Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 2217: Chapter 2212: King of the Crucified (Part 2)

Calm and natural.

Fu Qian’s response exuded a sense of uprightness, as if even with Ariel’s personal presence, he would still hold firm to his identity without any change.

And this confidence was not without reason—it’s well-known that great concealment lies within the city.

Putting aside why Brother Ariel would hide his identity, what could be safer than hiding oneself while having a decoy outside as cover?

Truly hitting two birds with one stone, solving his own identity issues while helping out an old friend. Why not do it?

Of course, one must be realistic, as it’s not without its considerations—

For example, such behavior is likely to attract attention meant for Brother Ariel onto oneself, placing oneself in unnecessary danger.

And even though the involved person benefits, they might not understand this gesture and could even repay goodness with betrayal after finding out—so what?

Doing good and accumulating virtue is my guiding principle, and gratitude is unnecessary.

"Alright, Ariel, so how did you find out about this place?"

The two individuals resembling interviewers didn’t seem like ordinary people tangled in such details.

Faced with Fu Qian’s self-introduction, they completely had no suspicion about its authenticity. The middle-aged woman in front continued to take notes as she asked further.

"I don’t know. Someone referred me here."

Even though the situation remained unclear, it didn’t hinder Fu Qian from responding fluently.

"Oh? Who was it, may I ask?"

The answer seemed rather refreshing, as the female interviewer raised an eyebrow.

Although phrased as a question, it was clear there was no room for refusal.

"Sure, but she’s rather low-key, so I hope you two can keep it confidential—Nepheli."

Fu Qian didn’t hesitate, having just emphasized the reserved nature of the person, he unblinkingly revealed the name.

It wasn’t a fabrication; rather, it respected the current character setup.

Earlier, it was mentioned that Brother Ariel always rejected mental distractions, so regardless of who else was involved or the reasons behind it.

In this disguised operation, it’s unlikely Miss Nepheli, the initiator, did not participate.

Of course, the aforementioned risks also continued to deepen.

With further sharing of new names, the likelihood of being targeted and trouble coming increased.

An interviewer’s position can easily appear professional, but Fu Qian had little expectation regarding their real professionalism or confidentiality awareness.

"Nepheli..."

It seemed that at least for now, these two names haven’t caused much of a stir.

The female interviewer mumbled to herself while exchanging glances with her colleague.

"Have you ever killed someone or fantasized about killing someone?"

The colleague wasted no time, quickly posing a sharp question.

"Certainly."

Fu Qian, just the same, responded almost instantly.

...

When you’re unsure about a situation and want to efficiently confirm it, avoid probing with overly mundane variables.

Although the task description mentioned gaining the gatekeeper’s approval, it doesn’t mean you must create an entirely righteous image.

Perhaps the content mentioned wasn’t much, but a few keywords could clearly be extracted from the description—confusion, determination, self-display.

A self muddled in doubt, but you must let the gatekeepers believe in your resolve.

"So you can’t deny that your hands might have been stained with the blood of innocents?"

Of course, crafting this persona isn’t easy, as the atmosphere tensed in the next moment.

The male interviewer’s unkempt face wore a gaze like two short blades of cold glint.

"But I can confirm."

Fu Qian nodded in response, his tone assured.

...

The firmness should have been adequately conveyed.

In that moment, the room was very quiet, and during the interviewers’ silence, Fu Qian also drew a conclusion.

No matter what the main purpose of this interview was, it was evident that the answers he provided were rather uncommon for them.

Generally speaking, with such a good shock effect, one would usually ask a few questions in return to further take control of the situation—but that’s the regular perspective.

Often, not speaking requires a firmer will than opening one’s mouth.

At this point, asking questions might detract from the strength of the character and could inadvertently appear as bravado hiding inner fear.

Of course, this point alone wasn’t enough to make Fu Qian give up the opportunity to attempt to gather information in this manner.

Another factor mentioned earlier was that regardless of how professional they seemed, Fu Qian wasn’t so confident in the interviewers’ quality.

Reverse probing could weaken the character, and even if some information were obtained, its reliability might not be high, making its necessity quite limited.

"...Alright, Mr. Ariel, please wait outside for a moment, as we have others to interview."

The silent standoff lasted about a few breaths of time.

The end result was that this "interview" concluded with remarkable efficiency after just three questions.

"But don’t worry, we will provide the results directly on-site."

While solemnly organizing materials, the female interviewer signaled Fu Qian to wait.

And she emphasized that the final result would also be efficient, without needing to await further notification.

"Very well."

In any case, Fu Qian appreciated this aspect, nodding as he stood up from his seat.

...

Click—

There was only one door in the room, and as Fu Qian casually opened it, he immediately saw the competitors for his journey.

Evidently, the competition was fierce.

Two men and two women, of various ages.

Even though his action of opening the door was so refined and the sound was exceedingly low-profile, the result was still immediately perceived.

Four pairs of eyes simultaneously fixed on him, making the atmosphere intensely tense.

Of course, even so, Fu Qian easily caught the lingering regret on each of the four faces.

He had to admit, it matched closely with his initial perception.

So is this what they mean by "wandering will"?

Recalling the task description, Fu Qian smiled amicably in response to the numerous scrutinizing gazes.

Unfortunately, no one responded, while a few faces’ expressions management showed signs of subtle loss of control.

It seems Brother Ariel isn’t in this group.

Has he already been accepted, or was he placed in numerous groups for simultaneous processing?

Without minding others’ reactions, Fu Qian went forward and found a vacant seat to sit, while musing to himself.

At a glance, at least from the perspective of the radar of vision, the four people in front were all of ordinary human constitution.

Including the two interviewers, who, although had transcendent qualities, their ranking was not high.

As a result, his current behavior was much like playing house with children.

But let’s not forget, Brother Ariel seemed to be playing house as well.

Proving in the eyes of the Native Council, playing house was necessary.