Eldritch Horror Theatre

"I know it might be a bit shocking, but unfortunately, we never promised where our final destination would be."

The Mist surged like a waterfall, boundless and endless, almost enough to induce a visceral fear of the unknown.

While Fu Qian admired this bizarre spectacle, Reginald clearly abandoned any hope that he might answer the previous question and changed the subject.

"Please step out. We'll need to travel the rest of the way on foot."

Before Fu Qian could say anything, he gestured toward the door.

...

With a crisp crack of the whip, the carriage quickly turned and departed, almost looking as if it were fleeing in panic.

After Fu Qian answered the call and stepped down first, Amira and Reginald solemnly followed him like shadows.

Sure enough, Simon—the Hunter who claimed he was just hitching a ride—stepped down as well. He locked his eyes on Fu Qian, making no secret of his intent to escort a prisoner.

Under the watch of those six eyes, Fu Qian sized up this corner that felt like the edge of the world, deeply touched by how highly they valued his presence.

The carriage retreated down a narrow dirt road. The path was clear and quiet; following it with his eyes, he could see Laerdin bathed in the morning sun.

But in the opposite direction lay a heavy wall of Mist. It didn't recede in the slightest beneath the dawn's glow, swirling like primordial chaos.

And that was clearly the path this group was meant to take.

"I will explain the specifics to you once we reach our destination. For now, how do you feel? Has the clear moonlight guiding you offered any insights?"

Reginald humanely gave him a few seconds to take it all in before asking for his thoughts, his voice cold.

"I feel deeply gratified. My will has never been firmer than it is right now."

Hearing this, Fu Qian finally pulled his gaze back, his tone brimming with emotion.

"Gratified?"

Even Amira frowned and looked over, seemingly trying to confirm if he was just feigning composure.

"I don't quite understand why you brought me here, but the edge of the world is right in front of us. Are you still going to tell me this isn't a Nightmare?"

Fu Qian scoffed. As he spoke, he stepped forward, looking as though he wanted to embrace this chaotic Mist.

The edge of the world... Did he think this Mist was the boundary of a dream?

This exceptionally fresh perspective undoubtedly shocked the members of The Order.

"Very well. Welcome to the Edge of Nightmare."

It seemed his excellency Reginald had finally witnessed the invincibility of faith. Giving up on attacking Fu Qian's point of view, he simply stepped forward to follow.

"I hope you can maintain your gratification."

"Thank you for the blessing. I hope you can dispel your fear."

Fu Qian replied politely.

"Fear?"

Unfortunately, Reginald reacted rather intensely to that word, instantly snapping back with a cold question.

"If you aren't afraid, then why are you blabbering so much?"

Without even turning his head, Fu Qian was the first to step into the Mist.

...

Reginald clearly wanted to retort, but after struggling for a moment, he found himself rendered speechless.

Everything had a motive. In such an important operation, Fu Qian didn't think merely suppressing his arrogance was enough to warrant such a pointless conversation.

But if it was an excuse to regulate his own emotions, that made perfect sense.

And it wasn't just Reginald. Even Amira, who was always dutiful, hadn't spoken up to stop him earlier.

Including right now.

The two silent clerics were soon met with the gaze of a pair of icy eyes.

The Hunter Simon clearly possessed much higher Mental Resistance, and his tolerance for his two teammates adjusting their emotions had evidently reached its limit.

A moment later, he silently stepped forward, maintaining his distance behind Fu Qian.

Reginald and Amira finally abandoned any thoughts of defending themselves.

"Our destination is a Small Town to the southwest. There are no forks in the road; we simply need to keep following this path."

Quickly catching up and forming one point of the triangle once again, Amira introduced the goal of their trip to Fu Qian.

Perhaps to deny her own fear, she painted a rather optimistic picture.

"That does sound simple."

Fu Qian nodded without asking further questions, sizing up his surroundings.

The group had completely entered the dense Mist. Even from such a short distance, the faces of his three escorts were obscured, fading in and out of sight.

"So you guys are planning to eat breakfast once we reach the town?"

...

Amira looked as if she didn't know how to respond.

"A small human settlement—that's my definition of a Small Town. Don't tell me they can't even provide a single breakfast?"

Fu Qian gave her an odd look.

"...You'll know once we get there."

Amira finally gave a non-committal answer.

"I'm looking forward to it."

Fu Qian didn't press the issue. He slowed his pace and, under the watchful eyes of the trio, deviated slightly from the path and walked to the side of the road.

Clink!

He flicked his finger out into the Mist, producing the crisp sound of clashing metal.

The next moment, Fu Qian reached out and pulled something from the ground.

It was a somewhat flashy Rapier. The gilded pommel was incredibly exquisite, and although the various gemstone ornaments were coated in dust, they still couldn't hide its splendor. One glance was enough to tell it was crafted by a master.

However, not only was it currently stuck by the side of this dirt road, but its long, narrow blade was already heavily rusted, bearing the deep marks of time.

"No wonder it was inconvenient for the carriage to keep going."

Returning to the group, Fu Qian toyed with his new find, a look of realization on his face.

"The road conditions around here are a bit poor."

...

The three-person escort team showed considerable tolerance for Fu Qian's unauthorized action. Even Order Hunter Simon merely stood in place, staring at him intently.

However, under this scrutiny, Fu Qian's excessively bizarre train of thought clearly shocked them all over again.

"It's quite valuable. More decorative than practical. It is indeed a bit strange to find such a thing on the road."

Eventually, Amira gathered her wits. After inspecting it, she chimed in.

"It's not that hard to understand. For instance, the fellow who owned this didn't really need to use a sword, but encountered an unexpected accident and was forced to fight. And, of course, he failed in the end."

Fu Qian offered this casual remark while signaling them to keep moving.

"So what kind of accident do you think it was?"

This time, it was the Hunter Simon who spoke. His voice betrayed no emotion.

"Hard to say. But one thing is for sure: whatever caused the accident clearly didn't care about this weapon's high value—"

Fu Qian suddenly stopped in his tracks again, staring into the path deep within the Mist.

"Is there a problem?"

Without a sound, a standard Broadsword had appeared in Simon's hand. In contrast to the Rapier, its style was distinctly practical, making his question sound rather ominous.

"Yes."

Fu Qian continued staring straight ahead as he gave an affirmative answer.

With a flash of rust, he threw the valuable spoil of war straight out in front of him.

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