Eldritch Horror Theatre

To think Eckhart was actually an apostle of the ”Sun.” That was genuinely interesting news.

After all, one of Fu Qian’s original reasons for tracking down that name was to find the former ruler of the Realm of Bliss, the Lord of Heaven.

At the end of that mission through layer after layer of Paradise, the Warehouse had provided a definitive conclusion: the summit of Paradise was indeed empty, but Paradise did not need a new master.

It practically confirmed that the former Lord of Heaven had truly fallen.

Combined with the new information brought by Chief Yuan, did this mean the ”Sun” was the former Lord of Heaven?

Though it was an easy connection to make, it still felt like catching a glimpse of the world’s deepest secrets.

Especially since the ”Sun” had genuinely fallen long ago. That was an officially confirmed fact by the Night Watchers, and putting the two together made it far too coincidental.

So much so that the moment Yuan Shan brought up the title, Fu Qian was already inclined to believe it.

He didn’t forget to voice his doubts, however, bringing up a shared experience from their past.

Back when Ariel caused chaos in Shangjing, that supernova-like Descent hadn’t just turned Old Man Logan into a spineless invertebrate; it had also wiped out dozens of Fu Qian’s SAN Value points. How could he not remember it?”Actually, I asked the exact same thing. The Sun still seems quite active,” Yuan Shan said, instantly echoing his perfectly reasonable doubt.

”My teacher’s answer was that a Deity being dead has no absolute correlation with a Descent upon a Divine Emissary. There’s a deeper reason why Tier 2 is called Divine Emissary.”

Though the explanation she provided was somewhat unbelievable.

”Even death doesn’t stop a Descent? Then what was that thing we saw?”

There was no way Fu Qian would pass up knowledge from a former high-ranking Night Watcher, so he cooperatively feigned intense curiosity.

”It was the Sun, but not the Wheel That Cannot Be Looked Upon. The will represented by that honorific name has completely dissipated without a single trace.”

It was obvious Yuan Shan rarely focused on theoretical studies; her response carried the heavy tone of someone reciting memorized words.

She didn’t even try to hide how much the information still shocked her.

”But this Divine Path remains. And becoming a vessel for the corresponding True God is the absolute core nature of a Divine Emissary...”

...

The core nature of a Divine Emissary was to be a vessel for the corresponding True God? Interesting.

The importance of everyday knowledge accumulation fully revealed itself here. The information Yuan Shan provided was certainly shocking, but it didn’t stop Fu Qian from drawing his own connections—

’For a very long time, a Deity has been more akin to a concept, a symbol of the corresponding authority.’

The Dean of the Academy Apocalypse Institute had once said this during a research expedition.

During their first entry into the Bone Spirit Realm, when Fu Qian had commented that the ”pure existence” in the Linghui Courtyard’s understanding was essentially just a giant maggot, Cass had strongly agreed and emphasized that exact point.

At the time, it had been used to argue that a mere New God was likely insufficient to birth such a massive ecosystem.

But that highly memorable phrasing felt incredibly fitting in light of the information Yuan Shan had just shared.

The higher entity corresponding to the honorific name ”Wheel That Cannot Be Looked Upon” was thoroughly dead, but that didn’t mean the concept of the Sun had vanished along with Him.

”Just because the seat is empty doesn’t mean the seat itself is gone?”

Nodding slightly, Fu Qian offered an analogy.

”...A very vivid analogy.”

It was clear that after engaging in illicit activities together so many times, Yuan Shan had severely overestimated her consultant’s shock threshold. The fact that he wasn’t terribly surprised by her words didn’t surprise her in the least.

However, the response he fired back still managed to catch her off guard. She fell silent for a moment before commenting.

”A Deity sits at the apex of a sequence, that’s for certain, but He doesn’t represent the Divine Path itself...

”Even if He completely falls and His immense power shatters, leaving no such core of strength behind, it doesn’t affect the essence of a Divine Emissary. Because the path remains, and whether anyone is standing on it doesn’t matter.”

”Mhm... the Old Man’s analogy was definitely more vivid.”

Hearing that last line, Fu Qian could almost picture Old Man Henry’s deadpan expression, and he didn’t hold back his praise.

The path was still there. Whether someone was sitting at the finish line truly didn’t matter.

”So a Divine Emissary reflects the finish line itself? Not the person occupying it?”

Building on that logic, he easily understood what Yuan Shan was trying to convey.

”Exactly... in fact, if someone really was in that seat, His will would actually interfere.”

Nodding, Yuan Shan gestured between her eyes and Fu Qian’s.

”I really don’t know if we had good luck or bad luck back then. The power that triggered the Descent on Ariel had absolutely no concept of restraint.”

...

It was indeed an interesting twist of fate. The path of a Deity was truly miraculous.

As Chief Yuan sighed, Fu Qian naturally replayed the ambush from back then in his mind, right down to the scene of Excellency Logan’s defeat.

Though it sounded absurd at first, as a veteran Night Watcher and the cat of Excellency Blazing Rainbow, Old Man Henry’s words were still trustworthy.

At this point, his earlier questions had been completely answered.

Even though the historical Sun was already dead, Ariel had still been able to trigger a Descent. The reason was that he reflected the finish line, not the one who had carved their name into it.

In fact, if the Sun God from the Mythological Era were still alive, it might have hindered the effect, because His personal will would have been involved—

Whether He allowed the reflection, to what extent He permitted it, or if He decided to conveniently collect a little interest along the way...

Having spent some time as an entity of worship himself, Fu Qian had a strong feel for similar situations.

But back then with Ariel, because the corresponding ”Him” was long gone, the brilliance he reflected hadn’t been diminished at all.

Put that way, he couldn’t really blame Old Man Logan for falling short.

”Understood. But those in the Demigod Realm wouldn’t be able to do this, right? Is it because a Divine Emissary is closer to the finish line?”

Feeling that today’s harvest of information was extremely rich, Fu Qian asked one more thing to confirm.

”Yes, only a Divine Emissary can. For anything lower, it might be because the vessel is too fragile, or perhaps because they lack the chance to glimpse the finish line. Either way, my teacher stated that there are no such examples.”

Yuan Shan’s tone was firm, holding nothing back.

”I feel like you’ve suddenly lost your drive for advancement?”

Having dealt with her extensively, Fu Qian still keenly sensed a shift in her mood and offered a polite word of concern.

”I always used to believe that when it came to the path of the Transcendent Tier, more haste, less speed. So I never asked my teacher too much about Tier 2 or anything higher...”

Exhaling softly, Yuan Shan clearly had no hope of hiding things from this venomous consultant’s eyes.

”Looking at it now, that doesn’t seem like a good thing.”