Eldritch Horror Theatre

'It doesn't seem like anything has changed!'

The moment the hands on the Pocket Watch ticked to the calculated position, Fu Qian immediately scanned his surroundings.

Nothing anomalous had appeared. Even the crowds playing in the distance looked perfectly normal.

Despite the ordinary scene, Fu Qian remained exactly where he was, unmoving.

A professional task runner would never make the mistake of blind optimism. The anomaly had likely already manifested; he just hadn't observed it yet.

His current spot had been carefully selected—it offered a great line of sight, sat completely out of the way, and wasn't on the path to anywhere.

All of this was to minimize variables when the Nightmare arrived.

So, getting back to the point, where exactly was the anomaly?

Amid his thoughts, Fu Qian suddenly noticed a taste in his mouth.

'Is this... the taste of fish?'

Fu Qian was absolutely certain he hadn't eaten anything, yet the flavor was unbelievably real.

A moment later, a realization hit him.

Earlier, he had seen a child on the beach gnawing on a half-eaten skewer of grilled fish.

The fish had been golden and crispy, clearly the work of a master griller at a single glance.

At the time, he had subconsciously mused that the fish looked pretty good and he should try it if he got the chance... and then the taste simply appeared in his mouth.

'Such a thing is actually possible?'

In his astonishment, Fu Qian felt a stir of intuition. He focused his gaze and noticed something left behind on the wet sand where the tide had receded—a whole school of fish, varied in size and species.

These fish were clearly still alive, flopping around wildly after being stranded.

However, everything behind their heads was uniformly golden and crispy, an appetizing sight that instantly stoked one's hunger.

'Not only is the taste in my mouth, but living roasted fish are jumping out of the sea?'

Fu Qian seemed to understand the meaning of the sweet nightmare now. Inner desires were forcibly materialized—a legendary case of getting exactly what one wished for.

Although the manifestation was a bit horrifying, it could certainly be called a beautiful dream.

At the same time, he noticed that no one else's actions were affected. Even the people walking right past turned a blind eye to the mouthwatering roasted fish scattered everywhere.

These things were likely only affecting him.

'What a pity. If this could affect everyone, I could just wish for a way to instantly obliterate Ariel, Wehle, and Hamadus. Wouldn't that make the task a breeze?'

"Hm?"

Just as he was lamenting this, a voice rang in his ear.

"To think it's actually you... Heh heh, I said we would meet again."

That voice sounded quite familiar.

After a moment of thought, Fu Qian realized exactly who this was—a certain human-faced insect who called himself the God Corroder.

It sounded like Brother Persuader had been constantly thinking about him since their last parting.

"You seem to be in a very special state. How delightful."

Perhaps he had gone too long without anyone to talk to. Before Fu Qian could say a word, Brother Persuader eagerly reveled in his misfortune.

"But rest assured, my condition is still far from recovered. I can't do anything to affect you."

"Though without a doubt, I will gladly play the role of an audience member for the time to come, heh heh heh..."

"Do not resist. This place will be your home sooner or later," the entity concluded with a curse, accompanied by a standard villainous laugh.

...

'So, does this sweet nightmare really have a connection to the Nightmare Corridor?'

Regardless of his motives, Brother Persuader's eager outburst had delivered valuable information.

As for whether the entity really hadn't recovered enough to do anything but watch, Fu Qian didn't care in the slightest.

Given their history, there was zero chance of it showing any mercy after a chat.

So no matter what it claimed, he just had to deal with whatever came his way.

'Speaking of which, wouldn't it be best to empty my mind right now to avoid more trouble?'

After all, judging by the current situation, a single stray thought could likely trigger another anomaly.

Even now, he could see a massive fish aggressively wriggling its crispy, browned body onto the long embankment.

Leaving a trail of scattered crumbs in its wake, it bounded steadfastly in his direction, seemingly eager to offer him a taste.

If too many of these things showed up, it definitely wouldn't be good for him.

A moment later, Fu Qian tried to completely empty his mind, no longer thinking about anything.

Unfortunately, after only a few seconds, he felt a wave of chaos wash over his brain, leaving him practically unable to form a normal thought.

'Did the active desire to empty my mind also get materialized, causing an uncontrollable, rapid drain on my sanity?'

It truly lived up to the name of a Nightmare.

It seemed he had no choice but to enjoy this sweetness.

Fu Qian no longer deliberately suppressed his mind, letting his consciousness gradually return.

The current situation was glaringly obvious. His best strategy was to maintain this state until the Clamor arrived—

Before he could even finish that thought, Fu Qian felt a sound erupt inside his head.

To be fair, the sound had a certain melody to it; it wasn't pure noise.

But no matter how melodic it was, cranking the volume to the max made it deafening.

Fu Qian quietly suppressed the urge to complain, letting the thought naturally dissipate.

Because with that brief complaint, the sound inside his head had nearly doubled in volume.

'This dream is sweet in such a delicate way!'

And under these circumstances, he had to hold out for over twenty more hours.

This was undoubtedly quite difficult. He needed to carefully control his thoughts.

It would be best if no one came to bother him during this time to avoid adding more variables to the mix.

...

Unfortunately, ideals were always just that—ideals.

Although he had chosen a relatively secluded spot, Fu Qian's overly flamboyant getup inevitably attracted a lot of attention.

In fact, at this very moment, someone who had been watching him for a while couldn't hold back and came over to talk.

"That's an interesting thing. Where did you get it?"

An energetic young man around twenty years old pointed at his head and asked directly.

"A project reward."

Fu Qian nodded, answering with utmost honesty.

Based on his experience dealing with energetic youths like this, acting aloof and ignoring them wasn't a good idea.

Losing face was something they found hard to accept, which meant their questioning would likely just get more aggressive.

"A project reward?"

The young man had trouble processing Fu Qian's answer for a moment and asked back with a confused expression.

"Yeah. As long as you work hard, you can get it as a project reward."

Hard work...

As soon as that explanation came out, the youth's interest visibly plummeted.

It was clear that to him, the topic of hard work was unspeakably boring.

Sucking in a breath, the youth seemed at a loss for how to respond. After two awkward seconds, he just turned around and left.

'Now that's what I call professional!'

Having instantly selected the topic that would make the other party lose interest the fastest, Fu Qian was quite satisfied with his handling of the situation.

However...

A moment later, Fu Qian narrowed his eyes and looked toward the door of a nearby cabin, which was undergoing some sort of transformation.

Although it was open, the inside was filled with a darkness that seemed almost tangible, while mysterious patterns rapidly surfaced upon the door.

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