Eldritch Horror Theatre

Facts proved just how important it was to have a sharp-minded teammate.

Faced with the completely reversed sequence back then, Eldest Miss Wen hadn't even blinked, offering a heartfelt, impassioned compliment: "What a great memory."

That slightly exaggerated emphasis undoubtedly conveyed a clear message: the secret signal had been received.

The next question was: what was the point of having Wen Li perform such a reverse operation?

It was an attempt to seek out true potential believers of the evil god.

Recently utterly broken by Dayun Mingwang's blow, what truly set Jiang En apart was that he was a Covenanter.

And bound by a highly unusual covenant at that.

Sharing the power of the God of Death, the chained Greed Worms could use inconceivable means to share his perception.

This meant that when the Emblem and honorific name of the King of the Abandoned Prison were displayed before him, there was a high probability they were also witnessed by a double-digit number of Mid Tier beings.

Only two people actually knew the title God of Death—one was right here, and the other had long since fled to Unseen Hill.

Under these circumstances, an ancient, exalted, unprecedented Deity's Emblem appeared before their eyes, and in such a bizarre manner to boot. After Wen Li's maneuvering, it would be extremely difficult for Taylor to keep secret the fact that this hint originated from a dream.

Ultimately, in this situation, would a bunch of "lucky ones" who already considered themselves heaven's chosen believe this to be a boon from the Deity they served, granted to help them find a way out of a desperate situation?

And, consequently, try everything in their power to make contact?

Their predicaments, their desires, their fears.

To be a proper evil god, the most critical secret was to cater to their desires and bestow what they needed.

Of course, what was even more crucial was that all of this ultimately had to be a total sham. Otherwise, he would just be an orthodox god.

In short, Fu Qian had not been entirely sure the attempt would work, but he deemed it worth a try.

Their devotion and their sheer numbers both made them prime candidates.

It was, at the very least, far more reliable than tormenting Brother Taylor's body and mind.

And facts had proved him right.

...

As for the very end, how had he been so absolutely certain he could escape, even timing it accurately to a countdown?

The answer was simple: there really was a countdown.

Here, he really had to give the Warehouse some praise.

Although it hadn't provided any particularly detailed guidance beyond the single mission objective, the auxiliary indicators it supplied were highly meaningful.

Finally dragged into the Divine Dream and chatting idly with Su Gao, he had noticed another bizarre indicator suddenly appearing in the corner of his vision alongside the Illusory Eye hovering above her head.

It was just like the countdown he had initially seen in the Full Moon Garden.

Corresponding to it was his clear sensation of that certain call piercing through layers of veils.

It was not a human voice, but rather a certain concept striking straight at the essence.

As that call gradually intensified, the mark in his vision also grew brighter, as if infused with energy, until a rapidly ticking countdown finally appeared at the very end.

Astonishingly, the Warehouse had displayed the accumulation of a power capable of aiding his escape as a progress bar.

This seemingly subtle operation served as an excellent point of reference for an evil god like himself, whose experience in prison breaks was still not very rich.

This was also why he had limited his interaction with Su Gao to idle chatter, and had even sent her straight back to rest later on.

Since the arranged attempt had worked so well, all he needed to do at the time was observe the growth trend; as long as there were no issues, he just had to quietly wait for the countdown.

...

Some actions that violated Yarakil's taboos and would trigger an extreme reaction held little meaning anymore.

His seemingly outrageous behavior was, in truth, nothing more than rapid flip-flopping right on His red line.

Although, theoretically speaking, throwing in some proper misdirection would indeed have been better.

But Su Gao's constitution was simply too unique; there was no need to leave behind any potential hidden dangers for her over something so harmless.

His only confusion at the time had been that the countdown was ticking down a bit too quickly.

But later, after Su Gao's reminder about the inconsistent flow of time, it immediately made much more sense.

If Yarakil had been any slower in releasing him at the end, he wouldn't have even needed to finish counting down.

Although that final countdown on his part had actually involved some deception.

All in all, when it came to the self-cultivation of an evil god, Yarakil was still falling far short.

Amidst his reflections, Fu Qian gently placed the Handbell onto the table before him.

And through the window behind the table, the newly risen sun was casting its morning glow across the entire bedroom—the bedroom on the Bookstore Second Floor.

Following the successful prison break, he had actually returned straight here. It was hard to say whether this was due to the Warehouse's inertia, or because the Extreme Hunger Infection had originated from here at the time.

[Mission Evaluation: Return of the Old Days]

At this moment, a new prompt chimed in right on cue.

[Serving as the banishment prison for numerous higher entities, the Nightmare Corridor thwarts all of Their efforts to return to the world.

Their names, Their bodies, cannot pierce through this layer of taboo by any means.

This is, in the truest sense, a Road of No Return. Yet, The Prisoners remain completely oblivious to this point.

And having once relied upon this path, you too would undoubtedly be plagued by it.

Fortunately, you keenly maintained your sense of self, ultimately returning against the current from amidst the myriad perils.

The wielder of the ancient Calamity descends upon the world once more this day.]

[Special Reward: Seed of Writhing]

[Description: Inject pure corrosive power into a target's wound to plant the Seed of Writhing.

Following a relatively prolonged period of concealed incubation, the Seed of Writhing will hatch in a randomized form and target its host as its primary objective.

Prior to this, as long as it remains within a certain radius, the Seed of Writhing can serve as a target for Extreme Hunger Infection.]

[Note: The highest level of corrosive power is always life.]

To think there was actually a reward. Still not forgetting to wring out some extra benefits even in this kind of situation?

As the mission evaluation concluded, Fu Qian inwardly commended the Warehouse's dedication in light of this unexpected harvest.

But this effect... his name as an evil god was truly becoming more and more fitting.

And the most intriguing part was undoubtedly that it could provide coordinates for the Extreme Hunger Infection.

By utilizing this, he could clearly increase his operational flexibility by a massive margin in certain situations.

It was just that the visual effects might be a little on the gruesome side.

Aside from that... it really had been a wise decision not to cooperate with Yarakil.

Judging from the contents of the mission evaluation, the Higher Existences trapped inside The Corridor seemed very much like they had been sentenced to the ultimate punishment.

If he had chosen to hitch a ride by helping Him escape, he probably wouldn't have made it out in this lifetime—just look at Brother Persuader!

Thinking of the old friend he had briefly reunited with this time around, Fu Qian couldn't help but sigh in lament.

"Mr. Fu..."

And just as he was sighing, a string of seemingly familiar, yet slightly urgent footsteps halted right behind him.

Turning his head back, he saw a pleasantly surprised Wen Li peeking out from the stairwell. The scene was almost an exact recreation of the very first dream.

"...Welcome back."

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