Eldritch Horror Theatre

Not bad. Her adaptability was impressive.

He could only attribute it to her five-plus centuries of experience. Even in this critical situation, Excellency Serana hadn’t lost her head.

Faced with the sudden change, she instantly saw its most direct application.

Her purpose in asking right now was simple: since Laurie had recognized her, she might as well use his sliver of lucidity to verify her companion’s identity.

Fu Qian had indeed told some good stories earlier, but wouldn’t having another person corroborate them better prove their worth?

Not to mention that in Excellency A Wei’s story, Laurie had played a fairly important role all along.

Given Laurie’s bizarre condition, if he was willing to answer at all, his words would be even more reliable than usual.

The atmosphere instantly turned delicate. As the Blood Clan demigod asked the question, Fire Bats already fluttered faintly around her. Laurie reacted to her words, turning his head to look—

Urgh...

However, as if terrified by what he saw, not only did Laurie fail to respond, but a suppressed, low growl also rumbled from his throat.”Don’t be nervous.”

No matter how one looked at it, this reaction played exactly like a key witness being intimidated. The problem was that Excellency A Wei, standing right over there, truly didn’t seem to be doing anything at all.

Serana was clearly baffled. While offering words of comfort, she discreetly took a step back to widen the distance.

Wheeze—

However, amid his heavy breathing, Laurie’s gaze remained deadlocked on her, his attention entirely consumed.

”Relax, and answer the question I just asked.”

Serana did not retreat this time. Her voice turned icy, directly prompting him with a command.

Crack—

Yet, what answered her was a scene akin to shattering glass.

Laurie remained seated in place without uttering a word. However, beneath his white hair, his face was shattering and peeling away piece by piece, exposing a dim glow underneath that seemed forged from absolute nothingness.

...

This could no longer be described as a shattered dao heart. It looked like if he suffered even a tiny bit more stimulation, Old Man Laurie wouldn’t even need to be cremated.

Although the man in question still hadn’t said anything, this vulnerability was fully palpable through his physical changes. The air fell rather silent, and Excellency Serana stopped applying pressure.

”How about I ask?”

Now that they were at a stalemate, it was naturally time for a professional to step in.

Fu Qian finally made a move. He took a few steps forward, walked up beside her, and casually asked Serana.

”...Be my guest.”

After only a brief hesitation, Serana stepped aside slightly, letting Fu Qian work his magic.

”Excuse the interruption. Apologies for dropping by without an appointment.”

Fu Qian didn’t stand on ceremony. He waved a hand at Laurie to grab his attention, his phrasing far more businesslike.

To his gratification, as Serana stepped aside, a fraction of Laurie’s attention finally drifted elsewhere. Upon successfully receiving the message, his eyes looked over.

Looking at those horrifying cracks and the faintly familiar radiance glowing beneath them, Fu Qian didn’t try to hog his focus.

A moment later, he gestured for Laurie to keep looking at Serana, then asked a question almost identical to the Blood Clan demigod’s earlier inquiry.

”Do you know how this Excellency should be addressed?”

...

’Heh, naive.’

The air was utterly quiet, but that didn’t stop Fu Qian from watching the dumbstruck Serana from the corner of his eye, waves of villainous laughter rolling through his mind.

Perhaps she had a bit of quick wit, but how could she possibly comprehend what true strategizing within the command tent looked like?

She wanted to use Laurie to expose this seat’s true identity, but had she ever considered that he might be much more familiar with her?

To chase down that demigod who had received a boon, the Greed Worms hadn’t hesitated to plunge the entire team into continuous peril.

As a result, that sliver of hope they had searched so madly for along the way—right on the verge of being lost again just after it was found—had casually sauntered back in front of them, even taking the initiative to say hello... The old man’s reaction could actually be considered composed under the circumstances.

That was right. Fu Qian could easily imagine what Serana would have asked Laurie if his mind had been a bit clearer.

However, this whole process practically confirmed his previous guess: the reason the Greed Worms had targeted him in the first place was precisely because they had locked onto Serana, who had settled down nearby.

Looking at it now, that was indeed the case.

There even seemed to be a faint explanation for how the Greed Worms had locked onto her to begin with—

Whether they had intelligence backing them was hard to say, but one couldn’t forget just how outrageous the Greed Worms’ achievements were this time.

Not only had they instantly pinpointed their target during their transaction with Anjing, but the target—despite being a demigod—had remained completely oblivious to it.

They even discovered the demigod the moment she slipped up, then came knocking right at her door.

Was it possible that this seemingly illogical series of maneuvers was truly due to receiving the ”Favor of the Dominator of Death”?

Serana’s Rank might be that of a demigod, but there was one aspect where the Greed Worms held a distinct advantage: their greater affinity with Moore amidst the storm.

Over the past few days, using the unique Realm of the Dead, had they sensed the presence of a certain female demigod?

And did they interpret this inexplicable phenomenon as enlightenment from the great King of the Abandoned Prison?

He had to admit, piecing it together this way actually felt quite seamless.

In short, the fact that Excellency Laurie retained a bit more awareness compared to the other Greed Worms only brought Fu Qian gratification; he wasn’t worried about it causing any trouble.

”I know... thank you very much.”

Even the person in question was highly cooperative. Laurie, who had clearly refused to answer earlier, not only spoke up now, but offered incredibly sincere gratitude.

In stark contrast, Excellency Serana grew increasingly silent.

...

”No need to thank me. Just don’t forget your promise to The Club.”

The reason Laurie expressed his thanks was naturally due to their previous cooperation.

Although the element of coercion had been high, the Greed Worms’ purpose in seeking out the Rebirth Club from the very beginning had always been pure: to seize that clue that had just slipped through their fingers.

Now that this unequal partnership had yielded what could only be called the ultimate return, what was so strange about a heartfelt word of thanks?

Of course, he wasn’t bored enough to mock him over something like this. At that moment, Fu Qian merely replied with that unfathomable sentence.

”How should I be addressed?”

Serana, however, wasn’t content to let this slide so easily. She immediately followed up with a probing question.

”Boon Bearer...”

This time, she finally got a response, though a hint of trembling could still be heard in Laurie’s voice.

”Ancient Angel...”

And of course he should tremble. While both consecutive titles were undeniably domineering, the latter might have been a bit too realistic.

”Received a boon... the same boon as them?”

Sure enough, after a brief silence, Serana sounded as if she had completely ignored the second title.

She directed this question at Fu Qian. Seeming to suddenly realize a terrifying possibility, she scanned her surroundings as she spoke.

”Did the Dominator of Death tell them long ago that I would come to this place?”