Eldritch Horror Theatre

As an experienced transcendent, the rescued Lu Yi took only a few seconds to successfully calm down with Old Man Li He’s help.

As he rapidly organized his thoughts, his body settled in sync.

Disentangling his twisted body bit by bit, he struggled into a sitting position and quickly took in the room.

It was a picture of hell. The only slight comfort he could find was the scrutinizing faces before him.

Even if they didn’t look particularly friendly.

”I...”

Under the pressure, he had just opened his mouth when his face suddenly twisted in agony, and he slapped a hand to his own forehead.

Almost instantly, specks of shimmering light flared across his entire body. They rapidly chained together, bathing his entire figure in a radiant, holy glow, untainted by the dust.

The four onlookers were experienced enough to know he wasn’t refusing to cooperate, but rather attempting some form of purification. Even the surrounding strands of ”hair” showed signs of withering under the light’s glow.

Thus, without needing Old Man Li He’s reminder, the team members stood around in silent observation.Fortunately, it didn’t take too long. As the pure aura surged straight up to the crown of his head, Lu Yi’s upright body trembled, and he opened his mouth to vomit up a mass of something.

Amid his relieved panting, the four onlookers clearly saw what it was: a clump of grayish-white threads coated in mucus, looking as though they had been scorched to ash.

”Thank you.”

The moment the immediate crisis seemed to pass, Lu Yi offered a solemn word of thanks.

Of course, he clearly knew this was no time for pleasantries. He immediately cut to the chase, speaking at a rapid clip.

”That child... there is something wrong with that new member of the Laria Family! Did you encounter it?”

...

”I suppose you could say we haven’t.”

Their earlier discussion was confirmed almost instantly, but Old Man Li remained as calm as an ancient well without ripples. After a brief thought, he spoke in an even tone.

”What exactly is wrong with the newborn, and how does it relate to all this? Be specific.”

”Actually, if you saw it with your own eyes, you’d probably find it hard to believe it was a child...”

The Old Man’s ability to control a room was certainly on point. Infected by his mood, Lu Yi’s emotions gradually settled, though a bizarre expression soon took over his face.

”It can’t walk, and its size is normal, but from head to toe, it looks incredibly ancient. It even has actual gray hair...”

Turning his head to look around, Lu Yi pointed at the fine threads he had just vomited out.

”Hair exactly like this.”

A newborn presenting the state of an old man? He had to admit it fit the theme of everything they had encountered along the way.

Bizarre as Lu Yi’s description was, it wasn’t exactly unimaginable. The very first thing Fu Qian thought of was even that lingering, incessant crying.

He had previously thought the voice sounded excessively hoarse; now, it seemed to make sense.

And the others didn’t seem to overly doubt its authenticity either. For a moment, all four team members remained silent.

”Furthermore, although the Laria Family’s claim is that they were suddenly struck by an unknown curse, my feeling is that this anomaly was likely present from birth.”

Such an audience clearly put a lot of pressure on Lu Yi, and for a moment his mind continued to race.

”Why do you say that?”

To his comfort, someone finally responded. Li He frowned slightly, curious about the reason for his judgment.

...

”Their family has kept a relatively low profile over the years. Although I dealt with them often in the past, I actually never expected to receive an invitation.”

Encouraged, Lu Yi instantly perked up.

”For a newborn Offspring, this banquet seemed a bit too grand, don’t you think?”

”There are indeed more people than expected... but according to your words, shouldn’t their behavior have been exactly the opposite?”

Old Man Li He clearly agreed with the overly grand statement, but he immediately raised a question.

”If the Laria people knew something was wrong with this newborn Offspring, shouldn’t they have acted with an even lower profile?”

”Even if they brought you here to try and help purify the curse, it would be better to do it in secret, wouldn’t it?”

”You are quite right, sir... That is exactly why, although I found it strange at the time, I didn’t suspect anything too much.”

With control of his body gradually returning, Lu Yi had already stood up.

However, he clearly held immense respect for Li He, and his posture remained cautious.

”But after carefully examining that child, I suddenly began to vaguely understand the reason—it is changing.”

”Its appearance is not static. It is aging at a speed far surpassing ordinary people, and after I raised a question about this, its parents finally admitted it, stating that once the aging reaches a certain limit, it will reverse and grow younger again, even reverting to a baby’s appearance.”

”At first, this process wasn’t too fast, but on the exact day of the banquet, it suddenly accelerated.”

”To think there’s such a thing...”

Lu Yi was clearly describing a new situation. For a moment, even the experienced Old Man Li looked thoughtfully toward Ji Ning beside him.

”What about its mind?”

Requiring no verbal communication, the latter directly continued the questioning.

”No obvious changes. It was very quiet, and its communication was that of a toddler.”

It was clear that Lu Yi did not dare to slight her either.

...

”So you mean to say, this newborn was actually born this way, but this constant switching just made the Laria Family hold onto a fluke of hope?”

Excellency Ji Ning’s performance clearly did not disappoint expectations.

Although it hadn’t entered her specialized domain of the mind, her analysis of the situation was highly methodical.

”If the situation hadn’t suddenly deteriorated, they might not have even rushed to ask for your help with purification?”

”Yes... Although it looked bizarre, I couldn’t feel any aura of a curse or filth.”

The communication was even more efficient than expected, and Lu Yi’s expression momentarily grew more solemn.

”Aside from its appearance, it looked no different from a normal newborn. If someone had a brief contact with it under its infant appearance, I believe even the Night Watchers might not notice anything amiss, so they were in no hurry to risk leaking the news by asking for help.”

Clearly, there were still many people well aware of the Night Watchers’ surveillance over this ancient royal bloodline.

Out of the corner of his eye, Fu Qian saw Aike’s features stiffen; she kept a cold face without a word.

”But at the same time, they weren’t absolutely certain, so they invited quite a few people under the guise of a banquet. Once things lost control, they would use the name of a curse to find as much help as possible and maximize their chances of survival.”

Clearly unaware that one of the Night Watchers he had mentioned was right in front of him, Lu Yi rapidly summarized following his earlier logic.

”Unfortunately, I couldn’t be of any help. The situation with the target was truly incomprehensible. I attempted three full purifications without any effect.”

”Anyway, this is my understanding... Dean Li, did you discover anything unusual when you came over this time?”