Eldritch Horror Theatre

Something like this could actually happen?

To be fair, while she wasn't an ordinary mortal, Amira didn't project any overwhelming sense of power.

By the standards of the Bookstore Universe, she would likely barely qualify as Mid Tier.

Yet this mental soothing technique had somehow caused a Tier 2 to completely turn over a new leaf.

It really made no scientific sense.

In the instant that surge of power had flared, its influence clearly extended beyond the mental plane.

Even the face he had meticulously sculpted using his flesh-and-blood abilities couldn't resist the effect, rapidly reverting to his original features.

Such an unreasonable method was just as absurdly brazen as the rule forbidding dreams from lasting over a minute; they were different tunes played with equal skill.

If his face-sculpting technique hadn't already reached absolute perfection, allowing him to instantly adjust his parameters and achieve a dynamic equilibrium, his flawless performance might have been exposed by this final act of goodwill.

Amira's gentle voice drifted over; clearly, she hadn't noticed anything amiss.

"Much better..." he replied. "It feels as though I've stripped away a disguise."

Brimming with the profound emotion of illuminating the mind and seeing one's true nature, Fu Qian lowered his hand, showing off his newly "purified" face.

"Could we do that one more time?"

Before she could even respond, he asked to experience it again.

"I'm glad you feel that way... but you'll have to wait a moment."

Despite the somewhat rude request, Amira exchanged a glance with the unseen third-party listener, showing absolutely no displeasure.

'So her words and actions actually match. She really does see fighting the Nightmare as her duty.'

Fu Qian silently praised her.

It seemed like an excessive demand, yet she not only happily agreed but expressed joy. In truth, it wasn't hard to understand why.

Just moments earlier, he had been questioning the reality of this world. Now, after being soothed, he immediately asked for another dose. This was a clear sign that the treatment was effective, which naturally tilted her judgment.

With a true healer's heart, wouldn't it be completely normal to rejoice at a patient's signs of recovery?

In fact, this was one of the things Fu Qian wanted to verify when he made the request.

As for the second thing... radiance was already rising from Amira's hand again, the gorgeous display repeating itself.

Having experienced it once already, Fu Qian perfectly maintained his current appearance this time without even needing his hands to assist.

Meanwhile, his attention focused entirely on the intricate pattern reappearing before him.

And the delicate motifs that formed it.

'It seems it wasn't an illusion!'

The next moment, Fu Qian sighed inwardly.

He had thought it looked familiar just now—it was a commandment.

It was the same thing that had appeared on Brother Ill Omen back in West Plain City.

Although the visual style was completely different, there was a fundamental similarity.

Its effects were similar, too.

Brother Ill Omen's final "offenders lose their heads" trick had been equally unreasonable.

Honestly, whether it was a coincidence or not, this was hardly good news.

Given how fluidly and naturally Amira wielded it, his earlier guess was very likely true.

In other words, The Order she had mentioned truly relied on this special form of power.

Whether they would be easy to deal with was one thing, but this was drifting further and further from how people in the Painting World endured a cost to enter a sequence.

"...Thank you."

The next moment, Fu Qian stood right up.

"Am I free to go back now?"

"Of course..." the listener who had yet to show their face readily confirmed. "The only thing you need to note is that Amira will follow up on your condition, so don't wander off."

A door clicked open immediately after, and the unseen listener actually left just like that.

"Follow me. I'll show you out."

Amira quickly came over to open the door, her facial mask already removed.

Escorting Fu Qian all the way outside, she didn't forget to offer a final word of comfort.

"Don't worry about the police. If you have time, take a stroll around the neighborhood. It'll be good for your recovery."

'How considerate. Don't worry, I definitely will.'

Fu Qian nodded, but out of the corner of his eye, he was watching the sky.

It was truly miraculous. Separated by only a single wall, the starlight was completely blotted out the moment he stepped outside.

...

'Not a bad place to live!'

Stepping down from the carriage, Fu Qian looked at the two-story building in front of him.

It was one of a row of townhouses, built mostly of brick and stone. The roof was covered in colorful glazed tiles, and the copper railings on the balcony had already oxidized green, yet paired with their exquisite shapes and carvings, the patina only made the building look more elegant.

Officer Lafadi was certainly a professional. The rent for this place was undoubtedly steep, so the chances of someone paying for it and not living here were slim.

Of course, his primary reason for coming straight here wasn't just to avoid wasting the rent.

For one thing, Amira had arranged the carriage, meaning he didn't have to pay for the ride, and the destination had been set clearly to his residence.

Given her cooperative role between the police and The Order, she likely had no interest in ordinary cases. Her knowing his address was probably due to the attention brought by his status as a Nightmare victim.

More importantly, the address he had dug up earlier for the other victims, The Rayson Couple, was listed as being "not far from his residence."

Rather than conducting a brute-force search by himself, it would be much simpler to ask a local who knew the area.

Thus, the exact address information he had gotten from Lafadi was no longer necessary. In the meantime, Fu Qian prepared to continue playing the role of a recovering mental patient.

...

Without hesitation, Fu Qian reached out and knocked on the door.

"Anke?"

He didn't have to wait long. A stern-faced elderly woman with silver-white hair soon poked her head out, finding her shock impossible to hide when she got a clear look at Fu Qian's face.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Harper. I seem to have lost a lot of things," Fu Qian said with a long sigh, recalling the information Lafadi had provided. He subtly turned sideways, allowing the landlady to see the carriage lingering behind him.

The transport Amira had arranged clearly belonged to The Order she spoke of; its decorations and design were highly distinctive.

For a man who had been missing for five days and suddenly turned up, there was no better prop to dispel an elderly landlady's suspicions.

As it turned out, it was incredibly effective.

Her eyes following the carriage as it swiftly drove away, Mrs. Harper's expression relaxed slightly, and she opened the door.

"It's alright... What on earth happened? Did The Order find you?"

"I don't know. It just feels like I had a Nightmare."

Fu Qian shook his head faintly.

...

Although she was clearly somewhat shaken by the word Nightmare, the old lady ultimately didn't make things difficult for a poor, dazed man, motioning for Fu Qian to go rest.

Readily accepting good advice, Fu Qian finally entered the expensive quarters rented by the missing Anke, sitting down in an easy chair that looked like a genuine antique.

The equally aged room had been tidied up spotlessly, possibly a requirement the landlady imposed on her tenants.

There weren't many belongings, but to his relief, he spotted several sets of seemingly unworn clothes right in plain sight. They were of high quality, likely newly purchased by the ambitious Brother Anke.

The salary at the Art Gallery was almost absurdly good.

Fu Qian sat quietly for a few minutes, giving a supposed daze victim a reasonable amount of time to adjust. Then, he got up, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and went downstairs looking "a little more spirited."

"Feeling better? Have a cup of tea."

Unsurprisingly, Mrs. Harper was sitting properly nearby, gesturing for Fu Qian to come over and chat.

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