Eldritch Horror Theatre

The Greed Worms were not in an optimistic situation.

On one hand, His Excellency Sorondil’s anger needed an outlet, and their proximity after the storm ended made evading a demigod’s observation almost impossible.

On the other hand, the traces of the Ancient Angel were right before their eyes. They would not give up easily and definitely still wanted to press the issue.

Caught in this squeeze, being crushed alive on the spot with their minds fleeing to the other side of Moore to become lesser Wise Dead would be a relatively decent outcome.

But since they were willing to spend money to avert disaster, Fu Qian figured that as the chief culprit, he might as well offer a few pointers before departing.

His strategy for advising them was quite clear.

To counter His Excellency Sorondil’s threat, he would use the Rebirth Club to endorse the actions of Laurie and the others, dispelling the demigod’s irrational thoughts.

As an organization currently in the limelight, it should carry a certain degree of deterrence.

But that alone was not enough; he also had to deal with the Greed Worms’ obsession.

The method was simple: just as he mentioned earlier, he would use the Rebirth Club to endorse the Ancient Angel....

Serana most likely would not appear in Moore again.

It was not that she had met with some misfortune; in fact, after he had conveniently helped her deal with her fetters earlier, she would most likely return safely once the storm ended.

But it could not be forgotten that Serana did not just represent herself; she represented the entire Gulade Family.

If she had concealed herself well enough inside without exposing her identity, she had no reason to wade back into these muddy waters.

Especially since he had already confronted Sorondil head-on.

Even if Serana had not left yet, she was definitely in full stealth mode, cautiously observing the situation from the shadows.

But if she did not dare to announce her own background, she could not blame others for helping her do it.

His Rebirth Club was currently short on talent, so how could it refuse a name like the Ancient Angel?

Earlier in the office, he had already implicitly conveyed to Laurie that the target they were looking for was connected to The Club. Bringing them here now further cemented that fact.

”What is wrong? This place is indeed a bit shabby. If it were up to me, I definitely would have picked somewhere else.”

Seeing Laurie suddenly fall silent, Fu Qian looked around and offered an explanation.

”This is your friend’s residence, Excellency?”

Laurie clearly remembered Fu Qian’s previous words, immediately recalling that he had come by invitation.

”You could say that. Operating with her is quite interesting.”

The word ”friend” seemed to flip a switch. Fu Qian let out a rare chuckle, casually turning away the visitors on Serana’s behalf.

”It is a pity she is probably not in a good mood right now and has no interest in greeting you.”

This...

One could see that Laurie’s face showed a mix of joy and sorrow at that moment.

He felt the excitement of finally finding the answer to his lifelong pursuit, mixed with the intense regret of missing out on it.

Laywoman Tooth-Throat and the other person reacted a bit slower, but they were clearly infected by the mood. Staring at Laurie, they vaguely realized something.

”I wonder when that Excellency might be in the mood? Please believe that we bear absolutely no ill will.”

After exchanging glances with his two team members, Laurie’s thoughts were clearly straightened out. Knowing the other party had already guessed their intentions, he immediately admitted they were indeed looking for Serana and emphasized their lack of malicious intent.

”I will pass on your sentiments to the Angel, but it is not up to me to decide when she will be in the mood.”

Unfortunately, the expert from the Rebirth Club was full of malice. Faced with such a cautious pursuit, he skillfully employed manipulation tactics on Serana’s behalf.

”...Angel?”

Laywoman Tooth-Throat perhaps had a stronger resistance to this; unable to hold back, she immediately asked.

”What else? Did you want to call her the Ancient Angel?”

Fu Qian asked back, acting a bit surprised.

She might not necessarily like that title.

...

Even the honorific name matched.

To the Greed Worms, this verified piece of information was truly thrilling; matters of politeness were trivial in comparison.

”We understand...”

Finally, as they looked at each other in dismay, Laurie broke the silence with a soft sigh.

Although they had not received a definitive answer, they showed obvious disappointment.

However, reading between the lines, the other party had at least made one message crystal clear: the person they were looking for was indeed a member of the Rebirth Club and occasionally operated alongside him.

He had even known about their search all along, but simply had no interest in paying attention to them for the time being...

”I wonder if there is a way to contact The Club later? Rest assured, we will absolutely not act out of line.”

However, as veterans of the jianghu, they were not willing to remain completely passive and hoped to leave a means of contact.

”There is. Just pretend you are members of The Club.”

Surprisingly, he agreed to this somewhat excessive request very readily, even if the suggested method sounded a bit abstract at first.

”When you are members of The Club, the members of The Club will seek you out.”

Fu Qian quickly proved they had not misheard. He indicated that they would not find The Club by actively searching, but by role-playing, they could get The Club to come to them.

It seemed like a joke but was by no means nonsense; this suggestion was a way of achieving multiple beneficial outcomes from a single endeavor.

First, there was not much of a problem in terms of execution.

If the Greed Worms truly started role-playing while he used the Burial Scroll once a day, it would not be hard for him to discover them. He could also conveniently shape The Club’s image as mysterious and all-seeing.

Second, the Rebirth Club would expand once again.

What was role-playing? If this seat said it was real, then it was real. They practiced a postmodern organizational structure.

Moreover, one had to keep an open mind. Although the Greed Worms did not practice classical limb grafting, if the concept was broadened a bit, they could seemingly be classified under the same grand category.

Finally, for the hidden listeners, Sorondil and Serana, this statement was enough to grant the Greed Worms the status of peripheral Club members, significantly reducing the threats they would face in the future.

...

It felt great to find an organization.

Old Man Laurie was indeed a wise person. Though shocked into a momentary loss for words, a sense of relief soon appeared in his eyes.

”Understood. Thank you again, Excellency...”

When he spoke again the next moment, he had already earnestly agreed.

”Also, it is best if you do not stay here any longer.”

Fu Qian nodded, highly satisfied, and offered one extra reminder.

”Understood—”

”But we still have not found Gene!”

Laurie was practically hanging on his every word, but Laywoman Tooth-Throat beside him finally voiced a different opinion.

It even sounded very reasonable; a certain missing person seemed to have been forgotten.

”Could he have left even earlier?”

In response, Fu Qian merely glanced at Laurie.

”Indeed... For the sake of caution, such arrangements were made.”

The latter nodded, actually admitting it.