Eldritch Horror Theatre

The value of one piece of material had been exhausted; naturally, it was time for the next.

Although Ais believed Sophia held less value than the trio, that was entirely due to Fu Qian's misdirection.

"What are you dawdling for? Are you waiting for her to die on her own?"

Ais immediately demonstrated the results of that misdirection again, expressing her dissatisfaction with Fu Qian's efficiency.

"Then why don't you do it yourself?"

Fu Qian didn't even turn his head, meticulously studying the changes in the body before him.

Under such an extreme mutation, her body had completely broken down. Removing the belt only eased the pain.

Still, relieving that pain wasn't entirely without merit.

At the very least, deliberate movements seemed to occur more frequently.

Realizing Sophia might still retain a few fragments of consciousness despite her torment, Fu Qian was pleased. He maintained the Decree of Return he had already activated.

Academics required talent. Some people simply lacked any spirit for scientific research—like Ais.

Smashing her to pieces like the trio just to check if the Vacuum Flower was hiding inside her body would always be the last resort.

Value had to be extracted step by step.

...

As noted earlier, he had to account for harsher possibilities.

In fact, compared to the two ideas already proposed, Fu Qian had a far more abstract guess: an Anchor Point.

It dissipated rapidly upon leaving this place, but it didn't hide inside the flesh and blood of those who had directly faced it. Was it possible these weren't hiding places, but instead functioned as Anchor Points?

Although Old Man Sage had warned them not to treat the Vacuum Flower as a Deity, he was emphasizing that it lacked a subjective will.

If one opened their mind a bit, an Anchor Point didn't necessarily require a subjective consciousness capable of praising an honorific name.

Flesh and blood marked with carved traces could fulfill that role in a broader sense.

In short, Fu Qian wanted to test whether the Vacuum Flower, while not hiding inside her, was using Sophia as an Anchor Point to stabilize its existence, allowing it to survive long-term without relying on the box.

At this very moment, it might be wandering unconsciously through this Underground structure.

Verifying this was simple.

He was using the Decree of Return because back on Ye Island, when dealing with the Kamakura Family's victims of the Nameless Deity, this ability had proven highly effective at severing connections.

Turning Sophia to ash would also sever the connection, but that would mean abandoning any other potential value.

Right now, for instance, under the influence of the Decree of Return, the blood-red eye gazing at him held a little more clarity than it had initially.

"It... is there... I know..."

The next moment, halting words struggled out from somewhere beneath her twisted limbs, seemingly having brewed for a long time.

Her voice was eerily bizarre, sounding like someone struggling to open their mouth while submerged in asphalt.

...

"Did she say she knows... where it is?"

Even though Fu Qian had signaled for her to do as she pleased, Ais ultimately didn't dare repeat her old trick and execute Sophia with a ray.

Facing such an elusive and dangerous figure, she clearly didn't want to waste another ounce of strength.

Furthermore, to her mind, such an attempt held very little value.

Naturally, this didn't stop Ais from keeping her full attention fixed on Fu Qian's work and Sophia's reactions.

As a result, even though the voice was weak and muffled, she deciphered it immediately and fell into a state of intense excitement.

"Everywhere..."

However, that blood-red eye remained fixed on Fu Qian despite its struggle to even twitch, and Sophia's answer sounded like a sleepwalker's murmur.

"Is it pretty? Truly like a flower?"

In contrast to the frowning Ais, Fu Qian didn't mind this delay at all. Nodding slightly, he kept the Decree of Return active.

An entity so difficult to observe and perceive was being seen—and by a lucid, communicative consciousness, no less. Ais clearly didn't understand what truly held value.

"Very pretty... like a blooming..."

Sophia was actually describing it. Under the effects of the Decree of Return, her mind seemed to have grown even clearer.

"Wound..."

Only, the final word of her description created a truly jarring contrast.

...

Was this a reward for his goodwill?

A wound. He had to admit, Sophia had truly delivered a pleasant surprise.

For Fu Qian, this chance encounter with the Vacuum Flower was far more interesting than actually completing the mission.

In fact, after considering the Anchor Point theory, the first thing Fu Qian wondered was whether the Anchor Point itself could gain deeper insight into the Vacuum Flower's existence through that special connection.

That was why discovering Sophia still retained a shred of consciousness had felt like an unexpected harvest.

And now, this unexpected harvest had actually blossomed and borne fruit.

The question now was: a wound on what?

It was clearly empty—a rift in the world?

Even under the reflection of this wound, patterns representing "knowledge" would automatically be carved into Gold.

The profound implications truly allowed the imagination to run wild.

"What do you mean, 'everywhere'?"

Unfortunately, Ais completely lacked any appreciation for the nuance. Visibly dissatisfied with the answer, she impatiently pressed for more.

"Excellency... is there an afterlife when a person dies?"

Sadly, having answered the previous question, Sophia had evidently moved on to the next stage.

Still staring at Fu Qian, she struggled to ask a question in return.

"Good question. Hard to say."

Fu Qian praised the query and shook his head.

"I don't want to die... I'm scared..."

Sophia's voice had dropped so low it was almost inaudible.

"It's the same for everyone. She's even more afraid than you are."

Fu Qian didn't mind offering a little end-of-life comfort to a test subject who had made outstanding contributions. As he spoke the second sentence, he naturally looked at Ais, whose expression had grown complicated.

"Perhaps I'll wake up tomorrow, and it will all have been just a Nightmare..."

Sophia's blood-red eye finally drifted toward the same target, though she seemed to have lost the strength to express any anger.

"Like a punishment for... a willful child..."

"That isn't entirely impossible either."

In response to Sophia's final words, Fu Qian seemed to think of something and gave a slight nod.

"This doesn't seem like your style, Excellency Lord of the Rings."

His murmured remark immediately triggered a cold sneer from Ais.

"Don't you hate false pretenses the most? Have you made an exception for a dying person?"

"Even though she had a rather cute face before turning into this, it's still hard to imagine she's worth wasting your time responding to destiny."

Pinning her gaze on Fu Qian's face, Ais was clearly very interested in his reaction.

"Besides, the effectiveness of such comfort on a dying soul is really quite limited, isn't it?"

"Hmph, How Can Summer Insects Speak of Ice!"

In response to this seemingly irrefutable claim, Fu Qian only gave a cold snort, his eyes boiling with the hot blood of youth.

"The weight behind the title of Lord of the Rings is something you can't possibly imagine!"

Amidst this declaration that felt straight out of a transformation sequence, Fu Qian slowly stood up. Under Ais's dumbfounded gaze, he casually tore off his robe.

An endlessly profound aura of The Deep instantly billowed from his body.

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