Eldritch Horror Theatre

”That Deity’s body you mentioned—was it just an empty Rank with a weak constitution, looking like a cheap counterfeit?”

The information Nepheli continued to provide was truly shocking; Fu Qian even felt a layer of shock deeper than the others.

The Incomplete Sword mentioned earlier was easy enough to understand. It was the one forged by consuming his entire Golden Candlestick, named Three Waiting for One.

Additionally, crossing time and space to draw it at will in any situation—that point also matched perfectly.

Even Classmate Su Gao had indeed used that sword, though she hadn’t activated it with the Die.

As for slaying a God, while riding The Ark through the Long Night, to alleviate that person’s symptoms, he had let her take Sword Three Short of One and stab him with it.

Except he hadn’t transformed into his Mythical Form at the time. Merely to prevent any accidents during the procedure, he had forcibly raised his Rank using the Pseudo-God Incarnation Ring.

In short, it once again demonstrated what it meant to be outrageous yet perfectly logical; everything had a real-world prototype.

And the Nepheli of this world clearly knew a bit too much.

”How is that possible—”At the very least, Yuan Shan, as a regional director of the Night Watchers, looked as if she had never heard of such a thing.

Having listened closely the entire way, she finally couldn’t hold back her astonishment.

As for Wen Li behind them, though she didn’t utter a word, she maintained a posture of eyes on nose, nose on heart; she was clearly far more vigilant.

Of course, a more direct indication was that Fu Qian realized his vocal cords had vanished again.

Seeing the situation gradually slipping out of control, Wen Li seemed to be tightening her grip on every variable, trying to eliminate any potential accidents.

”It was exactly because I anticipated this reaction from you all that I suggested Excellency Su Gao demonstrate it.”

Nepheli looked quite satisfied. She had the air of someone who refused to be the only one frightened, and as she spoke, she glanced toward the front seat.

Unfortunately, as the subject of the conversation, Su Gao perfectly maintained her previous demeanor.

As long as no one bothered her, she remained completely indifferent to whatever was said. She showed not a single ripple of emotion, nor any intention of responding.

...

”Excellency Asao’s knowledge is truly extensive, but that request was indeed a bit impolite.”

In the end, it was Wen Li who spoke up, slightly easing the awkwardness while throwing in a minor moral rebuke.

”True...”

Worthy of someone who was once from a righteous faction, even though it wasn’t her real name being called, Nepheli seemed to realize her faux pas in that moment. She gave a slight nod in self-reflection.

”It was mainly because I was a bit startled just now. I never expected to be trapped here with someone like her.”

Unfortunately, that was all just on the surface. A little thought into the content of her reflection revealed endless implications.

Someone capable of achieving the feat of stabbing a Deity with a sword was trapped in a place like this?

From the silence that followed, one could tell that neither Yuan Shan nor Wen Li thought that was very likely.

Moreover, the person in question having no intention of defending herself was one thing, but they hadn’t forgotten how she had gotten into the car in the first place—

’You’re traveling? What a coincidence, I’m traveling too.’

’You’re going to the Sanctuary? What a coincidence, I’m going to the Sanctuary too.’

Although they had been too intimidated by her aura to refuse at the time, that excuse was ultimately far too wild.

And combined with Nepheli’s praise, this point became entirely impossible to ignore—

Would such a terrifying figure really be trapped here?

Did she get in just to hitch a ride, or did she have ulterior motives?

Even knowing this was likely an attempt to sow discord, it was an unavoidable thought.

But at the same time, another problem arose: even if she had ulterior motives, what could they do about it?

They couldn’t refuse her getting into the car earlier, so were they supposed to test how sharp her sword was now?

Tsk, tsk. If everyone had a phone right now and could make a group chat, the scene would definitely be lively.

The ignored Fu Qian felt no sense of neglect whatsoever. For a moment, he was simply deeply entertained by the spectacle—oh?

However, amid the silence, each harboring their own motives, he noticed another gaze directed his way.

He could only say she truly lived up to being a hunter who would chain herself to her prey. It was Wen Li; wearing a thoughtful expression, she turned her head to look at him.

Cough, cough...

Faced with this concern, Fu Qian immediately tried to clear his throat, discovering that his vocal cords had actually been restored.

Sure enough, no matter how things appeared on the surface, their scheming was entirely seamless and silent.

Naturally, Fu Qian didn’t think this was some sudden pang of conscience.

Wen Li had stopped him from speaking earlier to avoid unnecessary complications. Now, seeing the situation deadlocked with the hidden threat difficult to eliminate, she was blatantly letting him loose to stir up the situation and break the ice.

”Is it possible there’s another purpose entirely?”

Since that was the case, he certainly couldn’t lose face. Fu Qian gave a slight nod and actually spoke up, his words sharp.

”For instance, stabbing a Deity’s body purely to heal oneself?”

...

’Do you have any idea what you’re saying?’

It was obviously impossible to truly ignore the presence of such a unique character, especially the suspected germaphobe Nepheli.

Therefore, the moment Fu Qian opened his mouth, he drew everyone’s attention. And when the phrase about another purpose emerged, the tension in the atmosphere peaked.

So much so that everyone froze for a moment before realizing where the topic had shifted, and just how absurd this guy’s theory was.

’Because she was injured and needed healing, she took a knife to stab a Deity? Then who on earth managed to injure her in the first place?’

”After all, according to what Xiao Ying just said, that sword can consume life.”

Fu Qian continued speaking with conviction, tracing the logic of it.

”...Makes sense, that is indeed a possibility.”

And her germaphobia seemed to be confirmed once more; even though it was a fake name, Nepheli still frowned at being addressed so intimately as Xiao Ying.

”But putting it that way, doesn’t it seem like we’ve underestimated Excellency Su Gao even more?”

But her train of thought couldn’t be interrupted. The next moment, she realized something, and with a single sentence, she heightened the tension in the air.

”That’s right, so what is there to worry about?”

Fu Qian chimed in at the perfect moment, giving a slight nod.

...

’That actually makes some sense.’

Carrying the tone of a brain teaser, Fu Qian’s words seemed like an agreement, but they successfully plunged the car back into silence.

After realizing the true meaning behind what he was trying to express, the atmosphere became somewhat delicate—

’Regardless of her purpose or whether she harbors ill intentions, the woman is strong enough to use a higher entity as a health potion. Why are you all worrying so much?’

’Rather than cautiously confirming whether there’s a problem and then looking for a chance to strike first, you might as well quietly reflect on whether you’ve offended her in any way, so as to avoid getting wiped out in the crossfire.’

In short, at that moment, Fu Qian could practically smell the scent of relief. The atmosphere inside the car relaxed slightly in a rather unconventional way.

Meanwhile, Su Gao, who had remained sitting quietly the entire time, seemed to have a different sort of aura swirling around her.

”Understood... but it seems Excellency Su Gao isn’t the only one being underestimated.”

However, having gone to all that trouble laying the groundwork for nothing, Excellency Nepheli seemed a little displeased. She shifted her intense gaze toward him.

”How should I address you?”