Eldritch Horror Theatre

At this moment, the situation had become somewhat clear.

No matter how abstract or bizarre the display, or how incredible the forces behind the scenes, it still boiled down to a supercriminal’s conspiracy.

If the words and the door were both the Black Doctor’s handiwork, the sheer malice behind his troublemaking felt ready to overflow.

However, Fu Qian had no intention of casting any moral judgment. Instead, he asked about another old friend: A Wei.

By standard conventions, a supercriminal’s biggest advantage was being well-informed, with connections across all walks of life.

Perhaps His Excellency Black Doctor knew a bit more than the crystal did about this old friend—someone who theoretically should have arrived here long ago, yet remained entirely unaccounted for?

”I am an outsider.”

Seeing that this question had both his listeners doubting reality, Fu Qian immediately leaned into his persona, signaling that they shouldn’t measure him by normal standards.

”Wei?”

Unfortunately, the Black Doctor looked just as bewildered as the crystal, as if he had never heard the name.”Or perhaps the Apostle of the Death God.”

Never one to give up easily, Fu Qian casually tossed out another possible title.

”...Angel of Death? You actually know him?”

This was the true meaning of ’ninety li is only halfway on a hundred-li journey.’ That final addendum instantly provoked an intense reaction.

...

As expected, does everything that wanders in here turn chuuni? A Wei, you’re acting this bold—does the target of your covenant know about it?

Feeling a sense of relief in that moment, Fu Qian also had a lot of thoughts about the moniker the Black Doctor just blurted out.

Having just arrived in this esteemed realm, adopting an extra moniker instead of giving his real name was actually a very reasonable choice for Brother A Wei.

And judging by the Black Doctor’s reaction when he uttered the title, the man in question clearly possessed something extraordinary.

Putting the two together, the probability that this ’Angel of Death’ was indeed his old friend wasn’t low at all.

The only problem was, wasn’t this moniker a bit too ostentatious?

Did Brother A Wei really let loose this much after converting to The Deep, or was there more to the story?

”I know him. Ever since I got here, I’ve been meaning to find him and catch up.”

Returning the favor, Fu Qian didn’t keep the Black Doctor waiting, openly admitting that he had indeed come for the Angel of Death.

This wasn’t nonsense. A Wei himself might not be that important, but to Fu Qian, the lingering question—Why didn’t A Wei appear in the Unseen Hill?—was crucial.

Back then, he had mostly just considered A Wei hard to kill, and it was a good opportunity to test out the new reward. That was what ultimately led to sending him over to this place to liven things up.

Additionally, considering the special covenant status of the Apostle of the Death God, Fu Qian truly had some expectations for what Excellency A Wei would become upon re-entering the Unseen Hill.

It would be absolutely ideal if he could provide some supporting evidence for researching covenants as a form of power.

Granted, with the great deity Ji Feng holding down the fort and A Wei corrupted by The Deep, Fu Qian estimated he wouldn’t be able to cause too much of a stir and might need to be tracked down carefully.

The problem now was that he hadn’t caused any stir at all.

From the moment he arrived until just now, there hadn’t been the slightest trace of his old friend. In Fu Qian’s eyes, this was somewhat amiss—much like the Unseen Hill itself.

That’s right, A Wei wasn’t the only anomaly.

A question he had been pondering earlier was why there was a Containment at all this time, when everything clearly seemed fine.

So, could A Wei’s abnormality be related to this anomaly?

Upon realizing these commonalities, Fu Qian suddenly found himself with higher expectations for what had originally been an unintentional move.

To his relief, His Excellency Black Doctor was also very cooperative.

”Angel of Death? Why haven’t I heard of this title? Is he a new demigod?”

Amber seemed genuinely oblivious to all of this. Listening to the two men exchange intelligence, she couldn’t help but voice her confusion.

”There are far too many things you know nothing about.”

Faced with her, the Black Doctor’s psychological superiority instantly flared up. He shot her a sidelong glance, his sneer capturing the exact spirit of earlier.

”Have you ever considered that, all this time, you have been too blindly faithful to your so-called Prophet?”

...

”That makes sense. Many times, shortcuts end up becoming obstacles instead.”

Fu Qian didn’t mind the Black Doctor getting distracted halfway through their chat to sling taunts; he even chimed in to agree.

Use it or lose it. You could say that Yuan Fang’s special existence had provided the entire Unseen Hill with a unique information network.

By granting them a higher degree of control over events and even the ability to predict the future, the demigods enjoying this convenience were, to a certain extent, limiting themselves and abandoning deeper exploration.

So in all fairness, the Black Doctor’s words actually held some truth.

”Especially since the Prophet might also be an outsider.”

Not only that, but a moment later, Fu Qian even factored in their previous conversation to deliver an extra blow.

Despite being an outsider himself, he heavily emphasized that they shouldn’t hesitate to judge his own kind with the worst possible malice.

Hmm...

The Prophet’s origins were indeed a point of suspicion they had discussed earlier. Amber opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated and ultimately remained silent.

”...What I can tell you is that the Angel of Death is definitely not an outsider, even though he’s never shown up before.”

Getting no response to his taunt, the Black Doctor felt momentarily deflated and steered back to the previous topic.

After a brief pause, the first thing he emphasized when speaking again was that the Angel of Death was absolutely not an outsider.

”Why do you say that? Have you met him?”

Although this was exactly how it should be according to the description of the Ash-Bestowing Ring, Fu Qian was still very curious about the Black Doctor’s reasoning.

”I haven’t met him, but I just know... I even know that if you manage to get out of here, you will definitely meet him.”

The Black Doctor scoffed, his tone extremely certain, implicitly steering their attention toward his own grand accomplishments.

”So this is a series of operations? The Angel of Death is lurking on the other side of the door, and there are further plans? You guys are quite organized.”

Ever the optimist, Fu Qian instantly caught the scent of a group conspiracy.

It made sense. Supercriminals sometimes found it easier to practice seeking common ground while reserving differences, organizing together to stir up trouble.

And if the Gate of Freedom was merely the first step, would there be even more excitement coming soon?

This was the true Darkest Night, wasn’t it?

He could only say that this increasingly abstract narrative had suddenly taken a classic turn.

”I am not his lackey, and the things I do are never by his will.”

Unfortunately, the Black Doctor seemed unwilling to play the subordinate, immediately denying the claim.

”Understood. Then it looks like I need to get out of here even faster. Since you’re the one who caused all this, you must know a way out, right?”

Since saving face was paramount when navigating the world, Fu Qian didn’t press the issue and finally turned his attention back to the question of how to leave.

”Unfortunately, there is no way.”

The Black Doctor replied almost instantly, looking as though he had been waiting to say this for a long time.