Eldritch Horror Theatre

In truth, as a young man with a rather unconventional mind, Fu Qian rarely harbored fantasies about being a Chosen One.

In his view, thinking of himself as the center of the world was both boring and stupid.

At most, a person could only ever be the center of their own world, and many couldn't even manage that.

The benefit of this mindset was that Fu Qian rarely expected to get something for nothing. If a windfall ever did drop right into his lap, his first reaction would be to suspect a conspiracy.

For example, if a beautiful woman suddenly rushed up and kissed him on the street, his first thought wouldn't be that his charm was boundless, but rather a suspicion that she had just eaten shit!

So, faced with this sudden Chosen One treatment, he only grew more vigilant.

Of course, the Priest and the Countess clearly looked thrilled, practically rushing him outside without a moment's pause.

A large crowd of citizens had already gathered outside.

After the Priest delivered an impassioned announcement of the verification results, the crowd instantly erupted.

If everything the Priest said was true, then in this place, only by becoming a member of a sequence could one obtain a true sense of security.

After all, nobody wanted to wake up only to face those death hasteners!

Which brought him back to his original question.

Fu Qian glanced at the Priest and the Countess beside him.

Did these people really not care about how he had gotten out?

He was the Light of Hope now, so it probably wouldn't be a big deal even if they found out.

But not asking a single question about it still felt a bit strange.

At that moment, the Clock Tower not far away chimed the hour.

Fu Qian noticed that the Countess froze for a second, then seemed to think of something, her gaze toward him becoming a little strange.

Had they finally noticed the problem?

Fu Qian wondered, only to see the Countess lean in and whisper a few words into the Priest's ear.

The latter also paused slightly, offered a few more words of encouragement to the crowd, and then dispersed the fanatical masses.

Leading Fu Qian all the way into a small room, the Priest looked at him with a hint of hesitation.

"Is there nothing physically wrong with you?"

"What could be wrong with me?"

Fu Qian had assumed the two were going to question him about his prison break. He hadn't expected them to actually be concerned about his health.

"The cost."

The Countess shook her head, looking at Fu Qian in disbelief.

"Those who receive the light must cast shadows. Every sequence comes with an innate cost."

"And the cost of the Dragon Communion Sequence..."

The Priest frowned.

"Is an intermittent loss of physical control. Normally, it happens once every hour."

"A full hour has passed since then, yet you haven't shown any abnormalities. That in itself is an anomaly."

Between the Priest and the Countess chiming in, they finally made the matter clear.

So that was what they were wondering about.

Fu Qian thought to himself.

Of course, it wasn't that he hadn't experienced any abnormalities; in fact, he had just gone through a bout of it.

It was just that after his recent practice, he was able to retain enough control over his limbs to perform basic movements whenever that chaotic state set in.

Although he couldn't exert any real strength, it was at least enough to keep him from collapsing onto the floor.

However, Fu Qian wasn't in a hurry to answer. Instead, he looked at the two people in front of him and asked a question in return.

"I don't seem to have witnessed either of your costs, though?"

Us?

The two exchanged a glance, and the Priest shook his head with a sigh.

"You really don't remember anything."

"The costs of different sequences manifest in different ways."

"Dragon Communion is the most aggressive of all the sequences, and its anomalies are the most obvious."

"As for the Spire Sequence I belong to, the anomaly is continuous. Specifically, it manifests as an overwhelming urge to kill that must be constantly suppressed. In fact, that is exactly why I am here."

"And what about her?"

Fu Qian looked at the Countess again.

"The Countess belongs to the Astral Sequence. Her cost is somewhat similar to yours."

The Priest pondered for a moment.

Similar?

"Excuse me for a moment."

Just as Fu Qian was wondering what it could be, the Countess spoke up suddenly, turning around and leaving the room without waiting for a reply from either of them.

"What is it?"

Fu Qian looked at the Priest.

"Periodic, intense lust."

Taking advantage of her absence, the Priest spoke quickly.

No wonder!

Fu Qian recalled that the Countess's face had looked a bit strange right before she left.

The Countess had exquisite facial features, but her overall aura functioned as a built-in mood killer; she was the absolute last person to evoke any thoughts of lust.

He never expected her cost to be exactly that.

The Priest let out a breath.

"Within a sequence, as one's abilities increase, the anomaly also becomes more severe. In fact, many people in the Astral Sequence have to resort to self-harm for relief."

Understood.

Fu Qian nodded.

"I remember you mentioned that there are currently three sequences. What's the other one?"

"You've already seen them."

Those jailers!

Fu Qian instantly understood what the Priest meant.

"That's right, they belong to the Radiant Stone Sequence."

"The benefit of the Radiant Stone Sequence is its extreme defensive power and a significantly extended lifespan. The cost is slowed reflexes and a vulnerability to light."

No wonder that group was wrapped up so tightly from head to toe.

"Which is why almost all of them live in the Underground."

"I understand. Actually, my anomaly hasn't disappeared."

After figuring out the whole situation, Fu Qian spoke directly.

Considering his mission, it would be unavoidable for him to interact with these people later on. It was best to eliminate any unnecessary suspicion.

"I still intermittently lose control. I've just managed to adapt to it a little through practice; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to get out of the prison."

Get out of the prison...

The Priest seemed to realize something.

"How exactly did you get out just now?"

"I killed my way out."

Fu Qian looked completely nonchalant.

He was the Light of Hope now. He was extremely confident that the Priest wouldn't do anything to him, so there was no need to hide it.

...

"There was actually no need to resort to violence. If you had just communicated with them and confirmed that the colorless curse was gone, they likely would have let you out."

Staring at Fu Qian for a long time, the Priest finally spoke.

Fu Qian certainly didn't think so.

The amount of force he had used at the time was basically the equivalent of a pat on the shoulder, yet that guy had immediately drawn his weapon. He hadn't looked the least bit friendly.

"I tried communicating, but they seemed to prefer using body language."

"...Alright then, don't worry about it. I will handle this matter when the time comes."

The Priest said, shaking his head.

"What's going on?"

A short while later, the Countess returned, no trace of anything unusual left on her face. She noticed the strange expressions on both men.

The Priest wasn't planning on hiding it from her, so he recounted everything regarding the cost and the prison break.

So that was it!

The Countess also looked genuinely shocked after hearing the story.

"You don't need to worry about the prison incident... Did you really resist the anomaly purely through willpower?"

"Barely."

"That's already incredibly impressive!"

The Countess offered a rare display of exaggerated praise.

"Going forward, we'll need you to make public appearances as often as possible. It will have a great boosting effect on morale."

"No problem. In fact, I have an even better idea—like joining your team."

Fu Qian looked at the Countess.

"Rather than just being a mascot, I'd prefer to investigate the colorless curse."

His latest mission was to investigate the truth behind the increase in the Colorless, which aligned perfectly with the work she was doing. Joining her was truly the most fitting choice.

Join the team?

The Countess was clearly a bit surprised by Fu Qian's proposal, but after hesitating for a few seconds, she agreed.

"That is even better, of course."

"Actually, we already have a target right now."

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