Eldritch Horror Theatre

Trust was the foundation of cooperation, and trusting one's own judgment still counted as trust.

Fu Qian never believed that the Persuader—who had failed to scheme against him and suffered crippling losses in the backlash—would ever truly bury the hatchet.

But that was the art of communication. Breaking down the pros and cons in the most direct language and laying out the consequences of every choice was enough.

A rational mind would naturally make its choice.

If the Persuader were the type to let negative emotions override self-interest, he likely wouldn't have survived this long.

As it turned out, he had made a rather gratifying decision.

The information he provided in exchange also seemed perfectly credible.

Such as the difficulty of the corruption and the inherent value of Taylor's dream.

The Persuader's strategy was crystal clear. While he couldn't fathom how Fu Qian had entered, his return to The Corridor had clearly given the entity new hope. His earlier despair had just been an act.

Instead of trying to use Fu Qian's strength to escape and claim the spoils, he had pivoted to using Al-Akir's momentum.

Honestly, this only further proved Brother Persuader's rationality.

A relatively lucid Higher Existence desperate to escape. Two heavily corrupted pawns. A channel for corruption that might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Combining these three elements, placing his bets on Al-Akir was the optimal—perhaps even the only—choice.

Even though the Persuader had been left speechless by his counter-question and subsequently agreed to guard the dream, Fu Qian didn't believe the entity had abandoned that idea.

It didn't matter. Letting him control the dream offered at least three benefits as far as Fu Qian was concerned.

First, it offered plenty of persuasive leverage. While the Persuader hadn't contributed much in their current predicament, the information he had gathered over time was undeniably useful.

Empty promises would never be enough to make him talk. A shared consensus on the value of this dream, however, was an entirely different story.

From the Persuader's perspective, whether or not Fu Qian actually wanted to play lackey for Al-Akir alongside him, this dream—which could potentially pull Taylor back—was absolutely a valuable asset.

And all he had to pay for it was sharing some information and a verbal promise of cooperation.

Any fool could see it was a guaranteed profit.

Second, it saved Fu Qian the effort of supporting the dream himself.

Sustaining the dream was not without cost, especially keeping it running independently.

As an ordinary person who merely possessed a hollow Tier 2 Status, Fu Qian was already feeling immense pressure on his will over this brief period, alongside the tearing force of The Corridor.

It felt like rowing a boat on open water, constantly fighting an invisible whirlpool. The slightest misstep would suck him in and drag this fragmented dream straight behind those doors.

Considering how spooked Taylor was, there was no telling when he would next enter a dream. Even if the Persuader hadn't taken over, Fu Qian likely would have abandoned it anyway.

Finally, since the Persuader was busy guarding the dream, he wouldn't have as much energy to spare to spy on Fu Qian. That would give him much more freedom for his next moves.

The entity was fully aware of this, yet after weighing his options, he had clearly made his choice.

All in all, a pleasure doing business.

...

In the blink of an eye, the Nightmare Corridor reappeared before him; Fu Qian had successfully withdrawn from Taylor's fragmented dream.

Of course, that didn't mean he couldn't go back. He had simply allowed the Persuader to gain administrative access without relinquishing his own.

He could still clearly feel the fluctuations of the dream. If he wanted to, he could step right back in at any time.

The Persuader had also been surprisingly scrupulous. While taking control and sustaining the dream, he hadn't made any attempt to kick Fu Qian out.

Fu Qian was more than happy to interpret this behavior as a sincere gesture of cooperation.

Of course, there was also the distinct possibility that the entity was simply terrified of being scammed again, deciding not to bite off more than he could chew when the terms seemed so generous.

"A Corridor meant to seal away a higher entity... while somehow preserving a channel for Descent."

In the dim lighting, Fu Qian strolled down The Corridor.

Five doors. If each one housed a dominant entity, that meant there were at least four more beings like Al-Akir lurking inside The Corridor.

Since this wasn't his first encounter with this place, he actually somewhat agreed with the Persuader's earlier description of its restraints.

But that only made the situation seem even more bizarre.

A bound Higher Existence was hardly a rarity. He had personally encountered more than just one or two.

But while it shackled at least five Higher Existences, the cases of the Nightmare Worm, himself, and Loretta proved that The Corridor possessed an extraordinary authority when it came to crossing barriers.

It felt like trying to hold water in a colander. Could it be that the internal pressure was simply too immense, necessitating a pressure relief channel?

As a dedicated academic, a little mortal peril was hardly going to dampen Fu Qian's thirst for knowledge.

Naturally, that didn't mean he was going to go exploring behind those doors to uncover the truth, reap ultimate treasures, and return as a triumphant hero to clear the stage.

A true man's fearlessness naturally included the courage to face reality.

This situation was completely different from last time. Although he had been restricted during his previous mission, his physical self inside The Corridor had still retained one hundred percent of its Combat Power.

Entering a higher entity's absolute home turf while in his current state of deep corruption was no different from digging his own grave.

...

"Why aren't you going in?"

As he came to a halt in front of the final door, the Persuader's voice abruptly echoed beside his ear. It was impossible to read his tone.

Compared to the others, this door was undeniably the most unique.

It possessed an extremely rigid polygonal structure, with a surface as smooth as a mirror.

Even in the dim lighting, Fu Qian could clearly see his own reflection. However, the background wasn't The Corridor—it was a lush green meadow.

"It certainly looks nice."

Gazing at the bizarre sight, Fu Qian wasn't the least bit surprised by the Persuader's interjection.

No matter how much he valued that dream, the Persuader wasn't reckless enough to completely blindfold himself while dealing with someone who had previously screwed him over.

One of his purposes for speaking up was to declare that he still held a grasp on the situation within The Corridor, serving as a deterrent.

As for the second purpose?

"Stop!"

Right as Fu Qian took a step forward following his compliment, the Persuader's voice lost all its calm, roaring at him to halt.

"Are you really that opposed to making it out of here? Do you have any idea what will happen if you step inside?"

"Nope. Do you?"

Readily accepting good advice, Fu Qian instantly halted and casually asked in return.

"That door... even I have never stepped through it. But I can say with absolute certainty that it is far more dangerous than you can possibly imagine."

"Isn't that perfect, then? I'll take the risk, and you can guide me from the sidelines."

Fu Qian sounded incredibly fearless.

"Even if I fail, we can still summarize the experience for next time."

"...What a pity that in my current state, I can only see what happens inside The Corridor. I won't be able to summarize any lessons learned."

While he wasn't entirely sure if Fu Qian was actually preparing to court death, the Persuader still gave him a solemn warning.

"Fair enough."

Proving receptive to advice, Fu Qian pondered for a moment before actually giving up on entering the door. A moment later, he furrowed his brow.

"Give me a minute. I'll be right back."

Without even waiting for a response, Fu Qian snapped his fingers and instantly vanished from the spot.

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