Eldritch Horror Theatre

Pure corrosive power was injected into the target’s wound. After a relatively long incubation, it would break from its pupa in a random form and make its host its primary target.

As a reward from the Nightmare Corridor, the Seed of Writhing certainly had a sinister style to it.

So much so that if anyone else had pulled what Fu Qian just did, the Red Moon probably would have struck them dead on the spot.

More than that, it further demonstrated Mother’s trust in him.

It really didn’t seem like a good thing, yet it wasn’t unheard of for a bratty kid to catch mice or bugs and offer them up as gifts.

In that moment, not only did the Red Moon hold back from retaliating, she actually suppressed the urge to purge the discomfort altogether.

Frowning slightly, she simply waited for Fu Qian’s explanation.

”Hope you like it. Wait for me to come back.”

Yet the bratty kid didn’t even bother to explain much.

Fu Qian gave a nod, merely emphasizing that it was the right gift, already eager to take his leave.In truth, this wasn’t out of some perverse sense of humor, nor was he deliberately trying to keep her in suspense.

Given how things stood, the more he explained, the greater the pressure the Red Moon might end up bearing. There were two main reasons he had planted the Seed of Writhing in her eye socket.

First, to introduce an obnoxious third party.

As everyone knew, a person left alone tended to let their thoughts run wild until they couldn’t stop.

In the Red Moon’s specific case, she was clearly locked in an effort of self-deception.

Even though the situation was dire, she was trying her hardest to avoid realizing it.

Even dragging him into a chat out of nowhere to share her joy could be seen as an attempt to distract herself because she was barely holding on.

Unfortunately, as noted earlier, his staying here seemed to carry a terrible catalytic effect of its own, making it best for him to leave first.

Once he left, however, the odds that the solitary Red Moon would spiral into frantic overthinking were far from encouraging.

Given that, it was better to leave a blatant, steadily growing nuisance right out in the open to divert ”Mother’s” attention.

...

That was right—the whole point was companionship, providing pure annoyance value.

And no matter how poor her condition was, under normal circumstances the Seed of Writhing stood almost no chance of doing the Red Moon any real harm, keeping the danger well within controllable limits. That was also why he hadn’t explained anything.

Some things worked like a placebo; spelling them out versus leaving them unspoken made a vast difference in efficacy.

Beyond that, there was actually a second purpose: trying to make use of the Seed of Writhing’s extra effect.

The Ring in his hand still looked normal enough, but given the Red Moon’s current state, once he left this place, would the Homecoming effect really still work?

For Fu Qian, this was a risk he had to take into account.

In the simplest scenario, what if Annalise gained the upper hand in a moment of carelessness and locked down the path of Homecoming?

In that case, it was best to have an extra channel as a backup plan.

And considering that doing just about anything might hasten her collapse, the Seed of Writhing was a relatively gentle measure.

Especially since stamping the Imprint of a ”child’s gift” onto it was one of the best ways to rally the Red Moon’s willpower under these limited conditions.

”I understand...”

Faced with such a resolute attitude, the Red Moon clearly recognized that the time to part had come. Though reluctance lingered in her voice, she didn’t try to force him to stay.

”So can you leave a door open for me?”

Far from just brushing his old mother off, Fu Qian shifted the topic smoothly and actually started making arrangements for his next Homecoming.

”Of course...”

Beaming instantly, the Red Moon agreed without hesitation, making Fu Qian’s earlier worries seem completely unnecessary.

Could it be that he wouldn’t need to use the Ring or Extreme Hunger Infection at all? Could the Red Moon do just as she had earlier and open the door to the Half-Step Moon right nearby?

”Good. Where will sitting on that take me back to? The Bookstore?”

Picturing that wonderful scene, Fu Qian kept his smile as he walked up to the only seat.

”Yes.”

The Red Moon confirmed his guess.

Sure enough, with the transfer of authority, the location anchored up there was no longer the Academy, but The Bookstore serving as a transit hub.

Even as she answered, the figure sitting there vacated the seat for him.

”Then just put the door upstairs.”

Fu Qian didn’t stand on ceremony. Before sitting down, he left careful instructions to open the return passage somewhere with less foot traffic.

”Alright.”

Naturally accommodating every request, the Red Moon agreed right away.

Before her voice had even faded, the Fu Qian in her vision had already taken his seat, and the numerous gazes watching him instantly lost their focus.

...

It seemed reliable enough.

In the blink of an eye, the crimson faded away.

Leaning against the soft backrest, Fu Qian took in the familiar surroundings, confirming that nothing had gone wrong and he was truly back to riding the waves of the business world.

With a performance like that, his earlier concerns seemed even more like a case of the man of Qi worries about the sky falling.

No matter how poor the Red Moon’s mental state was, maintaining a two-way passage shouldn’t be a problem—right?

The next moment, Fu Qian stood up, walked all the way upstairs, and eyed the bathroom door.

Creak—

With a faint scraping sound, the door swung inward.

Standing still, however, Fu Qian noted only the slightly dated decor inside, without a single trace of red moonlight.

Still, there was no need to jump to conclusions. Though it was the only proper door on the entire second floor, there were still improper doors to check.

Slide—

Fu Qian pulled open the wardrobe beside him.

Regrettably, aside from a few outfits that were most likely single-use, there was nothing special in there either.

Of course, it always paid to look on the bright side. The instant he returned from the Half-Step Moon, the Armor on his body had retracted once more, so he really did need a change of clothes right now.

Click—

Quickly throwing on an outfit and instantly restoring his suave urban-elite demeanor, Fu Qian strode confidently over to the side and pushed open the only remaining window.

See? Looking on the bright side always paid off. Wasn’t this it right here?

It was clearly still only evening outside, yet in that instant, Fu Qian’s vision was once again flooded with eerie moonlight.

The Red Moon really hadn’t forgotten her promise to leave a door open—she just had a rather broad definition of a door? Bathed in the moonlight, the view outside the window was not the bustling night of Shangjing, but a somewhat familiar desolation, much like what he had seen back at the Archipelago.

The Half-Step Moon?

Yet that was precisely where the problem lay: it was somewhat familiar, yet not quite as familiar as it should have been.

To Fu Qian, the Red Moon hanging overhead had a different feel to it now.

This time, not only was the sphere formed by Excellency Anjing gone, even the mottled scars and ravines that outlined a body had vanished.

At the same time, the desolate expanse bathed in the glow below remained barren, yet the gravel and grit had grown much sparser.

In their place was a much finer texture that carried the faint sense of a living creature.

So something really had gone wrong after all? This looked like the one that had originally been hanging overhead.