Eldritch Horror Theatre

No wonder building a chariot behind closed doors was inadvisable; reading ten thousand books still required traveling ten thousand miles.

Experiencing it firsthand in the field made the content instantly easier to understand.

Although the scene behind the door was a bit abstract—the stairs, surprisingly, went up.

As mentioned earlier, the door's greatest significance was symbolic.

Once he chose to push it open, the combination of elements no longer needed to follow boring rules; intent preceded form.

Since that was the case, he might as well properly experience the main theme the book meant to express.

Paying no mind to the foul smell, Fu Qian stepped directly into the sobbing.

"Heh... haha..."

Without warning, the sobbing instantly transformed into nervous laughter.

So was this a stress reaction, or pure coincidence?

Despite the sudden change, Fu Qian didn't break his stride.

While examining his surroundings, he still wondered about the reason for the shift.

The switch between the two sounds was completely unprompted, and the resulting laughter was just as infectious, stirring an urge to tear the entire world apart.

Indeed, though she was laughing, her emotional instability had only intensified, bordering on a total descent into darkness and demonic madness.

But it was still the same person, the same young woman.

It was a pity. The book was not only stream-of-consciousness, but clearly missing a massive chunk.

So much so that he hadn't just failed to find a name, he hadn't even read about this particular mental state.

And up until this moment, no one had come out to greet him, offer an introduction, or provide an interpretation.

...

For Excellency Nepheli to be so neglectful after her strenuous invitation seemed somewhat unreasonable.

But it didn't matter. Reading had always been subjective.

Considering everyone's stance and experiences, it was easy to arrive at different interpretations.

Not to mention, Excellency Nepheli had already given him her reading notes.

He remembered when she gifted him this eye; she had explained its origin as the remains of a certain noble person left behind after being punished.

Amidst remorse and agony, the consort had stubbornly wanted to witness her own dismemberment, ultimately forming this pair of deeply resentful eyes.

Aside from the fact that the voice indeed belonged to a young woman, the surroundings were also starting to look increasingly luxurious.

Having already finished climbing the stairs, judging by standard distance and spatial orientation, Fu Qian reckoned he should currently be standing in midair, higher than the second-floor bedroom.

Yet the architecture before him was not only towering and majestic, but also noticeably retro in style.

Coupled with the undeniably gorgeous decorations, it matched the title of "Punished Consort" more and more.

So it wasn't just a communication tool, it even came with a built-in imaging function?

After calling him and getting no answer, had Excellency Nepheli triggered the ancient resentment lingering within?

It sounded logical enough, but everything had a purpose.

Excellency Nepheli wouldn't resort to such childish retaliation just because he didn't pick up—or was the non-childish retaliation still to come?

At that moment, Fu Qian stopped in his tracks and looked up.

On the arched dome, aside from the glittering gold patterns, there were actual paintings.

The creator's craftsmanship was so superb that, having fully considered angles and the play of light and shadow, the creature in the painting was incredibly lifelike; so much so that the dense cluster of eyeballs on its body seemed to be staring right back at him.

Without a doubt, despite the masterful skill, the subject matter was somewhat grotesque.

It wasn't a traditional Angel Sanctuary or anything similar, but at a glance, it was far more soul-stirring.

What bloomed warmly in the background wasn't radiant holy light, but a blood-like crimson.

It was so rich it looked ready to drip at any moment, yet it possessed a sky-like crystalline clarity, setting off the coiled figure in the center as if it were looking down from the distant cosmos.

The figure even looked a bit familiar. Shaped like a spider and covered in eyeballs, its massive abdomen was completely out of proportion with the walking legs beneath it.

Rom?

Fu Qian had laid eyes on a similar image back in Dunis. It was the exact object of worship for that special group of occult enthusiasts, the suspected source of the curse.

And in the end, all signs had pointed to the higher entity named Rom.

He had even interacted quite a bit with that entity elsewhere.

So did Excellency Rom really look like this?

To be honest, this image management was practically the worst among all the higher entities he knew. It made him doubt whether Rom could have even attracted believers back in the Mythological Era.

Could wanting to switch to the body of the Naval God Hamadus have stemmed from such a motive?

Despite his silent, sharp critique, the power of a higher entity was on full display.

As if listening to his curiosity, the patch of swirling red grew increasingly resplendent.

It illuminated Excellency Rom's body to the point that he seemed steeped in blood—drip.

There was actual blood.

Though it didn't fall directly onto Fu Qian's head, a crimson droplet truly fell from above.

Waaah—

The moment it shattered on the ground, a tender, childish cry rang out in sync.

...

Order of Blood? So it really was Excellency Rom?

A seemingly familiar sensation was easily caught by Fu Qian.

He had already felt a strong sense of déjà vu regarding this red color, and now, overlaid with the crying, it easily brought to mind his previous Record of Recollection experience in Ehm Palace.

At that time, the Warehouse had provided hard evidence: behind the actions of the Origin Council's core member, Luyi, lay the aid of Excellency Rom's authority.

Combining all these elements, it not only looked like this higher entity had arrived in person, but that he was also very unfriendly toward him.

So, had he been a bit too unrestrained after all?

Was this actually a trap, set specifically for the arrogant?

Was answering the call just throwing oneself into the net?

Although Excellency Rom hadn't made any further moves, no matter how one looked at it, Fu Qian had stepped into his territory. For every second he stayed, the danger index rose by a point.

Silently reflecting on his actions, Fu Qian's expression remained as calm as ever.

Facing the pattering rain of blood, he skillfully wove his way through, not letting a single drop touch him.

At the same time, he showed absolutely no intention of retreating, remaining locked onto the direction of the "Punished Consort's" voice.

Click!

Then, accompanied by the sound of another door opening, that voice suddenly became clear—and cheerful.

Yes, within the massive space behind the door, the ubiquitous crimson burned the eyes with an unprecedented, chaotic bloodiness.

Yet, from the middle of it all, the voice coming from the figure suspended by her hands seemed to brim with a ferocious delight.

"Welcome."

And right beside her, the old acquaintance who had just flashed through his mind, Luyi, looked over as if he had been waiting a long time.

"A pleasure."

Tossing out a casual greeting, Fu Qian kept his gaze fixed on the person being punished.

That face... Nepheli?

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