Eldritch Horror Theatre

Accepting the Ear Stud from Wen Li, Fu Qian rolled it around in his palm.

He had to admit, its design was remarkably exquisite. Even if it weren't a transcendent item, it would surely fetch a good price.

Speaking of which, he was practically a menace to jewelry at this point.

Finished with his silent appraisal, he thought back to classmate Tan's Bracelet and sighed inwardly.

A moment later, under Wen Li's watchful gaze, he slowly closed his hand.

It looked exactly like a magician's classic sleight of hand. However, what Wen Li couldn't see was that a mouth full of sharp teeth had sprouted on his palm and swallowed the Ear Stud in a single bite.

"A magic trick?"

Fu Qian's words were undoubtedly a bit too jarring for Wen Li. Having clearly given up on guessing, she simply stared at his fist in silence, waiting for the grand reveal.

Meanwhile, after "swallowing" the Ear Stud, Fu Qian quickly noticed a change.

At the same time, an erratic melody materialized out of thin air within his mind.

This phantom sound had to be the Ear Stud's effect.

Fu Qian nodded, silently experiencing all the changes.

First was the digestion efficiency. The structure of the recently swallowed Ear Stud had dissolved almost instantly, leaving no signs of indigestion.

He still remembered the terrible backlash he suffered when he ate Su Gao's Die last time.

This smooth process was likely because the item's Rank wasn't very high to begin with, and partly because his own digestion capacity had significantly improved under the effects of Insight.

So, when Wen Li mentioned that wearing the Ear Stud brought her peace of mind, was it because of this peculiar melody?

Some kind of requiem playing on loop in her ears, completely beneath her own notice?

Judging from her earlier description, she was clearly unaware of it.

The fact that he could manifest it so clearly might have something to do with his maxed-out inspiration.

Amidst his thoughts, Fu Qian focused all his attention on the eerie melody, feeling it gradually grow clearer.

Why did it sound like a human voice?

At that moment, Fu Qian frowned.

He wasn't imagining things. As the melody sharpened, he vaguely recognized what truly sounded like a human speaking, though the pitch was bizarre and interspersed with faint weeping.

Just as he felt he was about to make out the exact words, his surroundings suddenly shifted.

The counter and bookshelves vanished, and Wen Li was nowhere to be seen.

In their place stood the interior of a magnificent building. In the dim light, scattered shelves lay toppled everywhere, as if a tornado had torn through the room.

Wisps of stray light drifted through the air like tangible rainbows, illuminating the area.

If not for the debris on the floor, he would have almost thought he'd disconnected and returned to the Warehouse.

Shaking his head, Fu Qian bent down and tried to touch a book by his feet.

It had clearly fallen from one of the shelves. From the looks of it, this place seemed like some ancient library.

Unfortunately, the moment his fingertips brushed against it, the book rapidly crumbled to dust, denying him the chance to read it.

This place was definitely a bit unreal!

Fu Qian wasn't too surprised. Following a unique sensation, he could still pinpoint his physical body sitting back in The Bookstore.

Only his consciousness should be here right now.

He could return at any time with a single thought.

It must have been the effect of the Ear Stud. Tracing that voice had drawn him into this peculiar space.

In fact, he could still hear that voice right now, and it had become vastly clearer.

"Can't find... me... here... is very... safe..."

From the intermittent voice, Fu Qian finally pieced together a sentence.

Every pause in the words was marked by an overwhelmingly sorrowful sob.

He had to admit, this fit the setting perfectly.

Unrestrained wailing inside a silent, gloomy, ancient building—are you a witch?

Knowing he could bail out at any moment, Fu Qian didn't hesitate to go exploring.

Fortunately, the stairs inside the building weren't as fragile as the books.

When he stepped onto them, they felt slightly flimsy but were fully capable of supporting his weight.

Since the crying clearly came from the floor above, he scanned the area to confirm there were no anomalies before climbing step by step toward the sound.

As he walked, he even reached out to touch the stray wisps of light.

Unsurprisingly, his palm phased right through them, but the light wasn't completely unresponsive, instantly sparking an invisible ripple of turbulence.

Under the tremors, he felt as if his very existence was being affected.

'If I had come here before achieving a Solidified Profession, this would probably be quite troublesome!'

Feeling the changes in his body, he sighed inwardly.

The moment his existence became unstable, Fu Qian faintly sensed a gaze falling upon him—just like when he first advanced to the Demigod Realm. However, the feeling vanished the moment he stabilized.

Even so, he couldn't let his guard down. This place was highly suspicious. He was essentially splitting his focus to be here; if his consciousness truly suffered any corruption, it would most likely affect his physical body in reality.

By the time he finished his train of thought, he had climbed the final step and spotted his target.

It really was a witch!

Looking at the scene before him, Fu Qian frowned for a moment.

Out on the second-floor terrace, a short-haired woman crouched on the ground, weeping with her hands covering her face. A single glance revealed that her body was unnaturally pale and withered.

What was also quite striking was that she wore no clothes in the traditional sense.

Instead, her skin was covered in large patches of colorful, vibrant markings that looked like irregular pieces of glazed glass.

Reflecting the rainbow lights in the air, the sight was exceptionally dazzling.

Right now, she was crying with utter abandon, completely oblivious to his arrival.

Faced with this, Fu Qian didn't rush forward to disturb her, opting to stand aside and observe quietly.

He soon discovered that she was saying more than just that one sentence.

Through the desolate sobbing, he picked out other words.

"Listen... to my voice. Please, let someone... hear me speak."

"My name... is Liliana."

Surely this wasn't an introduction?

Hearing her clearly state a name, Fu Qian frowned even deeper.

Though it made little sense, her demeanor looked exactly like someone talking to herself.

That begged the question—why would someone repeatedly emphasize their own name to themselves?

Was she afraid of forgetting it?

A possibility vaguely formed in his mind.

Just then, the witch seemed to recall something heartbreaking. Her wails suddenly escalated, thick with unmistakable terror.

"Only... a little bit left... I don't want to keep doing missions."

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