Eldritch Horror Theatre

Are they really this easy to persuade?

One dared to say it, and the other dared to believe it. Did a horror movie plot just turn into a family comedy?

Faced with this sudden twist, even Fu Qian let out a deep sigh.

He had to admit, not having to bat an eyelid and just lying back to watch the show play out from start to finish felt pretty good.

It brought a sense of relaxation akin to the old saying: After fighting battles my whole life, can't I just enjoy myself a little?

But relaxing as it was, a play couldn't be too fake. This harmonious atmosphere was far too forced.

Whether it was the candle-discoverer in Camera Position 2, or the Punished Consort scaring people from behind like some second-generation ghost, neither came across as a naive character. Because of that, their exchange felt increasingly bizarre.

Logically speaking, an exchange under these circumstances was almost impossible to resolve so harmoniously.

Even with some bizarre setup where the intruder had long admired the Punished Consort and absolutely refused to do anything against her, getting her to actually believe it would be incredibly difficult.

Right up until Camera Position 2's perspective continued its rotation, stepping around behind the Punished Consort and leaving first, neither side spoke or made a move again.

The Punished Consort seemed abnormally confident in the other party's promise—why?

As the saying goes, every anomaly was just an exposed corner of the causal chain.

As an academic worker, Fu Qian felt no dissatisfaction in that moment; rather, he was thrilled by the hunt.

He hadn't just raised a question—an answer arrived at the same time:

If the current combination of factors seemed unreasonable, didn't that just prove the existence of an exceptionally powerful external element?

An element he had yet to grasp, and very likely one belonging to the Transcendent Tier.

After all, that earlier transition had been far too abrupt.

The only pity was that, for the moment, it looked like no one could help him verify this.

Even as the hidden door closed behind them, the Punished Consort didn't call out to make them stay.

Heh...

There was only a low chuckle.

Oh?

Fu Qian instantly recognized that this laughter was unfamiliar; it didn't seem to belong to either of the two people who had just been talking.

Was there another expert hiding in the wings? Of course not.

Even though the laughter—in both its style and its timing—felt very much like a mastermind operating behind the scenes, Fu Qian didn't rush to complicate the situation.

He couldn't forget that he was currently in a spectator state.

Rather than believing another person was hiding in the dark to secretly manipulate the entire situation, there was actually a much simpler explanation: the camera had cut to the next scene.

The evidence was that the light before his eyes not only remained dim, but for a moment, even turned somewhat blurry.

...

So where was this now?

That sense of disorientation had paired quite well with Camera Position 2's action of closing the door.

So much so that in that moment, it genuinely felt like the brief period of maladjustment from stepping out of a dark room.

But as that feeling quickly dissipated, Fu Qian confirmed that the dimensions of the door beside his hand were entirely wrong.

Furthermore, although the lighting was poor, he could still tell this place was above ground.

It even had pocket-sized windows, though the curtains were drawn shut tight.

The location was still correct, at least.

Under these circumstances, Fu Qian naturally drew a conclusion.

Though not entirely identical, the pattern and style of the curtains were clearly similar to those he had seen in the Ehm Palace earlier.

It seemed Old Man Ji's mission this time really did revolve around the Laria Royal Family.

Even the outfit on the figure standing beneath the curtains carried a festive look.

Yes, aside from Camera Position 3 which he currently occupied, there was actually another person standing in the room.

A face he had never seen before: male, middle-aged, and dressed impeccably.

Above his thin lips rested a meticulously maintained, trimmed mustache.

And the earlier laughter had clearly come from him.

He was sure of this partly from pinpointing the sound, and partly because the corners of this stranger's mouth were still curled up, having yet to drop.

"Are you sure you want to keep playing innocent?"

Facing the scrutiny coming from Fu Qian's direction, the man even blinked and asked this bizarre question.

...

Not only was he not following Old Man Ji to complete the mission, he wasn't even locked into the Punished Consort's perspective?

The rules governing these perspective shifts seemed entirely elusive.

Anyone could hear the hostility in His Excellency Hu Ba's tone, and even his smile gave off a bone-chilling sensation.

But in that moment, Fu Qian was fully immersed in this unique experience, completely relaxed.

Compared to the immediate crisis at hand, he was far more focused on this currently imperceptible pattern.

First, the groom Don Juan was swapped out; then came the mysterious altar of another bride... So far, there was plenty of mystery.

Privately, this once highly anticipated grand event gave off a strong feeling of surging undercurrents.

Yet there was an unavoidable question in all this: why was he being shown this?

Assuming his earlier guess was correct, and he was re-experiencing the past work history of his predecessor, Old Man Ji, in an unconventional way...

Then even if it wasn't a first-person perspective, shouldn't the events at least revolve around Old Man Ji's actions?

Instead, after he entered the venue in the first scene, not a trace of the old man could be seen during the altar segment.

If he assumed this only happened because he had used Insight on the Punished Consort's eyes, and that this wasn't themed around the Warehouse Manager but was merely a record of that year's grand event, then shouldn't he at least be following the Punished Consort's perspective?

But with just a brief glance, Fu Qian had already confirmed that Camera Position 3, which he currently occupied, belonged to neither the groom nor the bride.

Shockingly, just like the man standing opposite him, he was once again occupying a stranger...

He could only say that these perspective switches were faintly beginning to feel like a film montage.

"I really don't understand. I don't know what you mean... I didn't do anything!"

While Fu Qian internally critiqued the situation, Camera Position 3 finally responded, sounding just as innocent as expected.

It also fully showcased the inclusivity of this perspective shift—this time, it was actually a female voice.

Her vocal cords trembled as she desperately denied the accusation, thoroughly reflecting the fear in her heart.

"Are you sure? If you haven't done anything, why are you here?"

Unfortunately, His Excellency Hu Ba clearly had little compassion. His tone only grew more mocking as he gestured around with his chin.

Good question... That question would have been quite fitting for the previous scenario, too.

It was hard to say what Camera Position 3 felt about it, but in that moment, Fu Qian found it profoundly amusing.

Moreover, His Excellency Hu Ba's words painted a vivid picture. It didn't sound like he had abducted her and brought her here; rather, he had trailed her all the way and cornered her in this spot.

And this place was clearly somewhere Camera Position 3 wasn't supposed to be.

Of course, when faced with an interrogation like this, there was usually a standard answer—

"I don't know. I just got lost."

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