Eldritch Horror Theatre

Did Yasui Tokiyuki come in person?

An entity capable of appearing so silently that two demigods couldn’t detect it could only be a Divine Emissary.

After going around in circles, was my judgment right after all?

I actually drew out a higher-level figure—maybe even the one at the very top.

It was a massive leap, but in a way, it made more sense than Sakura Asao knocking on their door a second time.

Fu Qian could almost picture a slick, slimy, invisible snake coiled around them, ready to deliver a fatal strike at any moment.

However, he couldn’t be absolutely certain it was Yasui Tokiyuki just yet. Plus, there was another problem: how had he managed it?

Based on past experience, the gap between a Divine Emissary and a demigod shouldn’t be this absurdly vast.

Not to mention that his and Su Gao’s perceptual abilities were absolutely top-tier.

Yet the facts were right in front of him. None of the three people in the room had sensed the entity’s presence; he was only guessing.Su Gao was the most unique case among them. She clearly hadn’t noticed it subjectively, otherwise she definitely would have found a way to tip him off.

But because of her special abilities, her body had still reacted instinctively. Her presence had weakened—an unconscious defensive reflex triggered as if she were under attack.

”With all due respect.”

Reaching this conclusion, Fu Qian cleared his throat, looking as though he were about to deliver a closing statement.

”It seems those promises you just made aren’t yours to give, Ms. Asao.”

The implication was simple: at her Rank, making such a promise carried no weight.

”Mister Dancy makes a fair point. I am indeed not qualified to make such a promise.”

Given the contradiction she couldn’t figure out earlier, Sakura Asao’s posture grew even more cautious. She showed no outward reaction to the slight in Fu Qian’s words.

”But I am absolutely certain that someone of sufficient rank within Yasui Company would be willing to make this promise, provided you two are interested.”

”Sufficient rank? Who? Yasui Tokiyuki?”

Fu Qian scoffed, bluntly dropping Emperor Yasui’s name.

”I haven’t received any notification regarding that possibility at the moment.”

Sakura Asao was momentarily at a loss for words, carefully organizing her response.

”Because they’ve judged that things haven’t gotten serious enough for that yet, right?”

Fu Qian’s dull, cold sneer echoed from behind his mask.

”I understand. Then we will wait until you deem it serious enough!”

Is he hinting at something?

Fu Qian’s words left Sakura Asao feeling a wave of unease.

It was true. In her eyes, the situation might be serious, but it still didn’t warrant alerting Emperor Yasui.

More importantly, the higher-ups currently in charge of this matter felt the same way.

But her new discovery just now had her heart pounding with uncertainty.

...

Is he really that overwhelmingly strong?

Meanwhile, Fu Qian was also full of doubts.

His earlier words seemed meant to shut down Sakura Asao, but they were actually intended for Yasui Tokiyuki hiding in the shadows.

Given how terrifying that theory was, he needed immediate confirmation.

The worst-case scenario was that Yasui Tokiyuki was sitting safely right here, casually observing them, while Fu Qian remained completely oblivious.

That implied extreme danger. He and Su Gao could face a Divine Emissary-level stealth strike at any second.

Yet, at the same time, Fu Qian had a point of confusion.

After reaching the Demigod Realm, perception surpassed the simple five senses and became far more abstract. Just like those harassing phone calls he received in the Real World, even someone merely muttering about him in their thoughts could be sensed.

So it was hard to imagine a Divine Emissary unilaterally blinding two demigods to such an extent.

Was it possible his lack of awareness was because the entity wasn’t observing him at all, thereby minimizing the chances of detection?

After all, in their previous intelligence, Su Gao was the powerful Peak Tier 4 mastermind behind the scenes, while he was just a tool.

Regardless, the situation had to be verified right away. If it was the first scenario, this state of total blindness was simply too terrifying.

And to distinguish between the two possibilities, Fu Qian’s first chosen action was to essentially say, ”Come at me.”

No matter how much the entity ignored him, being called out directly by name should at least warrant a glance, right?

The last time, despite Ariel being Tier 2, he still hadn’t seen through the mask given by the Witch.

Even if that person truly had some method powerful enough to conceal their presence, seeing through Fu Qian’s true Rank would definitely be harder than observing Su Gao.

If they had to exert more effort to do so, Fu Qian might just be able to reverse-observe something in the process.

From that perspective, his preparations had still proved useful.

Unfortunately, even after talking big and waiting until now, there was still absolutely no reaction.

Could it really be the first scenario?

Fu Qian silently grasped the Pseudo-God Incarnation, ready to transform the moment things went south.

Rank suppression—it wasn’t as if he lacked similar methods; they just required paying a little price.

That price wasn’t just 10 points of SAN Value; it would also highly likely expose his identity.

And that meant if he wanted to gain anything further from this trip to Ye Island, he would have to resort to physical methods.

But those were all minor issues.

If the opponent struck, there was a high probability they would attack Su Gao first.

He still had to guarantee his volunteer’s personal safety.

Of course, there was one final possibility: he was simply overthinking things, and he had been matching wits with the air this entire time.

There was no one lurking on the sidelines at all, and Su Gao was just drowsy from her afternoon nap.

The moment that thought popped into his head, it was vetoed.

Such a guess was meaningless.

Following that logic, he could even guess that the person was deliberately not reacting just to make him think he was matching wits with the air!

A true man never easily denied himself, even when it came to guesses.

...

”Mister Dancy misunderstood. The information simply hasn’t reached that level yet.”

”In fact, no matter who relays it, as long as it’s a promise made by Yasui Company, it will never be broken. Ms. Violetta should also understand this point.”

On Sakura Asao’s side, her empty corporate rhetoric continued, even attempting to pull Su Gao into the conversation.

”So what exactly counts as a formal promise from Yasui Company?”

Su Gao, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke. She sounded completely clear-headed.

The situation seemed temporarily stable. Reviewing it from the beginning, was there anything he had overlooked?

Seeing this, Fu Qian stroked the Pseudo-God Incarnation, ready to activate it at any moment as his mind raced.

This might help him deduce exactly what method the other party was using to achieve their current state.

Wait a minute. Speaking of abnormalities, Sakura Asao’s reason for coming over today was still somewhat far-fetched. Her persuasion, while brilliant, didn’t actually hold much meaning...

Did she come for another purpose? Just to cover for Yasui Tokiyuki?

But if he was so strong that he couldn’t be perceived, couldn’t he just waltz right in? Why would he need a Mid Tier combatant to cover for him?

Sakura Asao had to have another use, a critically important one.