Eldritch Horror Theatre

Communication between adults was often highly purposeful.

Not to mention how well Akasha had hidden herself—so well that even Crystal couldn’t find her—yet now she had abandoned that concealment to reveal herself.

With such firm decisiveness, how could she not be plotting something massive?

Fu Qian, however, remained quite satisfied with this development.

Back when he decided to double back and return to this restaurant, he had imagined what kind of visitors might show up.

For reality to replay a past scene with such intense déjà vu, letting him meet the Akasha that Crystal had been searching for all along, already felt a bit like hitting the jackpot.

Not to mention that, just as Crystal had feared, Akasha’s relationship with the Unseen Hill behind the door truly seemed far from simple.

The name ”Amber” was something he had specifically come up with in there for Crystal’s Nascent Soul, just to make distinguishing them easier.

Yet when the Spider Silk Queen heard it, she didn’t look surprised in the slightest.

This couldn’t be explained simply by her having visited that place. It meant the exchanges that had happened there likely weren’t any secret to her.It was truly terrifying upon deeper reflection.

The fact that she didn’t shy away from showing this made the true purpose of her visit equally terrifying upon deeper reflection.

”Yes, I know you’ve been behind the door.”

Sure enough, Akasha admitted it the very next moment.

”Together with Amber.”

Fu Qian inwardly praised this reassuringly direct attitude.

As she added that detail, he noticed Catherine returning out of the corner of his eye.

Two identical plates. Even the way the sausages were arranged was exactly the same.

...

”Yes, including what you did in there.”

He wondered if, like Crystal, she had also received guidance from the Prophet and learned that when dealing with the outsider Andiel, honesty was the better policy.

Akasha gave a quick nod, openly stating that she had indeed been monitoring things from behind the scenes.

”Regardless, thank you for your help in this matter. As for Crystal, I am deeply sorry.”

Not only that, she even took the initiative to thank him and candidly admitted her role in certain events.

”Laying eggs in someone else and then blocking their contact info? It does sound a bit excessive, but that is between the two of you.”

Fu Qian waved a hand, signaling that as an outsider, he had no intention of judging such things.

Even though it was just his analogy, simply hearing it was enough to make one’s blood pressure spike.

”In short, I came here to tell you one thing... this night will be very long.”

Even someone as powerful as Queen Akasha furrowed her brows in that moment. Taking a deep breath, she chose to cut straight to the point.

Oh?

Genuinely piqued by the statement, Fu Qian briefly glanced outside.

It was indeed still pitch black, with no signs of dawn approaching. But Akasha was hardly the poetic type; this was highly unlikely to be a mere figure of speech.

”I mean it literally. Dawn will never arrive.”

Sure enough, she elaborated a moment later, indicating that daybreak would never again come to the Unseen Hill.

...

So this was the Darkest Night? Was the Unseen Hill Without Fire behind the door not the only place cloaked in darkness?

The situation this time was interesting indeed.

Akasha had genuinely delivered a piece of crucial information. Fu Qian instantly connected it to his own mission, feeling increasingly pleased that he hadn’t just unleashed apocalyptic destruction on the other side earlier.

”Why this particular night? Does it have something to do with me coming here?”

Thanking Catherine as he took the plates, Fu Qian shoved another bite into his mouth while making sure to pry for more details.

”I’ll take that.”

Giving Akasha time to think, and seeing that Catherine didn’t even dare step closer to that side of the table, Fu Qian simply took the second portion from her hands and slid it over to the Spider Silk Queen.

”Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t... In fact, you are free to do whatever you want next, whether that’s staying here or leaving.”

It was obvious that even though the sausages likely had a very low starch content, the Spider Silk Queen still had little interest in such food.

Looking away after a single glance, Akasha showed zero intention of tasting it, choosing instead to answer Fu Qian’s question with an air of absolute mystery.

”To sum up, the Darkest Night is about to fall here, and I can do whatever I want?”

Unbothered by her cryptic tone, Fu Qian grew thoughtful.

”Correct. But I am in no rush to leave.”

She was from the evil faction, after all. Having recovered from her brief passivity, Akasha had adjusted her mood. As she nodded, her gaze rippled with charm, her tone inviting wild imaginations.

”That’s wonderful.”

Never one to miss a romantic cue, Fu Qian immediately expressed his deep gratification.

”So you have a team dividing the labor?”

Though his way of handling romantic cues was a little unusual.

...

”Are you trying to form a team with me?”

What was meant as a teasing remark had suddenly been over-analyzed.

Akasha’s reaction was fast. Her expression barely changed in that split second; she quickly threw him a flirtatious wink and turned the question back on him.

Her stance was crystal clear. Aside from the warning about the Darkest Night, she had no intention of answering anything else.

”Sure.”

Fu Qian didn’t push the issue, even going so far as to genuinely accept the team invitation.

As for why he brought up a team in the first place?

Back when dealing with the Black Doctor, he had speculated that certain people inside the Unseen Hill might have colluded on a grand scheme under the influence of some form of enlightenment.

Considering Akasha’s mysterious disappearance, it was hard not to suspect that she was also one of these ”lucky ones.”

So would she also know about the Angel of Death?

Asking outright in the current situation obviously wouldn’t yield an answer, but as Fu Qian saw it, the chances of a ”yes” were quite high—after all, the Angel of Death was the one he had been waiting for to begin with.

One should never take things for granted. Even though the Prophet was gone, and even though he was an outsider, Fu Qian still didn’t overlook the possibility that his every word and action was being monitored.

Purposely bringing up the name A Wei earlier had been for the benefit of any potential listeners.

As he had said from the start, the question of why A Wei—whom he had sent in himself—hadn’t appeared might hold great significance for understanding the current state of the Unseen Hill, and even Ji Feng.

So how could Fu Qian pass up any chance to bait someone into revealing themselves?

Not to mention that His Excellency the Black Doctor had explicitly stated that as long as he returned to this side, he would definitely get to see the Angel of Death.

But the one who ultimately showed up was Akasha.

Therefore, regardless of her motives, Fu Qian couldn’t ignore the possibility that this was part of an internal division of labor within a team.

”Excellent. To think I get to have such a strong Knight with me. So, what is our next course of action?”

Akasha actually looked exceedingly pleased with Fu Qian’s response, showing deep interest in his thoughts.

”Is there even a need to ask?”

Fu Qian tapped his fingers lightly against the Mirror Armor, speaking without the slightest hesitation.

”To uphold ridiculous justice, of course.”