Eldritch Horror Theatre

A dark tide surged.

Unlike the earlier demonstration, the output this time was far greater.

As a result, for Fu Qian watching from the front row, the experience was anything but pleasant.

For a single cat to unleash a commotion this repulsive was a rare feat in itself.

Of course, this cat was clever—it wasn’t using its own ID.

Frankly, as a participant with zero Transcendent Perception, Fu Qian couldn’t sense much beyond the filthy, greasy impact of the direct wave. Still, he had another indicator right next to him.

One look at Yuan Shan’s tightly knitted brows made it clear that the Old Man’s move had worked like a charm.

The dark tide bearing Serana’s Imprint had already rippled outward, broadcasting across every channel.

As for whether it would disturb the public, there was no need to worry too much.

By Fu Qian’s estimate, the wave might cause some mild discomfort.Given that it was just a single pulse, though, the worst it would stir up was the sort of irritation you got when someone next to you played short videos out loud on speaker.

Better yet, even a little distance would put the receiver’s sensitivity to the test. Ordinary people would barely feel a thing; only experts would be put on alert.

All in all, the plan Old Man Henry had come up with suited Serana’s current situation quite well.

Whatever the case, the entity she was praying to definitely belonged to that sensitive category.

Turning her plea into a broad-spectrum broadcast clearly maximized the odds of drawing a response from the ”Progenitor.”

Most importantly, unlike with ”Annalise’s Lies,” this approach didn’t call the Progenitor directly by name.

It simply sent out a general message: ”There is a Blood Clan Offspring over here eager to advance.”

Whether that ambition could move the ”Progenitor” or not, leaving names out of it took some pressure off both sides—wait, light?

Though the hall wasn’t lit by candles alone, the light sources were still far too dim for such a cavernous nave.

Combined with the interference of the dark tide, visibility on the high platform was poor—barely enough to catch the gold-thread trim on Serana’s dress.

In conditions like these, even the slightest shift in lighting was easy to spot.

They didn’t have to wait long. Just seconds after the dark tide surged, Serana—standing there with bated breath—looked as if someone had suddenly switched on ray tracing around her.

Soft, dappled... and tinged with a gloomy red. It was nowhere near dazzling, yet the extra thread of light draping over Serana left no doubt about who today’s protagonist was.

The three guests watching from the sidelines were reduced to mere background props.

Best of all, there was no visible source for the light. The Church had stained-glass windows high up, but the angles didn’t match at all.

It was as if an invisible nova of fresh blood had pierced through every obstacle and locked straight onto her.

That was right—the Red Moon.

Fu Qian had seen a scene like this before, and right here in Shangjing at that.

On the night when the ambitious Excellency Ambor decided to stake everything on a single throw to ascend to Tier 2, a similar phenomenon had enveloped his residence.

Had Old Man Henry’s idea actually worked? Had the Red Moon really picked up the broadcast?

It seemed like good news, except that by comparison, this light was noticeably dimmer.

”It seems a bit different.”

Sure enough, someone beside him felt the same way. Chief Yuan was clearly thinking back to that night she led a team to suppress the ”ambitious senior citizen” as she murmured a question to Fu Qian.

”What do you think is causing it?” ...

She didn’t even specify what it was different from; Yuan Shan clearly had plenty of faith in Fu Qian’s memory.

The question just didn’t look all that easy to answer.

As for Old Man Henry, whose helping hand had brought about this whole situation, a single glance showed he had zero intention of chiming in.

He wore the unmistakable air of someone whose job was done and who had nothing to do with whatever came next.

”It worked, yet didn’t quite work? I remember the last person bathed in that light ended up a complete mess.”

Put on the spot, Fu Qian didn’t shy away, tossing out a casual guess.

”The Progenitor... is rejecting me.”

Before Yuan Shan could even complain that his answer was too half-hearted, the person at the center of it all actually backed him up.

Aside from the protagonist-style spotlight, Serana hadn’t changed at all on the outside. Yet in that moment, the blood-red in her eyes was churning, and the starry roses on her dress were glowing with dewy brilliance—she was clearly fighting to make the most of this chance.

Even in the thick of it, though, she still found time to give them feedback.

Considering that people usually tested bad news like this over and over before accepting it, reaching a conclusion so quickly didn’t look promising to Fu Qian. The rejection must have been rock-solid.

”Looks like it really is.”

Which was why, the next moment, he glanced at Yuan Shan and gave a slight nod.

”Why do I get the feeling you aren’t fazed at all?”

Even without him spelling it out, an old hand of the jianghu like Yuan Shan could tell what was going on.

It was hard to say whether she felt disappointed or relieved, but amid those mixed emotions, her first reaction was puzzlement over Fu Qian’s response.

After all, he was the one who had set this whole thing up. Having hit a wall like this right out of the gate—and one that looked nearly impossible to get past—how could he not be the least bit anxious?

”Who says I’m not?”

Fu Qian scoffed at the accusation, while thinking to himself: ’What do you mean I’m not fazed? This seat is deeply gratified, okay?’

The fact that the Red Moon could sense Serana’s dark tide and react to it proved its sanity was still intact.

And reacting while giving a firm rejection proved that on a cognitive level, the Red Moon could still tell Annalise and Tilanqi apart.

In short, the problem that had been weighing on his mind ever since he got back looked stable for now.

Excellency Serana’s predicament might be a bit bleak, but he himself had already gained something else out of this.

”So all we can do now is wait?”

Unaware that Fu Qian had already come out ahead even in this situation, Yuan Shan frowned, showing a trace of sympathy for Serana.

Ugh—

A split second later, that sympathy deepened even further.

Serana, who clearly wasn’t willing to give up so easily, let out a strange wail from her body.

That was right—not from her mouth, but from her waist.

Her tightly cinched waist was tearing open from the inside out.

Strange structures shaped like curved horns and colored like raw granulation tissue pierced right through her fine attire.

”Looks like it really is turning into a complete mess?”

The high platform in the nave, the finery bathed in light—a scene that had carried an almost sacred air a moment ago had taken a sudden, jarring turn.

Fortunately, the guests on hand had all seen plenty in their time. Even Chief Yuan didn’t rush to step in, instead turning to Fu Qian in mild surprise to confirm.

”Honestly, it wasn’t this messy last time.”

Fu Qian wasn’t blindly optimistic either, offering a fair comparison with the previous incident.

This really wasn’t a good omen.

It was consciously rejecting her, yet losing control and exerting its influence anyway?

If the Red Moon’s grip on itself had deteriorated to this point, it might not even hold out until the next time he made his way over there.

Of course, Serana’s condition looked just as grim. In the blink of an eye, several new spots across her body had burst open.

”Is it still rejecting you right now?”

Watching the scene unfold, Fu Qian suddenly offered a word of concern.