Not bad. Whatever the other doctrines were like, the fact that they saved time alone showed this was an orthodox sect.
Having gotten straight to the point so smoothly, Fu Qian praised them inwardly, but didn't let that stop him from telling the truth.
"For every moment of those five days, it felt like I was moving around in another world. Only at the very end did I touch this place again."
As he answered, Fu Qian maintained the dazed, just-awoken expression that reflected his own disorientation.
"The other world you mentioned to the officer? Don't feel too lost. Try describing what it was like."
Amira listened attentively, then spoke in an even gentler tone, suggesting that he not dwell on it just yet.
"Run-down... cold. People lived underground, where no light could reach them. Their faces were like stone..."
Accepting the suggestion at once, Fu Qian began recalling the World Within the Painting, using ellipses to convey the difficulty of remembering.
"Faces like stone, but they were alive?"
Amira listened closely, even voicing her surprise at the right moment.
"And that wasn't all. They even acted like jailers, locking a lot of people in special cells and imprisoning them underground, where no light could reach."
With her gentle prompting, Fu Qian added more details.
"But the other survivors still pretended everything was normal. They even went to church."
"Can you describe what the church looked like?"
"I can't remember clearly... but I know there was more than one. Some were even surrounded by blizzards. Oh, right—"
Fu Qian shook his head, taking the lazy route when it came to describing the scenery.
"It looked a little like the painting."
He was, of course, referring to his own masterpiece.
He'd gone to so much trouble. How could he forget the