Eldritch Horror Theatre

"An interesting thought."

After venturing a guess, Fu Qian even shared the Fruit and Sugar Theory. The Witch, having listened closely, finally nodded.

"However, it's a pity I can't serve as a working example. I am relatively certain my authority and state remain intact."

Of course, the Pope was as confident as always. In the next breath, she shifted gears to casually show off.

"I think so too. At the very least, my impression of you closely matches the Dark Moon I encountered before."

The Templar Knight was already accustomed to this mutual flattery. In an instant, it was a case of great minds think alike.

"So, by your logic, this place is a compensatory scene formed by the loss of that worldly foundation?"

A truly confident person never revels in praise. With a slight nod, the Witch got straight back to business.

"It's a reasonable deduction. For one, it explains these cravings."

"Whatever was lost does seem to be some kind of worldly foundation. Too many transcendent creations crave it. Even if this place is just a false compensation, once exposed, it will still incite greed."

The Witch opened her hand, revealing her three remaining fingernails.

Earlier, it seemed a bit hard to define. Now, could it be described as getting one's hand chopped off for stealing?

"Then, setting that aside, it seems we can deduce what was lost based on this place itself. No matter how crude or distorted, it should still express a certain concept. What do you think it is?"

After firmly validating the Templar Knight's report and extrapolating two main points from it, she continued to consult Fu Qian for his thoughts.

"I agree."

Fu Qian entirely agreed with the Witch's analysis.

The grotesque nature of this place could very likely help deduce what was actually missing—so, what was it?

Fu Qian's gaze fell on the Deer Cart, only to find it staring intently right back.

"The spirituality of simulated life?"

Ignoring its craving, what surfaced in Fu Qian's mind was the artifact the Witch had used to find this place.

...

"That fits our observations. That bird's form is indeed somewhat representative."

Looking thoughtful, the Witch clearly knew what Fu Qian had in mind.

"When I sensed its connection to this place, I considered that angle. However, isn't it a bit too superficial? It isn't enough to summarize this place as a whole."

"And a solitary trait like that shouldn't hold such broad appeal, should it?"

While she agreed, the Witch continued to raise questions.

"True. But the reason I bring it up is that I suddenly realized—could the scope of 'simulated life' be broader?"

Fu Qian had clearly considered this already, pointing at their surroundings.

"Dolls are a very literal manifestation, but what about stories? Do the characters inside them count as a type of simulated life as well? I've encountered similar examples before."

...

"The spirituality of any non-living creature, a transcendent imitation of life—is that what was lost? That actually makes sense."

The example that had inspired Fu Qian was naturally from his time in the Sacred Night Capital—that Midas who had almost become a legend.

Although the two worlds couldn't be directly compared, the concept of simulated life made the definition Fu Qian was willing to accept much more inclusive.

Faced with this insight, the Witch fell deep into thought.

Muttering to herself, she casually shattered a seeping clump of scorching heat.

Considering the test of Fu Qian's abilities had already concluded, she clearly had no intention of making him fight while injured.

"True flesh and blood is transforming into non-living matter, and even the definition of self is shifting. Furthermore, a Toy Workshop like this feels like it should only exist in a story... This entire place is the world's stress response to the loss of the spirituality of simulated life."

Ding—

While doing so, she hadn't forgotten to flick the fingernail from her hand, continuing to feed the Deer Cart over there.

"And the craving of these things makes sense now, especially for the non-living parts."

"Very good. Unfortunately, this loss happened before I was born. Otherwise, I would have defined this much earlier, including making a definitive judgment right now."

...

Indeed, compared to the many old monsters he had encountered, the Witch was exceedingly young.

Even as a natural higher entity, she had inherited almost no memories or knowledge.

Facing the Witch's self-reflection, Fu Qian could only think of how different she was.

He had felt she was special during their first encounter, and meeting the Dark Moon later in the Long Night had only intensified that feeling.

In Fu Qian's eyes, during this apocalypse, the Dark Moon Pope before him could actually be considered 'pure' to a certain extent.

"There's no rush to make a judgment. Think about what this change signifies if it's true."

Sighing internally, Fu Qian steered the topic back to the beginning.

He had come here because he could suddenly travel back and forth to the Warehouse.

This abnormal experience prompted him to look for signs that this world was undergoing changes.

And after some effort, having successfully deduced the origins of this place, it seemed they could properly ponder the reasons behind the special changes to the gift.

"A certain reward was replaced, and it hasn't even affected the stability yet. We can assume that some very special changes are indeed occurring, such as conceptual pollution."

The Witch continued to weigh his input.

"But considering this place is a false facade, we still can't conclude that the worldly foundation has undergone some fundamental change. After all, its foundation was lost long ago."

Her analysis was realistic and grounded; she didn't jump to conclusions.

"However, if this place truly possesses the nature we've deduced, I actually have a method to trace it back without destroying it."

Ding—

Of course, the Witch wasn't so rigid as to truly roleplay as an Academy researcher and forget her own mighty power. In the next moment, she flicked out another fingernail.

Oh?

If he remembered correctly, was that the twelfth one?

With the Pope being so imperious, Fu Qian didn't feel anything was amiss.

Watching her movements, Fu Qian naturally thought of a number—as expected.

In the next moment, the happily gorging Deer Cart trembled and dispensed another reward. A familiar bug shell dropped from the box on its back.

This time, it still didn't hit the ground, though the Witch hadn't reached out to catch it either.

In that instant, the tumbling bug shell seemed alternately surrounded by moonlight and darkness before ultimately shattering into motes of light.

Compared to last time, the radiance didn't dissipate as quickly. Instead, it shifted and rapidly stretched into a blurry scene.

This is...

Though it was ethereal, Fu Qian, who had been watching closely, still spotted an interesting figure within.

The Persuader?

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