Eldritch Horror Theatre

As expected, it was the classic point in time.

All these Nightmares seemed to have appeared alongside the Mist.

Lady Raven's answer wasn't entirely unexpected, and Fu Qian quickly pressed on.

"What about before that?"

"Before that? There was nothing... At least as far as I know, no one woke up earlier than I did."

Lady Raven looked slightly confused.

"Not here. I mean in reality, before that."

"Well... over there, my circumstances weren't quite so favorable. I was just a middle-aged woman struggling to make a living, and I looked nowhere near as young as I do now."

Frowning slightly, unable to grasp the intent behind Fu Qian's question, Lady Raven touched her face as she answered.

"Then the Stars bestowed their boon upon you and guided you."

Fu Qian smiled meaningfully.

"And compared to the luxury before you, the honor of being chosen was clearly superior."

"Mister Grimshaw's words seem to carry a hidden meaning. Are you trying to say that better circumstances are my standard for determining which side is real?"

This remark clearly sparked Lady Raven's displeasure, and her expression turned icy.

"Otherwise? How did you confirm it?"

Fu Qian's smile did not fade.

"Is it because one side has the Transcendent Tier and the other doesn't? It's obvious that both have it now."

When she remained silent, he continued bluntly.

"And according to you, traversal between the two sides isn't controlled, and the flow of time on both is nearly identical. What essential difference is there?"

"So why couldn't it be the wealthy you dreaming of the struggling you?"

...

"That really is hard to argue against..."

Under the barrage of questions, Lady Raven finally spoke, her voice slow.

"I am absolutely certain that my judgment is supported by more than just that gift, but I obviously have no way to convince you... because you are not me, and you cannot experience what I feel."

"However, I think I have shown enough sincerity in cooperating. Can you now produce a reason to convince me that the Stars are just an illusion, and that the Dark Moon is the root of all blessing?"

By the end, her tone carried a hint of impatience, signaling they were speaking at cross-purposes.

"No."

Unfortunately for her, Fu Qian's rejection remained incomparably smooth.

"You..."

No matter how much composure Lady Raven possessed, she still gritted her teeth and stood up, a murderous glint in her eyes.

"Just like the reason you can't convince me, personal experience cannot be conveyed through words."

Fu Qian's reaction remained perfectly calm.

"Before you vent your anger, do you want to tell me what reason you think could actually convince you?"

...

This single rhetorical question actually made Lady Raven's anger stall, and she fell silent once more.

"See? Even you can't think of one."

Fu Qian's smile carried a hint of mockery.

"To put it bluntly, the purpose of this conversation was never to let yourself be convinced, but merely to refute my reasoning."

"Given that time is precious, I suggest we don't waste it on this kind of linguistic art."

"Are you saying there's no need to continue this conversation?"

Lady Raven sounded as if she was ready to turn on her heel and leave.

"Of course there is. Don't be in a rush."

Fu Qian gestured for her to sit down and be patient.

"You didn't seem to listen carefully. Experience cannot be conveyed, but having skipped the meaningless philosophical debate and communicated the meaningful questions, I can let you experience it personally."

As he spoke, Fu Qian pointed a finger above his head.

His meaning was obvious. In a moment, he would personally call upon the might of the Dark Moon, allowing Lady Raven the experience of being personally on the scene.

"You'd better remember what you said."

Her expression shifted several times before she seemingly made up her mind, actually accepting his suggestion and sitting back down.

"Let me think... Since its establishment, your organization hasn't had a direct conflict with the kind of thing we saw tonight, right?"

Fu Qian looked gratified by this and didn't waste any time.

"We haven't even seen one."

Lady Raven hesitated for a moment before responding coldly.

"All along, I've only had a slight feeling that what we were facing wasn't a cold, impersonal predicament, but real, watching eyes. That is also why I demanded everyone act with caution."

"Mariana and the others executed that reasonably well."

After giving the team members a positive review, Fu Qian noticed the strange look on Lady Raven's face.

"You don't think those three things were actors I hired, do you?"

"More than that."

She didn't deny it, giving a cold laugh.

"Given the current situation, I don't think I can even rule out the possibility that you work for the Nightmare."

"That does make some sense."

Fu Qian looked thoughtful and actually agreed with her.

"Compared to capturing you, starting from the root and creating an illusion to directly attack your organization's core philosophy definitely sounds like a much more vicious trick—especially since I showed up so coincidentally."

"That is why I advise you not to forget your promise. If you can't prove some of these claims, the consequences will be severe."

Lady Raven's words were not without a hint of threat.

"Don't worry, I won't. My final question is about Esther. Why is she special?"

Fu Qian showed that he had taken the warning to heart.

"Because she is the only one whose appearance upon waking is completely different from how she looks in the Nightmare."

This question made Lady Raven look slightly troubled, but she eventually answered.

"And I can feel that her significance to the Nightmare is different, so I am very much looking forward to her performance after she grows up."

So it really was like that.

Although Lady Raven likely had reservations and hadn't explained in full detail, she had still confirmed his previous guess.

As for the Nightmare, Esther's uniqueness stemmed from the obvious Dislocation between her personality and her body, a fact he also recognized.

Unfortunately, "after she grows up" was something he obviously didn't have the time to wait for.

In fact, there wasn't much time left for this conversation anyway.

"Thank you for the answers. This really has been a pleasant conversation."

Taking a breath, Fu Qian stood up in satisfaction.

"Now it's time to fulfill my promise."

"Good. I'm looking forward to it."

Lady Raven's anger didn't seem to have faded, and she offered a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"There's no need to be so restrained."

Fu Qian blinked.

"Considering there are quite a few spectators, should we head outside?"

...

This bizarre question obviously delivered a heavy impact.

Lady Raven abruptly stood up once more, and wisps of scarlet, raven-like feathers actually began sprouting from her body.

"What do you mean? There are only the two of us here."

"I mean you can have the rest of them drop their disguises and openly come experience it together."

As he spoke, Fu Qian held up two fingers.

"I believe there really were only two of you in the beginning, to show your sincerity in our exchange."

"But after realizing just now that you had no chance of refuting my reasons, are you sure you didn't execute Plan B and call for backup?"

"I don't think you're actually interested in experiencing the Dark Moon. Frankly, given your current situation, coming here today meant you were only willing to accept two outcomes—exposing my Lie, or making sure I never have the chance to lie again."

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