Eldritch Horror Theatre

They say an honest man’s anger is the most terrifying thing of all, but a noble figure turning sinister is just as formidable.

As a senior figure in the dreamscape who had shown goodwill and offered guidance from the start, Liang Shangjun maintained his courtesy and patiently guided them even in the face of such rude offense.

Alas, the two young people were simply stubbornly incorrigible. It was one thing to ignore his instructions, but they went so far as to directly question his determination to seek the Dao.

For a moment, Liang Shangjun seemed to have suffered an unbearable insult; his tone turned completely serious.

Ah, was it truly hard to change one’s nature?

For Fu Qian, however, the deepest impression came from the content of the man’s rhetorical question.

He had painstakingly guided the man this whole way, finally teaching him a little about efficient communication, yet the moment his emotions flared up, he reverted to asking time-wasting questions.

”In truth, that was a completely impartial question. After all, I really did just arrive. I don’t understand you, and I don’t understand this place.”

Of course, using the other party as a cautionary tale, Fu Qian immediately followed up with a direct explanation.

”But I think one thing is absolute: your stance must be one or the other. You might want to find the ’sea’, or you might not. You might hope we move the steles, or you might not.”And because I don’t understand the situation, your words don’t offer enough reference value. I’d need more information to tell truth from fiction—but unfortunately, I don’t plan on wasting time trying.”

Staring straight at Liang Shangjun’s majestic face, Fu Qian pointed a finger at his own temple.

”Right now, we’re facing a dilemma. We have to get out to confirm if there is a sea, but the methods of getting out—including moving those steles—are highly likely to cause everything to instantly collapse, leaving us with nothing to see.

”So, in response to this situation, I have a suggestion for your next move. In one minute, I am going to open the passage. You can use this time to either think of a suggestion that will maximize my success rate, or provide a sufficiently convincing reason to stop me.”

...

One didn’t even need rich life experience; these days, as long as you played enough video games, you’d know that any character could have two faces.

In a strange environment with a stranger, blind trust was highly irresponsible.

And Fu Qian wasn’t bluffing; he truly intended to do exactly as he said.

As the only communicable subject in this Nightmare so far, Liang Shangjun’s origins were a mystery and his motives hard to predict. In Fu Qian’s eyes, he was deeply suspicious and untrustworthy.

But everyone has their limitations. What if he only gave off that impression because his communication skills were just that poor?

Distinguishing truth from falsehood would require gathering and verifying too much information—and time was running out.

Aside from the high probability that moving those steles would instantly collapse the dreamscape, the Witch had also mentioned a fundamental problem at the very beginning—

Because he had instinctively inflicted the blood loss effect on himself and her, this Nightmare was rapidly becoming overloaded.

Therefore, even if they did nothing and just stood there waiting, it wouldn’t be long before this place collapsed anyway.

Faced with this fragile predicament, no matter how suspicious Liang Shangjun was, Fu Qian was not going to let him off the hook.

And his method of utilizing him was exactly as he’d stated: clearly announce his next move and let Liang Shangjun react freely—

He was going to take certain actions no matter what, and whether Liang Shangjun agreed or opposed, the man had to offer something of real substance.

There was no room to dodge the issue. If someone was unwilling to take a firm stance, Fu Qian would just have to help them take one.

”Are you threatening me? Are you out of your mind?”

Unfortunately, Brother Liangshang’s aptitude wasn’t very good. Even with guidance, his comprehension was somewhat slow. For the moment, he merely sneered, his expression tinged with underlying firmness.

”Actually, if you are willing to engage in a bit of Overthinking, you should realize that this instead reflects the spirit of communication. I haven’t even threatened to kill you if you don’t cooperate, have I? Also, a friendly reminder: you have forty seconds left.”

Very well. Fu Qian hadn’t expected him to do any better anyway, so he immediately continued his patient persuasion, complete with the countdown.

”Even if you didn’t say it, why should I believe you won’t make a move later... Besides, I think you’re making an empty show of strength. Even according to what the one next to you said, opening the passage will only leave you empty-handed.”

Not bad. He was no longer just venting his emotions; he had learned to use logic.

Although Brother Liangshang still sounded unwilling to cooperate, Fu Qian felt a measure of gratification.

”Thirty seconds.”

Without another word, he continued the countdown.

...

The hall was quiet. The remnant king fell into a fierce internal struggle, unconsciously glancing toward the Witch beside Fu Qian.

Unfortunately, the latter—whom he had just referenced—clearly had no intention of stopping her subordinate’s tyranny. She was just watching with a beaming smile.

Meanwhile, Fu Qian had already begun sizing up the bugs deep within the passage.

Taking in this scene, Liang Shangjun fell into a brief silence before his body subconsciously shrank back.

Thud—

However, this movement was interrupted by a dull sound.

An Iron-Black Metal Chain Link was casually tossed into the red sand on the ground.

”...You killed them?”

Naturally, the item had been tossed by Fu Qian—a souvenir taken from the Stele-Bearing King earlier.

It was just a pity that it hadn’t shown any special effects since he acquired it. He might as well use it as a teaching aid.

Liang Shangjun’s previous movement actually wasn’t hard to guess—he was putting distance between them, attempting to call for backup.

After all, violently resisting in the face of a threat was the most normal response possible.

And after spending his days facing a horde of brainless beasts, figuring out a few minor tricks to exploit them would be the instinctive behavior of a warrior who liked to use his head.

Naturally, such an action had just been successfully dissuaded.

”Twenty seconds.”

Fu Qian still didn’t elaborate; he merely continued calling out the time.

...

”Hehehe... You want to know the truth, do you? Fine...”

A few more heavy seconds passed. At some point, something finally seemed to erupt on that ruined, majestic face.

To be specific, it became a spitting image of the victims’ faces from the Blind Eye Society Underground Ruins.

His facial features shifted rapidly with an utterly inhuman range of motion. In less than a second, they rearranged into an exaggerated smile, and he even laughed out loud.

”The truth is very simple. You’re all fools! Delusional fools! There was never any sea there!”

It wasn’t just his expression that took a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn; his viewpoint did too.

In the blink of an eye, Liang Shangjun transformed into a member of the Conservative Faction, displaying intense contempt for the idea of going outside.

”I know you don’t believe me, but what about now—take a good look!”

Before Fu Qian could respond, he crawled at an astonishing speed all the way up to the center of the hall’s domed ceiling and smashed his head violently against it.

Blood splattered everywhere, but it looked as if it were bleeding from the stone.

Fu Qian, who was always good at accepting suggestions, genuinely watched intently in that moment.

As that massive head slammed against the center of the dome, the skin of his face actually seemed to forcibly pierce through the ceiling.

Fissures spread out like a severed carotid artery, and blood gushed wildly from within them.