Eldritch Horror Theatre

Desecrated just like that? Why do I get the faint feeling someone is cursing me?

He had indeed entertained the pleasant fantasy earlier that the Warehouse had finally wised up and learned to backdoor the enemy, meaning this Phase 2 Mission objective might not take much effort to achieve.

But this was a little too effortless.

Professor Fu had merely stooped to acting the local tyrant for a bit, and the Primal Dao Beacon was instantly desecrated?

No wonder movies and television shows always featured the classic line, ”Take your dirty hands off.” Was the Warehouse implying his hands were truly that filthy?

Even if it were, Fu Qian wouldn’t take such a mixed review to heart. Not to mention he frequently issued sharp critiques of the Warehouse himself—so it really was true, then.

Before he could finish his magnanimous musings, Fu Qian bore witness to just how filthy his hands actually were.

Crack!

The half of the jaw his fingers had lightly brushed—a face of seemingly eternal beauty—met with sudden, catastrophic ruin.

Blinding cracks tore right through its graceful curves, spreading outward like a spiderweb as pure white rubble rained down.The final sight in Fu Qian’s eyes was the entire Sanctuary collapsing with a deafening crash.

...

So, to the sea of mind, was the identity of an outsider really that filthy?

The progression had simply been too fast. As the scenery shifted, even Professor Fu had to sigh in amazement.

Jokes aside, he immediately began pondering exactly why touching a chin had completed the mission.

The deduction wasn’t difficult. The first thing that came to mind was his household registration issue.

The Warehouse had first restricted his Transcendent Tier abilities, and even after he cleared the checkpoint, it had provided no substitutes. No matter how he looked at it, this puzzle was never meant to be solved with brute force.

Thinking it over, aside from his outstanding academic achievements, the single most distinct trait remaining on him was undoubtedly his utter inability to blend in with the locals.

Stepping into an exclusive local venue with an identity like that could certainly count as a form of desecration.

Of course, there was also his recently discovered crystalline nature.

Even though he had ultimately rejected that crystalline doomsday, the claim that machinery was the end point of crystallization was undeniably worth investigating further.

Then, apart from those special physical traits, Excellency Stomach—or rather, Excellency Father’s Amnion—might also have had His own problems.

Fu Qian had previously marveled at how a dignified higher entity could break through the restrictions and enter this place.

What if that process had required Him to exhaust every possible trick to barely succeed, just like Fu Qian’s own current situation?

Could the existential state of this White-Headed Sanctuary have already been incredibly fragile to begin with?

Under those circumstances, being touched by a filthy hand and instantly disintegrating made perfect sense.

These were merely speculations, of course. The specifics would depend on the Warehouse’s summary.

Overall, however, as a mission numbered 1, this outing had possessed a slight degree of difficulty but remained largely a luxurious and decadent affair, fully embodying the principle of balancing work and play.

Gazing at the familiar Warehouse before him, Fu Qian leaned back comfortably in his seat, not forgetting to look for the silver linings.

...

[Mission Evaluation: Lying Stranger]

[It is said that for intelligent lifeforms, the deepest depths of the mind are connected in an abstract manner.

Some liken it to an ocean, while others view it as a swaddling cloth.

Because here, lies are not needed, nor even language.

But what very few know is that what is needed least here is divinity.

Mortal pleasures cannot withstand the peering of immortals.

Thus, even if it is merely a hidden beacon, it inevitably causes festering wounds.

Fibers and granulations built a wall to isolate this ulcer to the greatest possible extent.

The owner of the beacon paid no mind to this, even taking it as their new attire.

Regardless of the trauma suffered, they could use this as an origin point for Rebirth.

Yet, this secrecy, which should have granted Him absolute safety, suffered desecration at the most dangerous moment, stripping Him of His escape route.

The great Father’s Amnion dried up on this day. And you, accustomed to wandering in hell, undoubtedly thrust the poisoned blade from behind.]

[Kills: None]

[Reward: SAN Value +20]

[Special Reward: Eldest Son’s Vision]

[Current SAN Value: 79]

[Play event replay?]

...

A backdoor attack indeed? It even sounded like kicking Him while He was down.

Just like the mission briefing, the Warehouse’s summary undoubtedly shared the flaw of speaking in riddles.

Here, the benefits of advanced preparation became apparent. Having already formed hypotheses regarding the various phenomena, Fu Qian could easily draw conclusions from the text.

First was the matter he had been discussing all along—it appeared this place truly was the sea of mind.

The Warehouse had even provided a relatively concrete definition: the convergence of the deepest mental depths of intelligent lifeforms.

With this, the mission evaluation instantly made perfect sense.

Just as expected, it required him, an outsider, to quietly slip inside under the guise of lies.

The line from the mission briefing—”Hell is other people, yet people need hell”—also felt rather fitting now.

The ladies who harbored prejudice against him had clearly provided tremendous resistance.

Yet, during the process of overcoming that, they had served as capable assistants in completing his disguise.

Overall, the nature of this mission was quite close to what he had imagined.

Aside from that, there were a few extra takeaways.

For instance, Father’s Amnion was indeed the honorific name of Excellency Stomach. This mission was definitely targeting Him.

It went far beyond simply removing a backup plan.

The White-Headed Sanctuary he had stepped into at the end was akin to His Anchor Point left in the sea of mind, serving as a safety guarantee when necessary.

He had to admit, it was truly a brilliant idea.

It seemed the only thing capable of threatening such a higher entity was another higher entity.

Since this domain naturally repelled higher entities, an opponent would find it difficult to discover or pursue Him inside. The safety factor was much higher here than anywhere else.

Moreover, the reason why Father’s Amnion had manifested in such a form seemed tied to this as well.

That layered amniotic membrane wasn’t His true body; rather, was it a manifestation of the sea of mind’s rejection response, attempting to isolate Him?

He could only call it an unforeseen path.

Most importantly, it seemed the Warehouse hadn’t picked this timing at random. Excellency Father’s Amnion was likely meeting with an accident right now.

That was right. ”The most dangerous moment”—this phrasing truly didn’t sound optimistic.

The Warehouse had probably waited a long time for this day, choosing the exact moment when Excellency Father’s Amnion met with disaster and wanted to use this secret backup plan, bringing Fu Qian over to directly smash His Phylactery.

From this angle, it was understandable why he hadn’t suffered any divine punishment right up until the moment he reached out and completed the desecration. Excellency Father’s Amnion was probably tied up with other matters.

The Warehouse was somewhat humane after all, showing a modicum of concern for workplace safety.

Though Fu Qian wasn’t particularly moved by it.

Because at the same time, he realized another problem: could he have contributed to creating this safe window of opportunity himself?