Eldritch Horror Theatre

As it turned out, overly optimistic wishes were simply unrealistic.

Although a third person did indeed knock on his door the next morning, it wasn't his target.

"Hello, Mr. Fu."

Neatly dressed, the Priestess who had guided him during the match bowed deeply at the door.

"I am your guide for today. If you'd like to tour the islands, I can accompany you the entire time."

It couldn't have been easy for her!

Fu Qian studied the Priestess's face, which had returned to its goddess-like demeanor.

By the end of yesterday's match, she had clearly been scared half to death. Yet, after a single night of mental fortification, she had actually bounced back.

The matches were still held at night, which meant he indeed had plenty of time during the day to stroll around this legendary land of depravity.

Fu Qian nodded.

Most of the time, Fu Qian was an easygoing person—for instance, he didn't even bother asking for her name.

Just as Veil had said, winning the first day's match meant every area was now open to him. With the Priestess leading the way, his path was completely unobstructed.

"There are seven islands in total. We are currently on the outskirts, which consists mostly of basic infrastructure."

The Priestess walked ahead, acting as his tour guide.

Along the way, they had already seen several similar pairs.

"Very basic, indeed."

Fu Qian agreed profoundly, eyeing a few women striking provocative poses in front of a signboard.

In just those few seconds, several flirtatious glances were thrown his way. One woman even flared the feathered wings on her back.

Paired with her long, pale neck, she looked exactly like a large goose preparing to strike.

"The White Tower where yesterday's match was held is located on the Central Island. The other six islands all have tunnels leading there."

Pretending not to notice what he was looking at, the Priestess continued her introduction.

"It mainly houses two core buildings. Besides the White Tower, there is also the Laboratory, which is equally central to the island."

She pointed at a building beside the towering White Tower.

"That's the one. I believe it's the reason many people come to the archipelago."

The Grafting Laboratory?

In this world, that probably counted as the ultimate achievement of a rather skewed technology tree!

Following her finger, Fu Qian looked closely.

Compared to the White Tower, this building was much more understated. Ring-shaped and occupying the southeastern corner of the island, its footprint was still quite substantial.

"But it seems many people haven't gone through with it?"

Fu Qian pointed at her.

From what he had observed yesterday, this woman, at least, hadn't added any extra parts.

"Everyone has different goals. The reason I work here is simple."

The Priestess smiled, not minding that the topic had shifted to her.

"The White Tower Company simply pays too much!"

"Just working here for a few short days equals my usual income for a year, and I get to stay in the legendary Ring Archipelago for a while as a bonus."

"Actually, many people are in the same boat as me, though not everyone manages to take their money and leave."

As she spoke, she gestured toward the Laboratory.

Understood.

Fu Qian nodded in realization.

The Grafting Laboratory was right next door, offering the chance to acquire all sorts of transcendent abilities through limb grafting. That was indeed a massive temptation for ordinary people.

Earn your money in the archipelago, spend it in the archipelago—don't even think about taking a single cent home.

"Besides the Central Island, we can go anywhere. Where would you like to head first?"

Unfortunately, what interested him most was the executive officer's office on the Central Island.

Fu Qian thought for a moment and pulled out the Badge he'd received yesterday from his pocket.

"Do you know where to find them?"

"This..."

Seeing the object in his hand, the Priestess immediately paled. After carefully verifying what it was, she spoke.

"This is the Emblem of the Rebirth Club. They are on Island No. 5, which isn't too far from here."

She lowered her head and spoke in a rapid, hushed voice.

"How do you have this? As far as I know, this kind of Emblem is incredibly rare on the islands; there aren't many around at all."

"Someone gave it to me. But why do you look like you just saw something filthy?"

"The Rebirth Club is quite famous here. Their style is..."

The Priestess carefully weighed her words.

"...rather unrestrained. Are you sure you want to go straight there?"

"Uh-huh."

Fu Qian nodded, noticing her troubled expression.

"Never mind. Just point me in the right direction, and I'll head over by myself."

No need to make things difficult for her.

Looking as if she had just been granted a royal pardon, the Priestess pointed out the direction and hurried off with an apologetic look.

It was obvious that the Rebirth Club had a terrible reputation here.

Still, as the saying went, all press was good press. To elicit such an instinctive reaction of disgust, this club definitely had to have something exceptional about it.

Following her directions, Fu Qian soon found his destination.

A burly man stood in front of a heavy red wooden door, his three arms crossed over his chest.

Fu Qian flashed the Badge in his hand. The burly man inspected it meticulously before pushing the wooden door open and letting him in.

Thud!

Almost the instant Fu Qian stepped inside, the door was pulled shut behind him.

This is a club?

Fu Qian frowned at the scene before him.

It looked like the place had originally been a small bar.

Yet right now, there was no decadent music playing, nor any hedonistic revelry.

Instead, mummified corpses were scattered everywhere. Sitting or lying in a variety of poses, they almost looked as if they were still carrying out the actions of their daily lives.

And the most striking of them all was the centaur positioned in front of the counter.

Yes, exactly the mythical creature with two arms and four hooves.

This one wasn't particularly massive. A tattered strip of cloth draped over its back; though riddled with holes, one could still discern how magnificent it must have been in life.

All of this was smothered in an omnipresent layer of black, white, and gray dust.

What a perfect picture of a century of solitude!

Fu Qian bypassed the centaur specimen, walked up to the counter, and took a seat. At the same time, he reached out and brushed a finger across the tabletop.

The layer of black, white, and gray dust on the table actually transferred directly onto his finger, instantly turning his skin a ghastly pale white.

In less than ten seconds, his entire body was stained with that grayish-white hue, and his skin shriveled like a mummy's. It felt as though a century of wear and tear had washed over him in the blink of an eye.

Unbothered, Fu Qian leaned back in his chair and closely scrutinized the centaur beside him.

Proportionally speaking, aren't these legs a bit too long?

Just as he was immersed in his study, the spear held aloft in the centaur's right hand descended without a sound.

Clang!

Fu Qian didn't even raise his head. He simply thrust the index and middle fingers of his left hand upward, securely catching the sharp tip of the spear between them.

In the past, facing this kind of sneak attack, he would have either swatted it away with a slap or picked a direction to dodge.

But as a contestant who had just undergone special training yesterday, he decided to test out the much cooler-looking Lingxi Finger.

As it turned out, the effect was genuinely impressive.

A greater force transmitted through the spear; the centaur seemed to be trying to yank its weapon back.

Unfortunately for it, Fu Qian's two fingers were like iron pincers. No matter how hard the creature pulled, the spear wouldn't budge an inch.

Two seconds later, Fu Qian twisted his wrist.

Even at such a disadvantageous leverage, the spear was forcefully wrenched from the centaur's grip, sending the creature stumbling back several steps.

"Mmh!"

A woman's moan echoed out.

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