Eldritch Horror Theatre

Interesting.

So Brother Person Behind the Door hadn’t been boasting? He really was close to the answer?

The concept of ”notes” had undoubtedly been a recurring element ever since he found this place.

To be honest, in most situations, it was easy to chalk such claims up to self-aggrandizement. Not finding it simply meant not finding it. Claiming to be on the verge of finding it was no different from saying a dog ate one’s homework on the way to school.

This time, however, with the person missing but the notes left behind, it vaguely cast things in a new light.

Indeed, insiders look at the craft.

This same sentence, written at least hundreds of times, might look like a horror story to anyone else.

The owner of the notes had driven himself mad over his prolonged inability to find the answer.

Yet to Fu Qian, this seemed to be the exact answer to a question he had been wondering about earlier—

Why did the researchers here always lump the concepts of the ”beginning of the world” and the ”end of the Transcendent Tier” together?It turned out his previous guess wasn’t unreasonable. For this research organization, a conclusion equating the two already existed.

Although they hadn’t found the exact location, they knew the two points overlapped...

In that regard, there was really nothing wrong with what the Person Behind the Door had said. He truly had been only one step away from the answer.

So the question remained: why was it that the starting point is the ending point?

There were still several blank pages left at the back. It couldn’t possibly be a case of ”this space is too small to write down the beautiful answer,” could it?

Even a child knew that only writing the conclusion would cost them points.

Amid his musings, Fu Qian hadn’t delayed his inward complaints in the slightest. Letting out a long sigh the next moment, he placed the notes back.

What lay in the Back Room was even more highly anticipated now.

”Why would the starting point be the ending point?”

Anticipation aside, Fu Qian didn’t forget the spirit of sharing knowledge. He turned and asked A Fei, who stood outside the door.

This was despite the latter having grown increasingly sluggish, making one doubt if he could even understand.

”...Because after crossing the starting point, you are no longer your original self?”

To Fu Qian’s gratification, A Fei had not only heard him but also seemed to understand.

He even offered an actual answer after a few seconds of silence.

Though it sounded a bit subjective, considering his mental state, it genuinely held a touch of idiotic profundity.

During his struggle over by the Sun Apostle just now, hadn’t A Fei been redefining himself?

”Not bad. I thought you would say it was a circular path.”

Not getting a brain-teaser answer to this sort of question left Fu Qian looking quite satisfied.

”Let’s go. We’ll see if you’re right.”

...

The Back Room was the classroom in the back, and the hunter was the murderous culprit.

And now, the hunter stood before the Back Room.

Fu Qian hadn’t actually planned to describe it so pretentiously, but when A Fei—who was increasingly lacking in ”human” traces—used his Greatsword to prop up his body and stood firmly before that door, the scene simply had too much style.

”You’ve come... welcome, welcome!”

But there was always a higher mountain. As if to echo A Fei’s stance, a greeting rang out from behind the door almost the very next moment.

”Come in, your timing is perfect.”

Not only did the voice sound like it was strategizing within the command tent, but it even extended an enthusiastic invitation.

Furthermore, the missing chains on the door seemed to prove that these were not empty pleasantries, but a sincere invitation.

As for whether to accept—creak!

Regardless of whether he was called a toolman, or even had the self-awareness of being one, A Fei still displayed a considerable amount of autonomy in his actions.

Without even looking back, he used his body to shove the heavy door open, boldly accepting the invitation.

Now this was what a true toolman was like!

Fu Qian’s reaction to this, naturally, was nothing but praise, as he followed him through the door, shadowing his every step.

Something that only acted when given orders—that was a tool.

With the addition of ”man” to the title, it naturally required more subjective initiative.

Of course, once the definition was stretched so broadly, the risk of anyone accidentally becoming a toolman increased significantly—

”Witness the new creator, the weaver of wisdom!”

The Tiered Lecture Hall behind the door remained as imposing as ever. The reverberations made the voice sound even deeper and more resonant.

But no matter how resonant the voice was, it couldn’t compare to the content of the words. A figure in the deepest part of the tiered seating raised his hands high at that moment, vividly illustrating what it meant to be insufferably arrogant.

Not bad. Finally, another one who was neatly dressed.

For a moment, even Fu Qian nodded, giving a high evaluation.

Although Brother Person Behind the Door didn’t like to show his face, he still paid quite a bit of attention to his image in private.

...

That’s right, Fu Qian was absolutely certain this was an old acquaintance.

Only it wasn’t The Thinker who had been locked in here earlier, sitting quietly in contemplation.

Rather, it was the Person Behind the Door, who had guided him here all along and entrusted him to find the notes.

At the same time, despite the familiar voice, one could hear a completely different mental state right now. He was in such high spirits that it was as if he had just passed the imperial examinations.

Of course, taken literally, his words were far more exaggerated than passing the imperial exams.

The new creator?

This seat had seen so many old and new higher entities, yet there were truly few who dared to claim that title.

Even the weaver of wisdom sounded far more exaggerated.

The Blind Eye Holy Grail, which supposedly possessed omniscient authority, merely pursued and mastered knowledge. You’re just directly weaving it yourself?

It could only be said that only a higher entity would know just how arrogant those two casually spat-out titles were.

Of course, compared to many stubbornly pedantic veterans, the Tyrant—who was a remade version himself—was relatively tolerant of these things.

For a moment, Fu Qian didn’t speak up to mock him. Instead, he genuinely accepted the suggestion and attempted to witness the glory of the Lord of Intellect.

Just as mentioned earlier, this guy was another person—following the Sun Apostle—who remembered to wear a hat with his uniform.

So much so that he bore the same idiotic face, without revealing his true appearance.

But it had to be said, this image, coupled with the titles he proclaimed, brought about an even more bizarre and extreme contrast.

Other than that, the Lord of Intellect was also the only person in the entire Back Room. The Thinker he had encountered previously had vanished without a trace.

Furthermore, although the surroundings were dilapidated by comparison, there were no obvious signs of a struggle.

It didn’t look like the Person Behind the Door had found this place, physically beaten his peer to death, and ultimately achieved an academic victory.

Rather, it seemed he had truly peeked at the heavenly secrets and finally discovered the password to the world—Fu Qian’s gaze fell at the feet of the Lord of Intellect.

There was nothing there, but just the word ”there” was already enough.

To Fu Qian, using the slightly tilted Twelve-Faced Hourglass not too far away as a reference, he could easily determine that it was the exact correct position.

At this moment, the Lord of Intellect was standing squarely on the ”drop point,” without the slightest deviation.

(End of Chapter)