Eldritch Horror Theatre

’Could it really be as he had imagined?’

’Was the Full Moon Garden he had searched for so long... hidden in the Bottom Layer of the Dream?’

’Had he really visited this sanctuary where the Blood Clan advanced to Tier 2 on his very first day of work?’

It was somewhat unexpected. He had merely used Serana as a tool this time, and his core purpose lay elsewhere.

Yet it also felt, somehow, entirely natural. Looking back on his career, he had forged an inextricable bond with the moon: a Templar Knight of the Dark Moon Cult, Nelgria’s first to seventh apostle, the ”child” of the Red Moon Ti Lanqi—and even the sole compiler of the Chronicles of the Moon.

’Did achievements like these warrant a grand reception even before he had accomplished them?’

Self-praise aside, his earlier exploration had made one thing almost certain: the Warehouse had been sabotaged on the Full Moon Garden mission.

The tool he had finally managed to find was snatched right out from under him, passing the Moon’s test instead.

’So how exactly did First Generation Dark Moon—the apparent culprit so far—manage to pull that off?’

’The Nightmare Corridor.’After days of research, he had discovered that the place occupied a vital position in First Generation Dark Moon’s plans.

And it was almost indisputable that the Disorder mission was connected to it.

The Warehouse had suffered so many setbacks that it flew into a rage, throwing him straight into the Nightmare Corridor as bait to catch the culprit in the act.

’By comparison, then, could the Full Moon Garden hijacking—which was probably also orchestrated by First Generation Dark Moon—have something to do with dreams as well?’

’Yes. He hadn’t felt the full weight of the name Nightmare Corridor before.’

But now, with the dream research from the Archipelago, it was difficult to ignore the element running through it all.

Starting with the primordial Moon God, one moon after another seemed deeply tied to dreams.

Even the earliest prophecy of the Long Night’s arrival had been derived from them.

’Then why couldn’t the Full Moon Garden, where all four moons gathered, be hidden in them as well?’

’Hidden in this place beyond the reach of ordinary people, which contained the secret of the Blood Clan’s bloodline.’

’To some extent, that might even explain why he had been able to see it after touching the Dark Moon statue in the Nightmare Corridor.’

’Using the concept of dreams to connect them really did make for a fairly seamless piece of logic.’

Finally, there was the landfill-like mound of debris beneath his feet.

For one, the scene inside the Furnace looked remarkably similar to the view before him.

For another, the power of the Other Shore within it bore a certain resemblance to the Nightmare Corridor’s effect; the Witch had even been able to borrow it to perform a Descent.

Now it seemed there really was a reason for that: the interconnectivity between these places was quite strong.

Of course, he still had no answer for why this landfill-like vista existed.

Regardless, the sense of everything clicking into place was incredibly strong.

Next, he could look forward to seeing whether he could find an explanation in the Full Moon Garden he might reach—and apparently, he really had reached it.

Fu Qian had not walked far with the petal pinched between his fingers when a relatively intact building actually emerged through the drifting gloom.

’It’s actually here?’

One glance was all it took for Fu Qian to feel an unmistakable sense of familiarity.

To say nothing of the even more familiar flowerbeds growing right outside the building.

White petals and yellow stamens. They were indeed First Generation Dark Moon’s favorite, and the source of the petal in his hand.

They even seemed to give off their own light, slightly illuminating the surrounding area and making the flowers look full of life.

Honestly, a building like this appearing in a place like this was even more jarring than the corner of a roof peeking out in the middle of nowhere.

The contrast was simply too stark. The endless sense of age and devastation around it made the place utterly unsuited to anything orderly.

’Last time, because he was still a mere mortal, he had never even gotten the chance to leave the garden after opening that door... had he missed such a distinctive sight outside?’

Without hesitation, Fu Qian quickly threaded his way through the blossoms, closing in on the building.

As he did, an increasingly familiar feeling washed over him.

The stone gate, for example, had an extremely classic design and looked astonishingly heavy.

Unlike the one he had opened back then, however, this one stood wide open, with half of it collapsed straight onto the ground.

Even so, it still looked more orderly than anything outside.

To say nothing of the fact that it had fallen into a cluster of mercury-like flowers.

When Fu Qian glanced back at that moment, another bright moon was already hanging overhead.

It was so enormous it almost triggered megalophobia, yet this moon seemed to shine upon this tiny garden alone.

The moment he stepped into the flowerbed, the petals began to glow with startling brightness, reflecting their light onto him.

The flickering specks of light brought back the memory of years ago, when his body had melted like a candle.

Of course, they had virtually no effect on him now.

Another interesting detail was that despite the Bright Light shining down, the long Glove on his hand looked an even deeper black than usual.

Fu Qian flexed his hand, savoring the memory of that scene, and came to a halt.

’How did that saying go? The closer you get to home, the more your courage falters; you don’t dare knock on the door carelessly?’

Yes, there was unmistakably another tightly shut stone gate before him.

Between its location and the flowerbed directly opposite it, it was as if the legendary past were unfolding right before his eyes.

’This should be it. It had to be opened by striking a pose at the moon.’

’He hadn’t forgotten the moves Brother Werewolf taught him, though he didn’t know if they would work from outside the gate.’

’Of course, it doesn’t matter even if it won’t open. I left home young and returned old; I have plenty of tricks and strength now.’ With a light leap, Fu Qian vaulted straight over the high wall.

He neither struck the pose from his memory nor acted so arrogantly as to kick the gate down.

Just as he expected, every detail stood vividly before him.

As an academic worker, his mind could never be rigid.

Fu Qian had chosen a simpler method, dropping straight into the courtyard beyond the gate.

He even channeled his tricks and strength into top-tier bodily control, remaining completely soundless the entire time as he strove not to disturb the peace of this place.

And in the end, just as expected, he met no resistance at all—even though he landed on the exact spot where Brother Werewolf’s heart and lungs had once been torn out.

’Yes, there really is a garden in the Bottom Layer of the Dream.’

Even though he had been away for some time, and had only spent about two hours here in total back then, Fu Qian recognized the deeply nostalgic scene before him at a glance.

It truly was the place he had visited as a patient during his first mission; every blade of grass and every tree was so familiar.

His only regret, perhaps, was that Brother Werewolf was no longer there striking a pose and gazing up at the stars; not even his corpse had left a trace behind.

But it didn’t matter. Besides his old friend, there was an old doctor here too.

Without wasting another second on sentiment, Fu Qian turned to look the other way.

Beside a crude wooden door, a gaunt Old Man was squinting quietly in his direction.