Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Good."

The legs torn from the mass of mangled flesh lacked even a layer of skin, their shape inevitably grotesque.

Yet as the Witch observed the Seventh Apostle finally standing on his own, she made no effort to hide her relief, despite her lingering regrets.

"You recovered faster than I imagined. Your condition was truly terrible back then; I only managed to find most of your fragments."

"Just practice. I have a lot of experience."

Fu Qian offered a casual, modest reply as he carefully adjusted his center of gravity and balance. He didn't even waste resources rushing to grow the skin back on his legs.

Along the way, although his outward appearance hadn't changed much, the chaotic state of his body had finally begun to stabilize.

Simple deformed flesh was nothing to Fu Qian.

The most severe consequence of activating Hangover Mode regardless of the cost, stacked with all his previous injuries, was the collapse of his fundamental self.

And although the Witch made it sound easy, the effort she expended must have been immense.

Right now, he looked like a bug that had failed its Transformation. However, after these adjustments, he found that his fundamental self remained largely intact—aside from the left arm he had swallowed and the eyeball he had thrown out to serve as an anchor.

Naturally, the greatest contributor to this journey, the Eye Within the Eye, had been completely consumed without a trace.

"I can tell."

The Witch played along with Fu Qian's modesty perfectly. Acknowledging his progress, she didn't rush to move, patiently standing guard as he recovered.

Fu Qian clearly didn't care about his outward appearance either. After a few minor adjustments to ensure he could walk steadily, he motioned for the Witch to continue.

Of course, he casually showed off that "abundant experience" once more—though his skin hadn't grown back, he effortlessly materialized a set of leg armor over his lower half.

...

"It is indeed livelier than before."

Walking side by side without a specific destination, the Witch's posture grew increasingly relaxed as she responded to Fu Qian's earlier remark that "this place isn't bad."

Even though she was equally inhuman, she carried herself with far more elegance.

Of course, Fu Qian knew perfectly well that her injuries were far more severe than his own.

After all, before she came to protect him, the Witch had already been burning over there for over a month.

To still casually preserve the bustling scene before them in such a state was truly a display of awe-inspiring power.

"You didn't preserve the Nightmare as well, did you? If so, the liveliness around here might get a bit out of hand for a while."

At the same time, another thought occurred to Fu Qian.

"More accurately, I didn't go out of my way to root them out."

The Witch flatly confirmed Fu Qian's guess, correcting the details in passing.

"My previous condition couldn't support doing too much. I managed to preserve this place partly because of the Law and its corresponding relationship."

"And partly because I happened to leave that painting behind—even though my original intention was merely to sustain the outside world's existence a little longer."

"In short, all I did at the time was reinforce the painting and guide the establishment of a corresponding connection."

"So that's how it is. It seems the renaissance of my Dark Moon Cult is fast approaching."

With the situation much clearer, Fu Qian nodded slightly, his thoughts instantly pivoting to grand plans for expansion.

Under the Witch's control, even his heels knew those Nightmares couldn't possibly cause any real trouble; they would merely serve as wild mobs for this fledgling faith to farm for reputation.

Even though he didn't technically have heels right now.

Realizing this, Fu Qian made a targeted micro-adjustment, increasing his degree of human resemblance by 0.1 percent.

...

"It's a pity that too much has happened over the past couple of days; I'm still a bit physically and mentally exhausted."

The Witch seemed entirely uninterested in this talk of a renaissance. Instead, she gestured to their surroundings.

It was easy to tell that the street they were walking down was usually a bustling commercial district. Unfortunately, right now all the shops and buildings were locked up and dark, devoid of any signs of life.

And why wouldn't it be? The torment they had suffered at his hands wasn't just a one- or two-time occurrence, not to mention the massive, looming threat of the apocalypse hanging over them.

The impact all of this had on local commerce wasn't going to fade away so quickly.

Recalling everything he had done in these short few days, Fu Qian strongly agreed with the Witch's words, however...

The next moment, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, gazing in a certain direction.

"What is it?"

Following his gaze, she saw nothing more than a small street-side shop, and the Witch was quite certain there was absolutely nothing special inside.

"One of the most direct benefits of a large population is the abundance of mortal delicacies. Do you want something to drink?"

Fu Qian clearly wasn't going on alert either. He even managed to squeeze a smile onto his constantly adjusting face.

"I wouldn't mind, but isn't that a bookstore?"

Although she was readily accepting good advice, the Witch still found Fu Qian's suggestion a bit strange.

"I simply feel that a shop like this should have some decent beverages."

Fu Qian had already stepped forward.

The inconspicuous little shop had obviously been closed for a long time; the lock on the door was even a little rusty.

But rather than impolitely breaking the door down, or even employing his Master-Level Lockpicking, Fu Qian simply started searching around the entrance.

By the time the Witch caught up with him, he had already fished a Key out from the edge of the window.

The Witch watched this unfold in silence, right up until Fu Qian actually unlocked the door, stepped inside, and effortlessly found a well-packaged tin of black tea amidst the musty scent of old books. Working one-handed, he began to brew it.

...

"Sorry for the wait."

The Templar Knight's craftsmanship actually appeared quite practiced.

Before long, a simple, elegant porcelain cup was pushed in front of her.

"The taste is excellent. How did you know there would be a Key hidden nearby?"

Looking at Fu Qian, who had already gained a rudimentary human shape in such a short time, the Witch didn't suppress her curiosity.

"Because this is a treat from a friend named Loretta."

As Fu Qian answered, he toyed with a small card in his hand.

It had been placed alongside the tea he'd just brewed.

"Due to special circumstances, she is forced to travel through incomprehensible time and space."

"Amidst her suffering, wherever she goes, she likes to win a small shop through gambling, leave a gift inside for a friend, and then hide the Key."

"I wasn't entirely certain just now. I merely felt that if I were her, this little shop would be perfectly suitable. Plus, the shop looked like it had been locked up for a very long time, which was somewhat abnormal compared to its surroundings..."

"Although the name on the card isn't quite right, I don't think she'll mind."

With that, Fu Qian flipped the card open and set it down. On it was written in simple handwriting—

[Dear Bernard, This truly is a wonderful place. Because dreaming only lasts a minute, telling reality apart has never been easier.

Wishing you sweet dreams, and hoping reality arrives after those sweet dreams.]

...

"The taste is excellent."

After reading the contents of the card, the Witch savored Loretta's tea for quite a while before finally offering her earnest appraisal.

And accompanying the porcelain cup as she set it back on the table were all the various Items, big and small, that she had collected on his behalf earlier.

After lining them up in a row, her tone shifted slightly.

"Is it about time?"

"Just about."

"Then you should head back."

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