Eldritch Horror Theatre

An old acquaintance...

Isn’t that claim just a little presumptuous?

Though she understood the Bookstore Owner just meant their mutual grudge ran deep, Serana still couldn’t help but scoff inwardly.

It wouldn’t be strange for a guy like him to offend anyone, but regardless, he was still just a Demigod. Treating a sovereign entity as a peer was taking it a bit far, wasn’t it?

It wasn’t as if he were some ancient Divine Entity making a return himself, right?

”Speaking of which, there’s actually something I’ve always been curious about.”

Yet just as she carefully masked this reaction, Fu Qian thought of something and beat her to the punch.

”A family with a long heritage like the Gulade, especially with an older senior like Ambor around, should logically know quite a bit about the gods of the Mythological Era. Why does it seem like your grasp on this area is equally lacking?”

Having caught Serana’s attention, Fu Qian quickly voiced a doubt he had harbored for a while.

An older senior... That guy had just died by their hands not too long ago. Did Yuan Shan know he was throwing titles like that around?”It’s true, we don’t know much.”

Her train of thought nearly derailed again, but she caught herself the next second. Serana readily admitted to the shortcoming Fu Qian had pointed out.

”You’re right. The Gulade heritage does stretch back further by comparison, although surviving That Long Night was anything but easy.

”As for why we don’t know that much about Ancient Higher Beings, it’s very simple. During That Long Night, it wasn’t just that the higher entities stopped responding—there were more changes that came with it.

”For instance, things like an Emblem or honorific name underwent incomprehensible distortions, becoming concealed even on the Transcendent level.”

...

”I see.”

From his recent interactions with them, he had noticed that while the Blood Clan had deep pockets, they seemed a bit ignorant regarding knowledge of the deities.

Communication truly fostered progress. With just a few short words from Serana, Fu Qian felt a sudden clarity; many things instantly made sense.

Not only had the higher entities of that time gone completely silent, but even the symbols of their power had warped?

And the final result was that, after That Long Night, there was a near-total historical gap in this area of knowledge.

Combined with some intentional misdirection, that was how you ended up with enduring legends like ”the love story between the blue pectorals and the God of War’s wife.”

As for whether Serana might be lying? Fu Qian thought the chances were slim.

For one, despite her rich life experience, she wasn’t as morally bankrupt as he was. For another, he had actually seen proof of similar occurrences himself—

Akons. Sikonge.

In that special space sandwiched between the Deity Burial Ground and the Mind World, the kind Old Lady had silently recited a name entirely different from the others.

And she had genuinely received a gift from this abnormal Divine Entity’s name...

Looking back, that bizarre discrepancy finally had an explanation.

Whether it had been forcibly distorted or done willingly to avoid the impact of That Long Night was still hard to say.

”Thanks for sharing. As for why the Dark Moon in the sky is connected to the Dominator of Death, all I can say is that it involves certain secrets, and I had to confirm it step by step.”

In light of this, Fu Qian didn’t hold back either.

”Furthermore, I can even share a piece of intel Yuan Shan doesn’t know yet. Recently, there has indeed been a mysterious Transcendent walking around who worships the Dark Moon, claiming to be a resurrected member of the Ancient Blood Clan.”

”Ah—so the power behind them might not actually be the Dark Moon, but something related to the Dominator of Death?”

Serana’s expression shifted several times at this unexpected secret, and in the blink of an eye, she realized the implication.

”Suspected to be.”

Fu Qian validated her reasoning, though his response remained conservative.

As for the woman before him, while she probably had complicated feelings toward him, Fu Qian had no particular issue with her. He wasn’t about to maliciously mislead her for no reason.

However, as his hand-picked recipient of a blessing, there were some things she simply needed to ”know.”

At the same time, the deeper truths weren’t necessarily something the current Serana could handle—or believe.

”It sounds like the situation here in Shangjing is far from simple...”

Sure enough, even with this much truth laid bare, Serana still didn’t seem entirely convinced. Her murmured words clearly carried a hint of reservation.

”But speaking of which, I’ve actually made a little progress on my end as well.”

Returning the favor, she immediately shared an additional discovery of her own.

”Regarding those worms that ran off, I actually just got a lead. I was getting ready to head out and check it out... if it weren’t for this sudden commotion.”

...

Who said Excellency Serana lacked schemes? If he hadn’t shared a bit more just now, she probably would have kept this information to herself.

”Very nice. Then keep at it.”

Fu Qian praised her inwardly and decisively offered his encouragement.

It wasn’t surprising that Serana had managed to track down a lead first. On one hand, the target was larger and clearer; on the other hand, the might of Gulade wasn’t something a bunch of stragglers could compare to.

When Gene and his group wanted to investigate someone, they even had to find a trading partner first.

”Then what about here in Shangjing...”

With Fu Qian acting so straightforward, Serana found herself momentarily hesitant.

”What are you afraid of? The Night Watchers know.”

Fu Qian just waved his hand, gesturing toward the gradually fading rust-colored hue.

”You’re right. There doesn’t seem to be any need for extra worry... I’ll try to follow up on my lead quietly, without alerting them first.”

Quickly persuaded, Serana immediately decided to set off again.

Excellent. I believe they will stay low-profile too.

Fu Qian merely added that thought to himself.

What Serana didn’t know was that her polite approach would be met with an even more courteous response.

The Greed Worms were also currently searching for a female Demigod who had received a blessing.

As for the risk of both sides comparing notes and exposing him?

Hardship reveals piety. It was about time the Greed Worms were tested anyway.

Serana already knew the title King of the Abandoned Prison from Taylor. Even if she heard it again, she would only think they were pitiful bugs controlled by the Dominator of Death.

In this whole affair, the only suspicious detail was that the day the Greed Worms witnessed the female Demigod receiving her blessing was the exact same day someone came to visit him.

But while that group of Greed Worms might not be of a particularly high Rank, they had plenty of jianghu experience.

Having just suffered a massive loss, communicating with them to such a deep and detailed extent through any means would be quite difficult.

Serana’s efforts would only make the Greed Worms yearn even more for guidance in this increasingly delicate situation.

She would serve as the ”Dominator of Death’s” Teaching Whip.

...

All in all, things here were pretty much settled.

Watching Serana leave, Fu Qian finally stood up and stretched.

He absolutely hadn’t been talking nonsense earlier. After making a few brief arrangements here, he needed to head out as well.

As for where to go—

The Furnace, or perhaps the Angel of Comfort?

Murmuring the thought in his mind, Fu Qian recalled a certain place he had visited a long time ago.