t been dampened in the slightest. With a smile, she pointed at her own eyes, not forgetting to top up both of their teacups.

”I might not know what an emissary of God is supposed to look like, but I know what a human looks like... I am absolutely certain of one thing: the young man who came back, regardless of whether he was more mysterious or more silent, was definitely a human.”

...

Despite their brief encounter, had he actually won such high approval from this elder?

A human... Honestly, over the past few days, that practically counted as a rare evaluation.

Thug, blasphemer, morally bankrupt, Destiny-Destroying Master Hand... As Fu Qian recalled the numerous glowing reviews he had harvested over time, he sighed, finding himself somewhat able to understand why Mrs. Harper had declined visitors.

He had noted earlier that despite her advanced age, her personality remained as sharp as ever.

People like her were often stubborn, preferring to rely on their own judgment in all matters.

It seemed that no matter what rumors circulated outside, her impression of the Seventh Divine Child remained rather complex.

Close proximity might offer a privileged view, but it also easily dispelled illusions.

Compared to the story others so easily accepted—of a Dark Moon Apostle descending into the world to bring enlightenment to confusion and fallacy—Mrs. Harper’s state of mind was clearly a bit more complicated.

And losing her illusions about an apostle naturally implicated the higher object of that faith as well.

This was probably why, in this moment of fierce competition, she hadn’t rushed off to the Church or anywhere else to desperately pray for a boon.

Of course, what Mrs. Harper didn’t know was that, theoretically, she had just received an honor far higher than that—

The Dark Moon and His apostle had made a special trip to her door to ask for a cup of tea.

A human?

The Witch didn’t rush to voice her opinion on this assessment. Instead, she shot Fu Qian a faint, ambiguous smile. Then, carrying the air of someone thoroughly enjoying the chat, she lifted her teacup and took a sip.

”So, you said earlier that you came over because of that letter?”

Mrs. Harper seemed to finally recall the reason the two of them had walked through her door in the first place, asking with some confusion.

However, thanks to their earlier conversation, it was apparent that her mood was now much more peaceful.

”Yes.”

But when it came to acting naturally, Fu Qian was never second to anyone. He immediately nodded in admission.

”We came to express our gratitude—thank you for helping deliver that letter.”

The very next moment, he earnestly raised the porcelain cup in his hand, expressing his thanks for that alongside his appreciation for her hospitality.

”Thank me? You wrote the letter?”

Mrs. Harper was indeed quick to react. After a brief moment of confusion, she suddenly realized something, her pupils visibly dilating in shock.

...

”To be exact, that letter passed through my hands.”

The old lady’s reaction hadn’t been dramatic enough to knock over the tea, which made Fu Qian very relieved.

In response to her guess, he corrected her very seriously, always treating others with sincerity.

Hmm...

Still, this piece of information was rather startling. As Mrs. Harper frowned and sized him up, her gaze lingered on the Witch’s face for a moment. It seemed she interpreted the Witch as the sender and Fu Qian as the errand boy running it for her—but that wasn’t the main point.

”But even if that’s true, how do you know I actually handed it over to him?”

Settling her nerves slightly, she raised a core logical question.

”He told us, of course.”

But how could something like this stump Fu Qian? He explained at once without batting an eye.

Seeing that the old lady had completely stopped what she was doing out of shock, he even took the initiative to take over the tea set.

”He replied to you... But logically speaking, shouldn’t the letter have been addressed to the previous Anke?”

Mrs. Harper quickly understood Fu Qian’s meaning, staring somewhat blankly at his tea-pouring motions.

”That is also one of the reasons we are thanking you. If it weren’t for you, we would have lost the opportunity to communicate with the apostle in this special manner.”

Fu Qian’s explanation remained as natural as ever.

”And from our perspective, he truly did seem like a human as well.”

Somewhat surprisingly, the Witch chimed in with an addition of her own from the side.

...

”Thank you so much for coming to tell me this... for letting me know that someone else shares the same feeling.”

This time, Mrs. Harper remained silent for quite a while. But eventually, she took a deep breath and expressed her thanks.

A lot of times, anxiety stemmed from a sense of isolation. As long as one knew they weren’t the only one, their mind would find far more peace.

”If you’d like, you are welcome to come by and sit with me here anytime.”

Not only did she not dwell on the issue of their identities, she even proactively extended an open invitation.

”Alright. After all, the tea tastes exactly as he described. It truly is excellent.”

Although Mrs. Harper hadn’t prepared any pastries on such short notice, Fu Qian was still extremely satisfied with this tea break, agreeing without hesitation.

Just as he had told the Witch before coming, the main purpose of this visit was simply to enjoy a relaxing cup of tea, without a specific agenda.

And mooching a cup of tea from the old lady while casually offering her a bit of consolation counted as a decent exchange of courtesies—

[Warning: Leakage Incident]

Yet before he could finish his thought, another sound rang out.

Accompanying it, the scene before his eyes began to shift and flow rapidly.

[Name: Door, Code: 1-008]

[Today’s work details have been updated. Enter the 1-008 Containment Scenario and complete the re-containment.]