Eldritch Horror Theatre

So it satisfied a wish for retirement, did it? The Pope was quite thoughtful.

Of course, it wasn't the First Generation Dark Moon expending their last ounce of strength, like a dying fox turning its head toward its hill before a complete collapse.

When the Witch made her escape, she had actually spent extra effort to drag back the stone statue belonging to that figure.

Although it was already worn and dilapidated, truth be told, it actually fit the scene before them quite well.

A broken body sitting in quiet rest, accompanied by bright flowers.

"The Imprint has almost completely vanished, but you can still give it a try."

As Fu Qian examined the scene with an appreciative gaze, the Witch gestured for him to touch it.

There really was no such thing as a free lunch. While Excellency First Generation Dark Moon's little wish had been satisfied, they inevitably had to cooperate and offer up their remaining usefulness.

Fu Qian sighed inwardly, but he had to admit that the Witch's reasoning was incredibly meticulous.

And while that deduction was firmly grounded in facts, now that they had a chance to test it practically, how could they easily pass it up?

This was no longer The Corridor, which held a much tighter connection to the Bookstore World.

Following their previous logic, if he touched it now, he would most likely end up just like the Witch—feeling absolutely nothing.

Of course, it wouldn't be the strongest proof, since the First Generation Dark Moon's Imprint on the stone statue was practically gone—in fact, it truly was gone.

At that moment, Fu Qian's hand was already resting on the stone statue, pressing against the severed arm that had once held a bow.

However, aside from a touch of cold, uneven stone, he felt absolutely nothing else.

"Nothing at all. It looks like our previous theory has withstood a bit of scrutiny. After I head back, I can try to find more evidence."

Retracting his hand, Fu Qian turned to the Witch and gave her a nod.

"Mhm... you still have ten minutes."

She clearly wasn't surprised, softly adding the reminder.

...

"No wonder things felt a little off. Is my current state different from before?"

The Witch's reminder was somewhat abrupt, much like the tail end of his guard duty last time.

However, Fu Qian wasn't surprised. He simply glanced around and casually asked for confirmation.

"Mhm, because of the 'Other Shore'."

The Witch nodded.

"This back-and-forth travel seems to have accelerated the spread of this concept.

"That made our earlier escape relatively easy, but the negative effects you accumulated from crossing the barrier have made you a bit peculiar."

Pointing at Fu Qian, the Witch didn't hesitate a moment later to pick up his more heavily injured arm, examining it closely.

"Specifically, what you accumulated before was the pull from the Nightmare Corridor. This time, there's an added trace of that world pulling at you.

"Of course, the upside is that in my estimation, you shouldn't need to break through The Corridor again. You can head straight back using the same method as before.

"As for the downside, it's best not to resist it too much, or the backlash on you might be even worse."

During this operation, the Knight hadn't made many moves.

But this was a battlefield where Deities clashed, not to mention he had entered it with an already broken body. Right now, Fu Qian looked rather battered.

More importantly, from the moment he sustained them until now, the healing rate of his wounds had slowed to a near standstill.

"I can feel it. But looking at it this way, isn't it the exact opposite of that group in the Nightmare Corridor?"

The Mechanical King of the Abandoned Prison was himself already used to it. Letting the Witch hold him, Fu Qian pondered the implications behind it all.

...

Just like the Warehouse, the Nightmare Corridor was closely tethered to the Bookstore World. Given his experiences up to now, that was practically a certainty.

As for the pull of the Bookstore World, that made sense too.

Just like when the Witch went over there, it wasn't strange for his forceful breach of the barrier to hit him with some backlash.

One could even consider the earlier pull from The Corridor to be a manifestation of this exact effect.

It was just that the added attribute of the Other Shore this time had twisted the situation slightly.

But even so, in terms of "direction," the contrast between him and The Prisoners was far too stark.

He was being dragged back.

Meanwhile, The Prisoners had been convicted in the Bookstore World and thrown inside to suffer their capital punishment—meaning they were forever locked within and could never break out—yet they could still cross over to this side.

There had already been signs of this back in the Doll Workshop.

Why?

Was he missing the label of a prisoner? Or did he bear the extra label of an outsider?

If it was the former, who pinned that label on them with such overwhelming strength?

If it was the latter, since he was an outsider, why would he receive such special attention?

Was it because of the Emissary Mask's synchronization? During his passage through The Corridor, had he been judged as someone from the Bookstore World?

It was certainly a valid explanation, though it made the nature of The Corridor feel even more bizarre.

For one, it was a passageway. Whether it was him, the Witch, or even the First Generation Dark Moon, traveling between the two worlds seemed to require passing through it.

Furthermore, the structure of this passageway was highly peculiar, acting like a one-way valve that worked for both sides.

The Natives of both worlds could indeed use it to cross over to the other side, but they would encounter an immense counter-current, much like what he was experiencing now.

Even The Prisoners locked inside seemed to violate this rule, but in reality, they still retained a core element—it was one-way.

In comparison, their case was even more extreme. They could only move toward the other side. If they wanted to turn back, it wasn't just a matter of facing resistance—a solid wall had essentially been built in their path.

Did whoever created or discovered The Corridor zero in on this very trait to use it as a prison?

Truth be told, it was beyond a simple prison; this was practically exile.

"Yes, it is indeed a fascinating trait. It's incredibly stable, too. I can confirm that your final attack didn't compromise its stability in the slightest."

Fully understanding Fu Qian's sentiments, the Witch's gaze remained fixed on the stone statue as she spoke, seemingly pondering Mother's entanglement with that place.

"Although I can't touch it myself right now, I will keep an eye on the statue's condition later to see if anything unusual happens."

Not bad. Very cautious.

Fu Qian thoroughly appreciated the suggestion to monitor it.

Now that their hidden presence in The Corridor had been exposed, the First Generation Dark Moon's final traces wouldn't meet a good end, even if they didn't completely collapse outright.

Under these circumstances, the Witch dragging back its remnants was, on one hand, doing all she humanly could.

But on the other hand, one should never take things for granted. A setup like this from the First Generation Dark Moon undoubtedly held a deeper purpose—it might even be malicious. Having zero defenses against it simply wouldn't do.

Under these circumstances, rather than leaving it in The Corridor and allowing potential threats to fester in the unknown, bringing it out and keeping it right under their noses was a far more rational choice.

"Now, let's address your issue."

However, before Fu Qian could voice his praise, the Witch proceeded to unfurl the scroll in her hands.

"Place your hand on this."

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