Eldritch Horror Theatre

It wasn't strange. Besides, the crowd's pilgrimage-like fervor was plain to see.

Though Crystal's reminder had been slightly abrupt, neither of them broke stride.

Glancing casually around, Fu Qian could already see the building where Yuan Fang used to live.

Their destination was close, and Crystal had been right—this was now the most crowded district in Unseen Hill.

Humans in every sort of attire and style, along with the humanoid creatures he had seen during his last visit, packed the streets. With almost every step, the crowd's density noticeably increased.

The same went for their fervor.

They had already been restless, but perhaps spurred by the psychological impact of a dawning new era, a single glance revealed that everyone seemed a little unhinged right now.

Howling, jumping, walking naked, or even sporting patterns smeared across their skin in paint and bodily fluids...

Yet the most striking sight of all was the shattered and burning carriages, surrounded by crowds dancing around the smoke and flames.

It wasn't strange. A certain Excellency the Clown had once remarked that the entirety of Unseen Hill was incredibly dull, and the carriages were the prime symbol of that, serving as constant reminders of predetermined destiny.

Now that the people had finally broken free of all that, choosing to destroy those carriages and revel in the process was a completely normal psychological reaction.

Similar scenes played out all along the way, the crowds growing denser the closer they got to the Prophet Building.

Strangely enough, once they actually reached the foot of the building, the crowd thinned out again, as if the people were gripped by sudden timidity upon nearing their goal.

In short, given this magnificent tableau, it would be far stranger if there weren't experts observing from the shadows.

In Fu Qian's view, the Gate of Mist could currently be compared to a stab wound on the body of Unseen Hill.

It had not only caused inflammation and feverish heat, drawing the entire city's vitality to converge on this spot, but this equilibrium was also incredibly fragile, liable to shatter at any moment.

After all, regardless of whether a faction was righteous or evil, they might choose to hunker down and wait for changes, but they would most likely hunker down right in this vicinity.

Considering that he and Crystal had barely altered their appearances, drawing attention was perfectly normal.

"Ignore them. We're heading straight over."

Not to mention, Fu Qian hadn't even bothered to hide the purpose of their trip. In the face of Crystal's earlier reminder, he had directly expressed his eager determination to serve as a tool.

The only pity was that, from this angle, they couldn't see the room Yuan Fang had lived in, making it impossible to confirm whether its windows were really gone.

...

"They really won't stop us," Crystal said. "But are you truly confident you can handle the dangers behind that door?"

As a High-Tier Transcendent herself, Crystal naturally empathized with the mindset of the hidden observers.

Yet Dayun Mingwang's unshakable sense of mission still seemed to make her a little apprehensive.

There was a good reason why everyone was just watching from the sidelines instead of going in. Every attempt to enter had resulted in no return. This meant they absolutely couldn't rule out the possibility that whatever lay behind the door was far more perilous than ordinary death.

"I'm not," Fu Qian chuckled, indicating that many things were relative. "But neither are any of you, right?"

"First of all, I have the most experience in this area, making it easier for me to appraise the situation."

The next moment, he began counting on his fingers, breaking his reasoning down point by point.

"Secondly, as an outsider, I at least possess the method to travel here from the outside. If those who entered simply couldn't find their way back, then I can obviously avoid that issue.

"Finally, it's hard to say which faction I even belong to. I have almost no conflicts of interest with anyone. Even if I leave and never return, it won't have much of an impact on the current situation here."

Treating people as tools wasn't just empty talk.

If you wanted to accomplish anything in this regard, you couldn't afford to go soft on yourself either.

His analysis was by no means nonsense. In Fu Qian's view, he truly was the chosen one for this scenario; his value here was irreplaceable.

This could be called a true mutual attraction, fulfilling popular expectations—and the windows really were gone.

As they spoke, the two turned a corner, and Fu Qian finally caught sight of the long-unseen Room 802.

Sure enough, the original lake-view balcony had been entirely sealed off.

All that remained was an open doorway on the outer wall, resembling a gate leading to the Heavenly Kingdom.

...

Truth be told, looking at it like this was a truly bizarre sight; it was no wonder everyone was gathering to stare.

Of course, what was even stranger was boldly walking straight toward it under everyone's watchful eyes.

Gazing at the corner that was now completely different from his memory, Fu Qian felt a profound sense of unreality.

Moreover, without even trying to hide his outsider identity, their unrestrained conversation as they walked had drawn a great deal of attention.

Not just from the experts hiding in the shadows, but from the ordinary pedestrians as well.

Whether they were initially frenzied or sluggish, all their gazes converged on the two of them.

Fu Qian could clearly sense the complex mix of emotions in those stares.

The human heart was a peculiar thing. No matter how terrified people were to press forward themselves, seeing a latecomer boldly take the lead always provoked a considerable amount of resentment.

Whoosh—

It didn't take long for someone to physically express that resentment.

From the wreckage of one of the carriages, where the flames hadn't yet completely died out...

...a figure that had been lying prone atop it like a roasted whole sheep suddenly lunged forward. Wrapped in smoke and fire, it trailed a brilliant streak of light.

So he was just posing back there? This bather in flames really was full of ideas.

Fu Qian naturally tracked the movement with ease, even catching sight of the creature's anatomy.

Aside from its extraordinary bone structure, it really did have the head of a sheep. It was clearly one of those humanoid creatures he had just noted, bearing a striking resemblance to a legendary demon.

That brilliant orange glow came from its continuously burning flesh and blood, which had torn through its skin to reveal the fire within.

Furthermore, it was hard to say what its exact goal was. Despite lunging on all fours with scorching flames, its aim was surprisingly poor.

It didn't strike directly at Fu Qian's body; its sharp claws merely grazed the Great Fortune Wisdom King Mask—Hmph!

How could he allow such a creature to act so recklessly? In that very instant, the attacker's neck was securely seized by a single hand.

...

"It's probably just him being an idiot."

One lunge, one grab. The entire exchange was so fluid that Fu Qian hadn't even broken stride.

As he carried his new prize and continued walking, this sudden incident left Crystal looking visibly embarrassed.

After all, as a representative of the Natives, she had just sworn that their progress wouldn't be hindered.

"Agreed."

Fu Qian didn't question her assessment.

Although the creature in his hand had an abstract appearance, its actual strength was quite pathetic.

Even if the hidden High-Tier Transcendents wanted to stir up trouble to test an outsider's strength, they wouldn't have chosen a pawn like this.

"What are you going to do with him?"

Crystal had just noticed that Fu Qian wasn't in a hurry to kill the offender. Instead, he had carried the creature all the way to the foot of the building.

"Granting him freedom."

Fu Qian didn't even turn his head.

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