Eldritch Horror Theatre

The Pass, otherwise known as the Seed of Ecstasy.

Whatever it was called, it was the exact same thing: like dropping a condensation nucleus straight into the fog of the soul.

From then on, every concept tied to humanity—cognition, wisdom, morality, and all the rest—would exist for only one purpose: to become nourishment for the growth of pleasure.

He had witnessed the terror of this thing back during his time at the Academy, and through his many subsequent dealings, he had even learned just how well it could hide.

All in all, as the signature trick of excellency Father’s Amnion, it had left quite a deep impression on Fu Qian.

So much so that when he combined the various clues he had gathered along the way and realized Old Man Ji was pulling some bizarre maneuvers, it was the very first thing that came to mind.

Mainly because it all felt incredibly familiar.

Watching everything unfold up to this point, he could see that despite it being a sacred wedding day, every inch of Ehm Palace—even the very air itself—was permeated with a damp, salty lust.

That was without even mentioning the classic trope of the groom collapsing so a third party could step in and take his place.

Once he factored this in, everything temporarily made sense—including the actions of that strange man and woman in the small cabin.Even without an audience, they were still lost in their own little theatrical performance, locked in a state that could only be described as slightly deranged...

Then there was the special performance from excellency Jose.

”What are you?” That line back then would have terrified anyone with a faint heart. Was it possible he had been referring to something similar?

It was not strange for someone at Tier 2 or higher to sense something like the Seed of Ecstasy, or even attempt to purify themselves of it.

That lump of flesh he had pulled out wasn’t an actual demonic pregnancy, but rather the physical manifestation of that purification process.

Thinking about it that way, everything instantly made sense.

A dignified High-Tier Transcendent with a naturally cold disposition would be extremely vigilant about this sort of thing. How could he possibly allow a foreign object to grow that large inside his body before noticing it?

If the foreign object was formless and traceless to begin with, highly skilled at hiding itself, the explanation made much more sense.

Though this led to a new question: not only had he excised it at lightning speed, but he had regained his composure in the blink of an eye.

Did this mean excellency Jose was not just vigilant, but perhaps even used to it?

Did he know all along that this thing would pollute him? Had he done something similar more than once?

If that were true, then the solution Old Man Ji had chosen was even more intriguing.

Even though he had transformed into the likeness of Don Juan, his actual target wasn’t the groom, but rather the groom’s father?

That seemed reasonable too. Perhaps his predecessors’ missions hadn’t been this intense, but Fu Qian was almost certain this assignment was a matter of grave importance.

He couldn’t forget the Warehouse’s attitude toward excellency Father’s Amnion. Based on the tasks he had handled personally, it practically reeked of a mandate for total extermination.

Yet even in his absolute prime, an administrator was actually allowed to plant such filthy things on the female guests?

Going by the standards Fu Qian had observed, that single act was enough to warrant capital punishment.

Not to mention it had genuinely led to even worse consequences, such as the tragedies that occurred after the Blood Wedding.

One of the few explanations Fu Qian could accept was that, in the eyes of the Warehouse, these costs were worth it.

The problem they needed to solve carried more weight than any of this.

And theoretically speaking, the person with the most weight in Ehm Palace right now was undoubtedly the God-Man in his prime: Jose.

...

He seemed to have sorted out a few of the threads.

While delicate moans of passion echoed outside the cabinet, the inside was filled with a strictly serious, academic atmosphere.

Combining this with his findings from some earlier prerequisite topics, Fu Qian rapidly analyzed the causes of a certain historical mystery, noting that he seemed to have made a little progress.

Although, according to the materials provided by Chief Yuan, it was still the groom, Don Juan, who died suddenly not long after the Blood Wedding.

As for his father, there was a reason he was described as being in his prime. He appeared to have remained active for a considerable time after that.

But as things stood, Don Juan himself seemed somewhat unqualified to act as the center of this vortex.

Even if Old Man Ji wanted to deal with him, it might not have required so much trouble.

Coupled with excellency Jose’s special performance, things were gradually starting to make sense.

The only pity was that the subsequent experiences of Don Juan’s newlywed wife seemed to have been intentionally covered up. There really wasn’t much information on her.

Otherwise, it could have helped him understand what those two candles in the dark Underground represented.

As she was a character equally closely related to excellency Father’s Amnion, such an action could only be described as bizarre.

All in all, the harvest was plentiful.

Even the reason why Old Man Ji allowed the person in the cabinet to peep seemed to have an explanation now.

Perhaps the young lady outside was an important chosen target, but this person clearly had a massive appetite. His targets extended far beyond just one person.

As for the words being overheard, how could he possibly talk his way out of it later?

It was simple. If those words were truly overheard, how many people could experience the same thing as the lady outside, yet continue to hold it in and hide in the cabinet without charging out?

Fu Qian had been doubting the stability of this body since a moment ago. Yet after listening to everything up to now, not only was its breathing steady, but its hands hadn’t even trembled.

A relatively simple explanation was that the old man had activated a queuing mechanism, directly using Transcendent Tier methods to freeze the person in place.

As a spectator, he might be able to see with these eyes and hear with these ears at this moment.

But the actor themselves might truly just be serving the function of a camera position, completely unable to process any information on their own.

Of course, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that for a better effect, the old man had deliberately let them experience a bit of the previous content to stimulate their emotions. Then, he would find a way to clear the air later. With all that back and forth, the ripples of the soul would be even more magnificent.

He could only say that Ehm Palace was looking quite spectacular today.

He hoped the Director knew what was good for him and would let him continue to enjoy even more spectacular scenes—oh?

In that moment, Fu Qian noted that the Director was indeed extraordinary, actually knowing that the more spectacular scenes he spoke of weren’t the sort happening outside.

The room full of lust instantly dissipated as the scene shifted once again.

Ding—

There was also the soft, melodious ring of a bell.

...

It really seemed to be a grand spectacle, didn’t it?

The sound waves were still echoing in his ears. Seeing the scene clearly before him, Fu Qian let out a sigh of admiration.

The Bell that produced the sound was not far away, held in the hand of a woman wearing a long, light purple pleated skirt.

She had an unfamiliar face and was equally young.

The unique style of her headdress seemed to indicate she held a role akin to a priestess.

The reason he felt this way was because Fu Qian could sense that Camera Position 6 was also wearing something similar on its head right now, standing directly beside her.

But none of this was the main point. The main point was that within his field of vision, a single glance revealed several familiar faces—

excellency Jose, the young stepmother, Don Juan draped in a cloak, Consort Xing with her posture still dignified and peaceful...

And the latter two were even standing face-to-face, gazing deeply into each other’s eyes.