Eldritch Horror Theatre

It seemed his plan had partially succeeded.

That continuous shift in perspective just now was obviously thanks to riding the coattails of some mastermind behind the scenes.

Through that special connection, Fu Qian could confirm that at the very last moment, Brother Repentance’s body had also been occupied.

It seemed the will that had violently attempted to dominate him had, sure enough, been forcefully fed a bowl of Broth of Bliss, falling into the mortal dust.

Though a moment’s thought told him that given that entity’s methods, it would likely break free soon enough, and he might not even have time for a face-to-face chat with ’it.’

But he had already gleaned plenty from this process alone.

First of all, as mentioned earlier, he now understood to a certain extent where this dominating power over the will came from.

From the Third Heaven upwards, thought would reorganize under the influence of the concept of pleasure, causing it to lose a degree of independence and providing an opening for this kind of cognitive interference.

Second, his guess was spot on. Even though that entity ranked in the Ninth Heaven, it was still bound by certain rules. For instance, it couldn’t be immune to the effects of the Bliss Potion while in the Third Heaven.

This was probably also why the Warehouse deemed it possible for him to complete the mission.Finally, there was one more small detail: why had he occupied Brother Repentance’s body earlier when ascending from the Inhuman Samsara to the First Heaven?

The Tombkeepers had once said they would only seal the coffin lids on bodies that had integrated too deeply with that false Realm of Bliss and consequently mutated, preventing any malignant influence from leaking out.

The anomalous phenomena he had just witnessed in the coffin undoubtedly proved this.

It also proved that Brother Repentance was indeed enshrouded by karmic obstacles, possessing little wisdom for shattering the void.

And individuals like that were relatively easier for intruding, fractured consciousnesses to occupy.

The fact that Brother Repentance had been chosen twice in a row served as strong evidence of this.

What made him curious now was this: if things over at the Brotherhood were still the same mess he had left behind, how did that suspected ’ancient one’s’ consciousness plan to deal with it?

”Time is up. You should head out.”

As Fu Qian mused over this, someone knocked on the door behind him from the outside.

Oh?

When he turned around, the person outside showed no intention of coming in. They were already walking away to the faint sound of footsteps, even though the door wasn’t actually locked.

A woman’s voice. Unfamiliar.

Making this quick judgment, Fu Qian didn’t stand on ceremony. He simply grabbed his Small Golden Melon Hammer, opened the door, and chased after her.

”Head out to do what?”

He quickly caught up to a curvaceous figure from behind. Without so much as a greeting, he bluntly fired off the question.

Her mostly exposed back instantly stiffened.

”Time is up. You should head out.”

However, instead of rushing to turn around, she actually repeated her previous words in the exact same tone.

...

In all fairness, although her clothes were very economical with fabric, her face was tightly covered.

Given Fu Qian’s complete lack of response, she eventually turned around.

Layers of black veil covered her face, completely burying her eyes and making one wonder how she managed to walk without bumping into walls.

”Have you forgotten your promise?”

Obviously, her curiosity was even greater.

After Fu Qian stood there and let her stare for a moment, the Masked Woman finally couldn’t help but speak.

”What promise?”

Despite her bizarre tone, Fu Qian retorted just as bluntly.

”Are you sure you want me to answer that question? Have you truly forgotten your oath?”

Her disbelief continued, as if Fu Qian had touched upon some taboo.

”I forgot.”

Fu Qian didn’t hesitate at all.

”Godot—”

Her reaction was just as decisive. Craning her neck, she bellowed in a certain direction.

...

It really is you.

He had to admit, the woman before him had quite an exquisite Summoning Technique. Almost the instant she finished shouting, someone hurried over.

And it was an acquaintance.

It wasn’t just a shared name. It was the very same guy who had been the first to greet and introduce himself in the welcoming party when Fu Qian first woke up at the start of the mission.

His Excellency Godot... We haven’t seen each other for but a moment, yet it feels as if separated by several Heavens.

”He is not loyal.”

Unfortunately, before Fu Qian could catch up with him, the Masked Woman immediately lodged a complaint, a hint of resentment in her voice.

Loyal. Your choice of words here...

Deeply feeling that the atmosphere was continuing to grow increasingly bizarre, Fu Qian merely smiled and waited for Godot’s reaction.

”No self, no secrets...”

”We are her minions. Everything we do is a command, and we must absolutely conceal this...”

And Godot’s reaction was indeed unusual. Hearing her, he turned his head, stared in Fu Qian’s direction, and spat out a baffling string of words.

”Have you forgotten the covenant you made with Madam?”

Seeing Fu Qian still unresponsive, Godot finally added a sentence in somewhat normal human language. Meanwhile, the smile on his face seemed far less radiant than when they first met.

He knew his initial judgment had been correct. This guy was definitely up to something.

Fu Qian naturally wouldn’t remember any covenant, but he could already imagine a great deal at this point.

As expected of you performance art practitioners. To think you could faintly mimic the methods of a higher entity in a place like this.

The Madam undoubtedly referred to the Masked Woman, and the relationship between her, himself, and Godot was clearly a special concept within this City of Sin.

The object of the covenant and the Covenanter possessed no independent self; everything was a command.

To some extent, it resembled the Transcendent Tier versions he had seen outside. The core was abandoning the self, completely surrendering subjective initiative to become a human puppet.

It was hard to say how they had figured this out, but undoubtedly, in this City of Sin, it was yet another unique karmic link.

There was reason to suspect that if he had followed Godot back then, he would have likely been induced to join them.

”I haven’t. I just forgot what I’m supposed to go do.”

While mentally giving his own judgment a thumbs up, Fu Qian replied quite casually, his words holding very little respect.

...

”Go to the Brotherhood and destroy their five incense burners... How could you forget?”

As expected, even the Masked Woman didn’t quite believe Fu Qian’s excuse, but she ultimately explained the task one more time.

So that was the content... They were probably just relying on the fact that the Brotherhood wouldn’t dare beat a person to death.

Of course, from their perspective, it was indeed an enticing karmic link.

At that moment, Fu Qian sighed inwardly, deeply feeling the profound wonders of the world.

It just so happened that he also needed to rush over there to take a look.

”Sure. I just have one more question... Who can lead the way for me?”

To think he actually agreed so readily. The next moment, however, he looked at Godot and added that question.

In just that brief moment, Fu Qian had already surveyed the area. The surroundings were somewhat unfamiliar, and finding the way would likely waste some effort.

”You truly have forgotten the oath... Traitors will surely be severely punished, until they kneel at her feet and beg for forgiveness.”

Unfortunately, even with his cooperation, it only sparked Godot’s fury, immediately earning him the title of traitor once again.

”And in the end, you will still be rejected.”

The Masked Madam didn’t deny this statement either. In the very next moment, a Black Horse Whip had already appeared in her hand, lined with fine Spikes.

Although it wasn’t long, the effect of it lashing against a body still left much to the imagination—Crack!

Amidst the crisp sound, her forehead was instantly shattered by a Golden Melon, leaving her without even the chance to reveal the face beneath her veil.