Eldritch Horror Theatre

Who was Ramon?

Honestly, Fu Qian wasn't entirely sure either. He would have to ask Master Yuhun for the specifics.

Fortunately, Fu Qian knew this was another spoil from the Inner Demon Deathmatch. Theoretically, it was also his own alternate persona.

That was right. As a top-tier unorthodox master who had refined numerous "selves," Yuhun clearly had quite a collection aside from Melia.

During that final battle in the Abandoned Prison, Yuhun had pulled out five contestants in one breath. The name Ramon had been the first among them.

So the question arose: Master Yuhun's own Rank might be higher, but what about these refined individuals?

Ramon, Abomination, Boethiah, Typhon, Ao...

Could there be someone among them whose Rank was the same as "Fu Qian," or even lower?

Under these circumstances, combining these names with the Emblem to see if the Abandoned Prison received the summons could answer his earlier question—

Those of us in research have always believed in step-by-step progression.

Proposing this new objective with a blank expression, Fu Qian didn't bother explaining further. He simply recalled Ramon's appearance from his memory and locked his focus onto an empty circular platform.

Exquisite clothing, a meticulously trimmed mustache, and pupils shrunk to the size of pinpricks...

In the blink of an eye, he molded a figure there using the exact same material as the Vacuum Flower.

Still not entirely satisfied, he molded an extra Melia on the adjacent platform just for good measure.

"No matter what, I will prove it myself this time..."

Meanwhile, the two volunteers had finally finished debating. Keeping it perfectly fair with one turn each, it was now South Taylor's turn to verify the authenticity of this name.

You had to admit, these two volunteers were exceptionally reliable.

Paired with a well-designed experimental plan, their potential was practically bottomless.

Thoroughly satisfied, Fu Qian casually crushed Taylor's figure once again.

...

Ramon worked too?

They truly were evenly matched. As it turned out, after another stretch of silent waiting, Taylor returned just as quickly.

In a matter of breaths, Fu Qian spotted the familiar outline and obtained his experimental results.

"I knew it! This one is the real deal! You were just putting on an act earlier!"

Taylor sounded absolutely exhilarated. He had barely recovered before he blurted out his accusation.

As a contestant who had now undergone two tests, the difference between success and failure was painfully obvious to him, making his reaction highly credible.

"Bullshit! Who do you think you are? I have no interest in arguing right and wrong with you here."

Unable to bear the insult, Jiang En instantly roared back.

"I know perfectly well whether mine was real, and you know perfectly well whether yours was!"

This seemingly dismissive statement carried a clear implication: his opponent was using underhanded tricks to win.

"Interesting. So neither of you can reach a consensus on this."

Right at the height of their argument, Fu Qian made a timely appearance and offered a one-sided summary of the results.

"In that case, I actually know another name: Abomination."

After forcibly defining the current situation as a draw, Fu Qian threw out a new target.

Even as he spoke, another figure took shape on an empty circular platform.

...

So Abomination worked too.

And Boethiah.

Typhon.

Ao.

Not long after, Fu Qian looked at the familiar faces of his old acquaintances and accepted that his experiment was a resounding success.

The two volunteers fully demonstrated the prowess of Northern Jiang En and South Taylor, somehow managing to hold out until the very last name.

And the facts spoke for themselves—all five names were successful.

"I don't know what's going on, but something is definitely wrong. What kind of trick did you play?"

Although both test subjects were extremely skeptical of this outcome, Taylor was the first to launch an attack.

"What a coincidence, that's exactly what I was going to say! I'm not stupid enough to believe that every single name was correct. The only explanation is that you tampered with the process and messed with my judgment!"

Jiang En refused to yield an inch. Before Taylor could even finish speaking, he was already firing back.

Their core arguments were surprisingly identical: The names are definitely fake, and you played a dirty trick.

"Thank you for your hard work. It does seem like there's a slight issue."

Their contributions had undoubtedly been outstanding, but Fu Qian had no intention of working his two volunteers to the bone. He immediately interrupted their argument and gave a final summary of the day's events.

"Regardless, thank you for your outstanding contributions. Let's wrap it up here for today."

Without even bothering to order them to keep the experiment a secret, Fu Qian waved goodbye to his two volunteers.

But...

These young men were full of fire, and the volunteers clearly hadn't had enough yet.

Unfortunately, before they could voice their objections, the Scarlet Angel had already withdrawn from their bodies.

...

The core essence of the SAN Value felt much more concrete now.

Having casually sent the two volunteers back, Fu Qian was thoroughly satisfied with the day's results.

As for the issue of confidentiality mentioned earlier, he truly wasn't worried.

The two volunteers might have heard quite a few incredible names, but since everything had taken place in a dreamlike state, there was no telling how much they would even remember once they "woke up"—not to mention they had already completely dismissed the names as fake.

Of course, if one had to argue there were hidden risks, he couldn't deny it.

For example, if some high-Rank contestant subjected these two young men to intense mental interrogation with a specific goal in mind, they might discover a few clues—but wouldn't that just help Fu Qian discover clues as well?

They could easily be seen as two pieces of bait tossed outside. If someone actually bit such a well-hidden hook, he would be very curious to see what kind of fish was reeled in.

But that was a matter for later. The results of today's test were truly terrifying when he thought about them carefully.

Anyone could do it, except "Fu Qian"? The Abandoned Prison's attitude was very subtle.

So, let's sort this out from the beginning—

Fu Qian was the outsider's true name, and it was strictly bound to his SAN Value.

And the SAN Value appeared to act as a Pass tied to a core rule of the Bookstore World.

As long as it didn't drop to zero, "Fu Qian" could be synchronized to this world to walk freely.

At the same time, this name was clearly distinct from the various titles he had acquired locally.

Not only did it fail to receive prayers from intelligent life, but it had nothing to do with his Rank, either.

Why?

The manifestation of the Vacuum Flower in the Abandoned Prison had already proven how deeply this name was integrated with the world's underlying rules.

Theoretically, that level of integration should be even deeper than Master Yuhun's.

After all, it was only with his help that the latter had successfully merged with the Heavenly Dao.

Logically, the name "Fu Qian" should have heard the loudest prayers of all. Why couldn't it hear any prayers whatsoever? Because unlike the others, the name "Fu Qian" existed from the top down.

Recalling what he knew about the path to becoming a Deity, Fu Qian felt he finally had an answer.

For native contestants, the path of the Transcendent Tier was equivalent to step-by-step promotion. They gradually evolved into higher existences before ultimately merging with the world's underlying rules—just like the Abandoned Prison before him.

And that was the final destination on the path of a Deity.

But for him, this model was likely reversed. His SAN Value—the very prerequisite for synchronizing with this world—represented his fusion with its underlying rules.

His subsequent climb in Rank was merely a downward projection of this bond, allowing him to climb the Divine Path just like a local.

Therefore, his current state was the product of two converging directions. One part could receive prayers, while the other could not.

Perhaps this was also why the Warehouse preferred using outsiders as administrators? Because the SAN Value represented a connection to the world's underlying rules.

With what might be the deepest possible binding to this world, it was much easier to achieve Transcendence over space and time.

In that case...

His thoughts spun rapidly. A moment later, a flash of light flickered in Fu Qian's hand, revealing a peculiarly colored Pretzel.

The Entwined Umbilical Cord. Merely holding it would make one an Ancient Higher Being—or, if swallowed directly, it would grant 99 SAN Value.

Without a second of hesitation, Fu Qian opened his abdominal cavity and tossed it straight into his stomach.

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