Eldritch Horror Theatre

So why exactly was that?

Inside the Tower, Fu Qian let his thoughts wander as he walked, with Su Gao following quietly beside him.

If his earlier guess was right, then this girl had received special treatment here.

There had to be a reason. Using himself as a baseline, what was the difference between him and Su Gao?

If he remembered correctly, Mister Luo of the Heavenly Kingdom had once remarked that dolls were a special form of existence, naturally capable of drawing the attention of high-tier powers.

His task at the time had also confirmed that Lady Madeline was the legendary Perfect Doll. By the end of it, she had shattered and merged with Su Gao.

It was no surprise that Su Gao had gained some doll characteristics as a result, which was essentially the start of her path as a transcendent.

If her subsequent advancements had been influenced by a High-Tier Existence, it would explain the rapid leaps in her strength.

He had only run into her three times in total, and each time, her improvement was nothing short of unreasonable.

That brought up the next question: why hadn't he felt anything? After all, he was known as a Blank-Slate Demigod too.

Fu Qian figured it probably required a matching area of expertise.

Although he hadn't solidified his Demigod Form, his foundation had still evolved from a Thug, which counted as a Sublimation leaning toward flesh-and-blood power.

With that fundamental nature established, it made sense that not every High-Tier Existence would be interested in him—just like a science major couldn't switch to liberal arts.

"Back in the Old City, did you intentionally suppress your strength?"

With that in mind, Fu Qian casually threw the question at Su Gao.

"I wouldn't exactly call it suppression..."

Clearly not expecting him to ask that, Su Gao paused for a moment, but she still answered Fu Qian without holding anything back.

Although they were supposedly still tracking their target, the fleeing man hadn't left a single trace since the previous trap.

That wasn't surprising; after all, seeing that spider-man smashed as flat as a photograph had delivered a rather strong visual impact.

"I was in a state that's hard to describe back then. My power was increasing very easily, but at the same time, I felt a chaotic discomfort."

"So I subconsciously resisted it and kept suppressing the growth of my strength."

Su Gao recalled, struggling slightly with the memory.

"But when I was in the Old City... I realized how childish I had been! If you hadn't been there, Mr. Fu, it's hard to imagine how things would have turned out!"

'Resisting leveling up?'

'I wasn't wrong. This girl really does have character.'

Fu Qian nodded.

"So after the Old City, you let go of the suppression?"

From not even reaching the Mid Tier at the very beginning to being a solid Tier 4 the second time they met, describing her leveling speed as lightspeed wouldn't be an exaggeration.

"Yes. After that, I realized that only strength can fight evil."

Su Gao's tone was exceptionally serious.

"Oh?"

Fu Qian replied casually, suddenly stopping in his tracks and reaching for Su Gao's waist.

...

The bizarre action clearly confused Su Gao, but she subconsciously refrained from resisting.

The next moment, Fu Qian grabbed the hilt of her sword and drew it smoothly.

He held the autumn-water-bright blade horizontally in front of Su Gao, letting her see her reflection on its surface.

"Even if this power comes with a price?"

"...Yes. Even if it comes with a price."

Looking at the face reflected on the blade, where hardly a trace of human skin remained, Su Gao's voice dropped low, though it stayed firm.

"Commendable courage, but the price might be greater than you think."

Fu Qian wasn't surprised by her answer. After offering his critique, he slid the Long Blade back into its sheath.

Combined with Su Gao's description, he could now basically confirm that her Dollification was related to an infusion of power.

What Su Gao possessed was practically what Mister Luo had dreamed of.

Theoretically, relying on the traits of her doll half, she naturally drew the attention of High-Tier Existences. Raising her strength was easier than drinking water; the price was that her mind would suffer a certain amount of shock.

However, judging by Mister Luo's state at the time, this shock hadn't reached an unbearable extreme.

But there was a problem here. Su Gao's fusion with the doll had been forcefully completed with the help of the Fool Tree Sap Fluid.

Setting aside its fragility, her mind had been damaged by it at the time, so her reaction when facing this kind of shock was exceptionally intense.

The last time they had met, she had barely managed to maintain her balance.

But after coming to this special place and coming into close contact with a High-Tier Existence, her strength had grown further. She was practically on the verge of breaking through to the Demigod Realm, and this rapid improvement stretched her mind until it was as fragile as paper.

And if that wasn't fatal enough... the hallucinations caused by this shock made her mistakenly believe it was mental interference from their target, prompting her to decisively activate the Hidden Thread to protect herself—five times!

'What kind of unlucky kid is this!'

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Fu Qian shook his head as he looked at Su Gao.

Given the current situation, the easiest way for him to complete the task would undoubtedly be to slap her to death.

The other method was to take Su Gao out of this area and take away the Die, making her stop this act of self-mutilation.

Putting aside whether that would definitely halt her Dollification, even if it worked, living on with her currently shattered mind wouldn't make her much better off than a living corpse.

Was there a better way?

Help her reconstruct her three spiritual and six corporeal souls?

Although he was a professional consultant, it seemed he was only good at destroying people's worldviews.

The delicate technical work of sculpting a person had never been his strong suit.

Plus, he probably didn't have much time left either.

One could tell from the area covered by White Porcelain that she was only one step away from becoming a true doll. Her mind was on the verge of collapse, practically held together by a single thread of obsession to complete her mission.

Even right now, diving into The Abyss together with him might carry the intention of listening to professional guidance.

"Have you considered that even if you catch up, you might not be able to beat the target, and you simply can't complete this task?"

As the saying went: rebuilding after destruction. Fu Qian decided on fighting poison with poison.

Like snapping this mental pillar of hers first.

...

His question plunged Su Gao directly into a long silence.

Only when Fu Qian started wondering if the dosage had been too strong did Su Gao finally speak.

"I will give it my all, even if I have to risk my life—"

"And what if you risk it all and still can't win?"

Fu Qian cut her off directly.

...

"This isn't a fairy tale where the demon king is always defeated, and the prince and prince live happily ever after."

"I don't think I've ever heard that fairy tale... But if it really comes down to it, and I give it my all but still fail, then I can only blame my own lack of ability—"

"Lack of ability?"

Cutting her off a second time, Fu Qian wore a face of righteous indignation.

"Is this how you treat the tasks given to you? Making excuses for failure like this? Are you worthy of the organization's grooming?"

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