Eldritch Horror Theatre

A good question, and asking it was only human nature.

Fu Qian completely understood how the demigod Aike felt.

After their earlier decision to observe the situation briefly, things had escalated a bit too rapidly.

From absolute nothingness to continuous shifts in scenery, the bizarre, magical transitions were overwhelming. On top of that, the sight before them delivered a direct Mental Shock.

It was a thoroughly uncomfortable shock guaranteed to ruin anyone's mood.

"This ship seems to possess properties that transcend time and space. This might be a place that once existed."

Under normal circumstances, Fu Qian tried to maintain the virtue of humility. However, seeing Excellency Stoss subconsciously look over in response to Aike's exclamation, he didn't bother to deflect and simply gave his assessment.

"Of course, just because it once existed doesn't necessarily mean this is a real world. After all, the intensity of the mental resonance it's causing seems a bit too high."

He pointed at his own head.

Regardless of how much he agreed, it was good that someone was willing to talk at a time like this. Aike seriously pondered Fu Qian's answer, but still found its abstract nature a little hard to accept.

"It's hard to say. I'm just making a guess based on my observations."

Fu Qian understood the demigod's confusion, but he wasn't willing to jump to any further conclusions.

"And my guess remains the same. This ship might have been real originally, but either due to special changes or its inherent nature, it has been wandering in this transcendent state for a long time, only to be discovered under extremely specific circumstances.

"And we lucky few happened to witness its departure, allowing us to experience this journey across time and space. As for exactly where we've crossed into, that's hard to say."

As he finished speaking, Fu Qian looked at Old Man Stoss, clearly interested in hearing the elder's opinion.

"That Long Night... a thousand years ago."

Readily accepting good advice, and since the consultant was so generously sharing his thoughts, the Old Man weighed his words for a moment. Finally, narrowing his eyes as he stared outside the ship, he spat out those few shocking words.

...

The Cocoon was even pulsing faintly, as if some giant creature were gestating and growing inside.

Coupled with the fact that The Ark was getting closer and closer, the sight became increasingly unsettling.

Not to mention that uncomfortable Mental Shock, which bypassed personal willpower entirely.

But all of this still couldn't compare to the shock brought by Excellency Stoss's words.

That Long Night from a thousand years ago—as veterans of the transcendent realm, everyone present clearly had some concept of it.

Unlike ordinary people who viewed it merely as part of myth and legend, transcendents possessed a much richer imagination of its horrors. For a moment, it truly felt as though they had stumbled into a dark epic.

And the terrifying, bizarre scene outside suddenly seemed to make a lot more sense.

Even though it had just been emphasized that this might not be reality, more than one person took a closer look, wanting to catch a glimpse of the truth behind this history.

Not bad at all.

And Fu Qian was undoubtedly the most satisfied one among them.

The wondrous sight outside was one reason, but he had already formed a guess about That Long Night the very first moment he saw it.

In fact, even earlier than that, when he had realized the possible properties and origins of The Ark, he had already envisioned this scene.

How could studying history ever compare to seeing it? He had wanted to find an opportunity for this ship to take him back for a glimpse of the past, to see it with his own eyes.

So the reason for his satisfaction right now wasn't that Excellency Stoss and he proved that great minds think alike, but rather that under the perfect alignment of time, place, and people, the Old Man was finally willing to speak up.

This was the first time he had explicitly heard information about That Long Night straight from the mouth of a Night Watcher.

Especially since Excellency Stoss definitely held a high and powerful position within the Night Watchers. The secrets he knew were likely far more numerous than what Chief Yuan knew.

No matter how much or how little he said, whether he confirmed or denied it, it would be extremely meaningful.

...

"You don't need to know too much about the details. What I want to say is that while this might look unreal, it isn't necessarily a dream or anything like that."

As expected, the Old Man's first reaction was to emphasize that he wouldn't share much, but the point he raised right after was shocking.

"The disappearance of the sun and the moon, plunging the world into darkness for a long time, was only one aspect. The Long Night was far more than just natural disasters and bloody slaughter. The chaos went to extremely deep levels.

"For instance, fundamental rules changed, and the boundary between illusion and reality was no longer clear..."

As he spoke, Excellency Stoss wore a visibly solemn expression, looking at the coastline that was practically within reach.

The latter was moving more noticeably now, even causing ripples to spread across the water's surface.

Rules changing, boundaries blurring?

Fu Qian completely understood the Old Man's meaning; surprisingly, he didn't support the claim that what was before them definitely wasn't reality.

So, in the eyes of the Night Watchers, a scene like this could theoretically have actually happened during That Long Night?

And then, no matter how devout humanity's faith was, they lost the response of any higher entity?

Just thinking about it was enough to understand the tragic devastation involved.

As for why... was it a side effect brought about by the fall of the ancient gods?

Their symbols vanished, and order collapsed completely across the board—or was there a deeper reason?

Regardless, the hardships the Night Watchers endured to lead humanity through such circumstances and eventually see the light of dawn again were unimaginable.

"The reason I'm bringing this up is to say that we don't need to overcomplicate our current situation. Just as Professor Fu said, we might merely be following this ship on a tour through history."

Since everyone was digesting the information and no one responded, Excellency Stoss continued his summary and even offered some guidance.

"And what we need to do now is avoid risks as much as possible while looking for a potential way out, such as confirming whether there are any new developments inside.

"We probably don't even need to worry too much about the former. Because this ship inherently possesses a transcendent nature, it's highly likely our identities here are merely as spectators—"

The Old Man paused. Right outside the ship, a change occurred that felt very much like words carrying absolute law.

Rolling straight over the giant Cocoon, The Ark encountered not a single shred of resistance.

Instead, at that exact moment, the scene outside shifted once again.

The previous sight that had provoked such visceral disgust was gone, replaced by a supremely majestic high tower.

Solemn and magnificent, it pierced straight into the deep sky. Its sharp curves were like a pointed blade, even causing the blinking Star to lose some of her oppressive feel.

"I'll go investigate."

As the group gazed up at this sight, Su Gao's voice broke the silence.

It might have been shocking, but she didn't indulge her emotions at all. She directly took up the second task Old Man Stoss had assigned, turning to leave without even asking for his permission.

"I'll go help."

Watching the Old Man, who seemed a bit stunned by this level of reliability, Fu Qian smiled and followed right after her, similarly without asking for permission.

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