Eldritch Horror Theatre

Even a superhero needed to use his brain.

The reason behind Excellency Crystal’s rapid shifts in expression was now perfectly clear. Her earlier display of mourning past regrets had mostly been an act to test his reaction.

Even though she claimed to believe he was truly looking for Akasha, she had still held back, refusing to reveal the whole situation.

It made perfect sense.

Spilling everything to a dangerous character of unknown origin wasn’t exactly a smart move.

And that was exactly the persona he had been stuck with since their last meeting, with no signs of improvement.

Still, he had to look on the bright side. Now that he had seen through her act, Excellency Crystal had at least shared her true suspicions.

”You’re right. I originally thought she had finally slipped up and exposed her trail.”

After only a moment of silence, Fu Qian’s words earned him a full confession from Crystal, who didn’t even bother to hide her disappointment.

”Even right before you took off your mask, I was still leaning toward the idea that this was just a prank by Akasha.”Staring closely at the face Fu Qian had molded for himself, she shook her head slightly.

”Oh? So why rule out a prank now?”

Intrigued by her reasoning, Fu Qian leaned into the conversation.

”...Honestly, I did suspect this face was fake too. After all, regarding Andiel, Akasha witnessed the exact same things I did. She is entirely capable of pulling off the disguise sitting in front of me.”

His focus was slightly unusual, but Crystal followed his train of thought, confirming she had indeed considered the possibility. She then gestured toward Catherine once more.

”Until I noticed your lack of desire for her.”

Oh?

That was a bit of a blow to one’s ego, and her line of reasoning seemed rather strange.

”Shouldn’t that make me even more suspicious? Unless Akasha has some special preferences?”

Fu Qian glanced at Catherine, whose head had dropped even lower.

”...I was mainly referring to appetite.”

Seeming to realize how that sounded, Crystal quickly clarified.

”Don’t assume Akasha will eat just anything. Every type of food carries a different level of temptation... For instance, even as I am now, looking at her makes me feel a ravenous hunger.”

...

So that was it. It truly was a unique situation.

Fu Qian nodded slightly, dropping his doubts.

He had to admit, the demigod’s confusion was perfectly reasonable. On one hand, she had reason to believe Akasha was still alive; on the other hand, whatever had appeared on Catherine looked exactly like the Mark of the Spider Silk Queen.

The form of the power was identical, and even the side effects matched perfectly.

What exactly had happened behind the scenes was truly a matter of intense curiosity.

”Your words do remind me, though—are you really human?”

Just as Fu Qian fell into thought, something seemed to dawn on Crystal.

Was such a trivial matter really worth her suspicion? It was just a meager, low-level desire.

The Crystal Demigod had truly been trapped in this tiny domain for too long. Her worldly experience was sorely lacking.

Hearing this, Fu Qian looked Catherine up and down.

Her clothes didn’t even fit well—they had clearly been thrown on in a hurry—but they still couldn’t hide her exquisite curves.

As the subject of their conversation, her standing in this exchange was pitifully low; Catherine’s face was practically buried in her chest.

”Is it possible I just don’t care for this kind of ordinary beauty?”

Feeling deep sympathy for her plight, Fu Qian smoothly drove the knife in a little deeper.

”...So what exactly is your goal in looking for Akasha?”

Seeing Catherine bury her face completely, Crystal was rendered speechless and decisively pulled the topic back on track.

”To find the Prophet.”

Fu Qian’s reply was equally blunt.

...

”No wonder. You think the Prophet isn’t dead? You want to find Akasha to prove it?”

Crystal instantly grasped his intent.

”Or to prove that he actually is dead.”

Fu Qian wasn’t quite so rigid in his thinking; the core objective was simply to figure out the truth of the situation.

Even now, his mission objective still hadn’t appeared, and Yuan Fang was clearly a key element of Unseen Hill. Finding a way to make contact with him couldn’t hurt.

”So you really are an outsider... I must admit, your thought process is very clear.”

Unbothered by the correction, Crystal actually seemed a bit more trusting of Fu Qian’s words.

It wasn’t surprising. If he were a local demigod, it would have been highly unlikely for him to think of using another High-Tier Transcendent as a medium to contact the Prophet.

”Unfortunately, as someone who had more contact with the Prophet, I can tell you that both of those goals will be extremely difficult to achieve... Have you visited his room this time?”

Crystal immediately poured cold water on his hopes, indicating that reality was rather bleak.

”No.”

Fu Qian shook his head honestly.

”Of course you haven’t. Otherwise, you’d find that everything is entirely different now.”

Crystal revealed a strange smile for the first time. She stared off in a certain direction, delivering a shocking statement.

”How so?”

Knowing that was exactly where Yuan Fang’s apartment was located, Fu Qian was incredibly curious.

He had certainly heard the old adage that when the guests leave, the tea goes cold, but the Prophet was practically still warm in his grave. Had they already gutted Room 802?

”The place is still there, of course, but it’s completely empty now... and there’s a window facing The Lake. Do you remember it?”

Crystal shook her head, indicating it wasn’t quite that extreme.

”I remember. It has a great view.”

Playing along, Fu Qian delved into his memories. The scene of Yuan Fang curled up on the balcony Deck Chair even flashed before his eyes.

”There is no window there anymore. Now, there is a door... a door that reveals nothing but fog when you look out from inside the room.”

Her subsequent description only grew more bizarre.

That word, ”fog,” made it impossible not to think of the entrance and exit passage for outsiders that Akasha had mentioned—

The perimeter of Unseen Hill was enveloped in something resembling Mist. Any outsider only needed to step into it and wait a while to automatically disappear, whereas Natives could enter it with absolutely no effect.

”That is quite shocking, but that alone hardly proves the Prophet is dead, does it?”

Although he didn’t doubt her account of the room, Fu Qian linked it back to her previous claim and expressed his skepticism regarding the Prophet’s death.

”Because he said so himself... He directly told everyone that this place no longer needed him, and that both his mission and his life had reached their end.”

Crystal offered a cold smile and delivered yet another shocking revelation.

That had actually happened... Things were getting increasingly abstract.

”So, what exactly does that door do?”

Fu Qian clicked his tongue in marvel, deeply feeling that this meal was well worth it.

”Step inside, and you will gain your freedom—that phrase is written right next to the door.”

Crystal’s answer wasn’t entirely unexpected, though the added detail sounded a bit odd.

”That’s also why things are so much quieter around here. A massive crowd of people is still gathered around that spot even now.”