Chapter 150: Chapter 149 Disordered (20)_1
“`
The cold wind howled.
Although Fu Qian had turned into a human radar, he did not go on a killing spree in the town.
He chose to follow the path he had taken before, and made his way to the old town.
Considering the speed of flesh transformation, there was still plenty of time.
There was one thing he wanted to figure out.
Feeling the key in his pocket, Fu Qian headed straight for the church spire in the snow.
…
A few minutes later, Fu Qian leapt down from the top of the church once again.
In the darkness, the stained glass which he hadn’t had the chance to inspect last time was still dazzling.
After confirming there was no movement around, Fu Qian made his way down and soon arrived in front of the stained glass.
Upon a closer look, the surface of the stained glass seemed to be covered by a transparent veil.
Fu Qian reached out and felt as though he had touched a hidden boundary.
Pushing harder with his hand, the stained glass slowly opened backward.
After waiting two seconds without an attack, Fu Qian squeezed himself through.
Indeed, there was something!
The scene behind the stained glass made Fu Qian couldn’t help but feel a bit awestruck.
There was actually a separate space behind it.
The area was not big, just about ten square meters.
The furnishing inside was also simple, with a giant painting board that almost took up half of the wall space under the window.
Next to the painting board was a bar stool with a few paintbrushes and a dried-up palette on it.
Besides that, there was nothing else.
Fu Qian walked up and saw that the painting on the board was already completed.
The content of the painting looked very complex, of which the most striking feature was the seven colorful glows in the sky.
It was exactly the same view from the window at this angle.
Is this…
The next moment, Fu Qian sensed something unusual and took out the Key of Starlight from his pocket.
The originally crystal-clear key was now even more radiant, emitting rings of light halos.
Fu Qian only glanced at it once before tossing the key onto the stool nearby and continued examining the painting on his own.
This painting was obviously quite old.
Not only had it faded overall, but there were also parts in the lower right corner that had started to rot and curl up, turning into an aged yellow-brown color.
Some parts even began to peel off.
Hiss!
This place looks a bit familiar; it seems to be exactly where I’m standing now!
Realizing this, Fu Qian involuntarily took a deep breath.
After staring for a long time, he suddenly turned his head towards the key on the stool.
“No matter how you look at it, I honestly think it’s not well drawn.”
“Especially the seven lights above, they seem to have been haphazardly smeared on, even kindergarten kids would do better…”
“The line work and brush strokes are also quite amateurish…”
…
“You took a bit long to find it!”
Just after Fu Qian was muttering his critique, a voice suddenly came from the key.
The next moment, light converged above it, sketching out a pale figure.
A witch with a pointed hat sat at the edge of the stool, looking at the painting with evident interest.
“Can’t help it, after all, as a member of the investigative team, I still have cases to work on and a murderer to catch,” Fu Qian said casually.
By now, he had pretty much confirmed that this place was what the witch wanted him to find.
And the reason he did not notice it the last time was likely due to the veil-like shielding outside the stained glass that prevented the key from sensing what was inside.
That’s why there was no reaction from the key at that time.
But once inside, the shielding effect no longer worked.
At this moment, after the witch scrutinized for a while, she too shook her head.
“I also think the painting isn’t good.”
“`
“Although it’s made of my mother’s blood.”
What?
Fu Qian gave her a glance.
Considering her true form, her mother must also be no ordinary being, to actually use her blood to paint?
“Speaking of which, do you understand now why I asked you to find this?”
“Let me think.”
Fu Qian looked at the painting.
“You’re not going to tell me that those people outside have actually been living inside a painting? Made with your mother’s blood.”
“You guessed right!”
The Witch’s tone was utterly flat.
“However, it might differ from your inherent concepts, for us, the concept of ‘mother’ more closely resembles a source or a seed, rather than directly giving birth.
In fact, I’ve never even met her.”
“When I was born, the outside world had already been destroyed.”
“Although the specifics are unclear, essentially this world encountered a disaster involving various powerful entities.
And then, at the final moment, someone hunted down one of those powerful beings and used her blood to paint this world as humanity’s final refuge.”
“A magical power!”
Although he had already guessed some of it, Fu Qian couldn’t help but exclaim sincerely.
“Indeed, it’s a pity that so many years have passed, and blood decays.”
“Is that why calamities have begun to occur here?”
Fu Qian pointed towards the bottom right corner.
“Calamities are just one manifestation.”
One manifestation…
Fu Qian immediately thought of something and lifted his right hand toward the Witch.
“Is the Pus of Man another?”
“Take that thing away from me!”
The Witch made a disgusted face.
“But yes, that is also an expression of decay.”
“What about the Discoloration Curse then? I remember you saying before that the Pus of Man and the Discoloration Curse are opposites?”
“Before answering that question, I have one for you. Why do you think that person, at the very end, decided to paint such ugly seven lights?”
Why specifically paint seven lights…
Fu Qian gazed at the several smears in the sky.
“To give people faith? So that they awaken and enter the Sequence?”
“Correct answer! That is the purpose.”
“Essentially, after all, this is a world created from a painting, which is fundamentally different from the real world.
Ordinary people must truly become part of the painting to live here for a long time, otherwise, they are easily excluded.”
“So, the Discoloration Curse is a manifestation of being excluded?”
Fu Qian immediately understood.
“Yes, those unfortunate enough to be excluded fade from existence in this world bit by bit.”
“The seven lights exist to solve this problem. They are pathways to integrating into the World Within the Painting.”
“As long as one can awaken based on the seven lights, regardless of which one, it’s equivalent to being fully synchronized with this world.
From then on, one would not only avoid fading but also share a prolonged life and power.”
“It was originally a pretty good design, but as I said earlier, over time, blood corrodes.”
“Years passed, and not only did the power’s essence increasingly dissipate, but entering the Sequence became more and more difficult.”
“Even those who had already synced with the world were affected by its decay, the Pus of Man growing within them and, in turn, exacerbating the loss of power.”
So it was like this…
Fu Qian suddenly connected all the dots.
“Is this irreversible? Is there a solution?”
“There is!”
The Witch stared at Fu Qian, her expression neither sad nor joyful.
“Paint another one.”
“But the original world will be destroyed in this process, and all these people will die.”