Invisible Palace
Abandoning the light for the dark—this time, the brightness really did plummet.
But Fu Qian, back in the Warehouse, still moved with effortless fluidity. Without wasting a second, he snatched the Emissary Mask off the table.
At the same time he put it on, his other hand casually picked up a heavy Handbell named Tranquilizer.
The scene shifted again, finally returning to the faint glow.
Only now, Fu Qian had changed into a different outfit, and his entire bearing had transformed.
He was still wearing Gorimshaw's face, but those gentle, wise eyes now had an accessory to match.
Though it could no longer make a sound, Tranquilizer was held in his hand with the practiced motion of someone ringing a bell.
With its refined design and the scratches on its surface, it had an ancient, wise air about it, making Fu Qian's appearance much more like that of a spellcaster.
Of course, he held the pose for just one second. The next moment, Fu Qian stepped onto the suspension bridge.
As for what lay behind him, Xiao Ying's presence had long since vanished.
That wasn't surprising. The time it had taken him to go home and change was enough for her to catch up, overcome her fear, and press bravely onward.
To be fair, this place looked more like the space inside a growing tree than a passage through lava.
He hadn't deliberately picked up the pace, but there were no forks in the path, either. After crossing two suspension bridges and making a series of turns, Fu Qian suddenly found himself at a cliff's edge.
It was obvious that he was now in the volcano's central region. The cliff was part of the rock wall surrounding a vast, circular pit.
The space beneath his feet was