Eldritch Horror Theatre

Destroying something was always easier than building it. A meticulously prepared ceremony naturally required a few insurance measures.

The ultimate trump card would forever remain His Excellency Jose's own combat power, but taking extra precautions beforehand to build up a buffer certainly did not hurt.

It was just that, under these circumstances, the bride's role appeared all the more tragic.

Although love knows not where it starts, yet goes ever deeper, even this destined feeling of finding "the right one" had been deliberately engineered...

Such deception forced him to recall the explanation Nepheli had provided when handing over that eye:

[The boundless regret born amid the agony of a punished noble.]

It vaguely aligned once more. Was the princess's final stubbornness born from realizing this deception?

It sounded perfectly reasonable—assuming she was not a victim of the Seed of Ecstasy.

Logically speaking, once infected by that thing, all such obsessions should have been reduced to mere nourishment, especially during the final moments of her life... So how could this be explained?

"It is about time. Let's continue."

Unfortunately, His Excellency Jose clearly felt they had lingered long enough. Foregoing any further psychological counseling, he simply gestured to the side.

It was top-tier crowd control indeed. Camera Position 6 remained motionless, but another male priest standing closer to the center did not even need a reminder before presenting a sealed blue velvet box.

The initial shock had clearly passed. As far as they were concerned, the situation was back on track, and they were fully prepared to carry out their duties.

As for what was inside that sealed box, Fu Qian figured he could take a solid guess.

"Sign your names on it together."

Sure enough, as the box opened, an ivory booklet was drawn out. It was none other than the Marriage Contract, an item of paramount importance to the royal family.

And for Jose, who had issued the instruction so casually, this step seemed to carry a far more specific significance.

Did signing their names signify the complete conclusion of the ceremony?

Given the symbolic weight of it all, Fu Qian found that quite plausible.

If that truly were the case, the final clash was fast approaching, leaving Old Man Ji with a very narrow window to complete his task.

"Ladies first."

Yet it appeared the Old Man still had no intention of resolving this with force.

After a brief silence, he actually put on a display of gentlemanly grace, gesturing for the bride-to-be to go first.

...

Sure enough, his objective was far more complex than merely ruining the ceremony.

What should have been a sacred moment was instead suffocated by an oppressive atmosphere.

The groom's reaction beneath his father's crushing pressure surely broke the hearts of many ladies present.

But to Fu Qian, watching from the sidelines, there were deeper implications hidden within.

His earlier guess had been spot on. Old Man Ji was plotting something massive—he was here to do far more than just play the saboteur.

Even with a Tier 2 Transcendent overseeing the entire process with ample preparation, the sheer number of fragile individuals involved in the ceremony meant that disrupting it would not actually be difficult.

So much so that if Jose wanted to succeed, he essentially had to rely on pulling a fast one.

The thorough preparatory work, his meticulous control over the entire situation, and even the sheer deterrence brought by his overwhelming martial prowess... all of that was merely surface-level strength.

The core of his strategy lay in camouflage—ensuring that no one with malicious intent learned of this operation.

Otherwise, if a combatant with sufficient power decided to sabotage him, his only remaining chance would be to conceal his true intentions and mislead his opponent's judgment.

And the most despair-inducing part of all this was that not only was there a combatant with enough power to ruin everything, but the ultimate mastermind plotting against him was the Warehouse itself...

Camouflage was useless, and his intentions could never be hidden, because the Warehouse was aiming straight for an undesired outcome, stepping in to alter history.

Therefore, no matter how domineering the monarch might have appeared earlier, Fu Qian was essentially viewing him as a victim. He did not think Jose had much of a chance.

In fact, Old Man Ji's conspicuously subtle approach up to this point served as a testament to his confidence in Fu Qian's eyes.

He had already infiltrated the venue. Had he wanted to wreck everything by force, he would have done so long ago. The Old Man's mission objective had to be on a much higher level—

Such as settling this once and for all, permanently depriving Jose of any chance to ever try again?

Putting himself in the Warehouse's shoes, Fu Qian considered this a highly plausible scenario.

Furthermore, under the current circumstances, there was still a viable path to success. Otherwise, the Old Man would have vanished and triggered a restart long ago.

"Very well. In truth, I already had the same thought. After all, as I mentioned earlier, I am the one who has gone a bit further between us. I simply worried it might startle people."

Faced with the groom's slightly evasive posture, the bride-to-be's reaction undoubtedly became the focal point of the entire hall once again. Even His Excellency Jose remained completely silent.

And once again, she did not disappoint. The bride-to-be accepted the gold pen directly, offering a calm explanation as she did so.

"Although the process behind your decision just now may be far more complicated than you let on, I am still willing to interpret this tacit understanding as proof that we were made for each other."

...

In all fairness, she certainly appeared far more responsible than the groom.

At that moment, the only sound echoing through the Sanctuary alongside the bride's voice was the scratching of the pen tip across the Marriage Contract.

Without even waiting for the groom to respond, she put pen to paper and began signing her name.

That posture, paired with her earlier words, undoubtedly sent another shockwave through the crowd.

Her gentleness and sheer conviction seemed to once again validate His Excellency Jose's judgment.

She had known all along that this wedding was far from perfect, yet she firmly believed that the marriage itself was flawless.

It was precisely this confidence that allowed her to face every awkwardness and grave humiliation with the unwavering belief that they were merely whetstones to sharpen her marriage.

He had to admit, judging solely by her current conduct, it was incredibly difficult to associate her with that crowd of orgy enthusiasts.

Instead, she seemed like a vibrant will possessed by an astonishing devotion to love and a steadfast belief in destiny.

So much so that just thinking about His Excellency Jose's possible hand in this made his actions seem all the more despicable.

Could this hopeless romanticism also be a manifestation of Ecstasy?

At first glance, it seemed a bit of a stretch, almost enough to cast doubt on his earlier deduction that the bride had already been corrupted.

Unfortunately, Fu Qian was not the type to easily overturn his own conclusions.

So yes, he reasoned that this could indeed be an expression of Ecstasy.

After all, he had noted earlier that Ecstasy was highly contagious.

If Don Juan was a carrier, could all of his lovers have truly been spared?

Why, in Jose's eyes, did the bride have to be this specific woman standing before them?

Fu Qian's understanding of the matter was that the bride-to-be was not only a carrier of the Seed of Ecstasy, but a remarkably special one, giving her an irreplaceable role in the ceremony.

"Thank you for understanding."

It was hard to tell how genuine it was, but "Don Juan" appeared genuinely touched by her display.

Staring at her profile, he offered a casual word of thanks and finally accepted the pen.

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