Eldritch Horror Theatre

"This..."

Faced with the sudden change, Madam Sissi lowered the hand propping up her chin.

Her posture remained elegant, but her perfectly straight back had gone as stiff as a wood carving.

Time had not reversed to before sunrise, yet it felt as if she had returned to...

'Consultant?'

What a bizarre case of Lord Ye's love of dragons!

Fu Qian marveled to himself as he studied the frozen scene.

When a theory you have firmly believed in is finally confirmed after agonizing torment, it often triggers a sudden wave of inverse self-doubt.

The sheer complexity of that emotional whiplash is usually directly proportional to how much suffering the speculation caused.

While he deeply sympathized with her plight, Fu Qian had never considered forcefully brainwashing her to erase this distorted worldview.

As a nonprofessional, his control over such delicate matters was far from precise. Tampering with someone's mind was like carving an eggshell; one slip and he would ruin it completely.

Especially without knowing the root cause of her abnormal worldview, simply forcing a strong mental imprint on her might create cognitive dissonance that would drive her completely insane.

After all, what if her life truly was like Truman's world?

Guiding the flow was always better than damming it up. His specialty had always been adding fuel to the fire, and destruction precedes creation.

It was better to just see what would happen now that her years of suspicion were finally validated.

...

"Heh... hehe..."

A fitful, broken laugh escaped Madam Sissi's lips as she finally moved.

She looked as though every ounce of strength had suddenly drained from her body, yet a profound relief colored her exhaustion. Her laughter slowly rose in pitch.

Just as Fu Qian was wondering how many octaves she might climb, her laughter came to an abrupt halt right before it could lose its dignity.

Through the darkness, he saw a smile lingering on her lips. She took a series of deep breaths, swiftly adjusting her posture back to its dignified elegance, as though maintaining her image for an unseen audience.

'She bounced back quickly,' Fu Qian thought. 'Did confirming she really was an actor bring her relief, compelling her to respect the profession?'

He watched her thoughtfully.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Consultant."

"I'm incredibly glad I made the choice I did. You are far more sincere than they ever were."

With that, Madam Sissi reached out and drew the curtains completely shut.

"Please rest assured, I won't take long."

...

It sounded as though similar conversations had taken place more than once before.

Knowing exactly what she was about to do, Fu Qian—as the Dream Dominator—withdrew his attention slightly and mulled over her words.

It was obvious that this was the very first time Madam Sissi's mad ravings had received a genuine response.

Such was the importance of finding a professional consultant!

The only thing the client needed to do was state their needs.

Amid his self-praise, Fu Qian extended a thread of influence into the waking plane, planting a mental suggestion in the still-dazed Madam Sissi in reality to draw her curtains and change her clothes as well.

Blurring wills and dominating physical bodies... his methods were creeping closer and closer to those of an evil god!

...

She was undeniably practiced at this. Not only was the pitch-black darkness no hindrance to her, but even her altered state of consciousness didn't slow her down.

A moment later, after she called out to him, Fu Qian gave her another brief pause before shifting his focus back to her.

Both in the dream and in reality, Madam Sissi had finished changing her clothes.

Fu Qian snapped his fingers once more, instantly dismissing the Lucid Dream.

The dazed Madam Sissi shuddered. After a brief moment of disorientation, she quickly noticed the faint slivers of light entering the room.

She subconsciously patted herself down, realizing she had already changed her clothes. Remembering the surreal, dreamlike experience she had just gone through, she walked over and pulled the curtains wide open.

The sun had now climbed high into the sky, and not a single cloud marred the clear blue expanse.

"Today is a truly wonderful day!"

Madam Sissi had recovered much faster this time. Her tone was so natural it was as if her consultant was standing right beside her.

'Enough with the sentimental sighs,' Fu Qian thought. 'Where's the payment for such a professional mental massage?'

Unfortunately, Fu Qian was entirely immune to the emotional atmosphere.

"In fact, I suddenly feel as though I can finally be 'myself.'"

Fortunately, his client was tactful enough to follow up without needing any prompting.

"This might not mean much to you, but would you be interested in a tour of my estate? And my collections?"

'Meaning much to me? Try absolutely everything!' Fu Qian thought.

He was incredibly pleased with her polite invitation.

Ever since his very first meeting with Madam Sissi, Fu Qian had hoped she possessed some sort of hoarding or collecting habit. Combined with her staggering wealth, it would greatly increase his chances of uncovering transcendent items.

Now, however, Fu Qian found himself taking a genuine interest in the lady's family as well.

...

They were undoubtedly filthy rich!

That was the first conclusion Fu Qian reached.

He had expected her status as an heiress to be extravagant, but he hadn't expected it to be this absurd.

Over the course of this peculiar shared tour, in barely half an hour, Madam Sissi managed to deliver one minor shock after another.

Bathed in the morning sun, the Gatsby Estate boasted exceptional scenery. With its flowing streams, sprawling grasslands, and rolling, wooded hills, every random corner displayed meticulous design, coupled with the effortless patina of age.

It was no wonder that, despite the extreme paranoia of her bedroom design, she had still insisted on leaving one window.

The only pity was that Fu Qian failed to detect even a shred of transcendent aura throughout the grounds.

Since he couldn't find what he was looking for, it was likely that her condition had nothing to do with the estate itself.

"The sun is getting a bit hot. Let's head inside."

His impromptu tour guide made the thoughtful suggestion a moment later.

...

Compared to the collection room, "shabby" wasn't even a strong enough word to describe Madam Sissi's bedroom.

And from the looks of it, the one she was eagerly showing him around was just one of many such collection rooms in the estate.

The items on display clearly shared a single overarching theme. At a glance, the space was filled with all sorts of armor and swords, and even a gold-inlaid war chariot complete with what appeared to be the skeletal remains of a warhorse.

Judging by their pristine condition, every piece had clearly received expert maintenance.

Madam Sissi seemed intimately familiar with the origins and fine details of every item in her collection. While she didn't drone on endlessly, her brief remarks always cut straight to the core history of the piece.

As for why?

Beyond growing up surrounded by these relics, personal interest was undoubtedly a massive factor.

Fu Qian marveled inwardly as he watched Madam Sissi unhook a battle-ax covered in spikes. She gripped it with perfect form, a fleeting, razor-sharp glint passing through her eyes.

She clearly had a soft spot for weaponry!

Suppressed desires never truly dissipated; they only settled deeper into the soul.

"It's still too heavy."

When she spoke again, her voice had returned to its usual gentle cadence, and she furrowed her brow slightly as she placed the battle-ax back on its rack.

"Up ahead is the item I've always been most terrified of. It's been here since I was a little girl."

As she spoke, she quickened her pace, taking a few steps forward and specifically switching on a spotlight beside the display.

Under the warm light rested a bronze helmet forged in the shape of a human face.

The catch was that the gentle, slumbering visage was far too lifelike. Even the eyes were sculpted shut, making it impossible to imagine how anyone could ever wear it into battle.

"Mr. Consultant, care to guess what makes this one so special?"

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