Eldritch Horror Theatre

Truly a massive undertaking.

As the team ventured deeper into the darkness, their footsteps echoing with increasing clarity, Fu Qian’s satisfaction grew in direct proportion to the absolute lack of light.

Such a behemoth had been constructed from clearly extraordinary materials, crafted with an absolute disregard for cost.

If this thing was actually meant to contain something, its contents had to be far more valuable than Madam Yingzhu’s Ring.

And that ring alone allowed a Mortal Body to freely command supernatural power.

A Workshop capable of automatically forging a ”Weapon”?

It was a perfectly reasonable explanation, yet Fu Qian also wondered exactly what powered this miraculous effect.

Given how things had developed, relying on his extraordinary mental realm, he had seemingly touched upon the organization’s core secrets—with as much efficiency as politeness allowed.

And he had always been fascinated by how this form of power—inherited from the Holy Grail Cult, yet far more flexible—was actually achieved.

It was fully operational even in the absence of the Sage himself.That failed expedition into the Ruins had clearly dealt a devastating blow to the organization.

”Stay close to the wall.”

Amidst the heavy anticipation, Ais’s voice rang out for the first time since they had passed through that door, signaling that they had reached a new stage.

For the young recruits—completely swallowed by the darkness, their fears breeding uncontrollably—this was undoubtedly reassuring news.

Though they had lost all spatial awareness of their surroundings, they kept their hands pressed against the freezing wall and firmly followed her instructions.

”Stop when you reach a corner. The person behind you will pass and keep going.”

Once she confirmed all three had followed her instructions, Ais’s undeniable voice rang out again.

It wasn’t exactly democratic, but in a situation like this, it seemed to offer the greatest possible comfort.

Especially since the instructions themselves were perfectly clear.

Fu Qian didn’t even need to rely on his perception. Based on the angles and distances alone, he easily deduced that after slipping past Ais, they had entered a square space.

It was shaped exactly like the box in Madam Yingzhu’s hands.

The winding corridor they had just navigated was essentially a highly elaborate entrance hidden behind one of the walls.

It even felt seemingly familiar.

Fu Qian’s mind naturally drifted back to the Ash Sea, specifically to the scene of his visit to Niniane’s hideout.

These seemingly pointless, winding paths appeared to serve some miraculous function in certain respects.

Ais’s intent was straightforward: she wanted everyone to stand in a separate corner of the space, maximizing the distance between them.

If her goal was to prevent them from interfering with one another, it was indeed a logical and easily executed arrangement.

The only problem was that even with his Tier 2 Transcendent perception pushed to the limit, Fu Qian still detected absolutely nothing in this space.

The martial core of the Post-Blind Eye Society, their deepest secret, the legendary site capable of bestowing the power to hunt a Deity—was completely empty?

Admittedly, the sheer contrast was genuinely jarring.

Of course, far more jarring were Ais’s next instructions.

”Now, take out your gold coins and place them on the floor in front of your feet, facing the direction of my voice.”

”Remember: do not close your eyes. I know you cannot see a thing, but the Vacuum Flower can see you.”

...

So, did that count as good news or bad news?

The title Ais solemnly uttered at the end naturally plunged Fu Qian into deep philosophical thought.

First, it sounded like this truly was the objective of their expedition. The core capable of forging the power to hunt a Deity was actually the Vacuum Flower contained within this giant box.

This essentially confirmed that all their previous actions were indeed leading them toward the correct answer.

At the same time, the target’s current state was somewhat unconventional.

There were only two possibilities here. The first was that at some unknown point in the past, the Vacuum Flower had slipped the organization’s control and fled.

The second possibility was that it hadn’t fled at all. Instead, even as it drifted through this very space—even as it actively ”watched” him—he still couldn’t perceive it in the slightest.

Honestly, compared to the first option, the second seemed far more grim.

”Do you remember what I said? That you were about to face an incomprehensible, entirely unrecognizable entity?”

Proving herself a master at setting the mood, Ais’s voice rang out right on cue, heavily validating the second possibility.

”Even the name ’Vacuum Flower’ is nothing more than an erroneous description reflected by our clumsy minds.”

Her phrasing here carried faint echoes of Old Man Sage’s style.

”Fortunately, you don’t need to understand it. As an entity far surpassing the very concept of a Deity, it has been watching you from the exact moment you entered this space.”

”And once enough time has passed, this profound honor will draw out your true power, forging it into a unique ’Weapon’ for each of you.”

”All you need to do is maintain this state from now until I give the word.”

...

Without even asking for an acknowledgment, Ais’s voice faded into the darkness.

Between cutting to the chase so swiftly and her heavily metaphysical descriptions, the young recruits—who had mentally prepared themselves countless times to embrace their brand-new future—promptly discovered they were not ready at all.

Through their heartbeats and breathing, Fu Qian could clearly sense the tension radiating from his two peers.

Even cloaked in a darkness where vision meant absolutely nothing, they didn’t dare so much as blink.

It was a truly unique sensation.

Fu Qian didn’t look down on them for it, even though his own posture was relaxed to the point of outright rudeness in comparison.

An imperceptible gaze drifting out of the darkness could easily ignite boundless imagination in any sapient creature with even the slightest bit of it.

And part of his deep empathy stemmed from the fact that, for him, this sensation was even more profound.

This moderately-sized space was, in reality, completely empty.

His perception fed him this truth with far more clarity than any of the others could grasp.

And as a professional, imagination had always been one of his specialties.

Savoring this wondrous sensation, Fu Qian politely followed Ais’s advice, silently demonstrating the patience of a task runner.

The only pity was that the very person who had given the advice had, at some point, gradually begun to breathe heavily, joining the ranks of the two young recruits.

...

In the darkness, every sound was easily magnified.

Fu Qian had no doubt that Ais’s shifting state could be completely perceived by the others.

Fortunately, the blow to their morale wasn’t actually that devastating.

Because, in all likelihood, they were attributing that tension to him.