Eldritch Horror Theatre - Ch. 98: King of the White Tower (End)
No wonder looking down from above was so addictive.
Experiencing this feeling of hovering above everyone, Fu Qian rode the elevator slowly upwards until it reached the top floor.
The entire top floor of the White Tower was Bai Jinting's private space, housing his excessively luxurious office.
However, when Fu Qian stepped off the elevator, the place was filled with constant noise, sounding like a group of gorillas wrestling.
Fu Qian kicked open the already deformed door. A gust of wind kicked up, and in an instant, a dark silhouette charged out.
Fu Qian didn't dodge or evade. Striking later but landing first, he kicked the dark silhouette right back in.
A shrill shriek rang out, and a long white snake lay motionless on the floor.
The head of the snake was that of a standard woman with long hair.
The snake's tail was connected to a massive ball of snakes, from which more than a dozen other heads extended and retracted, wreaking wild havoc inside the office.
The imagery of this beautiful snake-woman challenged one's imagination a bit.
Looking at the clothing scattered everywhere on the floor, there was a high probability that this cluster had been Bai Jinting's secretaries.
The rampaging ball of snakes was clearly drawn by the scream. It instantly stopped all movement, and over a dozen human faces turned to look in this direction.
The next moment, over a dozen snake heads lunged forward to bite simultaneously.
Fu Qian wasn't polite at all. A single Air Bullet blasted them away, and then he began observing the surrounding environment.
Bai Jinting's office was spacious and luxurious, but the snake cluster had obviously been wreaking havoc here for a long time. Right now, it looked as though a Category 12 hurricane had swept through—tables and chairs were overturned, and everything was in shambles.
At this moment, the most eye-catching thing was a black stone screen placed right in the middle.
Amidst the utter devastation everywhere, this screen stood perfectly upright, entirely intact.
Dense text was written from top to bottom on the surface of the screen. At this moment, it was glowing faintly, exhibiting some sort of miraculous connection with the surroundings.
This is...
Fu Qian's memory was good. He recognized the content at a glance; impressively, it was the widely circulated White Tower Codex.
It was said this was Bai Jinting's proudest work. He had personally written every single rule, and anyone entering the archipelago had to strictly obey them, including himself.
Keeping this thing in the office, while slightly akin to performance art, was understandable.
However, with everything else smashed and toppled, this item standing so perfectly was a bit too out of the ordinary.
Fu Qian thought for a moment and tried firing an Air Bullet at it.
Soundlessly, the Air Bullet instantly dissipated the moment it touched the screen. The latter didn't change at all.
No wonder it remained intact amidst the snake cluster's rampage; the existence of this object was anomalous.
"...In unbridled freedom, a return to bestiality and an audience with divinity coexist; however, corners outside the rules often rely on even stricter rules to exist."
Fu Qian recalled the introduction when he first entered this place. It seemed to have heavily emphasized rules.
Speaking of which, if Bai Jinting had anything distinct about him, it was none other than the fact that he was the creator of the Ring Archipelago.
He built this place and personally wrote the White Tower Codex as its code of conduct.
It was precisely these incredibly broad rules that ultimately created the Ring Archipelago.
Could this be the reason Bai Jinting was watched?
Just like when walking on the road, humans are utterly dismissive of ants.
But if ants line up to form the Olympic rings, then people will inevitably take an interest, snapping a picture or tossing them a piece of candy.
Recklessly indulged desires coupled with a legal code everyone had to obey formed just such a special symbol.
And for the entity that created this dream, this was something that could attract its attention.
Therefore, it didn't matter who the King of the White Tower was. As long as this thing existed, there would always be a King of the White Tower.
Then, as long as this thing was destroyed, would it be possible for the entity behind the scenes to stop gazing, and the dream to revert to reality?
Although this thought was a bit of a leap, without any other leads, it was worth a try.
Boldly hypothesize, carefully verify!
But it had just been proven that this thing could not be damaged. Destroying it directly wouldn't work.
Would it be possible to add new content and create some sort of logical contradiction?
Fu Qian quickly came up with an idea.
He picked up a pen from the floor and tested it on the screen, finding that it could leave a mark.
So, mimicking the format above, he tried adding a rule at the end: "It is permitted to dirty the beach."
Yet the moment he finished writing, it was as if a void eraser swiped across, instantly wiping the line of text completely clean.
Content that contradicted existing rules would be rejected and couldn't be written at all?
That meant the method of creating conflict was unfeasible too.
Fu Qian thought about it and swapped to a non-conflicting but trivial rule.
This rule managed to stay on the screen, except the dreamscape remained as stable as before.
This kind of minor addition seemingly couldn't shake its fundamental nature at all.
What method could change the nature of this thing?
Fu Qian's mind raced wildly, and then a spark of inspiration hit him.
Scribble, scribble, scribble. He picked up the pen and added one more sentence at the very bottom: "For the above clauses, the right of final interpretation belongs to the White Tower Company."
Almost instantaneously, Fu Qian noticed something rapidly detaching from his body.
Right after, the space began shaking violently. A few seconds later, everything before his eyes shattered loudly.
The imagery spun. Fu Qian found himself back on the viewing platform where Bai Jinting had been. Beneath his feet lay a floor full of severed limbs and mangled bodies, entirely devoid of life.
[Mission Accomplished. Object 2-088 Successfully Contained.]
The notification sound finally rang in his ears.
That actually worked?
Just as Fu Qian was marveling, a surging wave of lightning enveloped him.
Demigod Ibrahimovic finally arrived, and upon discovering Bai Jinting's death, attacked directly in a fit of rage.
However, this terrifying lightning ultimately didn't land on Fu Qian's head.
The next moment, Fu Qian's body vanished from within the White Tower, returning once more to the Warehouse.
[Containment Successful]
[Mission Rating: Indomitable]
[During the annual competitive gala, an assassin disguised as a contestant assassinated Bai Jinting, the CEO of the White Tower Company. Demigod Ibrahimovic temporarily took over the management of the Ring Archipelago.]
[Under the deterrence of the Demigod, order was quickly restored in the Ring Archipelago.]
[However, he was far stricter than the previous executive, no longer turning a blind eye to certain behaviors. This caused the archipelago to lose some of its vitality and gradually become mediocre.]
[Reckless indulgence beneath an iron law formed a symbol of special significance, possessing the potential to attract certain special entities.]
[Bai Jinting, the creator of all this, would often receive revelations in his dreams, further perfecting them.]
[Yet your act, which bordered on blasphemy, made it fall from the sublime into the abyss.]
[The immortal King of the White Tower has vanished, leaving behind only a hollow title devoid of any special power.]
[Kills: Bai Jinting, Mutants x9, Referee, Mou Yong, Taboo Croc Fiend]
[Special Achievement: One-Life Clearance (Containment completed on the first attempt)]
[Rewards: Sanity Value +37; Inspiration +5; Mythic Form]
[Special Achievement Reward: Transcendence]
[Current Sanity Value: 115. Current Inspiration: 31.]
[Do you wish to replay the event recap?]
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