Eldritch Horror Theatre

Limb grafting remained.

Fu Qian’s words rang out with conviction, making it clear that even if their ideals differed, this former stronghold of The Club was no place for a mere lapdog of the Law to bark and bluster.

”Impossible! What blasphemy is this—”

Perhaps securing an official post had made him slack off. Faced with Fu Qian’s claim, the Third Follower reacted with plenty of emotion, yet his lines were thoroughly uninspired.

If memory served, he had bellowed those exact words the very first instant he showed his face.

The only difference now, perhaps, was the method of blasphemy?

Back then, he had sensed a Pseudo-Law like Misanthropy; right now, Brother Sanxun seemed far more concerned with his own condition.

Amid his incredulous roar, the illusory figure even seemed to struggle, as if unable to comprehend how it could be trapped inside such a filthy husk.

Unfortunately, the movement was practically negligible. Whatever bound it held so fast that after all its straining, the most it managed was to bring its two blood-red eyes slightly into focus.

”Heh... Looks like your Law can’t save you. Still, try to look on the bright side.”Admiring the ”cruel” spectacle, Fu Qian flashed a wicked smile.

”It can’t get you out, sure, but at least it’s the one that sent you in here.”

Even his words of comfort were well-reasoned and backed by fact, making them impossible to refute.

”They will rot away one day... Don’t ever think you can completely control me.”

Brother Sanxun indeed offered no rebuttal.

True to form for a professional, after the brief initial shock, he had clearly come to terms with reality to some extent.

Even when faced with a predicament akin to being sealed inside a magic lamp, he still managed to find a flaw.

”Fair point. Most things can hardly claim to be truly immortal.”

Fu Qian nodded and casually slipped off Annalise’s Lies.

Uh—

A bizarre scene unfolded at once. The Third Follower, who had seemed dead set on keeping silent, lasted all of two seconds before vanishing on the spot along with its vessel.

...

Wasn’t that a bit too loyal?

The Lucid Dream remained, yet the heavily armored First Apostle was nowhere to be seen. As the master of the dream, Fu Qian was quite certain it hadn’t simply hidden itself away.

The only explanation seemed to be that this thing was not merely a dream creature, but one that existed exclusively within a dream where he wore Annalise’s Lies.

Even after a thousand years had passed, the First Apostle was still following her to the death...

Verifying that was simple enough. The next instant, Fu Qian slipped the Glove back on.

”A monstrous sin—”

Almost simultaneously, the familiar figure materialized once more, standing in silent stillness.

Yet that brief interval seemed to have been deeply unpleasant for Brother Sanxun; the moment he spoke, he could no longer maintain his earlier composure.

Too bad that under such bindings, it clearly couldn’t mete out any Chastisement for the sin.

”You flatter me. A pity I’m a bit tied up at the moment.”

Fu Qian didn’t mind at all, acting as though he couldn’t tell a curse from a compliment, and politely bade him farewell once again.

Next, he didn’t even bother taking off the Glove, instead canceling the Lucid Dream outright.

”It’s you... You’re still here?”

Almost the very next instant, someone really did call out to him from afar.

”Strange. Wasn’t it you who told me to come here?”

Fu Qian turned around, countering with an odd look.

Indeed, that was the voice of His Excellency Sha Ming, though he didn’t sound particularly pleased.

His complexion looked terrible as well, his skin peeling so badly he barely looked like himself.

...

Quite possibly for the first time since arriving in the Archipelago, His Excellency Sha Ming had stepped into the inner sanctum of the Rebirth Club to inspect and give guidance.

Given his usual caution, this was undoubtedly a massive breakthrough.

It was precisely because Fu Qian had sensed this that he ended the dream early and waited right there.

Though even as he spoke, His Excellency Sha Ming kept a measured distance, his expression wary.

”...I also warned you not to stay longer than 15 minutes.”

Fu Qian’s counter-question did make a certain amount of sense. Sha Ming paused, then pivoted to pointing out that Fu Qian had disregarded his instructions.

”So what the hell is going on here? Did you find anything special?”

Still, he didn’t press the issue too hard, quickly turning his attention to the matter at hand.

”A few things. For instance, you didn’t even ask how I recognized you just now.”

Fu Qian indicated that he could hardly come back empty-handed, even offering an immediate example.

Hmm...

That gave him quite a jolt. Sha Ming whipped his head down to examine himself—he really had forgotten which face he was wearing—and his expression turned remarkably ugly.

”So what are you actually doing here?”

Even so, he ”magnanimously” let it slide, forcing himself to press on.

”Playing host, of course. And letting you know along the way that what you’re looking for did indeed end up here. That’s the first thing.”

Fu Qian answered without missing a beat, pointing a finger toward the top of the White Tower.

His Excellency Sha Ming had naturally come looking for Brother Sanxun.

Once the remnant dream shattered, the state of the people outside should theoretically have reverted to right before Patches spread the dream across the entire island.

Brief as the interval was, it should have been more than enough for Sha Ming to realize the White Tower Codex was gone.

As for why he now mustered such courage when, faced with the same disappearance in the dream earlier, he hadn’t dared come here even with Ibu leading the way?

The reason was simple enough. Just as some people refuse to shed a tear until they see their coffin, they weep awfully fast once that coffin is right in front of them.

”You...”

And it wasn’t just tears. A mixture resembling sand and oil was already oozing continuously from His Excellency Sha Ming’s body.

What had just transpired was no mere dream; everything that happened within it was bound to settle into reality.

The Laboratory had already been reduced to ashes—how could a measly Tier 2 walk away unscathed?

To say nothing of the fact that during the execution, Fu Qian had specifically used Visceral Attack to ensure a thorough, inescapable kill.

Clearly, His Excellency Sha Ming possessed a fierce will to survive.

The theft of the Codex was only his surface excuse for rushing over; far more pressing was the realization that he was dying.

So much so that no matter how fiercely his mind warned him of the danger, he had no choice but to force his way here and gamble for a sliver of survival. All in all, it was only human nature—the man seemed rather rich in humanity.

”And the second thing?”

Even at this very moment, he still hadn’t given up.

Facing a host with manifestly ill intentions, Sha Ming no longer cared about figuring out Fu Qian’s true identity; he only wanted to see if the man had some ulterior motive.

”The second thing is, have I passed The Club’s test now?”

Fu Qian offered a faint smile, demonstrating what it meant to be staying true to one’s original aspiration.

...All that just to say this?

His Excellency Sha Ming, who had been listening with bated breath, was left completely dumbfounded.

And he couldn’t even argue with it—after all, this guy’s original cover really had been cannon fodder for the Rebirth Club.

”Rest assured, The Club will definitely flourish in my hands.”

Fu Qian continued to display his resolve, forcibly taking up the torch from the former number one of the Rebirth Club.

’You...’ Sadly, His Excellency Sha Ming could no longer express any emotion, his last shred of a will to live withering away completely alongside his flesh and blood.

+]