Eldritch Horror Theatre

”You seem genuinely familiar with this place.”

Spurred by that ”unintentional” provocation, Demigod Aike followed close behind, watching their surroundings for any movement.

Her vigilance paid off. She soon seemed to glean something, asking as she scrutinized Fu Qian’s search route.

”So Your Excellency thought I was lying earlier?”

Fu Qian asked casually, his pace unbroken as he navigated the labyrinthine corridors.

As a communication skill, deception had never been elegant enough.

Naturally, his earlier mention of familiarity hadn’t been a lie to set the mood, either.

The moment he saw Ehm Palace, Fu Qian had started pondering the source of that faint sense of déjà vu, and now he was almost certain—it was the place that hid the Bronze Circlet.

Yes, that dreamlike scene he had entered in the Real World after donning the Bronze Madam along with the payment from the wealthy Sissi Gatsby.

In that scene, a multitude of headless bodies had also been kneeling in an ancient court.Even the grand attire draping those bodies matched the clothes worn by Demigod Aike beside him.

The circlet, suspected to hold the will of the Ji Clan’s Progenitor, was actually connected to the legendary Laria Court?

And if this place was real, could the scenes he had witnessed inside it have actually happened?

If the chance arose, he should probably investigate whether the history of the Laria Royal Family included any ancestors with ”exceptionally developed” heads.

”That’s right, I didn’t really believe it.”

As Fu Qian pondered this new academic topic, Aike’s somewhat decisive reply came through.

...

”Not only was your appearance abrupt, your state was highly suspicious. The moment I found you, I doubted whether we were even in the same situation.”

Appearing to have no intention of sparing her temporary ally’s feelings, Aike explained her reasoning directly without waiting for Fu Qian’s response.

”Of course, I must admit you’ve increasingly proven your honesty. I think this is a good development.”

”Thank you for the recognition.”

Without slowing his pace in the slightest, Fu Qian listened attentively and politely thanked the Night Watchers’ demigod for her approval.

”Actually, I’m not that familiar with it. It just feels like I visited once under extremely unique circumstances... Besides, the progress of our operation doesn’t seem too optimistic.”

He finally stopped.

After a continuous ascent through the passages, the two now stood in the grandest hall they had encountered since entering the building, which also offered the best vantage point.

Looking out from the edge, Fu Qian could even spot the corridor where hundreds of people had seemingly knelt—unfortunately, the place where he once could barely find footing was now entirely empty and desolate.

”What do you mean?”

Stopping in sync and looking down alongside him, Aike asked, her tone perfectly flat.

”First, it’s exactly as you said—there’s been no movement since we entered. This place feels like an entirely abandoned palace.”

Fu Qian’s demeanor remained calm and professional as he quickly analyzed their current situation.

”Second, the route I chose deliberately covered different directions and elevations. Sadly, the crying remains faint and vague, with no perceptual change whatsoever. Relying on positioning to locate the source doesn’t seem viable. Does Your Excellency have a different view?”

...

”Right now, it looks like we can hardly be certain the crying even comes from a concrete physical entity.”

After a brief silence, Aike finally addressed Fu Qian’s statement.

She had deliberately used the word ”entity” rather than ”infant,” her pessimism plain to see.

”I actually conducted a similar search the moment I appeared in here. Though it wasn’t quite as extensive, my conclusion was very close to yours.”

While sharing her exploration experience, Demigod Aike seemed to subtly explain her reason for merely following along the entire way.

”The reason I didn’t interfere with your route was to see if you might have some alternative ideas. Do you have any other findings?”

”I do.”

Without questioning her explanation, Fu Qian tapped his head.

”Although we haven’t found the source, it’s growing louder in my mind. It hasn’t displayed any further anomalies yet, but I’m somewhat worried this sound might fall into the transcendent tier.”

”For instance, the moment it hits a certain critical threshold, it might trigger an excessively violent reaction.”

”Your senses... are very sharp.”

Seemingly surprised that he actually had another takeaway, Aike gave a slight nod, finally offering a tactful compliment.

”I only noticed that after searching for a while myself. My intuition tells me it is a highly dangerous accumulation.”

”In fact, that was why I subsequently chose to leave. Once you exit the building’s perimeter, this accumulation quickly fades. How does it feel to you?”

”I’m not quite that pessimistic.”

Sensing his opinions were gaining more and more weight, Fu Qian’s gaze sharpened momentarily.

”The transcendent tier isn’t necessarily all bad. Maybe if we just wait here, that royal newborn will automatically appear right in front of us once the sound gets loud enough.”

...

”Are you serious?”

The power of an emancipated mind was fully on display at this moment.

Even someone as strong as Demigod Aike failed to manage her expressions for a split second, her features stiffening as she stared at him.

”Of course. We might not need to use it right now, but in my view, this should at least serve as a higher-priority backup plan than entering the toxic fog via transformation.”

However, Fu Qian’s mild yet firm tone momentarily made it impossible to tell whether he genuinely meant it or was just joking.

”In that case, just to be safe, shouldn’t we test it out one by one?”

Though her shock was fleeting, Aike was clearly displeased with her own lapse in composure upon recovering. Squinting, she actually deduced further along Fu Qian’s line of thought.

”Naturally. When the time comes, if my condition hasn’t been too severely compromised, I’ll still go first.”

Unfortunately, his unhesitating reply left her speechless once more. She paused for a moment before asking her next question.

”So, before that moment arrives, what is your plan?”

Her words already carried a faint undertone of a test, but ”stage fright” didn’t exist in Fu Qian’s dictionary.

”This place is simply too massive. Searching everywhere would consume a tremendous amount of time, and even if we did, its usefulness would be questionable...”

”So I have a very simple idea. Based on Your Excellency’s knowledge of this place, where do you think the Nursery should normally be?”

...

”Then we might need to hurry. Their daily living quarters are a bit far from here.”

Perhaps because her composure had been repeatedly broken, Aike didn’t raise any further objections to Fu Qian’s excessively fearless plan to strike directly at the enemy’s heart.

After silently scrutinizing Fu Qian for a few breaths and finding no trace of hesitation in him, she unexpectedly took the lead this time.