Eldritch Horror Theatre

Although many things were uncertain, it seemed highly probable that Loretta was connected to his mission objective.

Recalling what he had gained from this trip, Fu Qian decided not to rush things.

Since he was already deep behind enemy lines, he might as well try quietly observing changes.

After all, Loretta had told him to find her if he had any issues, which meant there would be plenty of opportunities to confirm a few things with her.

Right, what else did she say?

Eat.

Fu Qian patted his head. After returning to a mortal body, his ability to control hunger had noticeably worsened. He could already feel the exhaustion that came from a lack of energy.

Recalling Loretta's words, Fu Qian got out of bed and left his room. After taking a few steps, he was surprised to find food actually resting on a table in the Corridor—two pale green fruits that looked quite fresh.

Just as Loretta had mentioned, this was probably left out to share by someone who couldn't finish their portion.

Fu Qian looked at the two fruits, which were barely larger than kumquats, and let out a long sigh.

Even so, he didn't turn his nose up at them. Instead, he earnestly carried them back to his room.

Small as they were, the fruits had been washed completely clean and looked quite plump and juicy.

Fu Qian casually wiped one on his shirt and took a bite.

He hadn't expected them to be some thousand-year-old spirit fruits that would grant him sixty years of cultivation upon consumption. As long as he could swallow them, that was enough.

To his surprise, the taste was quite delightful. Not only were there no wriggling half-eaten maggots inside, but it was also far crisper and sweeter than it looked.

Not bad at all!

However, just as Fu Qian was savoring this gift from nature, the lighting in the room dimmed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

What's going on?

Fu Qian quickly noticed that this was because the moon in the sky outside was rapidly fading.

The previously bright, white disc of a moon had now been tainted with a layer of dark red, which rapidly spread outward through the moonlight.

This familiar color tone.

Fu Qian mused that trouble really did come the moment you thought about it!

Rushing to the window for a closer look, he clicked his tongue in wonder.

Naturally, he wouldn't be foolish enough to succumb to self-deception and write this off as some natural phenomenon. Clearly, something had happened again.

Fortunately, having been through so much, he was long accustomed to this.

In this world, stability seemed to be the most elusive luxury.

His only slight confusion was that this change had arrived completely without warning. He hadn't seen any trigger that would spark the transition.

Crunch!

Amidst his thoughts, Fu Qian naturally raised his dinner and took another bite.

Hmm?

The next moment, his gaze locked onto the fruit in his hand.

It was still green-skinned and juicy, and quite clearly, two bites had now been taken out of it.

It actually stayed like this?

Fu Qian didn't continue eating. Instead, he cradled the remaining core in his hand.

So, if the last time he hid the transparent bug in his hand, he found it could be brought into the Interrogation Room where Kelly and the others were, and thus suspected that the ruined world was the real one...

...what did this signify now?

That the world where he had meditated all afternoon was also real?

It seemed difficult for both deductions to hold true at the same time!

Fu Qian turned to look back inside the room.

Although the furnishings were overly simple and hadn't changed much in appearance, he still spotted an anomaly.

Streaks of dark red, radiating scars could now be faintly seen across the solid stone walls, appearing haphazardly all over.

At a glance, the entire room looked like an ancient tomb.

It had a kind of feral beauty!

After his brief critique, Fu Qian opened the door and strode right out.

Unsurprisingly, there was no one in the Corridor.

Of course, this didn't mean much; after all, this group rarely left their rooms to begin with.

But whether it was the dim, gloomy lighting or the large, radiating dark red spots on the walls on both sides, everything felt filthy and dilapidated, profoundly confirming that this place was no longer the same.

Just as I thought!

As the saying went, when things are abnormal, there must be something sinister at work. Fu Qian's mind raced. In the next moment, he controlled his facial muscles to put on an expression of pleasant surprise.

Not wanting to carelessly disturb anyone's cultivation, he headed straight for Loretta's location.

She had said to find her anytime if he had any questions.

Arriving at his destination, he found Loretta's door tightly shut. Fu Qian didn't stand on ceremony and stepped forward to knock twice.

After waiting ten seconds without a response, he knocked again.

Still, there was not a single sound.

According to what Loretta had explained earlier, this meant she did not want to be disturbed.

Barring special circumstances, one should simply come back another day.

Naturally, with zero psychological burden, Fu Qian classified the current situation as a special circumstance and pushed the door right open.

The door yielded instantly; it hadn't been locked.

With a sweeping glance, he noted that compared to his own room, the austerity of Loretta's quarters was only slightly less severe. The only difference was a small desk bearing extremely simple daily necessities.

Aside from that, the room was empty.

Just as Kelly and Brooke had mentioned, after the incident, everyone had disappeared.

The other rooms were likely in the same state.

At this very moment, this abandoned Monastery seemed to truly reflect its desolate, weathered nature.

"Stepping on toads and eggplants, illusions and empty flowers."

The next moment, however, Fu Qian snorted and actually sat himself right on the desk. Looking solemn and dignified, he earnestly spouted those two lines of nonsense.

With his eyes on nose, nose on heart, Fu Qian sat silently in the darkness, his posture even more lifelike than his meditation that afternoon.

Clearly, this was following the earlier advice from Loretta and Nivalis, adhering to the claim that one needed a firm will to face illusions.

Everything before him was an illusion!

Of course, in reality, Fu Qian held reservations about this perspective.

Because in his understanding, this was closer to self-hypnosis, which was vastly different from a firm will.

What he was doing now was merely making himself look as if he were solidifying his will.

He put on this act because of a few deductions he had made about the current situation.

First, he was currently playing the role of a mental patient tormented by illusions.

The present situation was likely triggered by his contact with Loretta, causing an anomaly that hadn't occurred before.

This undoubtedly counted as a good thing. Regardless of who—or what—was orchestrating things behind the scenes, it proved that Loretta herself was quite special.

At the same time, as a young man trying to escape a Nightmare, the possibility that the ruined world was the real one would definitely leave him feeling depressed. Therefore, no matter how bizarre this new discovery was, it undoubtedly represented a ray of hope.

Even if he couldn't deny the reality of that other world, at the very least, this current world couldn't be proven to be an illusion yet.

Thus, for Fu Qian to display such an expression was fundamentally just a way to reinforce his persona.

In the darkness and silence, Fu Qian maintained his meditative posture, remaining as still as a sculpture.

In his perception, he seemed to hold this pose for hours, right up until he heard a voice call his name.

"Fu Qian."

Opening his eyes, he saw Loretta watching him from a distance, looking surprised and thoughtful.

"Why are you here?"

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