Eldritch Horror Theatre

He actually felt an artistic vibe from it.

Fu Qian had appreciated some bizarre handicrafts before, like the True Rug woven entirely out of eyeballs.

Compared to the thing in front of him, however, its three-dimensional quality was far too lacking.

Despite being spread out so evenly as a whole, the movement of each individual eyeball was incredibly agile. This contrast made for a particularly striking visual effect.

Furthermore, Fu Qian’s earlier mention of various colors was no exaggeration—blue, green, brown, black, and even red... These eyes clearly came from different individuals, truly embodying a dazzling array.

Clang—

Unfortunately, the time to appreciate art was ultimately limited. Faced with Fu Qian’s response, Zhao Ran let out a cold chuckle and put the Heavy Lid back in place.

Fu Qian didn’t think he was being stingy or unwilling to show it off a little longer.

As mentioned before, the Eyeball Carpet was clearly very lively. In just a brief moment of staring, it had already grown restless, trying to wriggle its way out.

”Believe me, when I first saw it, I was just as surprised as you...”So based on what you were saying, did these people fail to find a way out, carve their names as failures, and then—out of sheer frustration—gouge out their eyes and throw them inside?”

Seeing Fu Qian turn to look at him, Zhao Ran continued his cold laugh, immediately emphasizing his own capacity for empathy.

”It is indeed an interesting sight. But considering you’ve been trapped in here for so long, you should be somewhat familiar with the rules of this place. Is it possible that these eyeballs—just like those fingers and bones—gathered here automatically?”

Fu Qian, however, wasn’t so easily convinced. He casually displayed his own understanding of the place.

”That’s a possibility, of course... After all, I haven’t seen any similar collections anywhere else. But isn’t that a bit too coincidental?”

At that moment, Zhao Ran vaguely felt a sense of newfound respect; the shock Fu Qian brought him seemed to be deepening.

Instead of forcefully denying Fu Qian’s proposed possibility, he chose to raise his doubts from another angle.

”The names just happen to be carved exactly where the eyes gather? That really is a bit too coincidental.

”So you still lean toward the idea that the eyeballs act as some kind of symbol—like the severed ears or scalps of the defeated—and their names were carved onto this symbol?”

Fu Qian nodded slightly, discussing the matter with friendly candor.

”Exactly. I don’t think this is pure coincidence. There must be a reason why these two things ended up together.”

Zhao Ran’s gaze finally turned resolute, leaving no room for argument.

...

He felt the same way. Most coincidences had to have their reasons, although some seemingly reasonable causes could also just be coincidences.

”But that brings up a small issue. If, as you say, the eyeballs are the Emblem of the defeated, doesn’t the number of names and the number of eyes fail to match up?”

Observing the assassin bro who seemed much more fond of using his brain now, Fu Qian didn’t refute him directly. Instead, he raised a minor question.

”That’s simple. Most people aren’t even qualified to be called failures. Only characters with enough strength have the right to have their names recorded after falling in here—someone like you, for example, or me.”

It seemed that during his time trapped inside, Zhao Ran had already pondered this exact question.

Not only was his logic incredibly smooth, but he also casually began discussing heroes while boiling wine.

”Thanks for the recognition. So, what do you want me to do?”

Fu Qian calmly accepted the praise. He temporarily went along with this gladiatorial arena interpretation to confirm the other party’s intentions.

”Very simple. Find them, and kill them... I don’t care what those things actually are. Whether they’re doing this purely for amusement or if they have some hidden motive, they need to pay the price for what they’ve done.”

Zhao Ran’s answer was forceful and resonant. A hint of madness even appeared in his eyes, as if he had forgotten that not too long ago, he was warning Fu Qian not to let ’them’ discover him.

”And here I thought you wanted me to tell you the way out.”

Fu Qian didn’t hide his surprise at this reaction.

”Heh... If it had been just a little earlier, that might have been my only goal. But now, as you can see, I don’t even want to ask.”

Zhao Ran’s smile had grown noticeably ferocious.

”Just like how I don’t even want to ask why you came in here willingly... We join forces, and all the subsequent gains will be yours.”

Thud—

As he spoke, he even struck the Long Halberd in his hand against the ground.

”Including this. I found it not too far from here.”

...

”Oh? This isn’t your weapon?”

The assassin bro was being so generous, but Fu Qian looked rather skeptical. His surprised tone made it seem as if he was seeing the Long Halberd for the very first time.

”No need to play dumb. If you really are coming in for the second time, then I suspect there’s a very high chance you’ve seen it before.”

Coincidentally, Zhao Ran also adopted an attitude of being unsure if this was Fu Qian’s second time.

”I have indeed seen it. In fact, I’m the one who planted it there.”

Finally revealing a hint of a gratified smile—as if the other party had passed a test—Fu Qian quickly and openly admitted it.

”You planted it there? Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration—”

Though at the mention of this, Zhao Ran narrowed his eyes in temporary doubt.

”Next to a Stone Seat.”

Fu Qian’s expression remained unchanged as he provided another piece of information.

...

”It seems it really doesn’t mean much to you.”

After remaining silent for a moment, when Zhao Ran spoke again, he had clearly accepted a few things.

”It doesn’t matter. I’m still very interested in this ’them’ you mentioned. Now, tell me your plan.”

Fu Qian’s unfathomable image was thus established. With a low chuckle, he signaled for the other man not to mind.

”It’s simple. The state in which ’they’ exist in here is obviously different from ours. What we can confirm right now is that it most likely has to do with that special symbol... And since you know about the Stone Seat, then you definitely know there is an even more gigantic symbol over there.”

Despite harboring some doubts about this generosity, Zhao Ran still quickly laid out his plan.

”Considering the symbol is centered around the Stone Seat, I believe that if someone sits on it, a very interesting situation might occur. For example, perceiving exactly where ’they’ are hiding.”

As he spoke, he gestured to the side. Based on Fu Qian’s sense of direction, he knew the man was indeed pointing toward the Church where Old Man Feng had once stayed.

This single, small gesture seemed to prove once again that he had been plotting this for a long time.

As for the gigantic symbol Zhao Ran mentioned, Fu Qian naturally remembered it as well—the Four-Handed Emblem inside the Church, formed by the gravitational pull of numerous fragments.

”But there is a problem here. Considering the original owner of this weapon vanished without a trace, I’m worried it might be some kind of trap. Sitting on it might trigger a situation that is impossible to resist, so someone needs to keep watch nearby.”

And with that, Zhao Ran finally explained the division of labor.