Eldritch Horror Theatre

Although this was also the Underground, compared to the Blind Eye Society Ruins he had visited before, these new-generation inheritors clearly lacked a certain style.

The spiral staircase descending downward was incredibly long. The entire stretch practically screamed industrial design, completely devoid of any distinguishing decorations, feeling like an endless, exhausting trek.

Yet even on a path like this, Fu Qian's footsteps remained as steady as a pilgrim's, showing not a single trace of hesitation the entire way.

"Is that them?"

As the crisp echoes of his footsteps came to a sudden halt, Fu Qian turned to confirm with Ais.

At the end of the long staircase stood a metal door of the exact same style.

It looked quite sturdy, but it hadn't been fully shut. Through the narrow gap, two figures stood quietly behind it.

A man and a woman, both wearing robes similar to Ais's.

The young man looked to be in his twenties and stood quite tall.

Both had clearly noticed the approaching sounds. They looked over in unison, specifically sizing up Fu Qian as he walked in front.

"Yes. They've been waiting for you for quite a while."

Stepping forward to push the door completely open, Ais motioned for Fu Qian to enter.

"Then I really am sorry, though I rushed over as fast as I could."

Readily accepting the good advice, Fu Qian walked straight up to his two fellow newcomers under their scrutinizing gazes, offering an utterly emotionless apology.

...

They heard him clearly, but the apology was so blatantly devoid of feeling that the two waiting figures frowned, their expressions turning strange.

"Don't worry. To be precise, they've been waiting for a third person for a long time."

Ais didn't seem to mind. Before the other two could speak, she explained with a smile.

"The Workshop requires a group of three to enter, relying on their respective talents to acquire a Weapon."

"Ever since they passed the assessment, they've been waiting for a third person to appear. From that perspective, your arrival is actually a pleasant surprise."

"The summons were only issued this morning. In our original estimates, it should have taken at least a few days for a result."

Looking Fu Qian up and down, Ais's exclamation actually sounded somewhat sincere.

"After all, some people spend days just hesitating."

"Is that so? ...Then you're welcome."

Praised so highly by this senior figure, Fu Qian actually threw out a casual, polite reply.

In his line of sight, the two peers—whose expressions were already conflicted from Ais's explanation—now looked even more bewildered.

Ultimately, they truly answered Fu Qian's call; they were utterly incapable of forcing a single word of thanks out of their mouths.

From the very moment the team assembled, the atmosphere successfully turned tense—just like the exploration mission in the Ruins back then.

Excellency Ais was professional as always, successfully guiding the mood with just a few choice words.

Of course, this also made one thing clear: the upcoming process to acquire a Weapon did not demand tight teamwork.

While silently marveling at Ais's little quirks, Fu Qian reached this conclusion.

...

"Hehe... Since everyone has finally gathered, let's not waste any more time."

The facts proved Fu Qian's judgment correct. Ais had absolutely zero interest in introducing the team members to each other. With a cheerful smile, she immediately signaled for them to move out.

The only saving grace was that she at least considered the team's dress code. She quickly motioned for the older fellow to grab a matching robe for Fu Qian.

Sizing didn't matter much for this kind of garment. When Fu Qian frowned, took the robe, and slipped it on, it actually fit quite well.

Of course, purely based on appearances, he was undoubtedly still the most inconspicuous among the three.

Unlike the floors above, this level was quite expansive and partitioned into individual, independent spaces.

Walking along, they saw metal doors of identical size and design. Even the spacing between them was perfectly uniform, with only the numbers beside them serving as markers.

Rather than a Workshop, it looked far more like a Warehouse that had perfectly inherited that monotonous industrial style.

From Fu Qian's perspective, it was easy to tell that both the doors and the walls had undergone special treatment.

While they couldn't compare to the box in Madam Yingzhu's hands, they still provided a certain degree of sensory isolation.

To pull off a construction project like this in such a place proved his earlier assessment of Ais and the others correct—every one of them had to be quite wealthy.

"We're here. I'll get the door."

Ais's voice broke the silence, interrupting Fu Qian's silent praises.

"Remember, once we're inside, absolutely do not act on your own."

Compared to before, however, her tone was suddenly much more severe.

"The things inside are beyond your imagination. They even defy normal perception."

"So no matter what you see, do not speak, and definitely do not mess around. Follow my instructions strictly for every single step. Only then will the Workshop have any chance of successfully forging your 'Weapon.' Understood?"

As she spoke, Ais's gaze swept across their three faces one by one, lingering especially on the newly arrived Fu Qian.

A moment later, she finally nodded in satisfaction and stepped up to one of the doors.

...

It really was out of the ordinary.

Ais's movements were crisp. As this legendary Workshop door slowly opened, the scene behind it came into view.

Contrary to what one might imagine about "forging," there was no spacious work area behind the door, much less a roaring blast furnace. Instead, there was just another passageway.

It was undeniably much narrower than the corridor outside, barely wide enough for a single person to pass. With zero light sources present, visibility plunged into pitch-black darkness after just a few steps.

This was exactly where the prior mental preparation paid off.

Even though Ais walked at the very front with no intention of pulling out any lighting equipment, none of the trio fell behind. They followed instructions, trailing quietly behind her as they navigated the many twists and turns of the narrow passageway.

Even though they tried hard to suppress it, one could still clearly sense the two teammates' shift from excitement to confusion.

It got to the point where, even though their eyesight was utterly useless in this darkness, they still couldn't resist glancing around.

By contrast, Fu Qian, brimming with chuuni energy, was the only one upholding the team's mystique, staring straight ahead and silently counting his steps.

Of course, this didn't stop him from marveling at his surroundings.

He was confident that even the two teammates could tell this overly winding corridor was entirely cast out of metal.

What truly piqued Fu Qian's interest was his realization that, unlike the doors outside, the material here was perfectly identical to Madam Yingzhu's box.

In other words, the team was currently walking into a much, much larger box.

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