Eldritch Horror Theatre

Getting to this place really did seem easier than reaching the Bookstore World.

After accepting Brother Persuader's ripple, Fu Qian's next action was quite simple: he directly invited the Bone Chain to taste his own flesh and blood.

For one, as he had reasoned earlier, he needed to keep his priorities straight. He kept in mind that this was a team-building exercise for the Dark Moon Cult; he was merely here a step ahead to assess the situation and provide an Anchor Point for the Descent.

No matter how bad the situation looked, it didn't change the fact that his own mission was already complete.

On the other hand, he needed to be flexible. He had fed Deity Remains to the Bone Chain last time, true, but that didn't mean it couldn't have something fresh today.

There might have been plenty of alternative options in this place, but while carrying out their kidnapping, the culprits were clearly doing their best to stay hidden. They had no desire for a direct confrontation with the Tyrant.

Even Brother Persuader—whom he had previously considered using as emergency rations—had been hidden away the moment cards were laid on the table.

Going out of his way to find him was certainly an option, but the search would inevitably destabilize The Corridor.

If he did that, the scene the Witch arrived to would be a battle-damaged ruin, far less pristine than its natural state.

While he wasn't sure of The Prisoners' exact motives, they were undoubtedly doing their utmost to trap the other end's Dark Moon in here.

If he used their flesh and blood, there was no guarantee these wretched entities wouldn't slip something into the mix, making his escape that much harder once the operation concluded.

All things considered, Fu Qian decided that offering his own flesh and blood was the most sensible choice.

Of course, his initial estimate had budgeted for a much higher cost.

Indeed, after the chain took barely a single bite, the Witch quietly appeared beside him in an incredibly smooth transition.

The mechanism was practically the same as their last time on the Other Shore, to the point that he didn't even need to reach out and hold her hand.

And while his Health Bar had taken a hit, the damage was on par with his previous missions.

Furthermore, the instant the Witch appeared and exchanged greetings with him, the Bone Chain immediately froze. Its bloodthirsty greed was forcibly sealed away, leaving it too afraid to move an inch.

Everything indicated that she hadn't needed to consume many resources this time.

"Are they waiting for us?"

The Witch didn't look particularly surprised by Fu Qian's question.

She gazed gently at their surroundings before turning back to him, clearly possessing her own idea of what to expect from these "receptionists."

"It feels more like they're waiting for you. I'm not exactly popular here."

Always confident in his ability to draw aggro, Fu Qian waved a hand dismissively. He was quite frank in suggesting that the only thing the other party was anticipating was the glory of the Dark Moon Pope.

"Understandable. You were delayed for a while earlier; I guessed it was for a similar reason."

Giving a slight nod, the Witch's words conveyed a staggering amount of confidence in the Knight.

Even knowing from the outside that this might be a trap, she had never once considered the possibility that he might fail to send a signal.

"This is the place. I confirmed it the moment you entered."

Not only that, but her next statement was even more domineering, directly confirming that The Corridor was the distant dimension she had sensed earlier—the location of the other Dark Moon.

...

Rumor had it there was a secret technique passed down in the jianghu: even if you found clothes you loved, you had to feign disinterest to haggle the price down.

Otherwise, once the seller got a read on you, they would dig their heels in.

However, it was obvious the Witch had not chosen this path of the jianghu.

Facing layer upon layer of obscuring barriers, she simply stated without a change in expression that this was the place.

So much so that even though the receptionists still didn't make a sound, Fu Qian could sense the immense pressure her words carried.

Once an opponent didn't mind telling you exactly what they were after, the implicit message was that they were bound to get it.

He wondered if that seemingly unbreakable Prisoner Alliance was feeling the pressure.

"You could just come right in?"

Aside from that, Fu Qian had easily caught onto another detail.

"Yes. Touching this place is relatively easy. I only needed this to be brought inside."

Sure enough, the Witch nodded again, pointing at Fu Qian's hand.

...

Just as he had suspected.

Many of his earlier theories had been proven true in an instant.

The Nightmare Corridor indeed had deep ties to the World of the Witch. She didn't even need any extra sacrifices of Divine Flesh; she only needed the Bone Chain to be present for her to initiate a Descent directly.

Not only that, but she could also confirm that the other Dark Moon was truly here as well.

As for why she could have descended but chose not to?

The answer to that was simple. Before heading out, he had explicitly told her he would "scout the way first."

While the Witch had supreme confidence in the Knight, she clearly shared his respect for their division of labor.

Before he finished scouting and summoned her, even after discovering that this was indeed their destination, she hadn't presumptuously taken matters into her own hands.

And his actions just now had evidently served as that summoning signal.

"Excellent. Here is the current situation—"

Naturally satisfied with the Pope's performance, Fu Qian immediately gave her a rundown of how he had bumped into an old friend after coming inside, as well as the events that had led him to this spot.

A mutual understanding built on reason was always the most essential asset in a brutal game of stakes.

Regardless of whether he and the Witch currently looked like they were on vacation, Fu Qian knew very well that the Nightmare standing before them was orchestrated by at least five prisoners—entities locked away for countless years who were now trying to drag them down, too.

Just thinking about it was enough to convey the intensity of the threat.

Not to mention that two of his own enemies were among their ranks.

"The only pity right now is that this old friend of mine has temporarily gone backstage to rest. Otherwise, you could have said hello."

After describing their current predicament, Fu Qian didn't forget to toss in a wistful remark.

"Persuader? Based on what you've said, his situation truly isn't very optimistic."

Even though his remark was purely sentimental, the Witch still listened earnestly. As she offered her commentary, she pulled out a rather thick book.

Oh?

Fu Qian naturally remembered the familiar red-and-white flowing patterns on its cover quite well. It was the Book of Precepts they had worked together to create earlier after hunting the Angel Skin.

Information about Persuader's origins and the concept of his "hometown" had actually been gleaned from its pages—Rustle!

The Witch was actually flipping through the book, completely unbothered by the occasion.

And after she paused on a certain page, the frozen fog and sound waves around them unexpectedly began to flow once more.

But that was only the first step. More importantly, in this reenacted scene, a figure unexpectedly began struggling its way out of the fog the very next moment.

The first things to emerge were a pair of long wings covered in greasepaint patterns, fluttering incessantly along with the body just like a real flying insect.

Brother Persuader had been recreated as well?

He had. The look was simply too classic; Fu Qian recognized the newcomer at first glance.

"Is this him?"

And the Witch's subsequent question proved an astonishing fact—

She hadn't been flipping through the book just now to look for answers. She was summoning him directly.

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