Eldritch Horror Theatre

Adapting to local customs was always a virtue.

For Fu Qian, though he felt he was gradually understanding the soul-stirring nature of this Realm of Bliss, figuring out how to handle his current situation was clearly a technical task.

In all fairness, the situation before him looked like a pretty good opportunity.

Whether it meant helping Kake or accepting Brother Macho's assistance, this was an obvious chance to efficiently integrate into the city.

He could even compare the before and after changes to confirm exactly how effective the insights these lucky souls had stumbled upon over the long years really were, providing reference material for completing his task.

On the way here, he had heard Kake briefly mention that there was no special pattern to those who entered the Realm of Bliss. They gathered here from various eras, and some couldn't even be considered very virtuous; it seemed purely a matter of luck.

Of course, after arriving here, everyone had chosen to drop the butcher's knife and instantly attain enlightenment, and now they were merely seeking a higher level of transcendence.

Unfortunately, although Fu Qian agreed with their judgment and understood their pursuit, he didn't quite agree with the methods they employed.

It wasn't that he looked down on their wisdom; rather, it was precisely because he took it seriously that he had reached such a conclusion.

It challenged the imagination, but in essence, this was indeed the answer derived from countless musings and epiphanies over long ages—a crystallization of wisdom.

Yet, the results were worrying.

According to Kake, cases where someone was believed to have jumped out of samsara overnight and succeeded in shattering the void to enjoy a higher level of freedom appeared at an abysmally low frequency. Even an occasional instance was cause for universal celebration.

And just as he had mentioned long ago, Fu Qian would never harbor boring thoughts of being some Child of Destiny.

A group of reasonably intelligent people spent day and night seeking an epiphany they could not grasp. Did he really think he only needed to follow their example, throw in a little bit of clever modification, and he would seize the ultimate truth while thousands worshipped him?

That would be underestimating the power of obsession. To Fu Qian, the probability of such a thing happening was far too low.

Even if it really did happen, the first thing he should do wouldn't be to rejoice, but to use every method at his disposal to confirm whether someone had dug a trap for him.

To sum it up, Fu Qian believed that this City of Sin placed before him only proved one thing—they were walking the wrong path.

It was far more likely that their entire line of thinking was flawed.

And within the information he had gathered so far, was there anything that ran completely contrary to their line of thinking?

It seemed there was. For example, the felony of murder.

"What did you do?"

Inside the tightly shut room, Kake, having witnessed this terrifying scene, finally let out a scream.

"Stubborn and inflexible... blinded by evil spirits..."

At the same time, as the shock flashed across his face, Brother Macho tried his hardest to relax his features, which were twisted in agony.

As if instantly knowing the mandate of heaven, he stared at Fu Qian and delivered his judgment.

"Hmph. No one can force me to do things I don't like."

Fu Qian merely snorted in response. After gauging the speed of the other man's blood flow, he didn't bother delivering a finishing blow.

Instead, he even continued to play the role of a rebel facing gang threats, helping the two people in front of him keep up their acts.

"Thank you for your help. I am now absolutely certain that everything I do and everything I act upon comes from my true heart."

Brother Macho's cultivation was still lacking after all; to think he wouldn't cherish such a perfect opportunity to become a martyr for his Dao.

Just like the Almsgiving Society that "granted others the opportunity to give alms," this was also the karma he had earned for this enlightener by paying the price of a "felony."

Although Fu Qian still didn't think it would be of any use, it should carry more weight than him simply playing the part of a gang member.

Sure enough, in the next moment, the enlightened Brother Macho had completely regained his calm and tranquil demeanor.

"The corpse poison remains uncleansed."

Sitting slumped on the floor and looking in this direction, the pain and the draining away of his life force seemed completely unable to affect his state of mind anymore. He merely delivered his final, quiet judgment.

...

Of course, deliberately doing the exact opposite in hopes of reaping excess rewards seemed to also fall under the category of clever tricks.

They might not understand much about shattering the void and ascending to the Upper Heaven, but Kake and the others clearly had a firm grasp on the Inhuman Samsara that awaited felons, and it absolutely did not look like a good thing.

But that was exactly the point.

A very important principle for judging whether something was a clever trick or true decisiveness was whether one had the resolve to bear the extreme consequences.

It was precisely because of the severe consequences that Inhuman Samsara was clearly an area Kake and the others knew relatively little about.

He didn't need to harbor high expectations; he only needed to know that by paying the price, he was more likely to discover something new there.

Under normal circumstances, Fu Qian might not have rushed to attempt such a dangerous experiment.

However, the shocking mission number and the restrictions on his abilities and Items left no room for wishful thinking.

He couldn't forget that his mission was to enter the Upper Heaven, which presented an unavoidable question: where were the people who had originally entered the Upper Heaven?

On the way here, Kake's explanation for this was that once they leaped out of this place and entered a higher realm, they became an unfathomable existence to the people of the City of Bliss. It was perfectly normal not to see any trace of them.

Fu Qian didn't dispute this, but could "they," in turn, see the traces left on this side?

He felt the possibility was quite high.

And that meant that as a newly arrived "youngster"—a target easily locked onto by the Natives—there was a very high chance that he was also being observed from a higher dimension.

Going by Fu Qian's rich mission experience, this was also highly unlikely to be a good thing.

It was best to undertake certain risky actions a little sooner.

This wasn't just out of concern that he might not have enough SAN Value later on, but rather to avoid walking blindfolded for too long.

"It looks like this gentleman is about to re-enter samsara. Will it happen the moment he dies?"

The floor beneath his feet was already stained a deep red. As he pondered, Fu Qian studied Brother Macho, who had entered his final moments, and turned to glance at Kake.

"It will. The Thorn Society will surround him, and blossoms will grow from his body."

Not disappointing him, Kake had indeed regained her calm as well. The changes she mentioned brought to mind the fiercely blooming flowers outside.

"So, is his sacrifice still not enough to make you awaken?"

Not only that, but in the next moment, she even stepped closer, her gaze burning brightly once more.

Truly excellent.

"Then when will my retribution arrive? Entering samsara to suffer inhuman torture?"

Amidst his appreciation, Fu Qian ignored her again, pointing at himself as he continued to ask.

"...It could come at any time, in any form."

Kake's response was somewhat cryptic. Her gaze instantly turned calm again, shifting to rest on Brother Macho.

Surprisingly, a strange fragrance was actually emanating from his body.

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