Eldritch Horror Theatre

It was primitive, but it definitely had artistic merit.

The concept of clothing hadn't been completely abandoned. Fabric had simply been discarded as the main material, replaced by a multitude of diamond-like pendants filling the bare gaps.

As the music started, the Dancer didn't keep the audience waiting. She swayed onto the stage, putting her immense core strength on full display with the single motion of stepping up.

Coupled with the charm of a mature woman, her every movement tugged at the heartstrings.

In all fairness, the performance wasn't unrefined. The stage design was up to standard, and the performer's skill was excellent.

Even the music wasn't a recording—it was played live by a heavily bearded, burly man sitting off to the side.

Like the rest of the audience, Fu Qian focused his gaze almost entirely on the Dancer in the center.

Her skin was a healthy wheat color, her figure tall and athletic. Her facial features weren't overly delicate, but her dark brown eyes carried an inherent wildness as she glanced around.

Yes, despite her heavy makeup, Fu Qian was absolutely certain she wasn't wearing colored contacts or anything of the sort. Those expressive eyes of hers were genuinely dark brown.

It wasn't painted blue, either. Instead, two concentric circles were centered around it.

They were neither painted nor tattooed. Rather, they were two slender metal rings adhered to the skin with some kind of fragrant paste.

Even though the middle ring wasn't colored, Fu Qian was absolutely certain that the proportional spacing between the metal rings perfectly matched the outer two layers of Inviolable.

"That is indeed Inviolable."

Just as he was visually measuring the proportions, a voice rang out beside him, validating his judgment.

...

"Oh?"

Fu Qian turned his head, looking with great interest at the somewhat overly familiar newcomer.

In comparison, however, the people around them weren't nearly as calm.

The moment they noticed the exchange amid the noisy music, more than one person subconsciously tried to sit further away.

The reason was simple: this appraisal master was a woman.

She was very young, with soft, light golden curly hair and a long white dress. She wore no accessories from head to toe, nor did she carry any souvenirs. She looked as if she had just stepped out for a stroll to listen to some tunes.

She was even an acquaintance—the somewhat unique young tourist he had evaluated in the line earlier.

He hadn't expected that someone who looked so much like a good, obedient girl would follow his example and ditch the tour group, just a short while after he did.

Comparisons truly were everything. Set against this newcomer, the originally glamorous Dancer on stage, who had captivated so many eyes, suddenly seemed far less refined.

The appearance of such a figure in a place like this undoubtedly spoiled the performance's effect somewhat. At that moment, more than a few audience members were already distracted.

So much so that while Fu Qian wondered how the tour guide had let her out, he was equally curious how the operator of this establishment had let her in.

"The attire is actually quite true to history... When this profession first appeared, they naturally moonlighted in certain other services...

"But this kind of decoration on the stomach hasn't been popular for very long."

However, the woman had absolutely no self-awareness in this regard. Taking Fu Qian's reaction as a request for guidance, she actually continued her critique while enjoying the performance.

"It's said that after this ancient profession was first revived, someone misinterpreted the meaning of Inviolable, wanting to use it to show the difference between their current line of work and the past...

"But a further misinterpretation quickly emerged, based on the belief that this could prevent the trouble of pregnancy...

"And later on, due to these complex and ambiguous connotations, the decoration seemed to offer a unique visual appeal. It ultimately became a symbol of sex appeal and the standard attire for this profession."

...

It felt as if a vibrant cultural history were unfolding right there.

For this young tour group member to possess such a deep foundation in history—appearing even more thoroughly researched than their guide—was truly an unexpected delight.

Even though the conversation had sprung up rather abruptly, Fu Qian had no intention of brushing her off. He listened earnestly to her explanation, finding himself deeply moved by it.

Cultural symbols were ultimately inseparable from people. As long as they were still active, every stroke and line was steeped in the restlessness of human nature.

To think that a simple decoration meant to enhance visual appeal had such a complex evolutionary process behind it.

Even the final result ran almost completely contrary to the original intention.

But in any case, he seemed to once again feel the inseparable connection between Inviolable and this city.

"However, it is precisely because of this that the ones on the dancers' bodies are not allowed to be painted blue, to the point that it's hard to say whether it's even still the same thing..."

As he mulled over her words, the young woman let out another sigh over the increasingly passionate music.

"Yes."

As a principled man who valued reciprocity, Fu Qian, having been thoroughly educated, nodded and gave a firm sound of agreement.

"Why? You'd already confirmed it before I spoke?"

She finally turned her head to look at him, somewhat surprised by his reaction.

"Yeah."

Fu Qian confirmed it again frankly. As for the reason—

[Current mission updated: As the master of the Third Cause, forbid the desecration of your authority.]

The Warehouse had already provided authoritative certification.

...

So this was what the Blue-Eyed Dancer actually meant?

He had simply found a performer nearby in time and space, yet the mission objective had updated directly. It seemed his previous assessment of things going "silky smooth" still held true.

It looked like those three concentric circles were the core. Even without being painted blue, they still represented eyes.

And according to the young woman beside him, if this decoration was now standard attire, then theoretically, he could complete the mission by finding any dancer.

Although this further mission detail sounded a bit overly domineering.

Third Cause... This title was undoubtedly somewhat strange.

And taken literally by the mission's wording, this was even a genuine authority.

It just lived up to his earlier evaluation—it was a bit abstract.

At the same time, what he needed to do was extremely tyrannical—forbid desecration, as its master.

"And now?"

His supremely confident response seemed to somewhat shock the young female tourist.

The passionate dance had now reached its climax. The other audience members had gradually adapted to the distraction and begun focusing entirely on the stage.

But facing the metal rings bouncing on those abdominal muscles as if they had come alive, she fell silent for a moment before finally asking.

"Now I'm even more certain."

He could sense her somewhat peculiar mood. Unfortunately, Fu Qian didn't have much interest in digging into its source. He simply looked over, studied the rings for a few more seconds, and nodded affirmatively once again.

This wasn't nonsense. At this moment, he was absolutely certain that this legendary Inviolable was exactly the "Third Cause" mentioned in the mission objective.

Even its appearance in his field of vision had undergone a fundamental change compared to just a moment ago.

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