Eldritch Horror Theatre

’Hmph, what is there that this seat cannot do?’

Even the Wife-Seeking Wanderer struggled to maintain his composure, which spoke volumes about the shock of this discovery.

As for what exactly that discovery was?

Fu Qian rolled his remaining left shoulder, looking for all the world like a man freshly recovered from an injury, just stretching his limbs.

And that was exactly the case. Losing an arm was one thing, but the strange accumulation left behind by the Death Claw’s attack had already been completely purged from his body.

Spreading outward from beneath his feet, everything in all directions—whether ice or stone—seemed heavily stained by an aura of sheer blasphemy—

Fu Qian had performed the exact same action as the Wanderer, directly radiating the strange accumulation transformed from his wounds outward.

”Have you ever gone to The Abyss to look for your wife?”

Ignoring the Wanderer’s shock, Fu Qian followed up with this next question.

That was it—the key lay in The Abyss.A moment ago, just as his wound vanished, Fu Qian had been pondering exactly where that faint sense of affinity had come from, underlying all the frenzied corruption.

And as the Wanderer walked over, unleashing his Aura of Pain, Fu Qian had finally realized the answer.

...

The place he had visited during the task where he first met Cow Cat Henry.

In the end, he had tossed him into a frog’s mouth. While the creature had appeared calm, it was like an avatar of The Abyss itself, possessing an essence of endless, twisted frenzy.

On one hand, it was this exact trait that felt so familiar. On the other, thanks to the strange accumulation brought on by the healing of his wound, he seemed to have drawn slightly closer to that place.

He had to admit, it really was quite similar to the Ash-Bestowing Ring. He was no longer being killed; instead, the effects of that accumulation were steering him toward a specific, special place.

And from that very moment, Fu Qian realized that this Wanderer Knight standing before him likely had deep ties to The Abyss.

So much so that when the knight closed the distance and radiated his pain outward, Fu Qian didn’t dodge or try to stop him, but instead carefully savored the changes it brought.

After all, the Resplendent Tyrant was exactly the reward he had gained from that trip to The Abyss.

Simply being pulled closer to The Abyss could evoke a sense of familiarity, but it shouldn’t feel this welcoming.

Therefore, the first thing Fu Qian thought of was the aura he had just activated.

Was it possible that in this state, he too shared a connection with The Abyss?

If that truly was the case, learning a thing or two from Senior Wanderer might just yield even greater rewards.

The academic spirit wasn’t just empty talk, after all.

And as it turned out, hard work truly did pay off.

After meticulously savoring the pain the Wanderer radiated, Fu Qian held onto that sensation, gently guided it, and sent it right back out.

And the sheer power of this knowledge had undoubtedly delivered a shock.

This figure, who was hardly any easier to deal with than the White-Hot Knight, was by now stripped of almost all his threat.

’The mere power of abyssal monsters actually thought it could stump this lead academic?’

”No... she wouldn’t go there.”

Sure enough, the Wanderer Knight regained his composure the very next moment. Even the Death Claw on his hand dissipated.

At the same time, his answer to Fu Qian’s question sounded incredibly confident.

...

”True, that place isn’t very livable.”

”So you’ve been looking for her for many years?”

Nodding in deep agreement, Fu Qian didn’t question the Wanderer Knight’s claim. Sizing him up, he continued to ask.

”For many years.”

Sure enough, his wife could be considered his only light. The Wanderer, having fully calmed down, spoke with a tone of distant, wistful longing.

”So what year is it right now?”

Without digging further into the romantic gossip, Fu Qian suddenly pivoted the topic to time, just as abruptly as he had previously brought up the weather.

”Strange... I don’t remember what year it is, but... those things inside look a bit odd, including the prisoners’ clothes.”

A pity. After a brief moment of thought, the Wanderer simply shook his head and offered his observation, completely unashamed of his lapse in memory.

’You’ve got some nerve saying that. Have you looked at your own outfit first?’

Fu Qian instantly roasted him in his mind.

But the fact that the other man had no idea what year it was didn’t actually surprise Fu Qian all that much.

He hadn’t been able to discern anything from the Pestilence Knight earlier, and the White-Hot Knight’s appearance had simply been far too transcendent. It was only when this Third Knight appeared that he finally saw someone who looked mostly human.

That was why Fu Qian had immediately taken note of the man’s attire.

His conclusion was that the clothes possessed a profound sense of age, so much so that they actually seemed to complement the architectural style of this building prior to its renovation.

And this discovery further cemented Fu Qian’s growing suspicions regarding the origins of these knights.

Was it possible that they weren’t just non-puppet entities with individual consciousness, and that they hadn’t even been summoned from some distant corner of the present world, but were instead projections from a much earlier point in the past?

Hence his previous question about the year.

Unfortunately, judging from the Wanderer’s reaction, aside from his lingering obsession with finding his wife, his sense of self didn’t seem entirely intact.

”Can you help me find her?”

Besides, it sounded as though the Wanderer Knight had grown tired of this little Q&A game. The next moment, he stared straight at Fu Qian.

”I’m afraid it won’t be easy. What is your wife’s name?”

If this man truly was the projection of some historical figure, the chances of the woman he was seeking being La Nina were likely slim to none. Fu Qian wasn’t about to make empty promises.

”I don’t remember... but as soon as you see her, you will undoubtedly know she is my wife.”

And as it turned out, Brother Wanderer truly was unrestrained and uninhibited. After a brief thought, he just shook his head again.

’Well played.’

Fu Qian silently marveled at him once more, then continued speaking without batting an eye.

”All I can tell you is this: aside from that lingering scent of a woman in the cell earlier, there is another woman in this place. She’s simply hidden herself away.”

...

Tailoring the teaching to the student, and knowing people and assigning them well.

Whether acting as a lead academic or an expert, these were essential professional qualities.

Why, when time was so incredibly precious, hadn’t he swiftly executed this Third Knight, choosing instead to engage in this tireless chatter?

The answer was simple: he had an ulterior motive.

From the very moment he introduced himself, the Wanderer had mentioned he was looking for a woman.

Coincidentally, so was Fu Qian.

Even if the man had no idea of his own identity as a Knight of the Apocalypse, and even if he was merely a fleeting projection drawn from long-dead history—he was, at the end of the day, Virgo’s Knight of the Apocalypse.

If there was anyone who held a profound connection with the likely-hidden La Nina, it could only be these four knights who had sequentially descended.

And among them, the third-ranked Wanderer harbored an astonishing obsession.

With such a prime candidate right in front of him, if he didn’t race against the clock to exploit his usefulness, when would he?

”Hidden... you haven’t seen her?”

And it was clear that those words had successfully captured Brother Wanderer’s full attention. His eyes instantly lit up.

”I haven’t. Her name is La Nina. That’s exactly why I asked for your wife’s name... After all, I’m looking for her too.”

Nodding slightly, Fu Qian’s response was almost exaggeratedly honest.

”If you haven’t seen her, then it’s possible.”

Hearing this, the Wanderer actually reached up and pulled back his hood, speaking bluntly.