Eldritch Horror Theatre

Creak—

Amid A Lian's enigmatic introduction, the door slowly swung open to the group's anticipation, revealing the scene within.

Though the space was dim, the faint starlight filtering in was enough to outline its unusual contours—

It looked like a spirit temple built inside a workshop. Compared to the sites they had visited during the day, the classical elements here were even more concentrated—perhaps even more magnificent.

Featuring elegant layouts and exquisite decorations, the space sat beside a deep expanse of water. The breeze drifting through the small windows already carried the damp scent of The Lake.

For a moment, it felt as if they had truly stepped back through thousands of years, brushing against a wisp of history—

"Your friend does good work."

Of course, it only felt that way.

Taking in the scene before him, Fu Qian gave a slight nod and complimented A Lian.

Even in the transcendent world, one shouldn't let their thinking fall into lazy habits.

Rather than immediately jumping to mysticism, many things could actually be explained by science first.

He wasn't sure exactly which part A Lian's friend was responsible for, but the area before them was clearly a detailed stage set.

Even without the lights on, the effort poured into it was obvious at a glance.

Not a single piece was a genuine antique, but the wear on them looked completely natural. Certain items had even been deliberately distressed.

Old Man Sanhao and the others might argue that not everyone had his absurd ability to see in the dark, so who else could possibly notice those details? Wrong.

That was nothing but a clumsy excuse for being unprofessional.

In reality, if they just turned around, even someone with terrible eyesight could see that the opposite corner of the room sported a distinctly modern style.

It was a classic photography studio setup.

Click!

A Lian finally found the switch, and the room was suddenly bathed in light.

"I thought the same, which is why I figured you might be interested. What do you think?"

Hearing Fu Qian's compliment, she turned around with a grin, asking Old Man Sanhao and the others for their impressions.

...

"It's excellent. Your friend must be an expert in this field."

This time, the quickest to react among the three was actually the Captain.

His emotions had undoubtedly been on a rollercoaster tonight.

First, his vaguely romantic expectations had fallen flat. Then, he had been awestruck by the magical scene before him. After waking up to the fact that it was merely a meticulously constructed set, his disappointment hadn't lasted long before he was once again amazed by the sheer professionalism on display.

"Are we going to burn incense in here later?"

He stepped forward in amazement, looking left and right, but politely kept his hands to himself.

"To be precise, you'll be burning incense in here exactly as they did centuries ago."

Pleased that her efforts hadn't gone unappreciated, A Lian added with a smile.

"This is a recreation of a building that vanished from history long ago. The only thing we know for sure is that it once stood by The Lake, and burning incense to pray inside was a privilege reserved strictly for royalty.

"My friend designed this place and showed me the construction process. I loved it. I figured it would be fun to bring you all here to exercise a little royal privilege for yourselves."

...

The positive reviews for the Warehouse were well-deserved; she truly was a dedicated tour leader.

While this twist seemed unexpected, a moment of thought made it clear that a destination like this was the only logical outcome.

After all, she was just a tour guide. It would be absurd if she actually had the power to control some undiscovered ancient Ruins.

And it had to be said, she had vision. Coming up with the idea to burn incense here proved that a high-end tour guide needed a discerning eye.

Besides, don't forget what the Captain had pointed out—this wasn't part of the originally planned services. A Lian simply thought it was a nice experience and decided to share it with her clients.

Especially after the near-miss accident earlier that day, she had even covered the extra expenses herself.

Given all that effort, the most gratifying outcome was seeing it appreciated.

With the Captain this interested, the other two went without saying.

"You really put a lot of thought into this. It's certainly an interesting idea... Is it just this floor, or are there other areas?"

Old Man Sanhao offered his praise, his glowing review completely sincere.

"There's more. They spent a lot of time putting this together."

A Lian shook her head, pointing both up and down.

"Considering the exact location and process of the prayers are currently uncertain, you can choose wherever you like."

"Understood. Don't worry, we won't damage a thing."

The Old Man was already highly satisfied with this outcome. Unprompted, he directly guaranteed they wouldn't cause any damage.

"Same here," the Captain actively chimed in, in a rare moment of agreement with him.

"I trust you all, otherwise I wouldn't have arranged this... You're free to explore now, but remember, we only have an hour."

A Lian nodded, showing full confidence in her clients.

...

A former royal sanctuary for prayers? Honestly, the style didn't exactly match the ruins they had seen earlier today.

Although he frequently damaged cultural relics, it was never out of perverse amusement.

After giving A Lian his own assurances, Fu Qian strolled into the gloom, not bothering to turn on the lights along the way.

The darkness didn't hinder his appreciation of his surroundings in the slightest.

Nor did this critical appraisal stop him from quickly getting into character—accepting A Lian's suggestion to step into the shoes of Anke Vinland, he tried pacing through the recreated sanctuary with the bearing of a reincarnated Ancient King.

Then, there was Inviolable.

Fu Qian opened his palm. The shape of the 3rd Circle quickly materialized on it, even constantly evolving, which included the special version found on the Dancers' bellies.

As the master of this authority, it wasn't hard to confirm that all these patterns possessed a certain efficacy. Perhaps it counted as an impure manifestation?

But that was as far as it went. Even with the marks etched into his flesh, the entity who had blasphemed this authority remained entirely silent—just like the Night Watchers.

He followed the stairs upward. Just as A Lian had claimed, the higher floor revealed a completely different atmosphere.

A terrace even extended out over the side facing The Lake, making the lighting much better.

Walking all the way up, he could see that despite the lightning strike earlier today, there were actually fewer clouds in the night sky now than there had been then. It was perfectly clear.

It didn't matter. Traveling required patience, after all.

Unbothered by this tranquil scene, Fu Qian sat down on the only Chair, gazing out over the shimmering surface of The Lake.

"Why haven't you lit the incense?"

Right on cue.

This scene didn't last much longer. A moment later, Clara's voice rang out from behind him.

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