Eldritch Horror Theatre

’Heh, the highest realm of putting on airs is something you people backed by big organizations will never understand.’

The air went so still in that moment it nearly froze solid, yet Fu Qian only gave a cold inward snort.

It was certainly a joy to have friends come from afar, no doubt about that, but unfortunately he had a busy schedule today. Tea time would have to be cut short.

Roughly twenty-three hours remained before the Burial Scroll could take effect again.

Within that window—neither long nor short—he needed to try completing a rather demanding research project.

Fortunately, he already had a slight lead on where to break through: Serana.

The benefits of planning ahead were paying off right now.

That Blood Clan Demigod’s drive to improve herself had indeed been forced out of her by him.

The reason was simple enough. At the time, he had lost his means of contacting—let alone conversing with—the Red Moon, leaving him worried that things were heading in an unfavorable direction.

As a kindred clan in the clearest sense, the Blood Clan’s advancement ritual seemed closely tied to their Progenitor. In the course of Serana’s efforts, there was a fair chance she might bring back good news.Along the way, it also served as a prime sample for his research into Bloodline Power.

Gratifyingly, Excellency Serana did not appear to have been slacking off. In just a few short days, she had already stirred up enough commotion to catch the attention of the Night Watchers.

Fu Qian naturally had no intention of blaming her for that.

All told, how long had it even been since the incident with Ambor?

No matter how much Yuan Shan looked like she was slacking on the job, how could she possibly not keep a dead-set watch over such an extremely sensitive area?

And that was where the confidence of having someone backing you showed itself.

For Serana’s part, there was no way she was blind to that risk.

Under normal circumstances, even if she truly harbored some ambition, she would definitely have left Shangjing and found a secluded spot to go into isolation.

The reason she was acting so boldly was plainly her absolute trust in the Bookstore Owner’s ability to keep things under control.

And the facts proved that her trust had not been misplaced. Even after discovering the issue on Serana’s end—and failing to find the Bookstore Owner for nearly a full day—Yuan Shan had still chosen to hold back and wait.

Clearly, in her mind, not a single move that Blood Clan Demigod made could escape a certain someone’s shadow, so asking him first was always the safe bet.

”You ordered her to advance?”

That did not mean Chief Yuan could wrap her head around an answer from someone never resting until one’s words astonish. While she had braced herself for something when she asked, she clearly hadn’t braced herself for this much.

Amid the curling aroma of tea, when Yuan Shan spoke again, she only had enough strength left to repeat Fu Qian’s words.

”Yeah, is that strange?”

Fu Qian wore a puzzled look.

”Sorry I left in such a rush earlier and didn’t get the chance to give you a heads-up first.”

...

’What do you think?’

True, the path of the Transcendent Tier was tempting enough to keep anyone pressing forward, and it was understandable if someone gritted their teeth and aimed to become a God—but what on earth was ordering someone to advance to a Divine Emissary supposed to be?

She knew he was already Tier 2, yet even a legendary Divine Entity wouldn’t strike that kind of pose so easily, right? Only he could come up with something like that.

”Did you strike a private deal with her?”

Plainly, Yuan Shan had no intention of swallowing such worldview-shattering talk whole; instead, she shifted to a more worldly angle to make sense of it.

On a matter this sensitive, no matter how brazen the man before her was, he wouldn’t vouch for someone without a reason. The only explanation was that Serana—or even the Gulade Clan—had paid a massive price in exchange for his unconventional protection.

”A deal? You could put it that way.”

Fu Qian didn’t press the point. In fact, he had always rather admired Chief Yuan’s spirit of trying her hardest to adapt no matter the situation.

”Are you sure nothing will violate our principles?”

Having finally recovered a bit of her composure, Yuan Shan focused first on the question of safety.

Thankfully, as recklessly as this guy acted, he still knew where the line was at critical junctures—

”Hard to say.”

Yet Fu Qian’s reply the very next instant nearly made her hair stand on end.

”Advancing to Tier 2 is a big deal, after all. Any kind of accident could happen.”

Fu Qian put a pragmatic, down-to-earth spirit on full display.

”So we’d best go supervise on-site.”

’...Honestly, I really don’t see a shred of respect from you for this ”big deal.”’

’Every single time things are about to get back on track, they immediately veer off into something even more absurd.’

Grousing inwardly, Yuan Shan couldn’t resist glancing over at her teacher.

Yet while Old Man Henry looked as though he were thoroughly enjoying the show, he had no intention whatsoever of weighing in, choosing instead to place full trust in his student’s professional capability.

”I’m really curious—just what kind of price did Serana pay to get you to go this far?

”Not just acting as her protective umbrella, but even assisting her on-site?”

Letting out a helpless sigh, Yuan Shan naturally wasn’t about to believe Fu Qian was making the trip purely to ensure safety. He was obviously going there to stand guard over the whole affair in person.

He wasn’t just ordering her advancement; he was practically guaranteeing her passage.

And standing guard by himself wasn’t even enough. Her teacher was one thing, but she herself had definitely been part of this man’s calculations from the start. Walking in here today meant delivering herself right to his doorstep.

”Don’t think of me as so mercenary. Couldn’t it simply be because Excellency Serana has noble blood and good fortune? You know as well as I do that people aren’t born all that equal.”

Seeing it that way, Fu Qian implied, was far too utilitarian.

”...Even if her bloodline is noble, she can’t exactly hand it over to you. What is she going to do, bear you a child?”

Watching Fu Qian get more outrageous by the second, Yuan Shan felt an overwhelming urge to fire back and shot him an exasperated glare.

”Though honestly, if the offer of bearing a child in exchange for reaching Tier 2 were put out there, who knows how many female Transcendent Tier practitioners would jump at the chance—and the male Transcendent Tier ones too.”

Shaking her head, her worldview thoroughly battered, she clearly had no intention of dwelling on this any further.

Looking on the bright side, a thorny situation had suddenly gained an extra person to take responsibility.

Someone who did whatever he pleased, yet had never once let things blow up in his face.

”Anyway, as long as you’re confident. So when is this planned for? Don’t you still have to head to headquarters later? And Teacher can’t stay here too long either.”

Settling her emotions quickly, Yuan Shan clearly harbored no hope of escaping being drafted into this, merely reminding him to keep the schedule in mind.

”Today, then.”

Fu Qian’s answer remained as casual as ever.

”...You’re that sure Serana is ready? It’s not even a full moon tonight, is it?”

Used to his style as she was, Yuan Shan was still startled and cast an incredulous glance out the window.

”It really isn’t.”

Fu Qian let out a light sigh.

He had to admit that this woman had a sharp eye for detail when it counted. To the Blood Clan, the night of a full moon carried the weight of an auspicious day.

Doing anything then had a certain flair to it—like Ambor courting death last time.

All in all, for his own plans, that really wasn’t good news.

”That’s fine, though. She’ll be ready by the time we get there.”

Clearly, however, Chief Yuan still hadn’t grasped what it meant to advance under orders.

Tossing out that understated remark, Fu Qian looked toward Henry beside them.

”I’m looking forward to it.”

Sure enough, the older man had seen much more of the world; he was already standing up and gesturing for Fu Qian to lead the way.