Chapter 2194: Twin Roots of Calamity

It wasn't just their bodies that had ascended; their very self-awareness had already become an entirely different concept.

The Witch's response was gentle but firm, carrying a chilling truth.

Whether it was Airo earlier or the Palm Reader just now, the apocalypse had clearly inflicted far more than bizarre physical mutations on them.

As far as Fu Qian could tell, "they" were already gone.

They might present a facade of peaceful years, but their reactions and conversations were trapped within a lifeless template.

His earlier exchange with Airo hadn't just been awkward idle chatter.

When he went to greet her at the Witch's urging, Airo's overly smooth reaction had immediately struck him as bizarre.

By any metric, both he and the Witch were dressed rather strangely. Hospitality was one thing, but for her to show absolutely no surprise?

The discrepancy became even more glaring with the Palm Reader. Anyone who could appraise his particular hand as "smooth" clearly wasn't using their brain for the evaluation.

Combined with the Witch's subsequent remarks, it seemed these people had entered a state akin to video game NPCs.

They looked perfectly human at a glance, but the actual scope of their actions was severely limited.

Airo existed to guide anyone searching for the Deer Cart toward the Blue House.

The Palm Reader, meanwhile, would simply evaluate your actions to determine whether to offer the next clue.

Though the clues offered were fundamentally vague anyway.

None of that mattered, though. For someone like the Witch, who had spent time here in the past, finding something in a place like this hardly required asking for directions.

From telling him to go say hello to leaving him to interact with the Palm Reader alone, the Witch's primary goal had clearly been to let him experience this grotesquerie for himself.

"So, what do you think?"

The Witch clearly knew Fu Qian had already grasped the peculiar nature of this place. As she continued to lead the way, she asked for his overall impression.

"This rigidity might be the very reason this place has managed to remain so stable... Something defined them, and in doing so, obliterated them."

Fu Qian didn't mince words.

"As for what exactly that 'something' is—if we can figure that out, it might not be hard to understand why this place possesses such bizarre properties."

...

"You're right. Rather than mutated humans, they are currently functioning as little more than talking specimens—"

The Witch paused as a shrill, miserable wailing suddenly coiled around her palm.

It sounded as though an endless tide of vengeful spirits was trying to claw its way out from some distant abyss, or perhaps drag this place down into the depths with them.

This agony lasted only a fraction of a second. An instant later, a burst of Calamity erupted over her hand, utterly crushing the malicious aura.

It went without saying that this was yet another entity from the Transcendent Tier attempting to forge a connection with this place.

With the Witch pinpointing the coordinates and Fu Qian casually unleashing his power, their assembly-line teamwork dispatched the threat without slowing their pace for even half a second.

"During my time here, I tried to find some exceptions. Unfortunately, I eventually realized that the only exception was myself, and that brought endless corruption... like a root of calamity that shattered the balance."

The Witch's attention hadn't strayed in the slightest. She simply went on sharing her past experiences.

"So now there are two roots of calamity."

Both he and the Witch were long accustomed to unfriendly titles; Fu Qian automatically lumped himself in without a second thought.

Following her story, he could easily picture her wandering in circles around this place all those years ago.

Honestly, it sounded a lot like taking a solo trip through a theme park.

And right now, this theme park was likely facing an even greater threat of demolition.

"So, our goal this time—aside from screening the mess of entities trying to connect here—is to see if we can find an exception within all this?"

By this point, Fu Qian had completely grasped the Witch's line of reasoning.

She was intimately familiar with this place, and the place itself was incredibly templated.

If the world was truly undergoing some imperceptible shift, was it possible that the attractions and choices within this theme park had been affected and begun to show anomalies?

The immediate answer was hard to say. After all, whatever they were looking for was still far too intangible.

But the chance was worth taking.

Especially with someone as experienced as the Witch here, it wouldn't take much effort.

"Yes. Though for now, it all looks perfectly stable."

The Witch's assessment carried neither praise nor criticism. She gestured for Fu Qian to pause, scanned their surroundings to get her bearings, and chose a somewhat rugged little path.

"The Deer Cart should be back there right now."

...

"Is your perception affected in here too?"

It was no surprise that the Witch knew the location of the Deer Cart. Judging by her reminiscent posture just now, she likely had its entire movement pattern memorized.

What made Fu Qian curious was that while his own senses being restricted made sense, this place wasn't actually that large. Logically, the Witch shouldn't have needed to stop and think; she should have been able to map the entire area instantly.

"You could say that, but it takes a very specific form. I suppose it's just another manifestation of this place's unique properties."

The Witch pointed toward the path she hadn't chosen.

"My perception isn't blocked, but when I sweep the area, I sense more than one target.

"It's as if multiple possibilities exist simultaneously. Until you go to confirm it, you have no idea which one is real."

Oh?

Now that was truly interesting—and it made perfect sense.

Fu Qian nodded repeatedly as he listened.

After all, the Witch had just continuously demonstrated her ability to crush invaders with her bare hands. For her perception to be suppressed exclusively for internal objects would have been a bit too bizarre.

Though hearing her description, it sounded dangerously close to the observer effect.

It truly was a special place.

Of course, following the Witch still posed no difficulty. After all, her mastery over the characters in this place was incredibly high.

"Interesting... So it sounds like this Deer Cart is a core element of this place?"

Offering a silent word of praise to the Pope, Fu Qian pushed for confirmation.

Although they had yet to meet, the fact that the Pope possessed such a miraculous avatar technique radiated an overwhelming sense of profound mystery.

And the Witch's actions clearly showed her stance. Since arriving, she had essentially ignored every other character to make a beeline straight for it.

"In my judgment, yes. If there have been any shifts in the underlying rules of the world, I believe it's the most worthwhile entity to talk to."

The Witch nodded. She clearly preferred a style that cut straight to the core. A moment later, she came to a halt.

Knock, knock!

Without even needing to exchange a look, the already well-practiced Fu Qian stepped up to the front again, leaving the Witch to cover his back.

Eee-yaw...

Was there actually a deer in there?

Feeling that the atmosphere was growing stranger by the second, Fu Qian casually pushed the door open.

Almost instantly, the sound of hard hooves striking the ground rang out.