Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Speaking of which, even though Hamadus is only a lesser god, he's actually quite powerful in the stories."

Completely oblivious to all this, Veil—ever the doting sister—continued to discuss the plot with great enthusiasm.

"It says here that the God of War's wife fell hopelessly in love with him because of his strong, blue muscles."

"Legend has it that as the God of Clamor, the roar Hamadus let out could not only destroy his enemies, but even tear the sea apart. His followers supposedly received the exact same gift."

"If he was so powerful, why was he still just a lesser god?"

Lotte raised another objection.

"I actually know the answer to that."

Though Lotte's tone was flat, Veil was clearly pleased that her younger sister was willing to talk to her at all.

"Because legends say he was born from the slaughter between the God of War and absolute evil. The God of War had already existed since the Deep Sea Era, so in theory, Hamadus is much younger."

Clearly unfamiliar with mythological tales, Lotte fell silent for a moment.

"So in that era, you only needed to have faith in Deities to gain power?"

Her tone was hesitant but full of longing; this was obviously what truly interested her.

"...According to the legends, yes."

Understanding why her sister was asking, Veil hesitated briefly before confirming it.

"It's said there were mortals who mastered extraordinary power back then, but the only proper way to obtain it was through faith in various Deities."

"The more devout and resolute your faith, the more powerful the gift."

"That sounds a lot simpler."

Lotte couldn't hide the sigh in her voice.

"Makes me kind of wish I lived in that era."

"Don't romanticize it. That era had its own cruelties."

Veil clearly understood her sister's regret.

"Besides, if we really went back to the Mythological Era, I'd be an absolute heretic."

"Because back then, any extraordinary power obtained without a divine gift was absolute heresy."

"Whether it was awakened naturally or gained through cultivation—and I'm not even sure if the concept of cultivation existed at the time."

"By that logic, were all Deities just born powerful?"

Despite her lack of confidence, Lotte couldn't help but argue back.

"Yes. Whether they were Deities or evil entities, they were all born powerful."

Veil nodded with absolute certainty.

"That's what it said in the tome I read."

She smiled and reached over to pat her sister's head.

"But there's no need to dwell on it. At the end of the day, they're just myths and legends."

"And that legendary era passed away over a thousand years ago."

"Over this past millennium, humanity has long since proven that the boundary between mortals and gods isn't so unbreakable."

"Mhm."

After a long silence, Lotte let out a breath, feeling inexplicably relieved.

"You never told me any of this before... But if the gods were really as powerful as described, how did the Mythological Era end?"

"You really need to study more, kid!"

Veil looked quite pleased by her sister's reaction, even playfully tapping Lotte on the head.

"If you ever took the time to read up on the origins of the Night Watchers, it's all explained right there."

"First, the Mythological Era ended abruptly, cut short by an unprecedented cataclysm."

"It's said that when the cataclysm struck, the most striking sign was the disappearance of the sun and the moon. Only the stars remained in the sky, and this lasted for several entire weeks."

"Faced with such a disaster, it wasn't just the followers of the sun and moon—every Deity's Favored One discovered that they had 'lost' the responses from their gods."

"No matter how hard they prayed, they received absolutely no help."

"Ultimately, that catastrophe caused countless human casualties."

"Even today, many of the forbidden zones you see are remnants of that cataclysm."

"Ultimately, a portion of the abandoned believers chose to abandon their Deities in return, relying on themselves to shelter humanity through the darkness."

"And when the sun finally reappeared, some of them went on to form the earliest Night Watchers."

"Despair leads to disenchantment. In short, after that event, all devotion crumbled, and the Mythological Era inevitably came to an end."

"Of course, occasionally there were still people who claimed they could hear the Deities respond, but ever since the invention of the steam engine, those reports have become fewer and fewer."

...

"So that's what happened..."

After listening to her sister's explanation, Lotte couldn't help but mutter to herself.

So that was what happened.

Eavesdropping on Veil's story, Fu Qian was similarly deep in thought.

While he had grasped the rough outlines before, some of the details Veil mentioned were clearly hidden knowledge.

During the Mythological Era, believers relied on their faith in Deities to receive gifts of power.

The more devout they were, the stronger they became.

This might not mean much to others, but it easily brought something specific to Fu Qian's mind.

He had previously encountered at least two special entities—a sinner and an Angel. The way they obtained power felt very similar to this system, though comparatively much simpler.

It didn't require any prayer; they only needed to form a covenant through a specific "stance."

Most importantly, in his own mission summary, this method had been explicitly identified as a trap on the Path to Godhood.

If the entire Mythological Era had functioned like that... he had to admit, the implications were quite interesting.

All in all, today had yielded an unexpected harvest.

Appreciating art really did improve one's "stance" on things!

Fu Qian felt thoroughly satisfied for the moment.

However, the most pressing matter right now was to figure out why the Night Watchers were treating this like such a massive threat.

Therefore...

The next moment, Fu Qian stood up and unhurriedly walked toward Veil and her sister.

Veil's conversation with her sister stopped almost instantly. It was clear that, despite the dim lighting, a transcendent's perception remained incredibly sharp.

At the same time, Fu Qian could feel that the demigod in the room had instantly locked onto him.

Unfortunately for them, having survived numerous grand spectacles, he was already nearly immune to a demigod's scrutiny.

"Hello there, ladies!"

Under Veil's vigilant gaze, Fu Qian took a seat nearby and offered a smiling greeting.

Although his expression was hidden behind a mask, Fu Qian firmly believed that a person should be consistent inside and out.

"Excuse me... Do I know you?"

An old man in a mask suddenly walking over to strike up a conversation had undeniably triggered Veil's alarm.

"You probably don't... but your sister does."

As he spoke, Fu Qian looked over at Lotte, his smile unwavering.

"You... are?"

Lotte was visibly startled and somewhat at a loss for words.

"My surname used to be Lu... before I found my true self."

Fu Qian answered while gently rubbing his right hand.

"You're—"

In that instant, Lotte seemed to realize something, nearly losing control of her volume.

"I am."

Fu Qian nodded.

Before standing up just now, he had already shifted his facial features beneath the mask to match the appearance of Old Man Lu Ming.

After all, a person should always be consistent inside and out.

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