Eldritch Horror Theatre

Was she really this eager?

Faced with the excessively cooperative Lotte, Fu Qian did not rush to speak. His gaze fell upon that hand.

Clean, well-proportioned, and smooth-skinned, at a glance it looked no different from her other hand. Veil must have paid a steep price for it.

Unfortunately, its dexterity was still far too lacking, barely any better than his own insect arm.

There was even a time when its aesthetic had been just as wild.

Fu Qian naturally recalled Lotte’s beast claw.

To be ruthless enough to chop off such a hand and replace it with that style—this kind of obsession was truly something any evil god would love to see.

Hadn’t she practically offered herself up before he even started preaching about his Lord’s mighty power?

”Sorry, but you seem to lack talent.”

Without wasting any time, Fu Qian withdrew his gaze and frankly expressed his rejection.His posture was so aloof and otherworldly that he completely ignored the ”reward” she had emphasized.

...

So, denying oneself really was the hardest thing of all.

Even if it was just receiving a bad review in a dream, the degree to which the eye above Lotte’s head opened in that instant was even more exaggerated than when she had first opened the door.

The only pity was that it still wasn’t exaggerated enough.

Fu Qian casually simulated the trend in his mind and all but confirmed he was abandoning the strategy of flesh corruption.

The prerequisite for flesh corruption was taking control of the dream.

Based on previous experience, the method to achieve this was to continuously expand the dreamwalker’s cognition while keeping the shock below a certain limit, preventing them from waking up immediately.

However, compared to Brother Taylor, while this girl’s talent was far inferior, her power of imagination was robust. She seemed very much like someone who had watched too many dramas.

Coupled with the fact that this dream was clearly themed around emotional entanglement, Fu Qian suspected that even if he destroyed the world right now, she wouldn’t find the plot bizarre.

But that was fine. If physical corruption failed, there was always mental corruption.

The purely psychological sort, especially the kind devoid of any Transcendent attributes, happened to be his specialty.

”I completely understand how you feel.”

Without giving Lotte a chance to speak, Fu Qian continued earnestly.

”I can even understand why you are so obsessed with Transcendent power. It is far from the competitive desire it appears to be, or an absolute need to surpass your sister—”

Though they hadn’t interacted much, figuring out the mindset of such a young person and catering to her desires was far too simple for Fu Qian.

Although her body remained stiff, Lotte, who had been rigidly keeping her head down and biting her lip, looked up uncontrollably.

”Rather, it is a desire to protect your sister.”

Meeting her gaze gently, Fu Qian paused briefly before delivering the twist with perfect rhythm.

Almost instantly, the shimmering tears in eyes identical to Veil’s could no longer be held back. They fell, shattering against the arm in front of her.

”You’re overthinking it, Mr. Fu... I’ve only ever caused trouble for my family—”

Even so, Lotte didn’t seem to want to admit it. She quickly steadied her emotions, taking a deep breath and feigning a relaxed tone.

”But have you ever thought about what kind of price you would have to pay, even if you could achieve that?”

Unfortunately, Fu Qian, who always controlled the pacing, crushed that stubbornness with a casual interruption.

”Price? Are you saying it’s possible...”

With a sudden jolt, Lotte’s subtle movement to wipe her tears halted, and her eyes practically began to shine.

”The emphasis of my words was on the price.”

Venerable Fu seemed slightly displeased by this unreasonable reaction.

”And my evaluation is true. Your talent is far behind your sister’s. If you want to reach her level or even surpass her, the severity of the trials you must undergo will absolutely exceed your imagination.”

...

Once again, this merciless critique undoubtedly caused Lotte, who already possessed strong self-esteem, to clench her jaw.

However, the perseverance and resilience of youth were still evident in her.

”More severe... than this?”

The next moment, under the control of absolute willpower, that uncoordinated hand clumsily stretched forward again, right under Fu Qian’s nose.

”I said it would exceed your imagination.”

Unfortunately, Fu Qian did not even bat an eye, stating coldly.

”It is a tempering of the will... It requires absolute firmness, purity, and freedom from any worldly taint.”

However, seeing the rising hope in Lotte’s eyes shatter under the impact and her face turn as pale as paper, Fu Qian paused, and his tone finally softened a little.

”Like the faith of the ancient eras. Can you understand? It’s completely different from the money-driven kind in Sacred Night Capital.”

Faith...

Even though he was explicitly emphasizing the difficulty, Lotte’s eyes widened sharply. Her expression showed signs of rekindled hope.

”Don’t misunderstand. It’s not like the faith in the history you know, either.”

Frowning slightly, Fu Qian seemed to find this enthusiasm somewhat difficult to understand.

But only seemed to.

Back in Dunis, he had listened to a play alongside these two sisters.

Before the love story of the God of Clamor and the God of War’s wife, Veil had clearly explained the true history to this girl.

And Lotte’s reaction clearly showed a certain yearning for that era where one could receive power just by having a heart of faith.

As an evil god, apart from catering to their desires, one also had to ensure the logical progression of their guidance.

After this psychological tug-of-war, the young Lotte’s world had undoubtedly experienced extreme ups and downs, transitioning from despair to renewed determination.

And as the saying went, those who had experienced darkness would cherish hard-won light all the more.

”I know about those different histories!”

The facts proved the saying right. Facing Fu Qian’s repeated emphasis on the difficulty, every strand of Lotte’s hair radiated determination.

”You know?”

Even someone as strong as Fu Qian felt his imposing aura faintly suppressed for a moment.

However, he obviously wouldn’t easily believe a young person’s wild words. He immediately narrowed his eyes and quietly tested her.

”Yes, I know. I even know they were deliberately hidden, which is why they disappeared so completely.”

Lotte answered without the slightest hesitation.

”And the ones who orchestrated this were very likely the Night Watchers. As for their purpose... perhaps it was to protect ordinary people.”

Veil really had shared quite a lot with this younger sister.

Although Lotte’s final tone wasn’t entirely certain, the content she mentioned earlier was already enough to make Fu Qian sigh internally.

Lacking talent but possessing curiosity—he could completely imagine Veil dealing with this younger sister.

Of course, for a character like this, there was nothing better suited to her desires than an evil god.

”You actually know...”

As if seeing this young woman for the first time, Fu Qian, ”shocked” by Lotte’s answer, briefly wore an even more solemn expression.

”I won’t comment on Veil’s decision to tell you this, but knowing full well that the Night Watchers’ actions were likely meant to protect ordinary people, you still want to dabble in that danger?”

”Yes.”

Lotte nodded slowly but firmly.