Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 1234: Chapter 1232: A New Victim

Impressive indeed, no matter what the other doctrines are, the mere time-saving aspect alone shows that this is from a reputable and orthodox establishment.

After smoothly transitioning to the main topic, Fu Qian admired the efficiency while not delaying to speak the truth.

“Every moment of these five days, I felt like I was active in another world until, at last, I touched this place again.”

During his response, Fu Qian maintained an emotion akin to waking from a dream, reflecting his own haziness.

“The other world you mentioned to the officer? Don’t be overly perplexed, try to describe what that place looks like first.”

Amila on the opposite side was all ears, following up with a more soothing tone, signaling there’s no need to fixate on confusion right now.

“Very dilapidated… cold, with people living in perpetual darkness underground, their faces like stone…”

Immediately taking the advice, Fu Qian began recalling the scenery of the World Within the Painting and used ellipses to convey the difficulty of the task.

“Faces like stone, but they were alive?”

Amila across was listening intently, even expressing her astonishment at the right moments.

“Not just alive, they even acted like prison guards, locking many people in special cells, imprisoned in the neverending darkness underground.”

Encouraged gently, Fu Qian started adding details.

“But other survivors still pretended everything was normal, they even went to church.”

“Can you describe what the church looked like?”

“I don’t remember well… but I clearly know there was more than one, some even surrounded by blizzards, right–”

Fu Qian shook his head, adopting a lazy approach to describe the scenery.

“It seemed a bit like the one in that painting.”

He was certainly referring to his own work of art.

After all this effort, how could the focus of the conversation be forgotten.

“Which painting?”

It was evident that Amila’s professional skills were solid; the shock and awe from Fu Qian only made her glance subconsciously at the opposite side, then she continued to inquire with a steady voice.

“The one I saw when I woke up… although I don’t know how it ended up there…”

Fu Qian’s emotions had reached their climax.

“It seemed to possess a kind of special Magic Power… standing there, I felt that everything inside it was as real as now, or as fake as now… I can’t tell the difference anymore…”

“Relax, let’s skip this question for now. In that other world, was there anything else that made a significant impression on you?”

Amila spoke again only after he had vented his emotions.

“…Light.”

Appearing slightly calm, Fu Qian pondered for a bit, as if he suddenly remembered something.

“The sky in that world, no matter day or night, had many different colors of light, even looking very familiar…”

“Like the one in that painting?”

“Exactly, how did you know… Does that painting really have something special about it?”

Fu Qian asked quite naturally.

“It sounds indeed like a special experience. I can understand the hazy emotions it caused in you. I want to ask one last question—have you come into contact with that painting before?”

Unfortunately, Amila remained calm and ignored his question.

“I have touched it.”

Fu Qian, who was already in a daze, had his attention instantaneously “diverted,” as if falling into a distant memory.

“I touched it with my hands, it even feels like something from many years ago…”

…

No matter how you look at it, such words don’t make logical sense, but considering the current persona, they seem quite fitting.

Amila fell into a brief silence, eventually glancing inconspicuously on the opposite side and making eye contact with another person.

“Mr. An Ke.”

A few seconds later, a much deeper, yet equally gentle male voice sounded.

“Thank you for sharing. I can quite relate to your feelings, it sounds like your experience in that other world was not pleasant, and sometimes it’s precisely nightmares that blur the line between reality and fantasy.”

“Nightmares? But I still don’t understand, it’s illogical…”

Unfortunately, the attempt at consolation only made Fu Qian even more confused.

“According to what officer Raphaide said, I’ve been missing for a full five days. Even if that painting could trap people in nightmares, I couldn’t just be standing there unnoticed…”

To learn to hand off problems to others, like how he just had Raphaide design an identity for him, Fu Qian decisively handed over the inexplicable problem of his appearance there to the two individuals before him.

“Things that are illogical shouldn’t exist… unless all this doesn’t exist at all…”

Amidst the subtle friction of the chair, Fu Qian straightened up his body, looking around with a gaze of doubt at everything, including Amila in front of him, his tone gradually firming.

“This is the real nightmare!”

“Don’t be agitated, the very reason it can be called a nightmare is because it brings about distress.”

The male voice from behind the wall remained unfluctuating.

“We will take over and explain to the police on your behalf.”

“And please believe me, you are not the only victim who has ever sat here.”

…

It seems like I’m finally getting somewhere.

The last piece of advice from the other side provided great comfort to Fu Qian in the darkness.

Not being the only victim, no doubt, was a statement loaded with information.

The trouble plaguing him now was that he had entered a completely unexpected world, even though he had merely come to protect the sacred relic.

The coveted treasure was near at hand, but seemed utterly ordinary, leaving everything without a clue.

At this moment, the two obviously church-affiliated individuals before him confirmed with their posture and language that the painting was extraordinary in their eyes.

There were even other witnesses.

“Really? Who else?”

Fu Qian naturally asked again.

This time, the two individuals opposite him did not ignore him; in the silence, half of Amila’s face under the mask visibly tensed.

Of course, it wasn’t because the mood had finally set in, but because as Fu Qian was asking his question, the Clear Dream Ring had already been activated.

It’s time to do what needs to be done and spend when necessary. My purpose here was never to prove my own innocence.

“According to what I know, not too far from where you live, there’s a couple, the Reysens, who have had similar experiences to yours.”

Amila’s interlocutor, indeed a highly achieved individual, not only lasted half a minute but managed to respond with a tone that was still soft and composed.

“Fortunately, from what we observed afterwards, they were quite successful in freeing themselves from their troubles.”

Completely unfamiliar names, yet that was enough.

As the Dream quietly shattered, Fu Qian sighed deeply.

“Thank you, I hope I can also escape from the nightmare.”

“…You’re welcome. After all, this is the duty of The Sect. Look over here.”

This time it was Amila who spoke. As she talked, she sat up straight, reaching her hand through the bars in front of her.

“This might make you feel a bit better.”

Huh?

Fu Qian looked over in the direction of the voice and saw as the palm flipped over, strands of brilliant patterns lit up, a mysterious and complex symbol flashed by, creating a warm surge.

There’s such a thing too!

However, this obviously soothing gesture made Fu Qian, back in the darkness, rub his face with his hand.

In that instant, the new hairstyle he had fashioned was unreasonably bouncing back.