Eldritch Horror Theatre

"What is this thing..."

The constant erosion along the way had severely suppressed their perception.

Even with ample mental preparation, the scene behind the door still drew an involuntary gasp from Demigod Aike.

The room wasn't particularly large, and the curtains were drawn tight. With the ornate chandelier hanging from the ceiling, at first glance it looked like a square jewel box.

Yet, inside this jewel box, almost every inch of the floor was soaked in thick red.

Amidst the flowing blood, mold-like grayish-white growths could be seen spreading, eroding away all luster.

And on the ornate carpet, where the blood had pooled, adult-sized bodies lay curled up in neat rows.

Or rather, they were adults.

Sweeping his gaze across the room, Fu Qian easily recognized a human face on every single torso.

"Looks like we found the right place. This is obviously a Nursery."

Fu Qian casually answered Aike's question while rapidly scanning the room.

"But I don't see any infants..."

The other three didn't seem to disagree, but Aike, despite having his question answered, was provoked by the grotesque sight into speaking up again.

"Yes, but we have cradles."

His gaze locked on the floor, Fu Qian remained unfazed.

"Many, many cradles."

...

He was right. The neatly arranged human bodies on the floor were all grasping their own legs, twisting themselves into the shape of cradles and using their soft abdomens as the base.

Unfortunately, almost every cradle had been hollowed out in that area, letting their warmer abdominal cavities serve that function instead.

The thick, free-flowing blood spilled directly from those cavities.

Even the grayish-white fungal threads were spreading backward into them.

"Almost all of them are from the Laria Family. Their signature facial features are highly recognizable; I even recognize a few of them."

Ji Ning spoke up slowly from the side.

Compared to Aike, she remained noticeably calmer. She also sounded much more familiar with this ancient royal family.

"The Laria Family seems to have... a bit of an aging problem."

Fu Qian naturally hadn't missed their physical features and easily reached a similar conclusion. At the same time, he was focusing on something else.

The materials making up the cradles included both men and women, yet at a glance, there wasn't a single youthful face among them.

"Perhaps a bit, but not to this extent. Some of them seem to have undergone rapid aging."

Ji Ning shook her head slightly.

"Just like Ehm Palace."

...

"That does make a lot more sense."

Without questioning her assessment, Fu Qian bent down a moment later, using a broken coat hanger he'd picked up nearby to poke around in the pool of blood.

The grayish-white "fungal threads" immediately tangled together, briefly resembling a messy clump of hair.

"If this belongs to that little friend, they've got a serious hair loss problem..."

It was easy to tell the material was genuinely akin to hair. As he mused over this, Fu Qian raised his head, only to find himself the center of attention.

The sobbing had quietly died down to a faint whisper. The intruders had clearly drawn the cradles' attention.

Because they were laid out on the floor, the many heads first looked at Fu Qian, whose crouched posture put him closest to their height, before their gazes rapidly climbed upward.

The faces that had just been brimming with various shades of sorrow turned hideous in an instant.

Unfortunately for them, before the sobbing could escalate into screams, a streak of dark light swept across them, threading the strange sounds into a single melody.

Old Man Li was true to his word, directly taking action.

Though he wielded a mass-produced, unconventional weapon completely unbefitting his status, there wasn't the slightest hint of awkwardness.

The speed wasn't absurdly fast, to the point that every movement could be clearly seen.

The short handle, the curved blade, and even every short spike—as if rehearsed thousands of times—flowed with incredibly fluid grace, sequentially destroying every head they swept past without wasting a single ounce of extra energy.

Clearly, there were levels to prestige. This method felt a cut above even that Demigod from the Sword Comprehension Institute at the Public Trial Assembly.

Fu Qian, who had never doubted that the Old Man would strike, didn't miss the opportunity to admire the sight, marveling once again at the difference in visual impact.

In comparison, the side of Apocalypse was simply too crude.

...

In just a single breath, silence returned to the Nursery.

With their heads shattered, the cradles instantly ceased their movements, unable to even maintain their forms.

The yellowish-white matter spilling from them was also smeared everywhere, adding a different touch of vividness to the oppressive dark red—except in one specific spot.

Amidst the blood and gore, one cradle had been deliberately avoided, and was even sobbing again now.

And at a glance, this differential treatment seemed understandable, because it was the only cradle among them all with its abdominal cavity still intact.

Even the face on its head wasn't quite as aged in comparison.

"Lui?"

Without waiting for a greeting, Excellency Ji Ning stepped through the pool of blood. After a careful inspection, she looked at Li He with an inquiring gaze.

"It should be. If I remember correctly, while his Rank isn't high, he is very skilled in purification."

The latter nodded slightly.

These words carried a clear implication. Watching from the side, Aike seemed to realize something and muttered to himself.

"I didn't see him at the banquet either..."

"Perhaps I can try waking him up, so he can explain where he went and what he did himself."

Having confirmed her recognition was correct, Ji Ning directly proposed her own plan.

"You can try, but don't force it."

Leaving this single one unhandled was clearly Li He's intention all along, but while he agreed, he didn't put too much pressure on her.

"It should be fine. After all, he is a transcendent. His Mental Resistance will be much stronger."

When it came to serious matters, Excellency Ji Ning took swift and resolute action. As she spoke, she stepped forward, a faint light gathering at her fingertips and rapidly turning unstable.

Bang...

Although there was no sound, the moment her fingertips touched Lui's forehead, Fu Qian seemed to see waves blasted from the soul, surging as if about to leave the body.

Ugh—

The sobbing stopped instantly, accompanied by a bizarre twitching of his body.

As if startled awake from some nightmare, Lui let out a suppressed roar from his throat and violently opened his eyes.

Then, upon seeing the bizarre posture of his own body, he let out an even hoarser low growl.

"Alright Lui, time is precious."

It was an entirely understandable feeling, but unfortunately, Old Man Li didn't give Lui time to adjust his mood, calling his name directly.

"First of all, you are safe. Now tell us, how did you become like this?"

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