Eldritch Horror Theatre

This young hero has quite the nerve.

The chief of the Night Watchers had just declared that no one would dare disturb their peace, yet someone was stepping right up to slap her in the face?

Grantham’s pace was unhurried, but a single glance was enough to tell his goal was clear. The destination of his elegant stroll was none other than the two giant freeloaders.

At the same time, the seemingly oblivious guests had also uniformly fixed their attention on this development. The atmosphere practically pivoted in an instant—

”Mister Fang, I didn’t expect you and Chief Yuan to be here as well.”

However, the very next moment, the eye of the storm seemed to skip a beat.

The elegance of the Blood Clan never faded. Strolling right up to them, Grantham wore an impeccable expression, looking exactly as though he had casually bumped into an old friend.

But surprisingly, the one he acted friendlier toward was the Bookstore Owner beside her.

”Just here to mooch off the food and drinks.”

Faced with this unexpected turn, Fu Qian’s expression remained perfectly natural. He lifted the plate in his hand to gesture....

The evidence was abundant.

The masterpiece of structural mechanics in Fu Qian’s hand still stood tall and majestic even while missing a load-bearing wall, offering tremendous support to his claim.

For a moment, even someone as adaptable as Grantham looked slightly convinced by this frankness.

”The banquet is indeed excellent... I am quite glad I attended. Truthfully, if Serana were here, I would have preferred to ask her to come instead.”

But the pause lasted only a second. Grantham smoothly voiced his agreement, his tone sounding a bit exaggerated.

”I’m afraid she might not have been so willing. Did Serana say when she’ll be back?”

Chief Yuan’s posture today was remarkably relaxed. Compared to Grantham, who weighed every word, she picked up the conversation effortlessly, suggesting Serana’s homebody tendencies might be even stronger.

Grantham’s wording clearly took Serana’s higher Rank into account. The Gulade Family didn’t mind using this approach to demonstrate their sincerity in cooperating.

Unfortunately, the timing was just off. She was temporarily away from Shangjing.

And Yuan Shan’s reaction made absolutely no attempt to hide that she already knew this.

With someone of Serana’s status, the Night Watchers probably wouldn’t force her to report her whereabouts at all times.

Yet regarding her absence from Shangjing, Yuan Shan showed zero surprise, fully projecting an aura of control.

She didn’t even press for details on what exactly Serana had gone to do—share it if you want, keep it if you don’t.

”It might be a while. At the moment, she merely found some clues related to Taylor’s previous incident, which still require a thorough investigation.”

Although he didn’t give a specific timeline, Grantham acted exceptionally compliant and directly laid out the purpose of her trip.

...

Oh?

It was obvious that Excellency Serana possessed a very high sense of operational security.

Previously, when she was approached to cooperate in filming the scene of receiving the boon, and even when discussing the mastermind behind the corpse-looting incident—the situation concerning the minions of the Dominator of Death—she had promised to keep it strictly between herself and Grantham.

But right now, Yuan Shan was somewhat surprised by Grantham’s explanation, looking as if she genuinely hadn’t been briefed on this beforehand.

Even now, as Grantham proactively shared the intelligence, he still didn’t mention the Dominator of Death, keeping the focus entirely on Taylor being framed.

”I eagerly await the results.”

Curiosity aside, Yuan Shan had obviously thought of something else. Her lips spoke of anticipation, but her eyes were locked on Fu Qian.

”I’ll be sure to pass it along the moment she returns.”

Grantham laughed heartily, his bearing growing even more dashing.

Yet despite the harmonious exchange, he didn’t linger. He quickly made an excuse and took his leave.

Before departing, he even went out of his way to recommend a certain pastry he particularly enjoyed.

”Is it good?”

Yuan Shan paid no mind to his exit. The moment Grantham walked away, her eyes fell right back on Fu Qian’s hand.

The latter had truly taken the advice to heart. Before anyone could say a word, he had already popped Grantham’s recommendation into his mouth.

”Honestly... I somewhat struggle to understand why the Blood Clan would enjoy spicy food.”

Fu Qian quickly satisfied Yuan Shan’s curiosity, and his expression alone explained everything.

What he had tossed into his mouth was a small, golden cake, which Grantham claimed was a dessert with a long history.

”To put it precisely, it’s like a bee dipped its stinger in honey and stung you directly on the tongue.”

True, it was indeed sweet.

However, a special spicy flavoring mixed into it seemed to act as the vanguard, tearing its way through the taste buds to drive the sweetness deep into his soul.

”Never mind then.”

Seeing his expression, she instantly lost interest. Yuan Shan’s reaction was blunt; while declaring she wouldn’t try it, she reached out and snatched something else off his plate.

Too bad her fine motor control was lacking this time, directly causing a minor structural collapse of Fu Qian’s masterpiece.

...

”Taylor’s path can certainly be considered fraught with misfortune, but after undergoing such trials, he might mature even faster—just like his equally famous old rival.”

Fu Qian naturally didn’t sweat the small stuff. He even diligently finished chewing the spicy dessert before voicing his lament.

That guy was indeed brainless and unlucky, but are you sure you’re the right person to say that? Weren’t you the main culprit behind quite a few of those trials?

She didn’t voice the rebuttal out loud, but at that moment, Yuan Shan’s expression was highly suggestive.

”It sounds like you have high hopes for Jiang En. He hasn’t been having an easy time lately.”

She didn’t dwell on the hypocrisy, her curiosity quickly pivoting to the other person Fu Qian had mentioned.

”Of course. He has both perseverance and the right temperament; he merely lacks a bit of luck. Given time, he certainly won’t remain a fish in a small pond.”

Sticking with the glowing review, Fu Qian effortlessly maintained his persona of an aloof worldly expert.

”That’s basically saying nothing. Isn’t luck exactly the hardest part?”

Yuan Shan practically rolled her eyes at him. On the path of the Transcendent Tier, those with the right temperament who still met tragic ends were innumerable. That simply wasn’t enough of a reason.

...

Jiang En was indeed relatively more composed.

Regarding Yuan Shan’s reaction, Fu Qian actually drew a conclusion from a completely different angle.

After that guy chanced upon the secret inside the Toothed Throat and successfully broke through, he hadn’t rushed out to yell ’do not bully a young person in poverty’. He had stayed so low-profile that even the Night Watchers hadn’t caught wind of his situation.

Of course, after today, that might no longer be the case.

His conversation with Yuan Shan was undeniably pure small talk, carrying no deep meaning whatsoever.

But you couldn’t stop others from reading into it.

As mentioned earlier, he and Yuan Shan were the invisible core of this banquet.

Anyone mentioned by the two of them, no matter how profoundly ordinary they seemed, would inevitably bask in a bit of their spotlight.

Let alone the fact that they were already the renowned Twin Prides of the North and South.

Considering that the current statuses of South Taylor and Northern Jiang En were somewhat delicate, what kind of storms would brew in Shangjing once the public gaze converged on them again?

For Jiang En especially, this could serve as a moderately weighty endorsement.

Given his personality, the odds of him returning to his family were still very slim. And surviving out in the world as a lone wolf was no easy feat.

He was, after all, a dependent of the Dominator of Death. Nudging his fate along a little was merely an effortless favor.