Eldritch Horror Theatre

’Hmph, do you think the title of higher entity is just for show?’

Serana, who had maintained her composure this entire time, finally broke character at that unbelievable rhetorical question. In that moment, Fu Qian merely snorted coldly in his heart, projecting an imposing arrogance.

As the saying went: you just focus on stirring up trouble, and people’s imaginations will fill in the blanks for you.

When Old Man Laurie threw out those two astonishing titles, Excellency Serana’s thoughts clearly soared to equally astonishing heights.

Admittedly, this current encounter—the meeting between the Greed Worms and the Ancient Angel—was essentially handcrafted by the King of the Abandoned Prison, completely lacking any supernatural element of destiny.

But a physically arranged destiny was still destiny. Why get bogged down in the details?

Not to mention that this seat had coveted the title of Dominator of Death for a long time anyway.

To sum it all up—

”It is indeed strange. It does feel a bit like that.”

Fu Qian nodded, unceremoniously accepting Excellency Serana’s misplaced praise.”Why are you called the Ancient Angel?”

Then, without waiting for her to say anything else, he looked back at Laurie for confirmation.

Hmm...

While Laurie looked confused, Serana also fell into a brief silence, ultimately choosing not to interrupt.

After all, this line of questioning was entirely logical. The meaning of Boon Bearer was obvious at a glance; one didn’t need to ask to know it referred to someone who had received a gift.

The latter title, however, warranted a closer look into its origins.

”Because it is as ancient as the starry sky. It is a Pure Soul personally granted enlightenment by the King of the Abandoned Prison, walking the earth in His name.”

At the critical moment, the Old Man hadn’t dropped the ball. Even though he was in a uniquely bewildered state, he answered the question after a brief moment of thought.

Of course, it also helped that the question itself was what he was focused on. The entire time, the Old Man’s eyes never left Serana, and his phrasing carried the elegance of classical faith.

Unfortunately, eloquence was one thing, but hadn’t his flattery completely hit the Horse Leg?

’When it came to the question of just how old Excellency Serana was, this seat had only compared her to history, but you guys directly elevated it to the starry sky?’

”Then I am truly honored, but unfortunately—”

Sure enough, Serana was immediately somewhat flattered, expressing that she didn’t deserve such praise.

”Ah—”

Unfortunately, she was interrupted mid-sentence by a scream. Laurie touched his forehead, seemingly discovering the crack in his head for the first time.

...

The sound was drawn out and mournful, like a weeping complaint. Even a hundred ghosts weeping at night would be nothing more than this.

If it were the usual Old Man, he wouldn’t have lost his composure like this even if he were facing true Death.

Under the projection of Death, his ego instead took on a child-like innocence, using his voice to maximize the interpretation of the word ”fear.”

”It seems we haven’t had time to ask about Solondil yet. Considering their special state, it’s possible they perceive more things than I do.”

Her remaining words were choked back down. Serana had clearly lost interest in expressing her dissatisfaction, speaking quickly to Fu Qian instead.

Look at that. Who said screaming at a critical moment was useless?

With that child-like innocence on full display, the credibility of the Old Man’s previous answers increased even further.

Perhaps she still didn’t want to accept the title of Ancient Angel, but Excellency Serana obviously felt she could ask for other information.

It was just a pity that the Old Man’s screams showed no signs of stopping. His trembling fingers didn’t just stroke the crack in his forehead; they probed deep inside it, causing it to crumble even further.

Not bad. Full of fear, yet harboring a bit of anticipation—it perfectly reflected a person’s complex mood during Awakening.

Given a little more time, Laurie would likely break the balance and embrace Death, just like the ”elderly man” before him.

Fu Qian didn’t feel like this was any loss. He observed the changes the entire time, even seriously interpreting them.

”Why ask about Solondil? As far as I’m concerned, I just want him to help lead the way.”

However, ignoring her entirely would be rather impolite, so he replied to Serana with a question of his own.

”We’ve already gotten in, and we’ve even gained a lot. Why still care... Don’t tell me you’re thinking of sabotaging Excellency Solondil’s advancement?”

...

The Ancient Angel fell silent once again.

Wei’s suspicion was clearly not without reason. Even as proud as the Blood Clan was, they weren’t completely without scruples about antagonizing Siren at such a critical moment.

Even without knowing the specific details, one could easily imagine that for Solondil to have such leisure while things with Anjing were in full swing, Siren internally must have placed great hopes on the outcome.

If someone stepped in and ruined it now, it would be very difficult to get them to let it go afterward.

”I just thought he might know more, but the risks are indeed a bit high. It’s fine if you don’t want to get involved... As a fellow vassal of the Dominator of Death, do you have a way to calm him down?”

She was quite decisive. Serana quickly indicated that this issue would be shelved for now.

Even though her next request was...

”It’s a pity. Theoretically, he isn’t descending into madness, but receiving enlightenment, attempting to return to the embrace of Death.”

Fu Qian, who had been watching Laurie the whole time, indicated at that moment that it would be rather difficult.

”That’s truly comforting, but it seems like it’s meaningless to us now? Can we only talk to the remaining two people?”

Unfortunately for Serana, if Laurie couldn’t answer questions anymore, it made no difference. Fu Qian’s words were clearly akin to correcting grammar—completely devoid of substance.

”No rush. There is actually a way we can try. Step aside a little.”

Fortunately, things took a turn for the better in the next moment. After studying the Old Man for a long time, Fu Qian seemed to have finally thought of a solution, signaling that they shouldn’t give up on the treatment so quickly.

Hmm...

It was somewhat unbelievable, but Serana quickly took a few steps back anyway.

”Over here.”

Almost at the same time, Fu Qian called out to the Old Man.

Laurie, whose attention had been somewhat drawn by Serana’s movements, immediately had his focus pulled back by Fu Qian’s method.

Boom—

And then he crashed head-on into a Silent Gospel Blast.

How could merely talking about enlightenment be enough? As the dignified King of the Abandoned Prison, acting as the Dominator of Death, he truly had some methods to develop one’s spirituality.

...

Although he chose silent mode and even locked it solely onto Laurie, Excellency Serana was no pushover. At that moment, she seemed to realize something was off.

However, it only caused the Fire Bats to stir slightly. She quickly restrained herself, taking it as strong medicine for a severe illness, and began quietly observing changes.

Uh...

Facts proved that it was actually effective. The scream came to an abrupt halt.

Instantly calm, Laurie even stood up from his workstation for the first time. His eyes locked onto Fu Qian’s face as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Crack... Pop...

However, this delightful scene didn’t last long. As the Old Man tried to open his mouth, his entire face unexpectedly continued to tear apart, everything turning into fluttering fragments.