Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 2406: Chapter 2401: The Prophet Is Dead (12)

Even if you’re a superhero, you still need to know how to use your brain.

The reason Lady Crystal kept changing her expression was already very clear. That mournful, reminiscing look just now was mostly an act, a way to test his reaction.

Even after he said he really was looking for Akasha, she still chose to hold back and didn’t lay out everything.

Perfectly reasonable.

When facing a dangerous figure of unknown origin, spilling everything is indeed not a very smart move.

And this "persona" of hers had basically followed him since their last meeting, with hardly any improvement.

And you have to look on the bright side: even after being seen through by him, Lady Crystal still shared her real speculations, didn’t she?

"You’re right. I originally thought she finally couldn’t hide anymore and had exposed her tracks."

After only a brief silence, Fu Qian’s words drew out Crystal’s open confession, and she didn’t even bother to hide her disappointment.

"Up until just before you took off your mask, I was still more inclined to think it was Akasha playing a prank."

Staring fixedly at the face Fu Qian had pinched out, she shook her head slightly at that moment.

"Oh? So why have you ruled out a prank now?"

Hearing Crystal’s explanation, Fu Qian’s interest was piqued.

"...To be honest, I did suspect this face was fake too. After all, regarding Andiel, Akasha and I witnessed the exact same thing, so she’d have no problem recreating this disguise."

Her focus was a bit eccentric, but Crystal still followed his train of thought and said she really had considered that. Then she gestured again toward Catherine beside them.

"That lasted right up until I realized you lacked desire for her."

Oh?

That line was a bit of a blow, and the logic seemed rather odd.

"Shouldn’t that be more suspicious? Unless Akasha has some very special preferences?"

Fu Qian glanced at Catherine, whose head drooped even lower.

"...I mainly meant appetite."

Apparently realizing her wording was off, Crystal quickly clarified.

"Don’t think Akasha eats everything. Different foods have different levels of allure... For example, even now, when I look at her, I still feel hunger and thirst."

...

So that’s how it is. That really was a bit of a special case.

Nodding slightly, Fu Qian didn’t press the point.

He had to admit, this Demigod’s confusion made a lot of sense. On one hand, she had reason to believe Akasha wasn’t dead; on the other, what had appeared on the girl clearly looked like the Spider Queen’s mark.

The form of the power matched, even the side effects were identical.

What exactly happened behind the scenes was genuinely intriguing.

"But what you said did remind me of something. Are you really human?"

Just as Fu Qian followed that line of thought, Crystal seemed to think of something.

She’s doubtful about something this trivial? It’s just a bit of low‑level desire.

This Crystal Demigod really had been stuck in this tiny place too long; her horizons were clearly a bit limited.

Fu Qian turned to size up Catherine.

Her clothes didn’t even fit properly, obviously thrown on in a rush, yet still couldn’t hide the graceful curves underneath.

And as the person in question, her status in this conversation was pathetically low. Catherine’s face was practically buried in her chest.

"Isn’t it possible I just have no interest in this kind of vulgar powder and rouge?"

Feeling sincerely sorry for her, Fu Qian smoothly added another stab.

"...So what exactly is your purpose in looking for Akasha?"

When Catherine’s face really did bury into her chest, even Crystal was left speechless, and she decisively dragged the topic back on track.

"To find the Prophet."

Fu Qian followed up just as bluntly.

...

"No wonder. You think the Prophet isn’t dead? You want to find Akasha to prove that?"

Crystal instantly understood what he meant.

"Or to prove he really is dead."

Fu Qian said there was no need to be so rigid—what mattered was figuring out the situation.

So far the mission target still hadn’t appeared, and Yuan Fang was obviously a key piece in Unseen Hillock. Finding ways to establish more contact with him was definitely no bad thing.

"So you really are outsiders... I have to say, your thinking is very clear."

She didn’t mind being corrected; in fact, Crystal now seemed to trust Fu Qian’s explanation a bit more.

Not surprising. If he’d been a native Demigod, it would’ve been hard to come up with an idea like finding another High-level Extraordinary as a medium to then make contact with the Prophet.

"But unfortunately, as someone who interacted with the Prophet more than most, I can only tell you that both of those goals are hard to achieve... Have you been to his room this time?"

But then Crystal poured a bucket of cold water over him, indicating that reality might be pretty harsh.

"No."

Fu Qian shook his head honestly.

"Of course you haven’t, or you’d have noticed everything’s completely changed beyond recognition."

For the first time, Crystal showed a strange smile, staring off in a particular direction as she dropped a bombshell.

"What do you mean?"

Knowing that was where Yuan Fang’s old apartment was, Fu Qian was very curious.

He had heard of people bailing the moment someone died, but the Prophet’s bones weren’t even "cold" yet, and they’d already demolished Room 802?

"The place is still there, of course, but on one hand it’s truly empty now... And do you remember a window facing the lake?"

Crystal shook her head, indicating things weren’t that exaggerated.

"I remember. The view was great."

Fu Qian cooperatively sank into reminiscence, even picturing Yuan Fang curled up on the lounge chair on the balcony.

"There’s no window there anymore. It’s become a door... a door that, when you look out from inside the room, shows nothing but mist."

What Crystal described next was even more outrageous.

Especially the word "mist"—it was hard not to connect it to the outsiders’ passage Akasha mentioned—

On the outskirts of Unseen Hillock, there wandered a mist-like substance. Outsiders only had to walk into it, stay a while, and they’d automatically disappear, while natives walked in with zero effect.

"That is pretty shocking, but just that alone doesn’t seem enough to prove the Prophet is already dead, does it?"

He didn’t doubt her description, but Fu Qian still tied it to what came before and questioned the conclusion that the Prophet was dead.

"Because he said so himself... He directly told everyone that Unseen Hillock no longer needed him, that his mission and his life had both reached their end."

Crystal gave a cold smile at that and dropped another bombshell.

He actually did that... Things were getting more and more abstract.

"So what exactly does that door do?"

Fu Qian clicked his tongue in admiration, feeling this meal had definitely been worth it.

"’As long as you go in, you can obtain freedom’—those words are written right beside the door."

The answer Crystal gave wasn’t particularly unexpected, though the added detail sounded rather odd.

"That’s also why some areas have become a lot quieter. A huge crowd is still gathered around that place even now."