Eldritch Horror Theatre

Excellency Crystal had once mentioned that she had a very sharp nose.

Yet quite some time had passed since Akasha first appeared, and there was still no sign of that demigod tracking them down.

According to Amber, the unique nature of the situation meant that her appearance on the other side of the door did not mean Crystal would vanish from this side.

Therefore, this lack of a response seemed rather illogical.

However, after carefully sniffing the scent wafting from the Spider Silk Queen, Fu Qian seemed to find his answer.

It was naturally not as simple as her switching shampoos. To Akasha, her body’s scent was evidently a manifestation of her Transcendent Tier abilities.

In Fu Qian’s judgment, if an ordinary individual of the Transcendent Tier sat this close for too long, they would inevitably become intoxicated.

However, despite carrying similar effects, this fragrance was noticeably different from the one he had smelled last time.

Was it a deliberate adjustment on her part, or was it like the Black Doctor—the result of some special gains?

It was hard to say, but it definitely seemed to help Akasha conceal herself.This allowed her to operate on this side of the door without being tracked.

”Yes. Furthermore, because of the eggs on Crystal, I can reverse-track her position and avoid her when necessary.”

It was apparent that this topic finally steered clear of any deep secrets.

After a brief thought, Akasha actually confirmed Fu Qian’s theory and even volunteered an extra piece of information.

The opponent was not only invisible but also had full map vision? Trying to find someone under these conditions was indeed a bit too demanding for Excellency Crystal.

Nodding slightly, Fu Qian felt a moment of deep sympathy for her predicament.

”So, where exactly are we going?”

Akasha clearly had no desire to dwell on the subject. She soon spoke up, pulling the topic back on track.

”Let’s see where the carriage takes us.”

Fu Qian looked as though he had prepared this answer long ago, even if the answer itself was...

”What’s wrong? Didn’t you say I could do whatever I wanted?”

Seeing the Spider Silk Queen’s beautiful face stiffen, Fu Qian blinked, deliberately throwing her own words back at her.

But wasn’t this taking it a bit too far?

Although she remained silent, the emotion Akasha radiated in that moment was remarkably clear.

Not only were they taking public transportation, but he was even letting it wander aimlessly?

Let alone a mysterious outsider, even any of the Natives would hardly have the leisure for such a thing under the current circumstances, right?

Naturally, she did not believe him at all. But the problem was...

Amid the silence, Akasha seemed to be waiting for the man beside her to lay his cards on the table and admit he was just joking.

However, as the carriage rolled smoothly past one intersection after another, this game of patience seemed to have no end in sight.

...

Why would he lose his composure?

Paying no mind to Akasha’s silence, Fu Qian quietly traced their route in his mind.

The current situation certainly looked a bit critical, but that did not change the fact that he had been telling the truth.

Fu Qian truly intended to go with the flow and see where the carriage would take him.

While Akasha did not believe him, Fu Qian actually believed her words to some extent—that to her group, it did not matter what he did.

In Fu Qian’s view, Akasha’s declaration upon appearing was likely not making an empty show of strength, but in a certain sense, an open scheme.

From the very beginning, wandering around wearing the Mask of the Great Fortune Wisdom King had been entirely intentional.

His goal was simple: to let A Wei—who might already be thriving on this side—know of his arrival immediately, thereby stirring up some commotion.

After all, this mission was filled with oddities at every turn; he had to make good use of all available resources.

Even past grievances could be milked for their worth.

Although there had been a few twists along the way—and Brother A Wei was nowhere to be seen for a time—it seemed he had not let Fu Qian down in the end.

It was hard to say that Akasha’s current actions were not a manifestation of that guy’s will.

Add to that his refusal to hide his identity as Andiel, as well as the fact that he had directly murdered someone within the Unseen Hill behind the door.

No matter what that group’s goal was, and no matter what they guessed his own objective to be, they would absolutely never underestimate his destructive potential.

Under these circumstances, Akasha risking the danger to reveal herself must have been the result of exceedingly careful consideration, driven by a clear goal.

Simply tagging along to monitor him was practically impossible.

It had already been proven earlier that they could keep track of his movements at all times without needing to plant someone next to him.

So, what exactly was their goal? Revenge?

Although Brother A Wei had a bad temper, he shouldn’t be this impatient.

It made no sense to hide for so long due to special reasons, only to rush out now just to settle personal grievances.

To mislead him and prevent him from messing up their plans?

It sounded reasonable at first glance, but in Fu Qian’s eyes, the probability of that was quite low.

His usual style of doing things and his past track record should be more than enough to prove how highly uncontrollable he was.

Under these circumstances, even telling lies would likely amount to drawing a snake with feet. It was far better to just keep their mouths shut and avoid contact altogether.

Or perhaps... to use him?

Yes, this was the answer Fu Qian leaned toward more.

What she had said earlier could be true or false, but could their core objective be to make him useful to their plans?

This raised a question: compared to everyone else, what was his most unique trait? He was an outsider.

An outsider whose every move was far less restricted, and who might thereby disrupt the operation of the Unseen Hill.

So, could it be that any extreme reaction he had upon learning about their plan would actually work in their favor?

Even if he did nothing, it wouldn’t matter. They would have effectively prevented him from causing trouble through a much more assertive approach.

In light of this, Fu Qian made a special decision—to try and listen to Ji Feng’s advice.

The clown had mentioned that the carriage was the element that best embodied the will of the Unseen Hill. So, he would just sit in it and see where it took him.

Aside from this rather metaphysical reasoning, the other benefit was to see how that group would react to such a nonsensical action—

”Get ready to hop off.”

...

They were getting off already?

Unlike the carefree and relaxed Fu Qian, Akasha’s situation was likely somewhat agonizing, even if she similarly showed nothing on her face.

Anyone with a normal brain would know that whether it was her fragrance or physical proximity, no matter how beautifully the outsider beside her praised them, he wouldn’t bat an eye when it came time to ruthlessly kill her.

And yet, this journey that felt like sitting on pins and needles was just ending like this?

”Is that so? Understood.”

Raising no objections, Akasha followed his gaze and looked over.

It was not a particularly bustling area; it was only slightly more lively than elsewhere, with drunken men and women swaying about.

Indeed, it was a bar.