Eldritch Horror Theatre

"I brought him."

As Fu Qian took in his surroundings, the Sanctuary Madam called out toward the ruins of the Small Chapel.

The response was immediate. Several men in the exact same attire snapped their heads up in unison, clearly having waited a long time for this.

"A pleasure,"

Fu Qian said with a smile, unfazed by the attention as he studied the building that was now little more than a foundation.

It was a stark contrast to the scene in the Nightmare. The destruction went far beyond natural decay—it looked as though a passing Godzilla had stomped it into the dirt.

It was hard not to wonder what exactly had happened here.

"Which one is Excellency Prout?"

But that didn't diminish Fu Qian's eagerness to meet the man. He turned to Amira and asked.

Although the higher-ups of The Order hadn't spoken up, considering they had summoned him here specifically to speak with Excellency Prout, there seemed to be no point in hiding his identity.

Amira hesitated for a moment before answering in a hushed voice.

Just as he thought.

Unsurprised, Fu Qian gazed into the depths of the Church.

...

Prout was the only person present who was seated and wearing a long robe.

He wore the same exquisite cape as the others, and his frame was noticeably large. He sported a thick beard, yet it could hardly conceal his sickly, pale complexion.

He was also the only Sanctuary member who wasn't currently scrutinizing Fu Qian.

With his eyes shut tight and his face slightly contorted, the man was clearly in terrible shape.

Of course, he wasn't the only person seated.

Scattered around the Plaza, several other figures sat in silence, slumped in various postures.

Fu Qian easily spotted Harriet among them, along with the guy who had his neck bitten and several other familiar faces.

Just as he suspected, he wasn't the only source of pollution in the Nightmare.

Though he was undoubtedly the most troublesome one.

Fu Qian was fairly certain that Excellency Prout's current state was the direct result of his own overzealous stimulation.

That probably explained the unfriendly glares from the rest of the Sanctuary members.

"Encore... Seventh Apostle..."

His brief exchange with Amira hadn't gone unnoticed. A moment later, the oldest Sanctuary member finally spoke up, his gaze practically radiating intimidating authority.

"May I ask, what exactly is the Dark Moon that grants you guidance?"

"Are you sure you want to ask that? Didn't I already explain it?"

Unfortunately for the elder, Fu Qian clearly wasn't intimidated. He simply frowned and shot the question back, sounding like a teacher telling a student to check their notes.

"Or are you trying to tell me you couldn't hear what I said right here earlier?"

Fu Qian was naturally referring to his exchange with the blind Old Lady back in the Church.

In fact, as he spoke, he had already swept his gaze over the other participants in the area and noted her absence.

Reginald had been right about one thing: maintaining a cordial relationship with The Order was now completely out of the question.

So, even though he had shown up for this little exchange, he had zero interest in wasting time on pointless questions.

"I'm actually not surprised by your answer in the slightest."

The elder didn't bristle at Fu Qian's retort; instead, he gave a slight nod.

"We heard you perfectly well, and it seems you truly do not value the opportunity to demonstrate your sincerity."

"Excellency Pfeiffer!"

Clearly not expecting the conversation to derail so quickly, Amira couldn't help but interject in a panic.

The situation had long since spiraled out of her control, but from her perspective, while the man's mental state was questionable, he hadn't attacked anyone unprovoked and had generally cooperated with The Order's demands.

As the person initially in charge of his case, she had never abandoned hope for a peaceful resolution.

"You've done well."

The Sanctuary elder known as Pfeiffer didn't mind her interruption, even offering a nod of praise.

"Not just now, but throughout this entire ordeal. In fact, I believe your efforts might be exactly why Mr. Encore feels we are still worthy of guidance."

Before Amira could offer a humble reply, Pfeiffer turned his attention back to Fu Qian.

"I must say, Mr. Encore, you have brought us surprise after surprise."

"And yet, you all remain stubbornly blind."

Showing zero inclination for modesty himself, Fu Qian let out a regretful sigh.

Heh.

Listening from the sidelines, the Sanctuary Madam who had escorted him here let out a series of cold scoffs.

"So, what exactly counts as being enlightened? Converting to the Dark Moon?"

"Unnecessary."

Despite her obvious sarcasm, Fu Qian answered with deadpan seriousness.

"It merely dispatched an apostle to deliver the truth. All you need to do is wake up."

...

Truly, there was no arguing with a fanatic. Fu Qian's remarkably open-minded answer left them even more speechless than if he had actively picked a fight.

The Sanctuary Madam took a deep breath and finally abandoned her pointless sarcasm.

"Understood."

Pfeiffer's composure ran far deeper. He didn't take offense, instead opting to offer an apology.

"First, I must apologize for making some test arrangements without your consent."

"You guessed correctly. That was indeed a Nightmare. The original Small Town faded into history a long time ago."

"To be perfectly honest, the Nightmare wasn't initially targeted at you or them."

Pfeiffer gestured toward the people scattered around the Plaza.

"The public will eventually need to know the truth about what lies within the Mist. We hoped to learn more about the discarded pieces before making that announcement, which is why we opened this dangerous channel."

It was exactly as he'd thought.

Pfeiffer's explanation confirmed some of his earlier theories—namely, that his own involvement had been an impromptu addition to their plans.

There was a reason people said you had to create your own opportunities—the harder you worked, the luckier you got.

For a fleeting moment, Fu Qian practically radiated the aura of a self-help guru.

"In fact, that wasn't the first dreamscape we've run these past few days, but it was absolutely the most chaotic."

Pfeiffer shot a glance toward Prout.

"Mr. Encore, the shock you delivered exceeded anything we could have imagined. Prout had to exert a tremendous amount of effort just to keep the Nightmare from collapsing prematurely..."

"But the results proved it was worth it—even if only for that final spectacle."

Staring intently at Fu Qian, Pfeiffer finally posed his main question.

"So, how exactly did you do it?"

"So, how exactly do you expect me to answer?"

Although Pfeiffer had played the diplomat perfectly, Fu Qian shook his head with a long, drawn-out sigh.

"That I infiltrated the Nightmare you controlled, exploited a special blessing, fabricated an illusion of the Dark Moon eclipsing the Stars, and literally stole the daylight?"

"Do you really not know the answer? Or are you simply too impatient to wait for Excellency Prout to wake up so you can ask him yourself? Or perhaps you need me to provide an explanation right now so you can pit it against whatever conclusion Excellency Prout comes up with later?"

...

Faced with this barrage of questions, even the usually unflappable Pfeiffer stiffened.

"You know what you saw in the sky earlier was real. You're just refusing to accept it."

Unwilling to let them off the hook, Fu Qian sighed again.

"What makes you think I'd help you lie to yourselves?"

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