Eldritch Horror Theatre

Was this the so-called "when I grow up I become you"? The very thing Kadon had once remarked upon regarding his father was now manifesting on his own face.

Fu Qian remained still, quietly watching the transformation unfold.

He had to admit that Kadon's earlier description was quite accurate. In the blink of an eye, it looked as though two faces were overlapping.

One blood-red, the other pale as a corpse.

A normal person couldn't do this. This change undoubtedly fell into the Transcendent Tier, and it was highly likely triggered by his own actions just now.

Moreover, this didn't seem entirely like a bad thing for Kadon. While the Blood Face grew increasingly hideous, Kadon's own facial features actually began to settle down.

As the contrast between the two grew sharper, there came a moment when the Blood Face completely overtook its host, forcefully tearing itself out from his body.

Even that illusory, blood-colored figure rapidly filled in its details, growing increasingly solid.

Creak—

"Why would you do this to him?"

Before Fu Qian could even offer a greeting, the newly formed figure locked its eyes on him and fired off a preemptive interrogation.

...

This probably wasn't Kadon in his youth, despite a certain resemblance in their bearing.

So, was this really Mister Dickens?

Having faced far too much hostility lately, Fu Qian didn't take the tone to heart and simply sized up the figure.

He was much younger than Kadon, with a similarly gaunt face, though his gaze was noticeably sharper.

Another reason to suspect this was Kadon's doctor father was his attire. He was strikingly dressed in the exact same Tooth-Marked Robe as the skeletal corpse.

"Are you Kadon's father? Sorry about that, we were just messing around."

Regardless of his appearance, he was an acquaintance's elder, after all.

Choosing not to maintain an impolite silence, Fu Qian offered a smiling greeting.

As he spoke, he even gestured toward Kadon's chest, implying that their little game had accidentally blown a hole straight through it.

"That is not what I am talking about. I mean why would you treat his dying wish like this?"

Mister Dickens's response was quite fitting; he truly didn't care about a trivial matter like a gunshot to the chest, making it clear that his real issue was Fu Qian's disruption.

"This is something he has always wanted to do. You knew this perfectly well, yet instead of helping, you actively sabotaged it?"

Given that Fu Qian was currently occupying the only available seat, Mister Dickens soon settled on the windowsill, pointing at the figure lying on the bed as he continued his reprimand.

He had to admit, the man sounded remarkably self-righteous.

Stripped of their bizarre appearances, it felt exactly like a stern parent forcibly mediating a dispute between two young men.

Even though, most of the time, this kind of intervention only made things worse—

Fu Qian remained silent, simply following the man's gaze.

He saw that Kadon's recently settled body was beginning to writhe once more. Another blood-colored trace was crawling out from him.

This figure was noticeably more petite, with long hair cascading down.

A woman?

...

It wasn't too surprising. They said that right before a person died, all the different figures from their life would flash before their eyes like a kaleidoscope.

Fu Qian continued to study this second figure.

The moment she materialized, she sat on the edge of the bed and stared over in silence, not saying a word.

Logically speaking, if this were Lucy, it would be easy enough to understand. Unfortunately, this was a completely unfamiliar face.

She looked only slightly younger than Mister Dickens, but even thinner and with a much sterner expression.

Still, Fu Qian felt he could hazard a guess at her identity.

Because she, too, was wearing the exact same robe.

Was she the one who was eaten?

A woman, a member of a mysterious group—it was incredibly easy to connect her to Mister Dickens's patient.

The only logical flaw was that, for Kadon, this face shouldn't exist in his memories.

True, a transformation like this might make one think Kadon's dreamscape had swallowed the area.

But Fu Qian was absolutely certain that wasn't the nature of what was happening here; otherwise, he could have just made his move and completed the task already.

Although his Rank wasn't adjusted particularly high at the moment, dragging him into a dream was still by no means an easy feat.

As far as Fu Qian could tell, both Mister Dickens and the Tooth-Robed Lady in front of him were more like a special projection of willpower.

The fact that the Resplendent Tyrant was exerting extra pressure on them was proof enough of this. In fact, he had been constantly tweaking his output, being very careful not to accidentally shatter them.

So, theoretically, the scene playing out in front of him was more like Kadon questioning him.

Kadon, still unable to fall asleep and enter his dream, was projecting this interrogation over Fu Qian's unfriendly actions.

"You shouldn't be here."

Just as he expected, her tone was exceedingly hostile. The Tooth-Robed Lady had finally spoken, directly declaring that Fu Qian was unwelcome.

"Why? Because I didn't pay for the room?"

Giving a slight nod, Fu Qian's tone held no trace of annoyance as he earnestly probed for the reason.

"Yes. My establishment has always required payment upfront."

...

Oh? So the Tooth-Robed Lady really was the owner of this inn?

That made the situation even more interesting.

It was practically a spoon-fed conversation, yet in that moment, Fu Qian felt he had reaped a massive reward.

On the surface, it seemed to answer his earlier question.

That being: why did Kadon have the face of the Tooth-Robed Lady in his memories when the skeleton he buried in the Warehouse was male?

The owner of the inn might not have manned the front desk, but the chances that Kadon, a guest staying here, had seen her were significantly higher.

Even his speculations about why the inn was later abandoned seemed to match up perfectly now.

But that logic was far too superficial. Upon closer inspection, one would remember that Mister Dickens had sneaked out at night for his gathering.

So, even if Kadon had seen her face before, it would be difficult for him to connect her to the identity of the "ingredient."

From this perspective, what was happening right now seemed to once again exceed the boundaries of Kadon's knowledge...

"Apologies, I'm used to VIP services where I stay first and pay later."

Facing the Tooth-Robed Lady's interrogation, Fu Qian briskly pulled a wad of cash from his pocket and handed it over, making sure to voice his apologies as well.

"...There is no need. You had better answer his question instead."

The fare-evader's shockingly prompt compensation momentarily stunned the Tooth-Robed Lady.

Perhaps realizing that the level of service provided here was actually quite abysmal, she soon kept a straight face and gestured to waive the fee. Her only condition was that Fu Qian answer Mister Dickens's question.

"It's fine. Worldly possessions are of no use to me anyway."

Fu Qian, however, had no intention of taking advantage of her offer, casually tossing the money next to the open bottle of liquor.

"So, the item in your hand... why do you think Kadon wanted to kill its original owner?"

But before he could even finish the motion, Mister Dickens spoke up directly, instantly escalating the situation from a petty squabble to a full-blown murder case.

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