Eldritch Horror Theatre

Working with painstaking dedication and solitary devotion, only to ultimately become a tool for showcasing another's glory? Tragic indeed.

Fu Qian completely understood Yuan Shan's mood.

Although the title of Divine Emissary had sounded strange from the very beginning, it primarily gave off an air of nobility.

Now that Old Man Henry had explained it in detail, the underlying helplessness and the reality of being a mere supporting character felt akin to being forged a thousand times over, only to serve as a scabbard.

Not to mention Chief Yuan's teacher, whose state was even worse than a scabbard.

He could only conclude that the closer one got to the end, the more bizarre this Transcendent path became.

Chief Yuan's approach of focusing on the present and not aiming too high was actually a fairly decent method.

Of course, speaking of the bizarre, she still hadn't seen anything more abstract—as a Tier 2, he was actually acting as his own apostle.

Back when he successfully completed the Tier 2 advancement ritual with Emperor Yasui's help, he had found the underlying logic deeply novel.

But now, considering Yuan Shan's explanation, certain things vaguely evoked a sense of déjà vu—did his choice of the Divine Skin back then count as an alternative reflection of the end of the Divine Path?

Even if what it reflected did not belong to his own pathway.

So, did his current situation count as reflecting it a bit too much, to the point that it was practically welded onto his body?

It suddenly gave him a sense of belonging.

Always good at finding the bright side, Fu Qian quickly reflected on himself while making sure to confirm the system's tolerance for him.

This wasn't just for peace of mind; in practice, it was incredibly important.

After all, there were still no signs of a true Tier 1 advancement ritual.

Although with his current state, and the perception system the Witch had helped equip him with, the need to rapidly advance didn't seem all that urgent.

However, proving that he still belonged to the system to a certain extent undoubtedly meant that there would be far more references available for him to draw upon.

"There's no need to add to your worries," he said.

Having reaped another harvest of insights, Fu Qian didn't forget to return the favor.

"After all, in the jianghu, one's actions are not one's own. When the time truly comes, you won't be able to refuse it even if you try."

...

"I actually don't know how to comment on that... but I'll take your word for it."

Fu Qian's ability to comfort people was as outstanding as always, so much so that Chief Yuan could no longer maintain her somber demeanor. In an instant, her features twisted into a conflicted expression.

"Anyway, that's roughly the gist of it... Do you have anything else you want to ask?"

With a long sigh, Yuan Shan indicated that her moment of "sudden self-expression" was over, casually checking in with Fu Qian.

He had to admit, she was quite tactful. She had finished helping him without even asking why he was looking for that specific name.

As for what he wanted to ask—there was simply too much.

So much, Fu Qian thought to himself while giving her mental praise.

Like whether there were originally thirteen suns in the sky...

Or whether the Night Watchers knew that the Blazing Rainbow could already directly influence the sun to a certain extent, just like that time it nearly drained his SAN Value...

"In the internal history classes of the Night Watchers, did they ever mention who the master of Paradise is?"

Unfortunately, some topics were too sensitive. Fu Qian had no intention of dragging Chief Yuan further into murky waters, so he pivoted to a more folklore-esque question.

The master of Paradise...

Even with this single question, Chief Yuan found it difficult to answer, furrowing her brows deeply.

"That concept is far too complicated, and by comparison, somewhat recent. Honestly, even in the churches and temples of the Sacred Night Capital, you can find nearly double-digit variations of descriptions about it. You've probably seen them before."

After some deliberation, she finally shook her head.

"True."

Fu Qian naturally had a deep impression of it. After all, Old Man Henry had entrenched himself in one for a long time. Back then, just trying to find him had taken Fu Qian on quite a tour of the area.

At the time, that master-and-disciple duo had also openly admitted that the reason that city of dazzling luxury and debauchery had so many different faiths was due to strong guiding factors, and it didn't point to any true Deity behind the scenes.

In essence, it was a complete faith-monitoring system explicitly designed by the Night Watchers.

...

So entering the Realm of Bliss after death wasn't a widely circulated doctrine within the sun faith either?

Or was it also a piece of history deliberately covered up by the Night Watchers?

No answer was an answer in itself. Chief Yuan looked slightly ashamed, but Fu Qian had no complaints whatsoever.

During the mission in the Realm of Bliss back then, the Warehouse explicitly stated in its summary that the reason Eckhart committed suicide was to prove that the object of his faith hadn't abandoned them.

And he had indeed succeeded; he really did arrive in the Realm of Bliss.

Although he had already been corrupted by Excellency Stomach before that.

But with the sun being such a classic concept, and the "Wheel That Cannot Be Looked Upon" possessing such an overbearing honorific name, if the doctrine explicitly contained this tenet, it shouldn't have been completely buried in history.

Could it be that this was a core secret only apostles at the level of an Ancient One could grasp?

That was a bit too abstract. Shouldn't they have relied on this exact concept to attract believers?

Regardless, the situation was somewhat incomprehensible.

So much so that the relationship between the "sun" and the "Realm of Bliss" suddenly became complicated and bewildering again.

That also included the backstabber of the Tyrant he had encountered back then, the "Mourning God".

Fortunately, he hadn't completely lost all clues for his next steps—after all, he was one of the guiding experts for the project concerning Ecstasy.

Excellency Stomach clearly had deep ties with the Lord of the Bliss Realm. It wouldn't hurt to follow up on this lead starting with Him.

"Anyway, thank you very much. You've worked hard."

In a great mood, Fu Qian didn't even mind that his business turnover was slightly affected, thanking her with a beaming smile.

"It was an effortless favor..."

Feeling somewhat on edge at how serious this venomous counselor was being, Yuan Shan subconsciously stared at his face, worrying there was a trap.

But sensing the genuine sincerity behind his words, she let out a soft sigh of relief the next second and waved her hand dismissively, putting her bold and magnanimous side on full display.

"Just a verbal thank you?"

This harmony only lasted a few seconds before she suddenly remembered something. She looked Fu Qian up and down, a strange expression on her face.

"Or what?" Fu Qian casually asked in return, naturally feeling no discomfort.

"You're dressed quite formally today."

As expected, Yuan Shan was focusing on her familiar domain. With a smile tugging at her lips, she commented on Fu Qian's fashion sense.

"Wen Li's eye for fashion."

Fu Qian naturally wasn't greedy for such hollow vanity, immediately returning the credit to its rightful owner.

"No wonder, it looks like a lot of care went into it... She's still over at the Academy and hasn't come back yet, right?"

Her tone was normal enough, but Chief Yuan's choice of words sounded increasingly inappropriate, deliberately leading one's thoughts down a strange path.

"Get to the point."

As a master of leading people astray himself, there was no way Fu Qian would fall for such a petty trick. He interrupted her without batting an eye.

"Also, you look quite nice yourself."

He didn't even forget to engage in some mutual flattery, giving high marks to Yuan Shan's outfit today.

"Thank you... So, any interest in attending a social event alongside this nice-looking contestant?"

Her failure to mislead him didn't affect her mood in the slightest as Yuan Shan smiled and gestured outside.

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