Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 1051: Chapter 1049 Blind Eye (15) Chapter 1051: Chapter 1049 Blind Eye (15) The suspect character was becoming more vivid by the moment.

Was it that his own mind had been influenced amidst the puzzle, or was there a force with ulterior motives disguising itself and intervening?

“Mission accomplished, may I step back and rest?”

Relying on a performance that showed no side effects, Fu Qian blinked and took the initiative to ask for a break after successfully frightening everyone.

Do you look a little in need of rest?

Amidst the others’ hardly suppressed desire to complain, the Sage slowly nodded.

“Well done.”

…

Thanks to Fu Qian’s behavior, akin to twisting ropes, the team arrived at the location of the hidden bridge noticeably earlier than before.

In the middle of the group, walking with Ice, he once again entered a legitimate loafing state.

Aside from a glance at the hidden bridge’s location before the Sage’s hint.

Clang! Clang!

After the Sage’s hint, when Brother TP carefully reached the end of the hidden bridge, he encountered an experience identical to the last, two claws slapping against his shield simultaneously.

And a little further away, the third undead threw a Resonance Spike, successfully completing its suicide.

So it can’t manipulate the mind after all?

Witnessing this scene, Fu Qian silently reached a conclusion.

Even though they arrived at two different times, the undead’s level of activity was remarkably consistent, which could almost prove that the Holy Grail held no sway over them.

Their attacks were entirely spontaneous behavior following a disturbance.

And all the Holy Grail did was pour the replicated abilities into them.

Passing on just the profession, not brainwashing, indeed a pure Authority Level power.

So, in the eyes of the Sage Old Master, was it more likely that he came from a force with ulterior motives?

It’s exactly what I wanted.

…

“Left hand?”

Increasingly pleased, the Sage’s summons unsurprisingly came.

As the golden glow receded, ripples spread, and the two undead that had witnessed their comrade’s death, just like the last time, gave up their Resonance Spikes in favor of plagiarizing Brother TP’s protective shield.

It was clear that on one hand, the Sage really did need his help, and on the other, he wouldn’t miss the opportunity to test him.

“No problem.”

Fu Qian didn’t wait for the old master to say more and was already in midair, with golden light flashing in his hand.

Crack! Snap!

After a brief standoff, the two undead once again met the same fate as last time.

At the same moment, as the Resonance Spike in his hand dissipated, Fu Qian gave the Sage a slight bow and returned to the group, hiding his abilities and accolades.

…

Though it was part of the plan, Fu Qian’s nonchalant way of exorcising demons still silenced his teammates for a few seconds.

The action was indeed somewhat risky.

With the high probability that the Sage Old Master already suspected him, continuing to commit increasingly suspicious acts could easily break through the old man’s psychological defenses and resolve to deal a lethal blow.

“Let’s go, there’s a long way ahead.”

But in the end, the old master chose not to dispose of Fu Qian on the spot; he even continued to indicate they should follow the previous route.

Is he that magnanimous?

Interesting!

Even Fu Qian, who had already contemplated escape routes, felt the situation was becoming increasingly intriguing.

With someone like the Sage, the chances of him acting out of compassion or talent were next to nil, not to mention having already experienced his attitude towards the expendable ones in the previous attempt.

The only reason he saw for this action was that, in his judgment, the benefits of keeping himself, a suspicious person, outweighed the risks.

So the question arose, what could possibly be the benefit when the main work was already completed?

Even enough to offset the risk of malicious interference during such a precise exploration?

As he followed the team into the Dark Gate, Fu Qian’s thoughts raced.

Using himself as a special kind of cannon fodder to test the Holy Grail?

It was a plausible idea, but after the loafing performance following the completion of the job, was he so sure he would be unharmed rushing forward?

Wait—could it be that, in the Sage’s eyes, even if he did nothing, he might trigger a special reaction from the Holy Grail?

Fu Qian had an epiphany.

Basing on previous deductions, it was highly probable that the Sage considered him part of some purpose-driven Sect, and he might even have some guesses about it.

In the Sage’s eyes, the people of this Sect might be quite special… even doing nothing, they might interact differently with an Authority Level entity like the Holy Grail.

And they would still be ordinary people…

Such an organization, he seemed to actually know one—the Veil Sisters’ hometown, Bairluck Town, the expedition led by Collins.

Could they also be related to this association?

Those with holes atop their heads from the script left a lasting impression on Fu Qian.

They were just ordinary people, yet in a “brain dance” state, they even managed to kill a Demigod.

If that was the case, this Blind Eye Association was somewhat formidable.

Collins obviously knew Claudio, who died at his hands, someone who tried to glimpse the secrets of Divine Beings and triggered a wave of rituals, and they each belonged to heretical factions with different ideologies.

And then the Holy Grail Sect, always digging for special attributes, seemed to be deeply linked with the Blind Eye Association.

Could these organizations possibly share the same origin?

At present, these were only unidirectional deductions based on possibilities; the information he had was not enough to confirm his guess, so he had to continue observing.

…

“Wait a second, where did that guy go?”

Fortunately, the change didn’t take long to occur.

With subjective initiative fully mobilized, this time Charlotte was the first to notice that a team member was missing from behind, finally surpassing Ice.

It was even less than half a minute since Fu Qian last looked back.

As a turbocharging specialist, Fu Qian naturally wouldn’t miss the opportunity to add pressure to the Holy Grail.

Knowing that the other party would create illusions to scare away the members responsible for watching the rear, Fu Qian enjoyed the view of the eyes above while also glancing back from time to time, intentionally or unintentionally.

Of course, the action couldn’t be too abnormal; otherwise, Charlotte, who was already on edge, would likely demand an explanation.

Yet, in just that small gap of time, someone was scared off.

Worthy of being an entity “Insightful to all secrets,” the external expressions of speech and action of the entire squad could obviously not be concealed in the slightest.

“To have such an occurrence… before we figure this out, it seems we can’t continue forward,” someone remarked.

At that moment, the team was having a familiar discussion in response to the sudden incident.

Perhaps because subjective initiative was stimulated, this time Shi Gaozhi didn’t even take the opportunity to mock Charlotte.

“No traces at all, such a short distance, and not one of us noticed anything…”

Ice also seemed to agree with Shi Gaozhi’s view, but as she muttered to herself, she suddenly turned to Fu Qian as if remembering something.

“Did your left hand see anything just now?”

It was clear she remembered Fu Qian’s action.

“Yes.”

Fu Qian nodded, answering very truthfully.

“Thirty seconds ago, the person was still there.”

“…And then?”

Ice didn’t catch on immediately.

“Then theoretically, if we reverse and track for sixty seconds, we might discover something.”