Eldritch Horror Theatre

The sight might have been hideous, but to Fu Qian, it was mostly familiar.

Facing the door that appeared after he switched to his middle finger, Fu Qian could easily picture the scene behind it—even the smell.

He had pushed that door open before on the Half-Step Moon; behind it lay corrupted flesh and blood capable of rotting away even a Demigod Realm expert.

That was right—the Blood Lake of the Deity Burial Ground.

He had once used the White Ring to record certain auras so the Red Moon could open a door to send him there. In the end, he had successfully harvested one of the two traits required to advance to Tier 2: the Metal Blood That Nurtures the Phoenix.

Some things really couldn’t be spoken of too casually. He had just been thinking about finding a suitable time to ask the Red Moon to open a door again, so he could go meet the Dragon King who might be dominating that place.

Speaking of which... Fu Qian switched to his ring finger.

Unsurprisingly, the door changed again.

Compared to the previous two, this one was much more normal. Not only did it abandon the gloomy aesthetic, it could almost be called somewhat luxurious.

Sure enough, these were all doors that had been opened for him before.Witnessing the continuous shifts, Fu Qian reached a conclusion.

Setting aside the one corresponding to the Blood Lake, the first door had actually been just as familiar.

It was the very first destination he had selected when he initially sought the Red Moon’s help to enter the burial ground: Senior Liliana’s hideout.

And although this third door seemed slightly ordinary by comparison, it still wasn’t hard for Fu Qian to recall where he had seen it before—Ye Island.

This was the front door of Dancy Crawford, a certain alternative gourmet.

Of course, considering he had stayed there twice and even gladly accepted the man’s title, it was technically his own front door now.

As for why its style contrasted so sharply with the first two yet stood alongside them?

It was actually quite reasonable, because it was also one of the doors the Red Moon had opened for him.

That was when he returned to his residence to drink tea with Su Gao after dealing with Excellency Yasui Tokiyuki.

It was precisely because of this massive difference in style that Fu Qian found it easier to confirm the pattern behind the Red Moon’s gift this time.

...

Realizing its ”child” was having trouble getting around, had it done its best to provide a set of Anywhere Doors?

And due to issues with its mental state, could it only rely on past traces to provide stable coordinates?

Quickly grasping the Red Moon’s good intentions, Fu Qian deeply felt the weight of the gesture.

Even though it was in poor condition and couldn’t even manage normal communication...

...the items the Red Moon provided from beginning to end—from rings to armor, and now this special system—were undeniably practical.

So much so that the world seemed entirely different in Fu Qian’s eyes right now; it felt as if he had directly unlocked fast-travel across the map.

Moreover, while there weren’t many teleportation points, at least two led straight to crucial locations, pointing directly to the Deity Burial Ground that the Night Watchers considered taboo. ”Convenient” didn’t even begin to cover it—so, were there any more?

His curiosity thoroughly piqued, Fu Qian quickly switched to his pinky finger.

This was... the Academy?

Sure enough, the scene shifted again. The structure that appeared before his eyes next was even more familiar. Fu Qian easily recognized it as the door to a certain key laboratory in the Academy Apocalypse Institute.

That made sense too.

This wasn’t a surprise to Fu Qian. After all, it was the location where the other Chair had been placed, so it was perfectly normal for it to serve as a connected node for the Anywhere Door.

Although it wasn’t an extraordinary location, it would undoubtedly make integrating production, study, and research much smoother down the line.

So did every finger really correspond to a destination? What about the thumb?

Not in a hurry to report back for duty, Fu Qian switched to his right thumb—nothing?

Surprisingly, this well-deserved core digit of the hand failed to stir up a single ripple.

...

If it was limited only to doors that had been opened before, it seemed this really was all of them. But why couldn’t it point to the Half-Step Moon?

Faced with this new test result, Fu Qian felt it wasn’t hard to understand, but it still made him frown a little.

After all, the Half-Step Moon served as the Red Moon’s stronghold and occupied a core position. There would have been nothing wrong with letting him visit more often in his free time, yet there was no sign of it here?

Honestly, the implication wasn’t great. To leave behind this set of Anywhere Doors, had the Red Moon paid some incredible price, like severing off a piece of its own authority?

His first reaction wasn’t disappointment, but rather to ponder the counterintuitive nature of it all. For a moment, Fu Qian felt slightly concerned about the Red Moon’s condition.

Especially when paired with its parting words before he left, it was hard not to fall into Overthinking—”There isn’t much time.”

Even though at first glance, it could simply be interpreted as a farewell...

Amidst his silent recollections, Fu Qian switched hands. None of the five fingers elicited a reaction.

So this was really all of them? And they only corresponded to the right hand he had placed here.

Shaking his head, Fu Qian switched back to his right hand and considered the most practical question—how did he open the door?

If this truly was the result of the Red Moon paying a massive price, he absolutely couldn’t let it go to waste.

Then again, if this really was an idiot-proof version the Red Moon had poured its heart and soul into creating, the operation should be extremely simple.

Inspecting those sharp claw tips, Fu Qian gently pressed a finger down onto them, deliberately lowering his physical defense.

And the instant fresh blood flowed out, that door suspended in midair actually swung open backward.

...

Not bad at all. It really was idiot-proof.

The surrounding scenery shifted rapidly. In the next moment, Fu Qian found he had already left The Bookstore and arrived at a somewhat familiar location.

The spacious living room had gathered a bit of dust, and the once lively kitchen had grown completely desolate.

That was right; this was Dancy Crawford’s mansion. He had just used his ring finger.

It was clear that although the owner hadn’t appeared for days, the local Night Watchers had still kept an eye on the place and prevented it from being disturbed.

Perhaps Madam Suzune had never given up on the idea of Waiting by the Stump for a Hare?

Making no deliberate effort to avoid leaving footprints, Fu Qian strolled through this old haunt with his hands clasped behind his back, reminiscing about past acquaintances.

He could see the door he had arrived through still standing open beside him, and the outside of the door even displayed a normal scene.

If he walked back inside, would he return the way he came?

Even lacking Transcendent Perception, Fu Qian still easily deduced a possible return method based on his past experience.

He could only hope he wasn’t guessing wrong. Taking an impromptu vacation was one thing, but if Chief Yuan couldn’t find him, she would probably go crazy.

Furthermore, just as expected, the Red Moon’s setup carefully accommodated its ”child’s” intelligence. Just like the Blood Crusade and similar abilities, it only needed blood to activate.

After taking a leisurely stroll and reminiscing about eventful times in the silence, Fu Qian didn’t push his luck. He turned around and stepped back through the open door.

As it turned out, he didn’t step into the courtyard outside, where weeds had already begun to sprout.

Silently, he was already sitting back on the Chair in The Bookstore, as if nothing had ever happened.

Not bad at all.

Evidently quite satisfied with the teleportation effect, Fu Qian touched the teapot. It had already cooled down significantly...

”They’ll be here shortly.”

And just as he stood up to brew a fresh pot of tea, Yuan Shan had already returned.