Eldritch Horror Theatre

Growing vegetables was just growing vegetables. Fu Qian had never intended to stay entangled here for long.

For one, time was precious. For another, wreaking massive havoc was like cooking a delicate fish—too much heat, and it often backfired.

A touch-and-go approach like this naturally left more room for imagination.

By the time he returned, the vegetable garden might be flourishing even more vigorously.

Naturally, this nonchalant departure met with intense efforts to make him stay.

He treated the invisible barrier as if it didn't exist. The instant he forced his way through, the mighty Siren finally dropped their low profile, and tangible attacks came thick and fast.

The sun outside the ship had reverted to a single orb. Just as Fu Qian looked up, feeling the gentle sunlight shining through the drifting clouds after the storm, he reached out and blocked one of the rays.

For no other reason than the fact that this particular ray felt somewhat glaring and out of place.

Crack!

Except they were cold fireworks.

The same tactile sensation as the icy rays from earlier reappeared. A similar power had actually lurked within the brilliance of the true sun, transforming into a long spear.

Even after being seen through, the sinister sneak attack wasn't over.

Where the Bright Light scattered, an astonishing chill dispersed, instantly gathering into a pillar of ice representing death. The churning sea spray underfoot froze on the spot.

Interesting. A Frozen Sunlight Spear?

Why did everything related to the sun in this world seem so sinister?

Fu Qian, still striking a pose, was entirely enveloped within it.

Coupled with his astonishing size and the clothes torn from his transformation, he looked exactly like a hunted giant.

From this angle, he actually had to thank Excellency Serana for her previous interrogation.

After all, if his clothes hadn't been preemptively slit down the back, the shredding might have been far more uncontrollable and outright indecent.

While he deeply felt that misfortune harbors fortune, two more spikes hit him, and figures even darted out from the ship behind him.

Crunch—

It was a pity a giant wasn't so easily hunted. With a savage crunch, the pillar of ice shattered and collapsed.

Roar—

Facing the multiple figures surrounding him, the body stood unmoving and let out a thunderous roar.

...

Gospel Shockwave.

Of course, he wasn't addicted to striking poses; Fu Qian just felt the posture suited the skill perfectly.

Given that he had no intention of staying, using this move to cover his retreat was the most appropriate choice.

Excellency Solendir was somewhat cautious and didn't rush to the very front.

Even so, he caught a face full of gospel from the roar, causing his figure to stagger and stall.

The others fared even worse. Some were swept directly into the sea.

That wasn't the most terrifying part. The very next moment, the roaring figure plunged into the water.

"Careful!"

After surviving the baptism of the Gospel Shockwave, everyone clearly realized this was a tough nut to crack.

Those who noticed the situation reacted immediately, either fleeing desperately or dragging people out of the water.

Fortunately, to their relief, no further terrifying shockwaves followed.

But just as they confirmed everyone was accounted for, they realized the target had completely vanished without a trace.

...

He had hitched a ride on their ship for free, so giving everyone a chance to sunbathe counted as returning the favor, right?

Naturally, he had left straight underwater. He hadn't even gone far before finding a marine creature to continue hitching a ride on.

Although he didn't care about Excellency Solendir's reaction, the ship's subsequent movements weren't hard to deduce.

Setting aside the fact that such a large hole probably needed patching, with such a bizarre target suddenly gone, they would undoubtedly linger and search the area rather than hastily heading back.

It could be considered a slight change of pace after their high-intensity, continuous travel through the storms.

What a pity. The road ahead was long, making it inconvenient to stick around and chat with everyone a bit longer.

Constantly calculating his navigation route hadn't been just talk.

Although this place was no longer far from the Ash Sea—it could be said that Excellency Solendir had done his best to send him quite a distance—it was still far from the coordinates of the Ash Sea in his memory.

Even if his current mount was a warm-blooded animal with better endurance, it was still a long, long road.

Fortunately, as long as he entered the Ash Sea, various nuclear-powered beasts of burden would be relatively easy to find.

As for why he hadn't just left straight away, and had instead exchanged blows with that group for a bit?

In truth, that final talent show didn't have much meaning; he mainly wanted to give Etched Intellect a chance to see if it would jump out and join the fun.

It was just a pity that Excellency Solendir didn't seem to have enough latent wisdom. Even in such a location and scenario, hitching a ride twice hadn't triggered it at all.

...

"Thanks."

His body, previously adjusted into a streamlined shape, quickly stretched out. Fu Qian reverted to his original form and earnestly thanked the slightly fatigued behemoth.

Benefiting from the good impression left by the Solar-Powered Whale last time, he had chosen a similar mount this time, and its final performance was satisfactory.

Unfortunately, the creature seemed somewhat shy. It had no reaction to the thanks, simply turning around and trying to leave.

Swish—

Fu Qian didn't mind. One of his hands abruptly transformed into a tentacle, stabbing into the water not far away like a javelin.

Blood surged.

Almost instantly, the water there changed color, accompanied by violent waves.

It only lasted for the blink of an eye. Soon, Fu Qian's tentacle tore off a thick piece of meat and pulled it back, tossing it to his fleeing mount.

"Just a small token of appreciation. Try to come here as little as possible in the future."

Although he had observed the creature's teeth and knew it could eat the meat, Fu Qian didn't force the issue. After leaving that piece of advice, he simply walked away.

Right in front of him was the edge of the Ash Sea, and the meat he'd given as thanks came from an even fiercer predator.

He even had reason to believe this was exactly why the mount that had carried him all this way was so desperate to run.

Now, even if it didn't have much of an appetite, it probably didn't need to be so anxious anymore. As for himself—

Fu Qian's gaze fell on the towering Floating Island not far away.

The gray, lacking any trace of vitality, looked as though the world had lost its textures when loading this location.

Revisiting an old haunt truly had a unique flavor.

Leaping up lightly amidst his praise, Fu Qian took on a nostalgic posture and once again stepped into this forbidden zone of life.

...

It was no longer like the travels of his youth.

Compared to his last visit, it was undoubtedly far more desolate.

Endless, boundless gray swept past his eyes. Every step forward seemed to distance him from the reality of this world.

Chaos remained the eternal theme, but to the remade King of the Abandoned Prison, the pervasive distortion no longer posed a threat, only inspiring contemplation of the source of it all.

And such emotions reached their peak when he finally stopped.

Under a sky full of stars, Fu Qian looked up, silently recalling that past Star Map.

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