Eldritch Horror Theatre

Brother Persuader's transformation seemed no less significant than that of The Prisoners.

Of course, it wasn't that he considered the path ahead too dangerous and was using the Persuader as cannon fodder to scout it.

To Fu Qian, the real point of making such an unreasonable request was the Persuader's reaction. Whether or not he was willing to serve as a sacrificial scout was the true test.

Yet the result was completely consistent with his earlier behavior: exaggeratedly compliant.

While he retained his past memories, he seemed to have entered an entirely different mental state.

So, with The Prisoners nowhere to be seen, what did this signify?

Actually following behind the Persuader, descending the steps beyond the door one by one, Fu Qian felt the situation growing increasingly bizarre.

What he saw on this visit to The Corridor was rather unexpected.

For one, aside from the dimmed lighting, he hadn't spotted any traces of the Dark Moon.

And now, even his veteran tool, the Persuader, seemed to have reached a whole new realm of mental stability.

Following closely behind, Fu Qian easily confirmed through his Vision Radar that his old friend hadn't made any progress in Rank over the elapsed time.

But the fact that his condition remained stable seemed to indicate that this place hadn't completely lost its power.

After all, during their first meeting, the Persuader had shared an interesting theory about the paradoxical relationship between his abilities and this cage.

In essence, this place was practically the source of his power.

Taking that thought a step further, this connection made the Persuader look even more valuable in another regard: as food for the Bone Chain.

Of course, the chain had remained relatively well-behaved so far, and Fu Qian wasn't in any rush to activate it.

With a higher entity's cage currently mutating, he might as well look around a bit more first—oh?

The Persuader suddenly stopped in his tracks, and Fu Qian easily spotted the reason.

The descent hadn't been long. After passing through a stretch of hallway in the exact same architectural style, an even more familiar scene unfolded before his eyes.

Another reddish-brown door stood there, clearly displaying the intricate patterns that represented the mighty power of His Excellency Arakiel.

But unlike the door they had just passed through, this one was a standard size.

Looking further down the path, he saw iron black, silver white... Familiar sights came into view one after another.

It was a corridor featuring the exact same sequence of doors as the one above.

...

Was this why it was called The Corridor? He had to admit, the concept was a bit abstract.

This short distance certainly wasn't enough to disorient him. Fu Qian easily mapped out the bizarre architecture in his mind, marveling at it.

There was another Corridor beneath The Corridor? With a completely identical structure?

If these doors had featured colors and designs representing other higher entities, it would have made sense to view the place as a shared prison block, which wouldn't be quite so strange.

But seeing this setup, he obviously couldn't just explain it away as The Prisoners' Nightmare dissipating to reveal the building's original appearance.

After all, there was still one glaring issue: this corridor was accessed through the door leading from Excellency Serpent of Destiny's mansion. So what lay behind the other four doors?

Did each of them lead to a new Corridor as well?

And what lay behind the doors right in front of them?

Clearly, this place wasn't just a more realistic setting exposed by the retreat of the Transcendent Tier. Rather, it was a far more abstract entanglement of concepts.

So what had caused all of this?

And was it the same cause responsible for Brother Persuader's current state?

"How do you plan to describe this place?"

Just as Fu Qian's mind filled with questions and his gaze fell upon the ostensibly grateful guide, the Persuader seemed to sense it.

However, he made no move to look back. He simply kept his eyes fixed forward and asked the question in a soft, flat tone.

How to describe it? That was a good question.

Since being strong-armed into acting grateful, it sounded as if the Persuader had been anticipating this moment for quite some time.

However, Fu Qian didn't mind the somewhat pointed question at all.

"So, you've been behind the other doors too?"

Naturally, not minding didn't mean he was going to answer it. A moment later, he skillfully countered the question with one of his own.

"...I have. They're all the same."

The Persuader's current level of compliance today was truly astonishing.

Not only did he forgo a barrage of counter-questions, but after only the briefest hesitation, he quickly confirmed Fu Qian's guess.

...

There really was a new corridor behind every single door?

That would practically be an endless loop.

The difference in their respective manners was immediately apparent, but Fu Qian felt no shame whatsoever. He simply kept trying to map out the architecture in his mind, finding the whole thing incredibly brilliant.

The crucial point, however, was that this was only the beginning—

"What about these, then?"

Fu Qian gestured toward the five new doors right in front of them.

"They're all the same..."

This time, the Persuader didn't even hesitate before offering a slightly despairing answer.

"Those were two different questions. So what's the answer to the first one? Have you been inside?"

Even that failed to satisfy his strict interrogator. Fu Qian immediately pressed him further.

"No... but I can see them."

Unable to maintain his passive posture any longer, the Persuader turned his head, fell silent for a moment, and honestly admitted that he hadn't fully done his scouting work.

"Understood. So I'm leading the way again this time."

Still entirely unbothered, Fu Qian stepped forward and reached out to push open the door to Excellency Yarakil's Mansion.

The implication behind his words was simple: first, he was definitely going to pass through here and continue downward; second, the Persuader was definitely going to keep following him.

...

He had to admit, Brother Persuader didn't seem to be lying.

Within this derived, secondary Corridor, there was indeed an entrance leading to an even deeper level.

Behind this door of His Excellency Arakiel, he found no trace of the chaotic darkness from before. Instead, he could spot yet another door deep within.

Furthermore, this inner door wasn't silver-white. It sported another familiar color scheme belonging to one of the other five doors.

Did every door lead to a power other than its own, entangling and branching endlessly downward?

Fu Qian quickly drew this conclusion, though it only made the situation before him seem far more complicated.

What exactly did this entanglement signify?

Was it related to the actions he and the Witch had taken earlier? And what about that Dark Moon Brilliance that had resonated with the Witch?

Moreover, as a guy with absolutely zero perception skills, shouldn't he summon a professional to deal with such a complicated situation?

Without rushing inside, Fu Qian let his thoughts race as he turned to look at the Persuader. He could almost picture the entity hesitating in front of this very door.

"Aren't you supposed to be leading the way?"

Utterly failing to resonate with Fu Qian's sudden empathy, the scrutinized entity actually spoke up on his own this time, his tone heavily laced with mockery.

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