Eldritch Horror Theatre

The feather in Fu Qian's hand was barely the size of a fingertip. Compared to the ring surrounding the mirror, it was noticeably smaller.

Yet it gave off the exact same feel.

"Why is this here?"

Brother Overcoat was clearly surprised to see the feather in Fu Qian's hand.

"There aren't any mirrors or anything like that around here."

"True."

Fu Qian agreed offhandedly while carefully examining Brother Overcoat's head.

Corroded by the black mist earlier, the left half of the man's face now looked as dry and cracked as tree bark.

A moment later, perhaps feeling an itch, Brother Overcoat reached up and scratched his cheek, leaving a fine sliver of a wound.

It didn't stay attached to his face. Like fruit ripening in fast-forward, it detached within seconds and drifted gently to the ground.

At a glance, it was virtually identical to the feather in his hand.

Did that mean the ones in the Hall of Mirrors were produced the same way?

But there was a massive pile of them. How long would it take to shed that many, one by one?

Furthermore, considering some of the feathers had already rotted away, the earliest ones must have dropped a very long time ago.

In the silence, Brother Overcoat finally noticed something was wrong.

The instant he looked down and saw the newly formed feather, he froze in place.

At that moment, Fu Qian was almost certain that these Underground Ruins were his mission objective for this trip.

However, the mission called this place the Angel Dungeon. Did dropping enough feathers eventually make you grow wings and turn into a birdman?

That was truly hard to imagine!

Fu Qian shook his head, making no further attempt to communicate with Brother Overcoat. Pinching the feather, he simply turned and headed back the way he came.

Heading back up, Fu Qian soon returned to his starting point behind the Hall of Mirrors.

Surprisingly, Sybil and the other three-person team were already waiting there.

"Was that noise from your side?"

"Did you find something?"

Seeing Fu Qian return alone, Sybil asked, sounding almost impatient.

Elena had indeed caused a huge commotion—enough to alert the other areas.

Besides, why did this demigod's demeanor seem different again?

As he mused over this, Fu Qian sharply picked up on Sybil's transformation.

Compared to before they set out, her attitude had clearly taken another 180-degree turn.

Not only had her transparent serenity vanished completely, but the murderous aura around her was even heavier than when they first met.

"You found this inside?"

Before Fu Qian could answer, Sybil's gaze fell on the feather in his hand and instantly sharpened.

"Are there those kinds of mirrors inside, too?"

'Four questions the moment we meet—your thirst for knowledge is a bit too strong!'

Fu Qian calmly shook his head.

"No mirrors, but we found something else."

He described the pillared hall, naturally emphasizing the glowing bugs, and finally waved the feather.

"Also, this wasn't found lying around inside... it grew out of someone's face."

"Grew out!"

Sybil had been frowning deeply, immersed in the eerie scene Fu Qian described. Hearing this, she couldn't help but snatch the feather away.

"How could this happen..."

She looked like she wanted to shove the feather right into her eye to examine it, but still failed to spot anything special. Ultimately, she had to give up.

"Where are Elena and the others?"

"None of them are dead, but their mobility is somewhat compromised. So I came back for backup."

Fu Qian pointed behind him.

"Then what are we waiting for? Take us there immediately!"

Sybil gave the order instantly.

"Wait a moment."

Just then, a voice rang out from behind them. It even sounded somewhat familiar.

A moment later, a figure stepped through the doorway they had originally taken, walking in from the Hall of Mirrors.

Fu Qian looked up. If it wasn't the blue-haired demigod, who else could it be?

He really hadn't broken his promise. He had actually hurried over to join the expedition.

"Kelsen."

Sybil looked at the newcomer, her tone laced with confusion.

"Why are you here?"

"Everything outside is currently under control, and I'm somewhat curious about this place as well."

The blue-haired demigod Kelsen explained casually, but his eyes were fixed on Fu Qian as he voiced his own doubts.

"They've all lost their mobility, yet you have the leeway to come out and deliver a message?"

"Probably because I have more than enough ammunition."

Facing the man's interrogation, Fu Qian replied in a flat tone.

He even pulled out his pistol in front of everyone, snapped it open, dumped out a clatter of spent casings, and loaded fresh rounds in one by one.

Honestly, even without the previous incidents, Kelsen's suspicion was perfectly reasonable.

And for a suspect, Fu Qian's response was undoubtedly asking for a beating.

Yet Kelsen merely watched him reload without saying a word, and eventually even nodded.

"Good work!"

"Just doing my duty!"

Fu Qian returned the pleasantry, sighing inwardly.

'This guy obviously looked into a mirror too!'

After all, his attitude just now had bordered on sheer provocation. No demigod should react so mildly to such a situation.

Let alone someone in a position of power as high as Kelsen's.

They were currently inside the Underground Ruins, surrounded by Siren personnel. Swatting him to death wouldn't have caused Kelsen the slightest trouble down the line.

In fact, it was precisely because he had sensed a shift in the man's state that he had deliberately tested him. The other party's reaction undoubtedly confirmed his theory.

"Hurry up, don't waste any more time!"

Listening to their meaningless banter, Sybil couldn't stand it any longer. Her words even carried a hint of murderous intent.

Still, it was obvious that the bizarre exchange between Kelsen and Fu Qian baffled her somewhat.

From her perspective, Kelsen might have had deeper motives for assigning Fu Qian here. So, despite her cold urging, she didn't overstep her bounds to swat Fu Qian dead herself.

"Let's head out, then."

In response to her prodding, Kelsen spoke in a voice entirely devoid of emotion.

However, he was a demigod after all. A moment later, a trace of abnormality flickered across his expression, as if he had realized his own shift in state.

But Fu Qian had no interest in discussing it with him. He was already leading the way.

...

By the time the group arrived at the pillared hall, Brother Overcoat was still resting where he had been left.

He looked practically unchanged from when Fu Qian left, and there weren't even any new feathers on the ground.

Surprisingly, the unconscious Elena had also woken up. She was leaning against a pillar, draped in the clothes Fu Qian had tossed to her.

However, her eyes were so calm they bordered on vacant. She didn't even react to the group entering the room.

'Wait, there actually is a change!'

Walking at the very front, Fu Qian suddenly realized something.

In the brief time it took for him to leave and return, the sensation of his inner mind being continuously purified had actually vanished.

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