Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Interesting way to put it...”

Fu Qian’s suggestion had apparently been so constructive that Hilaria’s tone softened a bit, and she even lowered her veil.

Regardless, her eyes—swirling with far too many emotions—and the gleaming knees of the nearby Statue emphasized that nothing was the same as before.

”Based on your description, I can think of someone named Sarah, though I can’t imagine why she’d be wearing a wedding dress.”

”Also, if she’s still around, she lives a bit far from here... You’d best not lose your way.”

Hilaria gestured toward the impenetrable darkness outside and casually rattled off an address.

”Thanks.”

Fu Qian offered a polite word of thanks, slightly redeeming the image of an outsider he had previously dragged down, and then decisively left under her watchful gaze.

...

It really was a bit far, but it was a pity—He continuously left the darkness behind, and the location Hilaria described was already right in front of him.

Although no light seeped out, Fu Qian could clearly confirm that in one of the rooms of the building before him, the aura of a living person waited quietly in the dark.

It seemed he hadn’t found the wrong place.

But the reason for his pity was this: before heading upstairs, Fu Qian turned his head for one last look.

He had crossed almost half the town, yet the legendary, unmentionable ”it” hadn’t shown a single trace.

True, he wasn’t in a rush to seek out that incarnation of terror, but he wouldn’t have minded bumping into it along the way.

Unfortunately, the other party seemed to have a busy schedule. Or perhaps his identity as an outsider simply wasn’t favored?

After all, judging from the Containment Conditions this time, the Natives clearly held some special significance here.

Knock, knock!

Regret didn’t delay Fu Qian’s actions. The next moment, he reached the second floor and knocked on a door painted dark green.

This was already the edge of the Small Town. Not only was the layout more chaotic, but the buildings were also slightly shorter.

Judging from the layout, the room Madam Bride Sarah lived in was considered spacious among them, even though the door was still covered in indelible grime and graffiti.

She really did have a bit of her demeanor from the dreamscape. It could be said that along his entire walk, she was the only person sitting in the dark without a light on.

It seemed she wasn’t just unafraid—she was actually enjoying the atmosphere.

Of course, it was limited to that.

The moment the knocking sounded, a harsh scraping noise came from inside.

Even without opening the door, Fu Qian knew clearly that the person he was looking for had nearly fallen to the floor and was now staring in his direction, not daring to breathe.

...

Knock, knock!

In these silent deadlands and ruins of faith, a sudden knock on a door in the newly descended night—especially when rumors of an unnameable ”it” were already spreading—obviously delivered a fright that couldn’t be underestimated.

Considering this exact state of mind, Fu Qian gave her an extra two seconds to mentally adjust before knocking again.

”Who is it—”

”An outsider.”

The question she had finally gathered the courage to ask was instantly answered.

”...I don’t know any outsiders. What do you want with me?”

Judging by her tone, the fact that Fu Qian spoke a human language had clearly allowed the person inside to heave a sigh of relief.

However, compared to Hilaria, she clearly wasn’t nearly as hospitable.

”If you don’t open it, the door gets kicked in.”

Fortunately, Fu Qian had always handled these situations with ease.

Click!

After instantly issuing a promise that made the person inside realize human malice was far more sinister, footsteps soon rang out as expected, and the door was finally pulled open from within.

There really was no Lighting Equipment, but thanks to a sliver of less-than-pure darkness seeping through the window, it was still easy to see that the woman behind the door—with her long hair pinned up and wearing a white dress—was indeed Madam Bride of the Church Quartet.

Only this time, the fine scars were missing from her similarly exposed neck and back. Replacing them on her pale skin were scattered red spots and ulcers.

”Hello, Madam Sarah.”

Offering a greeting, Fu Qian didn’t rush inside. Instead, he lifted Hilaria’s Doll in his hand and showed it to her.

...

Crash!

Unsurprisingly, the person inside the door didn’t make a sound, but retreated much faster than she had approached, stumbling and kicking up a chaotic racket.

But there was no doubt she wasn’t trying to run away.

Soon, a flame sparked to life. Though faint, it instantly melted the surrounding shadows.

”Is that... Hilaria?”

Still gripping a lampshade in her hand, Madam Sarah was momentarily confused by Fu Qian’s unfamiliar face, but her gaze naturally fell upon his hand.

It seemed Hilaria’s appearance was indeed iconic; she recognized it after only a brief hesitation.

”Yes.”

A familiar item could always close the distance between two people, regardless of whether it was alive.

Casually confirming Sarah’s guess, Fu Qian finally carried the Doll into the room and pushed the door shut behind him.

”You came from Hilaria’s? She told you where I live?”

Watching Fu Qian’s every move, Sarah felt a purely instinctive relief at his willingness to communicate, even though the Doll looked terrifying.

So much so that as she asked, she even walked to the side, righted a Deck Chair, and slumped into it.

It was obvious that earlier in the dark, she had been sitting motionless in that very same position.

”I don’t know what she told you, but I generally don’t work from home.”

After striking that rather ungraceful pose, and without Fu Qian needing to provoke her in any way, Sarah’s tone rapidly shifted toward the demeanor he had witnessed in the Healing Dreamscape, even bringing with it a decadent vibe akin to the dark version of Hilaria.

Although she was wearing a bridal gown, Fu Qian didn’t find it out of place.

The marks on her shoulders and back were undoubtedly representative of her line of work.

Therefore, her claim about ”not working from home” wasn’t difficult to understand at all.

”Why did you put on this dress?”

Unfortunately, Fu Qian had no intention of discussing her emotional journey.

Placing the Doll to the side, he cut straight to the point with exaggerated efficiency.

”Why do you ask?”

The effect was apparently quite good. Sarah, who had been giving off a strong sense of Misanthropy, sat up slightly straighter despite herself.

”Because Hilaria said she couldn’t think of a reason why you’d wear this dress.”

Fu Qian’s answer remained just as direct.

And it was clear that this struck quite a nerve.

”Because... the baby needs a father.”

After a moment of staring, Sarah’s features—and indeed her entire body—rapidly slipped into a hazy, trance-like state. She even lowered her head slightly and rested a hand on her lower abdomen.

”The baby in my belly...”

And with that sleepwalker-like confession, her not-so-swollen belly actually moved.