Eldritch Horror Theatre

"So that's how it is... I actually overlooked it back then..."

Muttering echoed through the dim Corridor.

This was not the man from earlier who sat by the window gazing at the sky; this was already deep inside the West District Church of the Celestial Sphere Cult.

The speaker was a much younger cultist with a sharp chin and piercing eyes.

He wore the classic dark robes, with the only difference being that the delicate gold-threaded patterns on his cape were sparse.

While it possessed the same striking beauty at a glance, it was noticeably simpler.

By simple logic, this seemed to indicate that compared to people like Amira, this man's cultivation was still quite shallow.

As for the evidence supporting this deduction—the man sitting rigidly at the end of the Corridor was clearly guarding the door beside him.

Such an entry-level duty was usually left to novices.

But epiphany was clearly not that simple. Soon, his expression turned vacant and pained.

"Wait, this doesn't seem right... Was I wrong? No, impossible... It has to be right..."

His rapid flip-flopping thoughts fully reflected the confusion of a novice.

With great courtesy, Fu Qian remained hidden to the side, not interrupting him.

"That's right... The enlightenment appeared a long time ago, yet I didn't even realize it back then!"

The man proved worthy of Fu Qian's courtesy. Half a minute later, his eyes suddenly shone as bright as stars, and he clenched his fists, springing to his feet.

"I need to go back, right now..."

His tone grew firm, and he cast his gaze toward the door beside him.

His sworn duty and the fleeting serendipity of his insight violently tugged against one another.

"Just for a little bit... No one would be stupid enough to sneak into the Church at night. I just need to head back for a second. With the door open, no one will even notice..."

Serendipity clearly gained the upper hand in an instant.

After glancing around and confirming that no one was in sight, he gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

Taking a deep breath, he pulled a uniquely shaped Key from his robes and inserted it into the keyhole behind him.

With a soft click, the door opened. The man hurried off into the distance, never looking back.

"Full of energy, isn't he!"

Watching this scene unfold, Fu Qian stepped out from behind a Statue and sighed in admiration.

Though he had been standing in a clever patch of shadow, someone passing by could have spotted him easily with just a little attention.

Unfortunately, caught in the throes of violent emotional fluctuations, the man had long since cast aside such caution.

Fu Qian took a step forward and smoothly pushed the door open.

What he had done just now was quite simple: activate Lucid Dream and let an imperceptible "voice" tell the man to find an incredibly urgent excuse to abandon his post.

It proved that the youth was indeed ambitious and eager; the very first excuse that came to his mind was reclaiming a missed Revelation of the Stars.

Theoretically, Fu Qian didn't need to go through all this trouble. He could have just taken advantage of the man's dream-induced struggle and opened the door himself.

But that obviously wouldn't be elegant enough, and it would tarnish the name of the Blood Clan.

In fact, to make it all the way here, Fu Qian had already left behind a trail of elegantly manipulated victims.

And from the looks of it, this was likely the penultimate one.

...

Behind the door was still a Corridor, but every part of it was built from a dark, night-like crystal.

Under the lamplight, faint starlight even seemed to twinkle within them.

This included the ground beneath his feet.

Walking through it felt like stepping into a mystical realm that did not belong to the mortal world.

He had reached the core hinterland of the Church.

And according to what the first victim had mentioned, Brother Olinter hadn't left this place once since he returned.

This statement was clearly true, because a moment later, Fu Qian sensed a familiar aura.

This visit to see an old friend was truly going smoothly.

...

Without stopping, Fu Qian strolled openly through this vital stronghold of The Order, only coming to a halt before a door.

He faced no obstructions whatsoever along the way.

It seemed just as the fellow from earlier had suggested: The Order didn't believe for a second that anyone would trespass here at this hour, so their defenses were exceedingly lax.

Even the door to the room where Brother Olinter was recovering from his injuries was left ajar.

Without needing to open it, Fu Qian clearly knew that his old friend Olinter was sitting alone by the window, as motionless as a wooden puppet.

There wasn't even anyone attending to him, or standing guard.

When they parted ways a few days ago, he had promised to visit, and Olinter had no reason to hide that fact.

And no matter how crazy and incomprehensible it sounded, it was impossible for The Order to remain completely indifferent to it.

So theoretically, while Olinter received careful treatment, he should have been surrounded by numerous executioners, ready to strike down the mad intruder at the slightest sign of trouble. That would have been the expected picture.

Yet the reason for this current cold neglect seemed quite obvious—several days had passed since the agreed time, and there was no sense in keeping up their guard against a thief forever.

Because he had delayed his visit for so long, even Olinter's intelligence had been cast into doubt.

Fu Qian let out a long sigh, reached out to knock twice, and pushed the door open without waiting for a response.

The old friend remains awake?

Apologies, He Mou is late.

...

The lamplight was no larger than a bean.

In a hall that could not be considered small, the only light came from a weak oil lamp lit behind Brother Olinter.

And this dim light seemed particularly powerless to dispel the darkness, only managing to illuminate a tiny area around Olinter.

The rest of the room felt as if it had been buried in tangible shadows, so much so that even Fu Qian's night vision struggled to discern the details.

Heh...

The sound of the door opening clearly didn't escape Olinter.

But he lacked all of his previous sharp decisiveness. It wasn't until Fu Qian stopped not far behind him that he let out a heavy, world-weary sigh, still not even turning around.

"I knew you would definitely come."

"Tied down by mundane matters, I am truly unworthy of such trust."

Fu Qian also shook his head with a sigh. Instead of moving closer, he walked over to a nearby seat and sat down.

"Just as I expected..."

Only then did Olinter turn slightly to look. Faced with Fu Qian's new look, he actually didn't seem too surprised.

"This face is still the one most fitting for the name Herbert."

"You flatter me... I haven't shown this face to anyone in a very long time."

Fu Qian laughed heartily and similarly looked the man up and down.

"You look pretty good yourself."

"Are you sure?"

Olinter smiled strangely and turned the other half of his face around.

Exposed white bone, corroded flesh, and a bloody eye—compared to his intact half, it formed a shocking, terrifying contrast.

"Of course. You look like you're recovering quite well."

Fu Qian continued to nod, his tone entirely sincere.

It was just a little disfigurement. He had been referring to the Dimensional Poison all along.

This method, which caused headaches for even a Deity, now showed absolutely no traces.

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