Eldritch Horror Theatre

He had already expected this time's theme to be rather stream-of-consciousness, but wasn't this visual language a bit too unrestrained?

There was no mistake. Although her lowered face was mangled almost beyond recognition, it did not stop Fu Qian from identifying her. It was Excellency Nepheli, who had been laughing and chatting with him not long ago.

She seemed completely oblivious to his and Lu Yi's greetings.

Both of her eyeballs were gone, instantly bringing to mind the origin of the Eye of the Punished Consort.

Inside the bloody sockets, flesh could even be seen arranged in a bizarrely regular pattern.

It overlapped in layers like mushroom gills and even spread outward, leaving tracks across her snow-white skin.

Just a single glance was enough to convey the materialized pain within.

Nor did the shocking sights end there. Looking elsewhere, various cruel marks covered her entire body.

Pierced, sliced, rotted... she had clearly suffered immense torture.

The floor and walls seemed to corrode into pus and blood, forming similar imprints.

So the legendary Punished Consort was actually Excellency Nepheli herself?

Was the massive stream-of-consciousness tome he had just read the confession of this Academy senior?

Was the scene before him a reproduction of the torture she had endured back then?

Honestly, this twist was a bit shocking, especially since the victim had spoken earlier, and the voice hadn't sounded like hers.

Besides, given his relationship with her, it hardly seemed necessary to show him this much.

"Very... good... heh heh..."

Despite his commentary, the suspended victim still didn't raise her head. Given the state of her ears, she might not even be able to hear his conversation with Lu Yi.

Yet the next moment, the voice squeezed from her throat was not only hoarse but surprisingly familiar.

...

Was it really the voice of the former Dean?

So was his earlier reading simply not immersive enough? Now that he had reached the required depth, the timbre matched?

He could tell Nepheli was talking to herself, but that didn't stop the words from carrying a massive amount of information, swiftly providing Fu Qian with an explanation.

Moreover, those few short words had a terrifying emotional resonance, profoundly conveying a will that had been ravaged beyond measure.

"I didn't expect you to actually respond."

Beside him, Lu Yi also seemed rather affected by Nepheli's voice. With a light chuckle, he praised Fu Qian's courage.

"Sure enough, she understands you better... So, did the King of the Abandoned Prison not warn you of the danger?"

Before Fu Qian could offer a modest reply, Lu Yi shifted his gaze, continuing to praise Nepheli while dropping an astonishing title.

So, Excellency Rom was indeed a knowledgeable Ancient Higher Being?

Fu Qian's first reaction to this was to form a conclusion in his mind.

He had to admit, directly calling out the honorific name King of the Abandoned Prison was extremely impactful.

They had interacted so many times. It wouldn't be surprising to the Origin Council if the identities of the Bookstore Owner, the Academy professor, and even the roleplayer of Old Man Lu from the Rebirth Club were all traced back to him.

But as for the return of the King of the Abandoned Prison, or even the previous incident where the Flame of Frenzy permeated the Solitary King Court—although the Origin Council was one of the victims, without a certain reserve of knowledge, it felt unlikely they could so accurately confirm the honorific name, let alone connect it to him.

"So you guys are actually invited extras?"

Despite having his core secret suddenly exposed, Fu Qian didn't hesitate, directly answering a question with a question.

He hadn't actually finished expressing his doubts about the scene before him.

Aside from the fact that Excellency Nepheli seemingly had no need to show him this much, the identities of the participants in this scene were equally bizarre.

Lu Yi and Rom?

If this cruel torture truly came from them, how severe must Excellency Nepheli's Stockholm Syndrome be for her to willingly become a technical backbone of the Origin Council?

By comparison, the explanation that they had simply been invited into this scene in this manner to give him a warm reception was obviously much more reasonable.

After all, there was quite a lot of bad blood between them, and in just a few short sentences, Excellency Lu Yi made no attempt to hide his hostility.

It was one of the risks he had considered: a trap designed to let the willing bite the hook, and one they weren't entirely confident he would even fall for.

As for why Nepheli was still playing her part so devotedly even after he had taken the bait?

"Heh heh... We're here thanks to you. She has never allowed anyone to enter this place."

Lu Yi not only didn't deny the "extras" remark but even laughed quite heartily.

Not only that, but he turned to gaze at the miserably mangled Nepheli with a look of appreciation.

...

"Leaving behind some contact information doesn't really count as a betrayal, so isn't this a bit too harsh?"

Lu Yi's earlier words clearly carried a hidden meaning, but Fu Qian wasn't surprised. He looked over as well and sighed.

Why was Excellency Nepheli still playing her part so diligently even now?

Combined with Lu Yi's statement, it was actually easy to arrive at a classic answer—first ask if it was true, then ask why.

Nepheli might not be acting at all, and it might not even be her own choice.

Leaving behind the Eye of the Punished Consort had multiple uses, just as he had analyzed before; a trap was only one of them.

And it sounded like Nepheli had great confidence in him, never doubting that he would dare to respond.

Except, the one utilizing this confidence at this moment might not be her.

It was precisely the multiple uses of the Eye of the Punished Consort that made her actions ambiguous.

It could be a test or a trap, so was it also possible it was a pledge of allegiance?

As everyone knew, the Punishment Hall of an illegal organization was terrifying. Would the Origin Council, which had suffered repeated setbacks in its operations, initiate an internal purge?

Logically, it actually made perfect sense.

Given her unique background and somewhat ambiguous attitude, it didn't seem strange that Nepheli would bear the brunt of it.

The final result was that the organizer of this summons might not have been her; it was merely a case of turning waste into treasure.

"You still have the time to care about this? Shouldn't you consider your own situation?"

Lu Yi seemed perfectly capable of grasping Fu Qian's somewhat tangential response.

Aside from his surprise, he found this righteous outspokenness somewhat amusing.

Of course, from Fu Qian's perspective, this reaction was entirely reasonable.

Although he had ruined many of the Origin Council's plans, this place looked like the absolute home turf of his opponents.

Lu Yi alone was a difficult character to deal with, not to mention Excellency Rom watching while bearing his heavily diseased body.

Furthermore, even without Ariel, the Origin Council was brimming with talent. Just because they weren't standing in front of him didn't mean Wehle, Crow Feather, and the others weren't around.

"I've considered it. So you'd better hurry up. I'm short on time."

Fu Qian was truly readily accepting good advice, nodding to indicate he had already done so.

Except, as he urged him, he was looking at the suspended victim.

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