Eldritch Horror Theatre

Record of Recollection?

He finally understood the eerie linguistic style used in the mission briefing and summary.

And the mention of shadows of the past in the kill tally... Had all the characters in the mission essentially entered a segment of past memory?

That would certainly explain his condition when he first entered.

As an uninvited character, the Warehouse must have been adapting to local customs, squeezing him into the scenario using the most effortless method available.

Judging by the description, the item Luyi relied on was clearly quite extraordinary.

Memory was unreliable because it wasn’t reality.

Even if everything witnessed was depicted faithfully, the causal relationships between them were no longer as absolute, introducing the possibility of reversal.

This meant that within the dilemma created by the Record of Recollection, consensus truly became a resource, driving a mutual progression toward the story’s ending.

What you believed became reality.Of course, if that were the extent of it, it would be hard to say how it fundamentally differed from a dream governed by special rules.

Its true anomaly lay in the fact that it could ultimately solidify into reality, creating something out of nothing.

At a certain point, all the investigation would cause the Face of Gods and Men to accurately manifest on the Royal Scion, bringing this recollection to an end.

And in reality, Luyi would genuinely acquire that face.

It was hard to say what form it would take. A mask? Or would it grow directly on his body, much like Fu Qian’s own?

Regardless, while he successfully bypassed the limitations of reality, everyone else—including Old Man Li—would remain trapped in the Record of Recollection, providing the foundation of existence for that face.

...

Aside from that, the special emphasis in the mission summary—”regardless of thought, regardless of foundation of existence”—was truly terrifying upon deeper reflection.

The former was easy enough to understand. It meant that when the outcome was finalized, regardless of the role you played in the consensus, or even if you disagreed with the majority, the result would remain unchanged.

Because you were still a component making up the whole.

As for the latter... was Rank also considered a foundation of existence?

Did this mean that once you entered, whether you were in the Demigod Realm or at Tier 2, you would share the exact same fate?

More horrifyingly, did the Warehouse sending him here count as a special foundation of existence?

If he failed, would he also be trapped inside?

That would be a bit exaggerated. Shouldn’t the Warehouse have given him an extra warning?

Though, as a task runner, he always maintained the professional mindset of treating every run as his last, so the impact wasn’t actually that significant.

Furthermore, it seemed Luyi had ultimately been unable to bear the humiliation and voluntarily pulled the plug.

Although his name was unfamiliar and he hadn’t admitted to any connection with the Origin Council, thanks to Fu Qian’s thirst for knowledge, the summary ultimately provided another name—Rom.

Whether in Dunis or on Ye Island, this name had appeared more than once, always alongside the Origin Council.

He had revealed a flaw in the end.

Was such highly technical work really orchestrated by this rival?

Of course, they had once again suffered losses caused by a peer.

At the same time, the mission summary highlighted a specific detail: what Luyi had given up was the second usage of the Record of Recollection.

It had three uses in total, and one had already been spent. He was very curious about what Luyi had used it for, and which unfortunate souls had been sacrificed to become a recollection that would never undergo fading.

The Origin Council really had a lot of good stuff.

He also didn’t know whether this three-use limit meant the Record of Recollection itself only had three charges, or if the limit applied separately to each user.

The special reward from this mission might provide some insight into that.

Fu Qian focused his will on the [Blank Reminiscence Chronicle Remnant Page].

...

[Name: Blank Reminiscence Chronicle Remnant Page]

[Type: Special Item]

[An ancient but blank Parchment, its jagged edges looking as if it had been violently torn.

Though it contains no written records, its very existence is the best interpretation of endless, bygone eras.

By writing down the beginning and end of a story using simple descriptions, one can choose to anchor Transcendent Tier wills within a certain range and initiate a shared recollection.

Maximum of twelve participants, none exceeding Tier 2. The user can choose not to join, or can join in any state they have previously existed in.

Driven by consensus, when the critical outcome written in advance occurs, the recollection will automatically end and absorb everyone into the story.

If a sufficiently strong consensus forms that contradicts the original outcome, the recollection will automatically fail and may affect reality in a distorted manner.

The controller can terminate it at any time.

Can only be used once, and counts toward the three-use limit of the Record of Recollection. This cannot be bypassed by any means.]

[Remark: Fleeting years, Book of Ages]

Sure enough, just like the legendary magic lamp, the usage limit is restricted per individual?

Feeling the texture of the Parchment in his hands, Fu Qian felt the distinct satisfaction of finding the answer to his question in seconds.

Brother Luyi’s three-use limit was indeed personal to him.

But even so, this little perk he had conveniently scavenged was enough to prove the item’s immense power.

It was practically a divine artifact for forced labor.

Whether you were willing or not, once chosen, you were happily gifted a chance to go down in history.

At the same time, due to its fundamental nature, once you entered, every bit of your exploration would only reinforce the cage imprisoning you.

Even if the project was completed, it wouldn’t grant you freedom; it would merely permanently etch your name into the ledger of merits.

Unless, during the process, you could see through the user’s true intentions and drag the consensus toward a contradictory direction, just like he had done inside.

And the reason why Brother Luyi had directly pulled the plug also seemed to have been found—”may affect reality in a distorted manner.”

With the situation beyond saving, that guy probably hadn’t wanted Fu Qian to reap any benefits, which was why he had decisively flipped the table.

So it actually is possible to steal the fruits of someone else’s labor.

And predictably, that kind of behavior was the most detestable.

It was just a pity for him that even so, Fu Qian had still secured the benefits.

A beginning and an ending. Using this remnant page of the Record of Recollection was quite simple.

At the same time, as could be seen from the mission summary, under the miraculous healing hands of His Excellency Luyi, Benjamin Laria had shaken off the ”curse” and recovered his health.

When Li He and his companion arrived later, the nature of their actions would turn into a genuine visit to the newborn.

And when His Excellency Ake arrived even later, he would also draw the conclusion that the Laria Family’s newborn Offspring posed no threat.

The world had once again returned to peace, and the victims wouldn’t even have any lingering psychological trauma.

But Fu Qian was confident that Luyi, having established this great merit, would probably retire from the jianghu at the very first opportunity.

[Today’s work has been completed. You may now leave the Warehouse. Weekly work progress: 3/4]

”Order of Blood...”

Muttering to himself, Fu Qian placed the remnant page on the desk and put on the Emissary.