Eldritch Horror Theatre

The situation was becoming increasingly interesting.

Although he had been repeatedly set up during his dealings with various higher entities, and the hints provided by his missions were usually nothing more than fragmented phrases, Fu Qian still largely acknowledged the authority of the Warehouse's mission descriptions. After all, it was an existence capable of reaching across numerous realms.

And the Containment Conditions stated it clearly: eliminate the Nightmare Proxy.

Using that as a baseline, the complicated and bewildering situation before him was actually quite clear—even interesting.

This was indeed a special Nightmare. At some point, a faction of Hunters from the Celestial Sphere Cult had completely lost their grip on reality, fallen into this place, and become its guards.

Years later, a group of awakened ones led by Lady Raven had caught another glimpse of the world's truth.

The logic was perfectly clear, but it left one problem: if the scene he had just witnessed actually happened, where did the Order he had been dealing with for the past two days come from?

Although he hadn't interacted much with the Order Hunters, Fu Qian still respected their faith and willpower.

It was hard to imagine such a group being collectively deceived by an illusion.

How could everything suddenly be fine again?

He believed this was likely what made Frankie and his group firmly trust their own judgment once again.

It indeed looked far too much like the cyclical revival of a Nightmare.

...

"So the function of this Sacred Relic is to share scenes from memory? To be honest, it looked a bit too clear."

Under the crowd's scrutiny, Fu Qian pondered for a moment. Instead of rushing to express his thoughts, he raised a minor question.

"Of course not."

Frankie seemed quite satisfied with this reaction.

If someone believed something so world-shattering without even blinking, the credibility of that belief would practically drop to zero.

Showing an interest in confirming more details rather than outright rejecting it was already a pretty good result.

"The effect of this Sacred Relic is very simple: it strips away and purifies the corruption from the Nightmare. Every one of our final memories regarding the Nightmare was stored inside it this way. What remains in our consciousness are merely a few abstract concepts."

"That makes much more sense."

Though he agreed verbally, Fu Qian's expression remained cautious.

"Is this the reason you can't enter the Nightmare again?"

"You also have to factor in another item."

Frankie pointed at the empty pool.

"The final Sacred Relic is a blade. With its help, you can completely sever your connection with the Stars and obtain true freedom."

"It's actually a weapon? I thought this was where that fragment I ate came from."

Fu Qian looked surprised.

"Hardly. If that were truly the case, there's no way we would be this polite to you."

Frankie said bluntly.

"That fragment is indeed special, but it didn't come from here. It is a gift obtained as one's connection with the power sheltering the world deepens."

"In short, guided by our consciousness, we made our way down here and discovered three Sacred Relics in the three Pools of Origin."

"After using them to purge the corruption of the Nightmare, everyone who gained their freedom began calling themselves the Fallen Star Race."

"A very fitting title."

Fu Qian didn't hold back his praise, but a moment later, he seemed to think of something else.

"So there's actually a purification method with no lingering consequences? Weren't you a bit too ruthless when dealing with Lady Raven's group, then?"

"Couldn't you have just brought them back, stabbed them to sever the connection, and thrown them in an asylum at worst?"

...

Seemingly not expecting Fu Qian to be so merciful, the Fallen Star Quartet exchanged glances, their expressions turning slightly unnatural for a moment. Frankie ultimately answered.

"It's very simple. When we discovered their situation, the Sacred Relics were gone."

Something like that could actually happen?

Fu Qian didn't say anything, but his glance toward the doorway thoroughly conveyed his doubt, making the quartet's faces look even more unnatural.

"The power of the three Sacred Relics is too strong. They must be kept here; bringing them anywhere else for too long will trigger mutations."

"They disappear without any pattern, only to reappear incomprehensibly. It isn't considered a very strange occurrence. You can only say those guys had bad luck."

"I see. I understand."

Fu Qian let out a noncommittal 'oh.'

"You just mentioned that this is the power sheltering the world? So what happened to this world?"

"Unfortunately, that aspect is very similar to the Nightmare. Laerdin is already the last surviving place in the world."

Madam Xia explained somewhat patiently from the side.

"When we truly awakened, everywhere else had already been corrupted and destroyed by the Nightmare."

'These guys really did learn a lot of information from the awakened ones.'

Fu Qian silently drew this conclusion.

"Pfeiffer?"

But the next moment, he suddenly spoke up, tossing out a name.

What?

The name clearly left all four of them utterly confused; they didn't understand what Fu Qian meant.

"Prout?"

Fu Qian didn't explain. Instead, he continued rattling off names.

"Olinter?"

"Reginald?"

"Apologies, but I don't quite understand what your excellency means. What do these names represent?"

Madam Xia was the first one who couldn't hold back.

'So what exactly had Lady Raven and her group been doing for the past month? They hadn't managed to uncover the name of a single high-ranking Order member.'

'They even dragged the Fallen Star Race down into being ignorant and ill-informed.'

Fu Qian sighed in lament once more.

"You all shared so much. Whether I believe it or not, out of fairness, shouldn't I return the favor?"

"Understood... So who are the people you just mentioned?"

That logic made sense, but Fu Qian's proactive attitude seemed a bit suspicious. Frankie asked cautiously.

"You haven't heard of them?"

"No."

His audience denied it in unison.

"Alright. But let me ask another small question first. Among your few remaining concepts regarding the Nightmare, how long has that Church we just saw been in existence?"

Giving a slight nod, Fu Qian continued.

"Since we all know it's a product of the Nightmare, what's the point of this question?"

Frankie found it visibly difficult to understand.

"I'm not exactly sure of the specific time, but according to the instilled information, that Church is still considered young—around four hundred years."

It was Madam Xia who chimed in from the side.

'Four hundred... The information instilled in me makes it out to be even younger.'

'I think I might know the answer to that earlier question—where did this perfectly intact Laerdin come from?'

Without rushing to speak, Fu Qian let out a long sigh in his heart.

'The answer: it came from history.'

As the Good Doctor of Laerdin, he had naturally learned details like the founding year of the Church in passing, and it was obviously vastly different from Madam Xia's claim.

'So it wasn't that the entire world outside of Laerdin flashed forward hundreds of years under the influence of the Mist, but rather that the Laerdin from hundreds of years ago had reappeared in reality?'

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