Eldritch Horror Theatre

This Underground Prison was undoubtedly a rather magnificent structure.

Disguised as a jailer, Fu Qian walked silently through the corridors.

The robe was clearly too large, and its stiff fabric made it quite uncomfortable to wear.

Still, considering the state of its original owner, it made sense.

With skin like that, he most likely wouldn't have felt any chafing anyway.

Gathering information as he walked, Fu Qian soon constructed a mental map of the prison's layout.

His current task was to get out of here.

Having pinpointed a few potential exits, he used them as his targets, constantly adjusting his route and taking detours when necessary.

There were quite a few kettle-carrying jailers in the prison, all on constant patrol.

Fortunately, the space was large enough to provide ample room to maneuver, allowing him to minimize head-on encounters.

This maze-like detour lasted for nearly an hour. Along the way, Fu Qian even spotted jailers escorting new prisoners.

Unsurprisingly, every new prisoner was just like his original self, their bodies reflecting a strange white light. They were the so-called Colorless.

This place wasn't a prison; it was a burial pit.

Recalling the scene in his cell, Fu Qian silently came to this conclusion.

Though he didn't know what harm these Colorless posed, someone was undoubtedly rounding them up to be guarded by these bizarre jailers.

And the jailers didn't just keep them locked up; they even took on the role of death hasteners.

For example, they constantly added oil to keep the lamps inside the cells from going out.

He had tested it earlier—that lamplight was incredibly lethal to the Colorless.

One by one, the Colorless rapidly faded away in the prison.

An hour later, this thrilling game of Pac-Man finally came to an end. Following the route the Colorless had been escorted along, Fu Qian arrived at a potential exit.

This should be it!

Before him was an upward spiral staircase, winding so high the top was out of sight.

Fu Qian didn't rush to climb it. Instead, he stood in place and waited.

Soon, a wave of neurological confusion washed over him. He quickly adjusted and adapted his body, making sure not to show any signs of abnormality.

About a minute later, having acclimated to this new pattern of sensory confusion, he stepped onto the stairs and headed up.

The staircase was clearly ancient. He climbed steadily upward amidst a chorus of creaks.

Only when the sensation of confusion faded did he finally reach the top.

To his mild surprise, even though the door ahead was only slightly ajar, he could already hear a clamor of voices outside.

Peering through the crack in the door, Fu Qian discovered the outside wasn't some desolate wasteland as he had imagined, but rather a bustling area full of people.

After a moment's thought, he took out a few Items, quickly stripped off the robe, and tossed it into a hidden corner.

Once that was done, he straightened his clothes and pushed the door open.

Almost instantly, the surrounding chatter ceased, and countless pairs of eyes zeroed in on his face.

Fu Qian paid them no mind. Instead, his immediate reaction was to look up at the sky.

Against the azure canopy, several streaks of brilliant, multicolored light hung in the air, each taking a different shape and shining with dazzling radiance.

An aurora?

It looked a bit like one, but it was clearly broad daylight.

Staring at this unprecedented sight, Fu Qian felt a profound sense of disbelief.

He had just counted seven streaks of light in total, but more importantly, the silhouette of one perfectly matched the pattern on his iron fragment.

To think such a thing exists!

In this bizarre world, Fu Qian refused to believe the two were unrelated.

What in the world is that?

A source of power? An astrological faith? The light of the Transcendent Tier?

However, before he could observe it any closer, a scream rang out.

"You... how did you get out?"

A young man stammered, pointing right at him.

Why are you yelling so loud? Do I even know you?

Fu Qian grumbled inwardly, but judging by the man's reaction, they undoubtedly knew each other.

The young man's eyes darted around as he studied Fu Qian in sheer alarm.

A moment later, his gaze dropped to the scales on Fu Qian's arm, and his expression warped into absolute horror.

"You've..."

Still ignoring him, Fu Qian surveyed his surroundings.

He was standing next to a clock tower-like structure. The door he had just walked through was built right into its side wall.

And the onlookers surrounding him—men, women, old, and young alike—were all dressed rather unusually.

This place is a bit weird! Why does it feel so different from the other mission zones?

Recalling the anomalies at the start of the mission, his ominous premonition grew heavier.

Just then, the crowd parted, and a squad of people hurried over.

The squad consisted of five people, all wearing matching black trench coats with weapons at their waists. Their auras were quite formidable.

Compared to the surrounding crowd of onlookers, this squad possessed vastly superior martial strength.

The leader was a woman in her forties or fifties who looked rather intellectual.

She strode up and examined Fu Qian with a solemn expression for a long time before finally speaking.

"Hello. Could you explain the current situation?"

"Two days ago, we received a report. Given the signs of color loss on your body, we threw you into the Underground Prison, but now..."

The woman looked over his body.

"Not only did you walk right out, but you seem to have Awakened?"

"I have. It's quite peaceful down there—truly an excellent spot for Chan meditation and enlightenment. I cast aside all stray thoughts, achieved absolute clarity of mind, and quickly Awakened."

Fu Qian spouted utter nonsense.

Down there was a good place for Chan meditation?

The woman frowned deeply, clearly not buying a single word of his story.

With a wave of her hand, the people behind her immediately stepped forward and encircled him.

They clearly treated the Colorless like some catastrophic scourge.

Glancing at the people around him, Fu Qian had a rough idea why the Colorless were treated that way.

The condition was probably viewed like an infectious disease here. He had even been reported and arrested because of it.

And judging by their reactions, he could safely conclude that almost no Colorless sent down there ever made it back.

Thinking back on it, his senior cellmate must have known what fate awaited him and prepared in advance.

He had probably intended to rely on the two Items he smuggled in to make a desperate push to Awaken, thereby escaping his tragic fate.

Unfortunately, even after swallowing a spiked stone to keep himself lucid, he still failed to succeed before the death hasteners ended him.

As the standoff continued, another figure hurried over from afar. Before they even arrived, they caught sight of Fu Qian and couldn't hide their shock.

"It really is Dragon Communion!"

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