Eldritch Horror Theatre

People accustomed to playing make-believe often lacked reverence for the real world.

Ais was certainly no naive little girl. Between her own demeanor and the two Final Ripples she carried, she was clearly someone who saw right through worldly affairs—the kind of person who was either extraordinarily wealthy or deeply entrenched in power.

The problem was that she was accustomed to the world of ordinary people.

After stepping into the transcendent world, everything they faced looked like a game woven by the Sage—one of a Mortal Body rivaling a Deity.

But now, with the scriptwriter gone, she was forced to confront the true face of the transcendent world. Unsurprisingly, she stared back with the clear, unpolluted gaze of an absolute novice.

”No need to be nervous.”

Seeing Ais make no attempt to hide her frustration, Fu Qian even offered a word of comfort, radiating scholarly gentleness.

”I never intended to pry into your core secrets anyway. Just tell me everything else.”

Her thinking might have been simple, but her proactive attitude toward saving herself was obvious. That was worth encouraging... and exploiting.

As for why he didn’t care about the bad news that the Workshop would be difficult to rebuild?The reason was simple.

Unlike Ais, he wasn’t here to rebuild it. He was here to destroy it completely.

...

What does he mean?

So he thinks I’m holding out on him? That I’m pretending not to know?

In that moment, even a woman with Ais’s emotional intelligence couldn’t help but reveal a bizarre expression packed with complex implications.

But it only lasted for a second. Faced with Fu Qian’s tolerant expression, Ais quickly took a deep breath, reining in her petty emotional impulses.

”Although the Workshop has been used many times since its completion, aside from operational protocols, ’that person’ didn’t say much about the facility itself.”

”The one thing that left a deep impression on me was when he mentioned that although the Vacuum Flower is exalted, it doesn’t possess a living will of its own. He said treating it as a Deity was a fallacy.”

An exalted being without a living will, an existence distinct from a Deity—that was an interesting piece of information.

Nodding slightly, Fu Qian was quite satisfied with Ais’s performance.

”Is that why you said it wouldn’t care about meaningless provocations back when we were inside?”

”Yes.”

”Then I can understand why you made such a seemingly desperate attempt.”

Fu Qian gestured between himself and Sophia.

”Without a living will, it wouldn’t have any survival instincts. The act of ’escaping’ could simply be a manifestation of its essential nature, much like water flowing to the lowest point.”

”The same applies once it reaches the outside. It wouldn’t act like a prisoner regaining freedom, eager to flee and secure a long-term escape. Its subsequent actions would simply continue to follow its natural laws.”

”And you believed that, just as when it left, it was likely still residing within flesh and blood.”

Looking over Sophia’s deformed body, which was submerged in the water once more, Fu Qian signaled his approval of Ais’s clear logic.

”Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be.”

Despite earning his approval, the situation obviously kept Ais from feeling any joy.

”There’s absolutely no sign of its existence. No body of flesh and blood could remain in such close contact for this long without showing any reaction.”

”It seems the Vacuum Flower’s essential behavior patterns do include escaping and hiding.”

”Even so, that would be an escape dictated by its laws, unrelated to any subjective intent. What else?”

Seeing Ais’s will falter slightly, Fu Qian casually counseled her and validated her contributions.

”Also... under normal operating procedures, the chosen individual is only allowed to stay inside for half a minute. They must wait half an hour after coming out before they can go back in to retrieve the forged Weapon.”

Encouraged, Ais quickly relayed the practical workflow.

Given the previous claim that one minute was the absolute limit, this safety margin was actually quite generous.

”They go in alone?”

Nodding in appreciation of this strong workplace safety awareness, Fu Qian casually confirmed the details.

”Yes.”

”Then it sounds like operating in total darkness isn’t necessary either?”

At her affirmative response, Fu Qian grew thoughtful.

Without a guide, feeling one’s way along the walls in pitch blackness would make simply finding the right spot a challenge.

”...That’s right.”

After a moment of hesitation, Ais confirmed his guess.

”So how long did you tell Sophia to stay?”

Fu Qian pointed naturally toward the nearby pool and continued his questioning.

”Five minutes.”

...

Ten times the limit. As expected of a test group, their variable control was incredibly reckless.

While marveling at Ais’s answer, Fu Qian realized something else: earlier, when all four of them were inside the Workshop, her breathing had grown rapid at around that exact same time mark.

Now it was clear. The maximum threshold had been exceeded without anything happening, and her psychological pressure had simply become too much to bear.

”What about the others?”

Fu Qian asked, breaking his train of thought.

”What others?”

Ais’s gaze flickered, her face filled with confusion.

”That registry might be short, but it’s more than three pages. And if it were me, wanting to see how a body of flesh and blood changes when facing the Vacuum Flower, I certainly wouldn’t stop at just one test.”

Without any intention of dancing around the subject, Fu Qian casually displayed his formidable capacity for empathy.

Although he hadn’t flipped through the earlier pages to maintain his chuuni persona, the laws of probability still demanded respect.

The chances of urgently recruiting four talents and having three perfectly match the desired attributes were obviously slim.

Fu Qian leaned toward the theory that those who didn’t meet the requirements had, just like Sophia, been used for their residual value.

”...Yes, there were three others. Their exposure time was shorter, but I don’t think there’s any need to focus on them.”

It only took a moment for Ais to confess to the existence of another control group.

”Because Sophia, the last one to go in, was still affected, proving the Vacuum Flower was still there?”

Fu Qian’s considerate understanding continued.

”...Yes.”

”And that right there is the difference between you and ’that person’.”

Unfortunately for Ais, acknowledging her own thought process immediately earned her a disdainful sneer from Fu Qian.

”Being clever, or rather, being presumptuous, is often a hidden poison when it comes to the pursuit of knowledge.”

”Do you remember saying earlier that the Vacuum Flower is an existence beyond comprehension? Yet now you’re actually trying to calculate its actions using basic chronological logic?”

”Take me to see them.”

...

”They’re all here.”

Making no pointless excuses and without saying another word, Ais chose to silently comply with Fu Qian’s demand, briskly heading out the door.

A moment later, in a far-off corner of the facility, another metal door swung open, releasing a bizarre, sour wave of decay that washed over their faces.

Not shying away from the stench in the slightest, Ais led Fu Qian straight into the depths of the room, pointing to a metal table similar to the one they had seen earlier.