Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 1239: Chapter 1237: The Starry Sky

The address given by Mr. and Mrs. Reysen was actually not far away, belonging to the category of places that could be reached with just a slight detour.

However, at the moment Fu Qian displayed a considerable consistency between his thoughts and actions, with no intention whatsoever to make a detour for a quick visit.

After a cold laugh and discarding the letter, he slightly discerned the direction and went straight back the way he had come.

It wasn’t that he doubted the authenticity of the address; in fact, Fu Qian even accepted Reysen’s statement. Comparing different nightmare situations, there indeed could be some significance.

But the significance was not sufficient.

Even while listening to Reysen describe the ordeal he and his wife had gone through, Fu Qian had already decisively chosen to play the role of someone obstinately ignorant.

In short, the attitude of accepting reality during his exchange with Amila was nothing more than acting out of necessity, a feigned conversion.

Deep down, he still truly believed that everything in front of him was the actual nightmare and that he must use every method to return to “reality”.

According to Reysen, the Sect had quite a number of secretive investigative cases on sudden nightmare events.

For the survivors from the World Within the Painting, who could not provide more valuable information, adopting such an extreme stance to provoke a reaction carried some risk, but it was definitely an efficient choice.

Not to mention that as a fresh case, with surveillance personnel right at hand, the operation would be all too convenient.

Therefore, unleashing the Clear Dream Ring and obtaining this information somewhat forcefully was originally intended to be a waste.

The Sect’s people would inevitably check with Mr. and Mrs. Reysen to confirm what was communicated. Combined with his own actions, the conclusion they would likely draw was easy to speculate upon—that he was feigning effort to return to normal life, while in reality, he was using the Reysens to confuse the Sect.

Next, it would be seen how they would attempt to save this thoroughly lost lamb.

Of course, purification was also a possibility.

…

Although she had sharp senses, Mrs. Harper clearly did not enjoy social interactions.

When Fu Qian returned home, the landlady had already had her dinner and was carefully reviewing a stack of bills.

Unsurprisingly, Fu Qian once again faced her thorough scrutiny from head to toe.

However, having perfectly restrained his demeanor and hidden his prejudices about this world, Fu Qian looked indeed in good spirits, even finally having enough appetite to specifically buy food to bring back.

Where did the money come from?

Of course, not from the pocket of the work uniform, and not even Anke’s, as Anke, though well-paid, seemed to invest everything in himself, as Fu Qian had already carefully searched through and found nothing in the room.

The money to pay for dinner came from a loan from Raphaide at the art museum.

Being a professional operative, Fu Qian deeply understood the importance of operational funding, especially in such a seemingly well-organized place.

And considering his role as a peacekeeper, spending a little money to prevent a decrease in orderliness was likely something Raphaide wouldn’t mind.

“You look much better, Anke.”

As it turned out, Mrs. Harper, with her discerning eye, indeed focused her attention lastly on the food he had bought.

“However, it seems that even that special experience hasn’t changed your dietary habits. Honestly, if you want to recover quickly, it’s better to have some grilled meat or something instead of…”

The lady squinted and meticulously identified the food in Fu Qian’s hands.

“A bunch of sweets.”

Is that really the case?

Mrs. Harper’s suggestion sparked a thought in Fu Qian’s mind.

But acting on a whim and mirroring Su Gao’s dietary preferences, he accidentally struck close to the mark?

Raphaide’s introduction to Anke naturally wouldn’t detail what he liked to eat, so his selection was quite arbitrary, yet it coincidentally aligned with the dietary habits,

This undoubtedly was good news, and it should make it even less likely for him to be suspected of having a false identity.

Isn’t it obvious, even someone as shrewd as Mrs. Harper softened her tone just now?

“Thanks for the advice. I’m not very hungry, and I thought some sugar might make me feel better.”

Grateful for the kind gesture, Fu Qian casually explained and continued to flesh out his persona.

“Go to bed early after dinner, the effect might be better.”

Mrs. Harper nodded slightly, clearly still convinced by this explanation.

I feel the same way.

Fu Qian quite agreed with her opinion.

…

Has it started?

In the darkness, Fu Qian slowly opened his eyes.

Outside the window, the night sky was like black satin, now speckled with countless stars, much like the scene witnessed at The Sect during the day.

As for this organization which, so far, seemed quite righteous, his outing was indeed a form of introduction.

First and foremost, it truly lived up to its name; although a belief organization, it didn’t actually worship any Divine Beings, but abstractly revered the stars in the night sky.

Their doctrine held that the twinkling and movement of the stars contained supreme truths, hence their most common practice was to sit quietly gazing at the sky to achieve enlightenment.

The wonder was that they truly received feedback.

The impressive ability demonstrated by Amila before was known as Star Law, the meaning of which was the laws bestowed by the stars.

It could not be taught, and could only be inspired through establishing a connection with the cosmos.

Members of The Sect nearly all possessed it, with a wide variety of forms, and it was clear that their abilities were not limited to mere psychological guidance.

After all, based on what he understood, The Sect usually took on the role of Hunters, expelling various wandering Evil Spirits and the like.

And now, Nightmares had been added to the list.

Fu Qian sat up in bed.

It wasn’t midnight yet, and without looking, he knew that the downstairs was already empty.

It was undoubtedly very abnormal for Mrs. Harper, who was always at home, to not be around.

But even more abnormal was that the situation was the same outside.

Under the flickering starlight, everything was shrouded in silence, not a living soul to be seen.

Ordinarily, dreaming would be a logical explanation for such a scenario.

But as a dream expert, even without the previously verified one-minute dream restriction, Fu Qian knew deep down it wasn’t as simple as that.

The current situation more closely resembled the state of being in a Blood Conquest, entering a domain separated from reality.

Except that the control was so excellent, he couldn’t even extend his perception beyond the dimensions.

It was precisely because of this that Fu Qian could say with certainty that it was the work of some force.

The edicts of The Sect, indeed varied in kind, vast in divine powers… and reassuring.

It was obvious that following his surveillance report, The Sect’s response was quite prompt.

And their method was quite ideal.

This scene didn’t look like a direct attempt to cleanse him.

The likelihood of manually crafting a Nightmare for the stubborn to shake up their worldview was even greater.

If one believed they were in a Nightmare, then experiencing a nightmare within that Nightmare, a poison to fight poison, seemed fitting.

Of course, Fu Qian believed there was more to the scene before him.

Because within that stillness, it was clear someone was silently waiting, with a chilling intent to kill.