Eldritch Horror Theatre

Excellent. It all connected.

Even more amusing was that, no matter how many layers removed from the truth they were, their logic connected flawlessly.

That incident back then really was manipulated by the King of the Abandoned Prison.

Sitting in the VIP seat, Fu Qian naturally found this close-quarters combat fascinating to watch. He marveled at how honesty truly was a lethal weapon.

It wasn't even that lying was forbidden here. Simply lacking the initiative to lie in this special state allowed these two, as incompatible as fire and water, to join forces and peel back a shadow looming over Shangjing.

"I definitely wasn't in my right mind at the time, but I didn't lie. I really don't know what that thing was."

After a brief silence, Jiang En actually continued his streak of honesty, sharing his mental state from that moment.

"In truth, your actions caused me an enormous amount of trouble... A curse has been clinging to me, even now."

But after just a couple of sentences, his temper inevitably flared, clearly reminded of his own afflictions.

The dignified South Taylor was naturally not one to suffer fools either. He let out a strange sneer, pointing out that Jiang En was still acting tough at a time like this.

"If you didn't know what that thing was, why would I have come looking for you?"

...

As the saying goes, the more confused you are, the sharper you get. Sleepwalking through this, Brother Taylor's rebuttals were becoming increasingly fresh and unconventional.

"Why did he hit you instead of someone else?" The sheer power of this logic was something anyone who had been to school could deeply relate to.

And for a moment, Jiang En was actually rendered speechless.

"Nothing left to say, huh? Then let me speak—"

Taylor was clearly enjoying this, looking very much like he was finally venting a frustration pent up for days.

"The King of the Abandoned Prison behind that Emblem has clearly been plotting in Shangjing for a long time. And you, as his lackey, aren't his only one... Take that group of people who retreated, for example, or that so-called Dayun Mingwang.

"Anyone with eyes could see how absurd Dayun Mingwang's challenge to you was. Looking back on it now, it was obviously a scheme to clear your name ahead of time.

"I have to admit, it was a smart move. Even I was less suspicious of you because of it, thinking you were a victim too... Tell me, what exactly do you want with Gulade?"

This barrage of analysis rained down violently, leaving Jiang En no opening to rebut before diving straight into accusations of hidden motives.

"I've been wondering these past few days how you managed to suddenly break through your bottleneck. Was it a reward for assisting in the operation?"

Though the reason he so decisively spat out at the end still revealed something.

Sure enough, no matter what Brother Taylor said, his underlying sense of crisis had always been there.

It seemed the core of his suspicion stemmed from his rival's inexplicable leap in power.

And once again, he hit the mark by sheer accident; strictly speaking, there was absolutely nothing wrong with that statement.

It really was a gift from the King of the Abandoned Prison, and it genuinely was because Jiang En had assisted in the operation.

"Bullshit! You think I'm like you? I've never relied on that kind of thing!"

But this sentence seemingly struck Northern Jiang En's reverse scale, provoking him into a near roar.

"You have no idea what I went through to achieve that!"

That was indeed hard to imagine, and it certainly couldn't have been easy.

Compared to Taylor, Fu Qian could clearly empathize with this statement much more, but he had no intention of voicing his opinion on it.

"Mind your volume. Do you two think I don't exist?"

Instead, he decisively spoke up to issue a reminder. Personal attacks were fine, but they still needed to watch their volume.

...

If a 5D viewing experience used various sensory effects to make one feel as though they were placed inside the story...

...then wouldn't truly being inside the story count as a 6D movie?

Fu Qian had never been rigid. He might be perfectly happy playing the spectator here, but that didn't mean he had to stay quiet.

Participating in the plot when necessary to keep things from straying too far off topic was precisely a manifestation of his love for the story.

Hmm...

It was obvious that Taylor and Jiang En's current state really did treat the King of the Abandoned Prison as nonexistent, even though the latter had specifically greeted them at the very beginning.

"Who are you?"

Fortunately, after a brief moment of stunned confusion, the currently triumphant Taylor reacted faster, demanding the speaker's identity.

"You don't need to worry about that. Just pretend I don't exist."

Unfortunately, Fu Qian's response was wonderfully infuriating.

"I just have a few thoughts on what you were discussing earlier... For example, who exactly is this King of the Abandoned Prison you're talking about? Bringing him up out of nowhere like that makes it feel very abrupt."

...

Faced with a confusing plot, this particular audience member wasn't going to coddle them, opting to deliver live feedback right on the spot.

For true artists, one would think such behavior would be gladly welcomed—right?

"That is not something you should know."

It was a pity that these two brilliant young talents were clearly too full of themselves to accept criticism.

Upon realizing what this third voice had said, even the seemingly more low-profile Jiang En coldly indicated that this was none of his business.

"So you do know, don't you?"

Taylor immediately followed up, seizing on the flaw in his words and instantly dragging him into their verbal brawl without missing a beat.

"It should be that you know! And I need you to tell me!"

Jiang En refused to yield an inch, directly stating his demand and making it clear that he had to learn the secret of the King of the Abandoned Prison today.

"No, no, you guys misunderstood me. I was just saying there's an issue with your delivery. I do still know who the King of the Abandoned Prison is."

Sadly, their love-hate relationship was interrupted yet again. Fu Qian shook his head, signaling the misunderstanding, and emphasized that his earlier point had been about their narrative structure.

As for the specific lore, it wasn't a secret to him at all.

...

He wasn't just sitting here out of boredom, watching a movie that only took two people to act out.

Although the scene unfolding before him was rare, he would never forget his actual business: continuing his previous exploration into the true nature of the SAN Value.

He even needed to carefully plan how to exploit this gathering of the Twin Prides of Shangjing so it wouldn't go to waste.

"You know who he is?"

This time, even the most arrogant young prodigies could clearly no longer ignore this voice.

After a deathly silence, Northern Jiang En and South Taylor spoke in almost perfect unison, unable to believe their ears.

"Of course I know. And I believe you both know too. A particular Bookstore Owner here in Shangjing."

Fu Qian let out a light chuckle at this, continuing to speak, never resting until his words astonished.

"I knew there was something wrong with that guy... He knows who the King of the Abandoned Prison is?"

Sure enough, South Taylor had the deepest impression. At that moment, one could sense a stress response from him, his voice even turning somewhat vicious.

"Of course he knows... Because he is the King of the Abandoned Prison."

Unfortunately, this had zero effect on Fu Qian. The explosive nature of his intel was only escalating.

"Also, that name is fake. You should call him Fu Qian."

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