Eldritch Horror Theatre

Being as greedy as possible within safe limits was an excellent quality for an explorer.

Unless her perception as a demigod could discover something extra in this Domain of the Dead, putting oneself in excellency Serana’s shoes made her choices remarkably easy to guess—

After interrogating me, she would first focus her attention on finding the Dominator of Death.

Then, after actually touching upon some special domain in the storm, she stepped into The Other Moore.

With no obvious place to start, she would subconsciously search a building that looked immediately suspicious.

Unfortunately, apart from a large horde of silently walking Minotaurs, there were no elite monsters standing guard, nor any treasure chests that granted wisdom when opened.

Even communicating with the Minotaurs was a problem, and torture would yield little result.

Under these circumstances, if she was unwilling to just retreat, what else could she do?

As mentioned earlier, using her racial talent to just taste their blood might lead to a discovery, but that move was still too reckless.

There was a certain probability she was currently facing a higher entity holding the renowned conceptual authority of ”Death.”In here, never mind eating things at random; one had to be careful not to contract deadly necrosis just from touching too much.

But if she didn’t do that, what else could she do?

There was something, of course.

For instance, conceptual integration—trying to cut in line within the Minotaurs’ bizarre order? Walking with them for a few steps to see if she could find anything special?

It couldn’t be said to be entirely without risk, but in a situation where the expected returns weren’t high either, the risk seemed acceptable.

Taking all this into account, this was why Fu Qian believed that unusual spot might be a trace left behind by Serana.

”She did a dangerous thing. The balance of life and death might be broken because of it.”

It was a pity that in the transcendent world, common sense alone was still not enough.

The old man beside him wore a solemn expression, and in the next moment, he delivered his judgment.

”There is no ’might.’ It appears it has already been broken.”

Fu Qian sighed, signaling that there was no need to put it so delicately.

Having already entered the mall, did she still expect to retreat in one piece?

The fire on the bat was proof. It seemed excellency Serana was starting to reek of the dead.

...

There were no causeless coincidences, as had been mentioned early on.

Fu Qian had never forgotten how he ended up in this place. Setting aside that Serana had no apparent reason to leave a guide for him, even if she had wanted to, how would she have done it?

As soon as someone walked in and sat in her room, it automatically triggered and opened a passage to the Realm of the Dead?

Honestly, that would be a bit too overpowered. It practically implied a certain degree of control over this place, which made one wonder how she had done it.

But now, it seemed there was an answer.

Although it wasn’t control, due to some dangerous maneuver, Serana was integrating into this place.

It was hardly a good thing for her, but it still allowed the traces of her power to create a subtle connecting effect.

Of course, the explanation was still not complete.

Not to forget the most special point: theoretically, he didn’t possess Transcendent Perception right now.

Serana leaving traces was one thing, but he still needed to be capable of Insight.

Was his ability to see the bat and even leap through the window into this place truly born from an overly tight connection between the two worlds? Or was there another reason?

”You are even more honest than I imagined.”

At this moment, the old man expressed renewed surprise at Fu Qian’s commentary.

”I have a small question. What does breaking the balance of life and death mean? Honestly, it’s hard for me to view this place as the world of the dead. Everything seems more like it’s being reflected in from the outside.”

Fu Qian, however, had no intention of trading flattery with him, and pointed straight to the core.

”For example, do you exist in the Moore outside?”

...

”Excellent. This is the first time someone has grasped the key so quickly.”

It had to be said that the old man truly possessed a bit of the tranquility of the dead. Even with Fu Qian dragging the question directly to him, he still showed no displeasure.

”The answer is simple. I do not, but I am an exception.”

In the next moment, the old man not only answered the question directly, but even agreed with Fu Qian’s feelings.

”You are right. This is indeed the Reflection of The Other Moore. It includes not just objects but people. Every soul caught within the storm will be reflected in here.

”It’s just that most souls are unlike me; they maintain balance within this Reflection. And naturally, they are unlike you, too. The living part of their self can hardly step in here so easily.”

Reflection, balance... So that was it.

Asking questions with the answer in hand was just that smooth.

Although the old man’s explanation was slightly vague, Fu Qian, who had already built a mental model early on, only needed to confirm a few parameters to thoroughly grasp it.

First, it was indeed akin to a mirror image of reality. Anyone present in Moore during the storm would definitely be reflected inside here.

But at the same time, their main body wouldn’t disappear from reality; they merely achieved a special connection.

It truly was a case of ”death is not the opposite of life”; it directly existed as a shadow.

As expected, if this were purely a world after death that people could only enter after dying, the synchronized architectural layouts would be far too exaggerated.

And if the people in here were like him, accidentally stumbling inside during the storm and staying, the number of missing persons cases in Moore would be quite alarming.

Neither line of thought had seemed right.

Now, with the old man’s explanation of ”balance,” the model instantly became perfect.

Everyone within the storm would have a reflection in this place, but it didn’t affect their self in reality; it could simply be understood as casting a Reflection in an unknown place.

Naturally, the self in reality couldn’t easily wander in either, so his current self was also an anomaly.

”Like these people?”

Fu Qian gestured at their surroundings.

As they spoke, the two of them had already arrived beside that unnatural Minotaur.

”Exactly. Their self remains in the world of the living; these are merely the manifestation of their death aspect.”

Clearly sensing his thorough understanding, the old man seemed to speak with admiration.

”But one day, you arrived here like I have now, embraced this death, broke the balance, and completely became a dead person?”

”Yes.”

...

It seemed excellency Serana was in a bit of danger.

With the old man’s continuous confirmations, Fu Qian sighed deeply in his heart at that moment.

The situation was already very clear. A normal person would maintain the reflected state—which was the balance of life and death in the old man’s words—and be almost completely unaffected.

This also explained why this place could exist for a long time without being dealt with by the Night Watchers.

But the ”living” part from the real world still had the possibility of accidentally running in here.

Although that didn’t mean the state of balance was broken and it was completely impossible to return.

But if they began to integrate into it, the death part would quickly take dominance, and they would ultimately become a true deceased, as well as a missing person in reality.

The old man was like this, and excellency Serana was becoming like this—because her line-cutting behavior just now was also a form of active integration.