Eldritch Horror Theatre

"I'm glad we could reach a consensus."

It was obvious that this remarkably smooth exchange had left the four leaders of the Fallen Star Clan a little overwhelmed.

But Fu Qian's tone and demeanor were so natural they carried an inherent persuasiveness.

So much so that after agreeing with his aversion to wasting time, Frankie responded quickly and pointed to the side.

"It's just ahead."

"Alright."

Vividly demonstrating his point, Fu Qian offered only a single-word reply before following the gesture with his eyes.

They were undoubtedly deep in the Underground by now. Compared to earlier, the Corridor had narrowed considerably.

And Frankie was pointing straight to the end of the Corridor, toward a sealed entrance.

The concealed lowest level of this secret facility at the bottom of the lake truly maximized the sense of mystery.

Of course, it also felt entirely like a prison, the sort of place that easily conjured thoughts of having one's legs broken and being chained up in the dark for twelve years.

Amid these silent praises, Fu Qian did not hesitate in the slightest, taking the lead as he walked straight ahead.

Wasn't this taking "not wasting time" a bit too far?

The members of the Fallen Star Clan, who had subconsciously given him a moment to deliberate so they could catch their own breath, were once again left staring in disbelief.

However, seeing how utterly unbothered he was by any potential threats, they naturally could not hesitate either and quickly hurried after him.

They barely caught up to Fu Qian by the time they neared the end of the Corridor, finding him already closely examining the obstacle before them.

...

It was a very peculiar structure. Rather than a door, it was more like layers upon layers of netting.

That blackness, deeper than any shadow, was simply the same Turbulence they had seen many times before.

Interwoven layer by layer, the seemingly smooth and glossy surface was actually surging and flowing in an extremely chaotic manner. A single glance was enough to tell the security level here was incredibly high.

Aside from this group of people who shared the same origin of power, forcing entry with violence was likely the only way in.

And it would require a considerable amount of violence at that.

Fu Qian stepped aside, giving the group—who had arrived much faster under his lead—enough space to unlock the path.

Fully understanding the meaning of this gesture, Frankie did not hesitate. As he stepped forward, his hand—wrapped in Turbulence—pressed against the "net."

In a wondrous convergence, the black, curtain-like Turbulence actually parted layer by layer following his movements. It retracted from all directions, revealing the scene behind it.

Only a faint light shone in from the Corridor, but for Fu Qian, this was not an issue at all.

He could clearly see a space at least three times the size of the Stone Chamber from earlier.

And compared to the latter, it was far more than three times as empty.

At a glance, it was almost entirely devoid of furnishings, making it easy to spot three small pools set flush with the floor.

More accurately, pools of black water.

Fu Qian saw them clearly. Inside the pools, which were barely over a meter in diameter, rolled nothing but that black Turbulence. It was as deep and thick as water, far more extreme than anywhere he had seen before.

But the most striking detail was that in two of the pools, objects were actually churning along with the Turbulence.

In the pool closest to the entrance, an oddly shaped skull could be seen.

Translucent and emitting its own faint glow, it was especially conspicuous in the darkness.

Although its overall size was relatively normal, its shape looked as though it had been violently kneaded hundreds of times, and the number of holes on its surface far exceeded those of a normal human's.

As for the other object, though it was much dimmer in comparison, its level of bizarre eeriness surpassed even the skull.

About the length of a forearm, it seemed to be a fish formed from interlocking copper rings, each the size of a finger ring.

Most crucially, this Bronze Ring Fish was swimming around in the Turbulence, nimble and leisurely.

"Please come in, Excellency Grimshaw."

At that moment, Frankie's voice rang out. He had already stepped aside, gesturing for Fu Qian to enter first, seemingly wanting to gauge his reaction.

Unfortunately, he did not reap much of a response, because almost the instant the word 'please' left his mouth, Fu Qian had already walked in.

So his previous pause was not out of hesitation at the sight inside, but rather because he was waiting for an invitation...

Did he want to prevent his motives from being misunderstood, sparing them from unnecessary disputes that would waste time?

Faintly grasping this logic, the four leaders wore complex expressions, but they truly hurried to keep up. They could not accept letting this man enter such a critical area alone.

...

"So you built this underground facility just for this place?"

As if knowing what they were thinking, Fu Qian walked straight to the three pools and stopped, observing the area while waiting for Frankie and the others to catch up.

"You could say that. This is indeed the origin of the Fallen Star Clan, and the power that guards the entire world."

Frankie, having caught up, spoke to Fu Qian, yet his tone remained exaggeratedly respectful.

"It is indeed purer and more exalted than the power you wield, but if I may be blunt."

While acknowledging Frankie's claim, Fu Qian abruptly shifted his tone and offered a rather unvarnished critique.

"If we really put them side by side to compare, no matter how you look at it, the Boon of the Stars seems much more like a guardian power. What is your reason for calling this a contamination?"

"Your feelings on the matter, I must say, are not uncommon."

Somewhat surprisingly, in the face of Fu Qian's sharp critique, Frankie and the others did not display the fury of having their faith blasphemed. Instead, their tone even carried a hint of melancholy.

"I can even sincerely admit that in the very beginning, we shared a similar view."

"And it is exactly because of that experience that I know how difficult it is to correct preconceived notions. That is why you need to see it for yourself and find the answer to your question."

As he spoke, Frankie took two steps forward and bowed respectfully toward the pool containing the skull, looking as if he were worshiping it.

Meanwhile, his hands immediately transformed, becoming covered in Black Armor.

The next moment, reaching both hands into the Turbulence, he directly lifted the Translucent Skull out.

"This was born from the source of our power. It is one of the three Sacred Relics of the Fallen Star Clan, and the very key that allowed us to be reborn all those years ago."

Cradling the extracted skull as he brought it over to Fu Qian, Frankie wore a solemn expression.

At that moment, Fu Qian clearly noticed that this object, which looked like a crystal skull, was actually soft.

He could even see slight deformations when Frankie pulled it out of the Turbulence.

'It doesn't seem to be a match.'

At the same time, after examining every single hole on its surface, Fu Qian remarked inwardly.

He had previously judged the thing he swallowed to be akin to a skull fragment. Now, encountering this exceptionally fitting artifact, it was far too easy to make the connection.

Unfortunately, having memorized the shape of that fragment, he could not find a suitable spot to splice it in. It appeared it had not been broken off from this.

"So I need to wear it on my head to experience the sensation you mentioned earlier?"

While letting his thoughts wander, Fu Qian did not waste any time, looking at Frankie as he asked.

"Don't worry, you aren't the one wearing it."

To his surprise, however, the latter shook his head. In the next moment, Frankie lifted the skull and placed it directly onto his own head.

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