Eldritch Horror Theatre

This had to be the legendary Three-Instant Time Stop, right?

Fu Qian didn't even need to open the door to imagine the scene behind it.

Thanks to their sheer efficiency, the argument among the Three Giants of the Fallen Star was still in full swing.

He knew this because the shout that had just rung out unmistakably belonged to the instigating Female Magnate.

It seemed she had finally lost her patience and joined the fray.

It was an entirely unsurprising development. The only mildly interesting part was the specific title she had just mentioned.

He had to admit, given everything he and the Witch had just witnessed, the title "Dead Star" wasn't just domineering—it was actually rather fitting.

Yet the Witch moved with silky fluidity. She didn't even bother listening to opposing arguments before directly freezing the Nightmare once more.

It wasn't strange, really. A moment's thought made it clear that in this context, "Dead Star" wasn't some spectacular artifact—it almost certainly referred to the remaining member of the Four Giants of the Fallen Star.

He had been wondering why they were a person short since earlier; it seemed that member had genuinely gone missing.

That was a notable piece of news, and he suspected it was highly likely connected to the grand convergence of the Nightmares.

On one hand, it wasn't exactly bizarre. On the other, the Female Magnate's tone made it obvious she hadn't brought it up for a deep discussion—she was merely using it to question Xia's actions.

Under these circumstances, eavesdropping offered no real value. It wasn't worth wasting their time.

The corruption over at the Doll Workshop posed a far more unpredictable risk.

Creak—

As the door opened, the Witch was already stepping up to the edge of the pool.

The black water churned, and a familiar Clockwork Bird reappeared.

...

"This might take some time. You can go chat with Airo for a while."

Tightening the key brought another seamless transition.

Wooden rocking horses, dollhouses... everywhere they looked, the place was filled with childish toys. In the next moment, they were standing inside the Doll Workshop.

Their landing point was remarkably precise. Fu Qian even spotted that familiar brown-haired figure once again.

The Witch had actually offered the exact same suggestion as last time. Cradling the newly acquired Book of Precepts in her hands, she gestured for him to go over and interact with her.

At the same time, Fu Qian noticed that the book in the Witch's hands was already undergoing a change.

Similar to the commotion caused by the Precept Angel earlier, the flowing patterns on the book's cover had come alive. They were genuinely swirling at a slow pace, though the scale was much smaller by comparison.

Perhaps this was why the Witch said she needed some time.

It was understandable. After all, this was an entirely new subject.

Even though the feasibility had been proven, considering the fragile nature of this place, acting with caution was the most reasonable choice.

"Alright."

Fu Qian nodded, readily accepting good advice once again, and walked over.

...

Still facing away, the brown-haired Airo remained completely oblivious to their sudden arrival.

As Fu Qian walked right up behind her, he noticed that the female worker was busy with something entirely different this time.

Previously, she had been inspecting the dollhouses. This time, Airo was crouching on the ground, tinkering with a cloth doll dressed in a skirt.

The doll's gauze skirt was pure white—nearly the exact same shade as the arm Airo exposed whenever she raised her hand.

"Hello, Airo."

After watching the scene for a moment, Fu Qian called out a greeting with zero self-awareness about interrupting her work.

Even his greeting was identical to his last visit.

"Ah—"

She seemed far more engrossed in her work this time, making the sudden voice from behind even more startling.

Airo visibly jolted before whipping around.

"Hello..."

Her response, however, remained the same.

Even when faced with a stranger sporting such an eccentric appearance, she calmed down remarkably fast.

"Do you need help?"

Not only that, but a moment later, she proactively extended her goodwill.

"I do."

Fu Qian nodded. Up to this point, their interaction was still perfectly normal.

"The weather is pretty nice today."

However, their conversation took an abrupt leap right after. And it didn't leap to any profound topic—it was a rigid copy-and-paste of their exact previous exchange.

"...It really is, though it's a bit too hot."

Airo's reaction was equally easygoing as she reproduced her previous answer, albeit with a slightly different tone.

"Could it be your work uniform? It looks a little too thick, though safety protection is definitely important."

His expression completely unchanged, Fu Qian continued matching these meaningless lines.

The Witch behind him was obviously too busy to walk over and interrupt him this time—

"Are you looking for the Deer Cart? You can try heading up and looking for a house with a blue roof."

Yet that was the wonder of this world—the abrupt mental leap shifted to Airo this time.

In the very next moment, she forcefully shattered the limits of time, space, and logic, somehow "seeing through" Fu Qian's intentions to offer direct assistance.

The conversation had been forcibly dragged back onto its previous track.

...

It was all so familiar, yet so utterly shocking.

Was this how the Witch had felt back then? It was truly hard to comment on.

Fu Qian didn't say anything in that moment, but in his mind, he pictured a certain scene.

The Witch had likely experienced this exact scene many times before.

Just because the conversation lacked substance didn't mean it lacked meaning. He had actually gleaned a lot during his last exchange with Airo.

In Fu Qian's eyes, the Witch's suggestion this time probably didn't have any concrete objective; it genuinely fell into the category of "just wander around for a bit."

But if he actually followed through, it seemed it would greatly help him understand her feelings toward this place.

If his first encounter with Airo had felt like a relatively natural conversation, then this time, certain underlying truths had been thoroughly laid bare.

It seemed this entire place really was just a "story" revolving around the Deer Cart.

No matter how lifelike and natural Airo's expressions and tone were, her sole purpose of existence was to guide people upward—to send them to the house with the blue roof to gather more information about the Deer Cart.

When the Witch discovered this place back in the day, she undoubtedly realized this just as easily.

Just like an outsider intruding into an endlessly repeating story, knowing every character's plot and lines.

So much so that the more human the interactions seemed, the more deeply jarring the contrast became.

Leading to the profound realization that the isolation was eternal—though, of course, it wasn't eternal anymore.

Because now, there was one more person to share in that exact same feeling.

They could even read the rest of the story together from here on out.

"Thank you, Airo."

Even with all this in mind, Fu Qian didn't forget his manners.

Deep in thought, he nodded in thanks to the female worker who had offered him guidance.

"No need—"

However, the polite expression Airo was about to offer froze squarely on her face.

Everything ground to a halt, freezing perfectly in that moment. The time-stop phenomenon had appeared once again.

"Alright."

The Witch had already arrived by his side. She lifted the book in her hands and gestured with it.

In that same second, the scenery shattered. By the time it reformed, they were already standing beside the familiar black water pool once again.

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