Eldritch Horror Theatre

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A bizarre journey, an isolation that made it feel as though this were the only car left in the world... Being called by name from behind in a moment like this had distinct horror-movie elements.

Though when Kadon asked his question, Fu Qian immediately felt a different kind of deja vu.

”Three and a half stars. The design had some thought put into it, the location is decent, and parking is convenient.”

Without needing to think, he expertly invoked a standard rating system and gave a fairly decent score.

It certainly wasn’t for cashback or discounts. Having evaluated the feng shui earlier, his answer was exceptionally fair and backed by theoretical support.

”...I thought you’d say it was a good place for a vacation, where you might meet young women who invite you back to their homes.”

However, the evaluation seemed far too professional. Kadon fell silent again, and when he finally spoke a moment later, he actually brought up Lucy, whom they had visited first.

”Why do you think I look so much older than her?”

With the conversation reaching this point, the associated gossip naturally continued.A question that ordinary people would avoid was brought up by Kadon himself.

”Because you just are older than her?”

It was undeniably an interesting question—one that Fu Qian had already pondered, much like the feng shui.

Fu Qian answered without hesitation.

”Are you saying I lied to her? That I was already very old back then?”

It was obvious that the old man had a strong desire to chat.

It made one wonder if his driver had sparked his interest in sharing life insights, or if he had planned to share them all along.

Either way, his counter-question was sharp, and anyone could realize the absurdity of that scenario just by thinking about it.

”Unfortunately, I wasn’t there to see it back then. I meant that you are definitely old enough now.”

Sadly, in front of a professional, that sharpness was far too flimsy. Fu Qian instantly pointed out that his deduction was taking things too much for granted.

...

”So what do you think happened in the meantime to make me this old now?”

As it turned out, despite being on his last breath, the old man hadn’t picked up the habit of flaunting his seniority.

After a moment of silence, he truly stopped insisting on that clumsy deduction and instead followed Fu Qian’s line of thought.

”There are just way too many possibilities for that. All I can say is that it looks perfectly normal to me.”

Fu Qian’s response remained relaxed.

”People age at different rates, both physically and mentally. The sun rising and setting every day just gives an illusion of parallel progression.”

”So while I don’t know exactly what you’ve gone through, over these years you’ve probably walked a road twice as long as Madam Lucy’s.”

He wasn’t just talking nonsense. When he first noticed this dislocation in age, Fu Qian had already leaned toward such an answer.

Kadon was indeed old. Not just in flesh and blood—the decay in his spirit was the same.

But back then, he really was a year younger than Lucy. The overtaking happened during these intervening years.

If he were an ordinary person, this extent of aging might be somewhat rare.

But when a transcendent was involved, there were simply too many possible factors—

”You’re right, I did walk a much longer road than she did. And the reason actually isn’t complicated—my days have twenty-four hours.”

It was gratifying; Kadon seemed moved by Fu Qian’s active participation and quickly agreed with him.

Oh?

”You don’t sleep?”

Although the old man’s explanation sounded abstract, Fu Qian gave a slight nod, once again demonstrating his sharp comprehension.

”That’s right. From the day I met Lucy, I never slept again.”

As if recalling the good old days, Kadon nodded, actually revealing a smile for the first time.

...

Sure enough, was this the legendary gap in life quality?

Over thirty years of living both day and night, where one of his days counted as two.

Through their friendly exchange, he had so quickly obtained the old man’s secret to not retaining his youth. Fu Qian couldn’t help but marvel for a moment.

Although the physique of a transcendent differed from ordinary people, this level of intensity was indeed a bit too much pressure for a Mid Tier.

”I see—it really is closed.”

Amidst his realization, Fu Qian chose to believe him while simultaneously hitting the brakes.

The journey wasn’t far. The small shop from the start of the task was clearly in sight.

And the plaid-shirted manager was as cautious as expected; the shop door was locked from the outside, meaning he clearly wasn’t sleeping there tonight.

”It’s fine, this is enough.”

Prompted to look out the window, Fu Qian saw that a smile still lingered on Kadon’s face. The old man repeated what he had said when they first set off, making it obvious that this was never his destination to begin with.

”Keep driving straight and take a right up ahead. You’ll see a warehouse. I’m not sure what they use it for now, but people used to pray in there.”

Without wasting time, Kadon continued to give directions.

...

”Unfortunately, it looks like everyone found a different place to pray.”

Fu Qian naturally didn’t mind playing driver for a little while longer, not to mention that this place was incredibly compact. He could soon see the edge of the Small Town.

It was a pity that no matter how sparse the population, a few decades were more than enough for things to change beyond recognition.

Along the way, they clearly hadn’t seen any old warehouse.

”Here is fine.”

Kadon still didn’t seem to mind. At a certain point, he simply signaled for Fu Qian to pull over to the side of the road.

”You can stay in the car.”

As he opened the door and got out, he even gave Fu Qian the same reminder as before.

Was this... a shovel?

Fu Qian gladly accepted this while studying the item the old man pulled out of the trunk.

One look was enough to tell that it was brand new, prepared entirely for this trip.

Based on this point alone, the probability that the location before them was the site of the Checklist item increased significantly.

Crash—

Carrying this beautiful expectation, Fu Qian watched the old man use the shovel to smash through a storefront window, and even the terrazzo tiles beneath it.

And despite having nearly breathed his last earlier, he now displayed astonishing strength and endurance, swiftly digging a hole in the ground.

Such a commotion in the dead of night was by no means small, yet not a single light turned on, not even in the closest building. It was as if everyone was peacefully enjoying their dreams.

Though it wasn’t completely devoid of any new figures.

A moment later, Kadon climbed out of the deep pit, leaving the shovel behind.

In its place, he held a yellowed human skeleton. While no flesh remained, its clothing was surprisingly intact.

Just looking at its overly solemn style brought to mind his earlier mention of prayer.

A burial site from many years ago? The old man certainly had quite a rich history in this place.

This scene undoubtedly let one’s imagination run wild, but Fu Qian still didn’t interfere.

The next moment, Kadon propped the white bones against a nearby wooden rack, giving it a slight adjustment so it looked as if it were sitting there.

After doing all this, he straightened his own clothes, then actually leaned over, picked up the bony claw, and kissed it in complete solemnity.