Eldritch Horror Theatre

He seemed surprised by more than just the awakening.

Unlike his leisurely departure, the Tombkeeper's return was quite brisk.

Fu Qian, for his part, was quite cooperative. He stood in place the entire time, observing, with no intention of running away.

His dark skin contrasted sharply with his white robe, but his features were relaxed and his eyes bright.

Those brown eyes were currently looking Fu Qian up and down, scrutinizing every inch of exposed skin.

The gaze was a bit too intense, bordering on the way one might stare at a zoo animal.

Of course, Fu Qian wasn't that petty. After giving a brief explanation, he remained silent, letting the man stare.

"You got out by yourself?"

Ultimately, the Tombkeeper broke the silence first. He asked the question in shock, glancing at the empty grave not far away.

Compared to the enlightened tone and demeanor of everyone in the Realm of Bliss, Fu Qian much preferred this more natural style. He smiled and nodded.

"You pushed open the coffin lid by yourself?"

The man was still in disbelief.

"Yeah."

Fu Qian nodded again.

"...How did your body change back?"

"Change back to what?"

...

"Impossible..."

Through this brief exchange, the Tombkeeper didn't seem to have clarified the situation at all; if anything, he looked even more confused.

Amidst the man's confusion, Fu Qian was more concerned about his final question.

Changed back?

So that was why he was examining him so closely?

Not only was he not supposed to wake up, but he wasn't even supposed to maintain his current form?

By now, Fu Qian was certain that he had indeed reverted to his appearance from the very beginning of the mission, but the other party found this utterly unbelievable.

"Absolutely impossible... You were clearly suffering from the Burden of Causality. Your body had undergone a severe mutation, which is why I put your coffin lid on."

Before Fu Qian could even ask, the Tombkeeper confirmed his guess and even provided a specific term.

The Burden of Causality...

This term was undoubtedly rich in meaning, instantly bringing to mind that group of performance art enthusiasts.

Sure enough, had Caco and that massive group of people really been working in the wrong direction this entire time?

The more bizarre causes and effects they created, the harder it was to wake up from that dream.

It even sounded like accumulating too much of it would directly affect the physical body.

And since he had previously undergone such a mutation, he was deemed a lost cause?

The logic was starting to smooth out, but there were still many doubts.

"What exactly is going on? Where is this place? What happened to me?"

But it didn't matter. There was nothing that Madam Harriet's Three-Stage Questioning couldn't solve.

And if there was, he would just use three more stages.

...

"This is the Realm of Bliss, of course. The pure land the chosen enter after death. And now, you have woken up."

Fu Qian's direct questions finally rescued the Tombkeeper from his shock.

And the answer he gave was strikingly similar to what the crowd had said earlier.

"But I already woke up once. A lot of people warmly welcomed me, and I even earned enough recognition to join a society."

Although he vaguely guessed the reason, Fu Qian simply frowned, flawlessly playing the role of a confused, lucky survivor.

"Heh, that's what you think. Truly waking up isn't that simple."

His acting was not in vain. The next moment, the Tombkeeper snorted, regaining some of his vigor.

"As for those who welcomed you... they are intoxicated by illusions, preferring to create a bunch of baffling nonsense rather than finding the real courage to break through their fear. They're just a bunch of cowards steeped in self-deception."

The ensuing harsh critique was grating, but it made its point quite clear.

"Are you saying I didn't actually wake up before? That the people I saw in there have actually been lying in coffins all along, just like me? That's absurd!"

Fu Qian "clearly" found it hard to accept.

"Very good. You are gradually starting to understand."

The Tombkeeper, however, seemed to thoroughly appreciate this reaction.

"But do you know what's even more absurd? Running a flesh trade in the Realm of Bliss."

With an increasingly disdainful sneer, his sharp commentary continued, making no secret of his familiarity with certain matters.

...

It had to be said, there was some truth to that.

Some things were easier to recognize as absurd only when you stepped outside of them.

Regardless of the underlying motives, forcefully turning the City of Bliss into a veritable City of Sin certainly possessed a touch of dark humor.

"So you also came from that place, and you're one of the people who entered the higher levels of the Realm of Bliss?"

After a brief period of "calming down," Fu Qian obviously caught the implication in the other man's words.

"That's right. However, your phrasing is imprecise. There is no such thing as a higher level. The place we are standing right now is the true Realm of Bliss."

The Tombkeeper pointed at his own chest, then pointed back at Fu Qian.

"Those people are still stuck on the First Step, which is finding the entrance—are you planning to chat here, or should we change locations?"

...

"I understand. So they've been walking down the wrong path all along, which is why they've never been able to enter a higher level. But since you clearly know the correct path, why haven't you made it public? Just standing here mocking them is a bit low-class."

Faced with the Tombkeeper's claim, Fu Qian genuinely accepted the suggestion and followed him toward the town, voicing his doubts after a moment of thought.

"That's simple. First, I didn't know it was the correct path before I tried it. Second, do you think you have any way to go back and point the way for that crowd right now?"

The Tombkeeper's response was blunt as he gestured at their surroundings.

"And finally, how do you know that those of us who succeeded haven't tried to help?"

Oh?

Following the direction of his finger and looking at the numerous open coffins, Fu Qian seemed to realize something.

"You set it up like this just to give them a hint? I once encountered some baffling things in there, like a vortex that swallowed everything... Is it related to this?"

He was naturally referring to that special Imprint that had ultimately helped him break through his bottom line. He had to admit, its appearance had indeed been somewhat abrupt.

"Actually, we generally prefer to call that a lotus. Only by being illuminated by the true Bright Light of Bliss is it possible to occasionally glimpse it during your slumber."

The Tombkeeper gave a mysterious smile, unexpectedly confirming Fu Qian's guess.

"I get it. The light helps people wake up, so that's why you help them open their Coffin Lids—then what was the point of shutting mine?"

After this sudden "epiphany," Fu Qian instantly thought of something else.

"That's also what I don't understand."

And this time, even the Tombkeeper expressed his confusion.

"Originally, you had sunk so deep that your body had even started to mutate. Under normal circumstances, there was almost zero chance of you waking up. To prevent you from affecting the surroundings, I shut the coffin lid... But then you woke up in the blink of an eye and climbed out on your own. How did you do it?"

'So that was it... So the targeted countermeasure lies here?'

Sensing the man's confusion, Fu Qian noted silently, finally slotting the final piece of logic into place.

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