Eldritch Horror Theatre

”No matter how I phrase this, it’s going to sound strange, so please allow me to make an introduction first.”

They were on the exact same street, but it was noticeably more alive with people.

After silently holding Fu Qian’s gaze for a few seconds, Amira sighed and broke the silence, gesturing toward a figure beside her.

It was a man in his forties with a steady gaze and a peaceful demeanor. His most striking feature was a pair of light golden eyebrows.

Unlike Amira, he wore a dark, somewhat more intricate and solemn robe, though he too had an ornately decorated cape draped over his shoulders.

The situation couldn’t be more obvious. These two had been hiding nearby through some special means, acting as an audience to the audience.

His overly nonchalant attitude toward life and death as a hostage had clearly shocked them. Evidently reaching a conclusion, they had stepped in to pull him out of the fray.

”This is Excellency Reginald. We spoke together earlier today.”

She’s being quite honest.

Fu Qian mused as he listened to Amira.He naturally knew who this man was—the unseen third-party listener during his psychological counseling session.

In fact, the information about the victims, the Rayson couple, had come directly from his mouth.

His attire and posture screamed of a civil cleric from The Order, forming a sharp contrast with the Hunter from earlier.

”Just call me Reginald.”

Meeting Fu Qian’s scrutinizing gaze, the middle-aged man nodded slightly without another word.

”Alright.”

Fu Qian gave a flat response and pointed into the distance, right at the spot where the Hunter had launched his ambush.

”Are you sure you don’t need to help out over there?”

”No need. We’re already sorry enough for the interruption.”

Amira answered, as expected. She seemed to have absolute confidence in her fellow member of The Order. Before she had even finished speaking, she gestured in another direction.

”If you don’t mind, shall we walk and talk?”

”I don’t mind.”

Faced with an invitation to an unknown destination, Fu Qian agreed faster than if he had been offered afternoon tea.

It was a no-brainer. He had spent the entire trip playing the part of a patient with a severe cognitive disorder precisely to receive this special diagnosis and treatment.

Now that the two ”doctors” were holding a joint consultation again, there was no reason to stand on ceremony.

”So, no matter how brutal the fight gets in there, the outside remains completely unaffected?”

Passing by a row of display windows, Fu Qian pointed at them and asked curiously.

The display setup Harriet had smashed through earlier now looked completely intact.

”In most cases, yes. But that doesn’t mean there is absolutely no impact.”

Amira gestured for Fu Qian to walk by her side.

”The damage accumulates in a special way. Moving forward, they will age and break down at a much higher rate.”

So that was how it worked.

Fu Qian better understood the heavy traces of time he had seen everywhere while wandering around today.

”I know this obviously deepens the sense of unreality, but please allow me to explain the scene from earlier.”

Amira observed his demeanor. His sheer calm and cooperation actually seemed to give her a headache.

”This city is not as peaceful as it appears on the surface. Aside from the dangerous zones on the outskirts, corruption and evil are constantly festering in the shadows. Because of this, the Hunters of The Order conduct targeted purges within the city limits.”

”And to minimize the impact on ordinary citizens, they isolate the area using the method you just witnessed.”

”Completely understandable.”

Fu Qian listened intently.

”So, you went to see Resen?”

”Yes. We verified everything the two of you discussed.”

Despite the slightly abrupt shift in topic, Amira answered quickly, implicitly admitting that they had been monitoring him.

”Combined with your behavior along the way, we grew concerned about the possibilities. That is why you ended up as the audience for tonight’s purge.”

”You wanted to see how I’d react to being plunged into a new Nightmare?”

Fu Qian even cracked a smile as he asked.

”So, what’s the verdict?”

”The problem is clearly quite thorny.”

Amira didn’t seem to find his complete shift in personality from earlier in the day jarring at all. She let out a soft sigh.

”I never thought I’d be this far off in my assessment, and Excellency Reginald feels the same.”

”It seems you had a rather unique experience in the Painting World, one that left you with a very distinct form of paranoia.”

”You could certainly say that.”

Fu Qian genuinely took a moment to reflect on his actions back in the Painting World, agreeing with her assessment.

At the same time, he silently praised his idea of flipping Nightmare and reality.

He no longer needed to mimic An Ke’s speech and mannerisms. Now that he was ”exposing his true nature,” he could smoothly slip back into his own usual style.

”I believe that in your mind, everything in front of you is a Nightmare, or at least an extension of one—including us.”

Amira continued her explanation.

”And that what we did for you earlier wasn’t treatment, but an attempt to deceive you.”

”I have to admit, once a bias like that takes root, it is incredibly difficult to correct.”

”That’s right. I lied to you earlier.”

Faced with the accusation, Fu Qian admitted it openly, the very picture of someone courting death.

”So what’s your plan now? Dispose of an incurable lost soul like me? Just like you did with Harriet?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Fu Qian marveled at the name Harriet. It was so unusual that he had instinctively employed Three-Stage Questioning just to bring her up.

”I’m sure quite a few of the disappearances around this city share a similar story, don’t they? I have to say, that method you used just now is awfully convenient.”

”The purges strictly target corruption. I know you aren’t afraid, but nothing like that is going to happen to you.”

Amira shook her head, her tone firm.

”Furthermore, Harriet wasn’t nearly as innocent as she claimed to be.”

”She was initially discovered because several local men developed physical mutations. Their only common denominator was that they had all shared a highly bizarre physical encounter with a mysterious woman.”

I can probably guess exactly what made it so bizarre.

Fu Qian didn’t find Amira’s bluntness strange at all. It naturally brought to mind the horrific scene he had just witnessed.

”Speaking of which, I apologize for the unexpected turn of events. Let me tend to your wound.”

Fu Qian’s expression remained perfectly flat. Amira sighed, her eyes dropping to his neck.

Blood was still seeping from the clean slice across his throat, soaking a large patch of his jacket crimson.

Before she had even finished speaking, a bright pattern flashed across her hand as she brushed it lightly over the wound.

Nourished by the light, the torn flesh rapidly stitched itself back together.

It seemed that for her, healing the body was far easier than healing the mind.

”I hope that serves as a small proof of my words. Now, Mr. An Ke, could you do us a favor?”

Having finished her healing, Amira stopped in her tracks and looked at him with utmost seriousness.

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