Chapter 1721: Bitter Fruit (9)

His recent experiences indeed hadn't been real. Every character that had appeared in them had a corresponding Doll.

They weren't exactly lifelike, but suddenly being stared at by so many pairs of eyes felt even more eerie than being watched by living people.

Going by Doctor Dorian's description, they were crucial props in an established treatment plan, deployed entirely to suit his needs.

Of course, since he had "drunk a potion" and lost his memory, Fu Qian had no way to verify this for the time being.

As for why he'd drunk the potion to begin with, Dorian had actually made it quite clear—

Forgetting certain details was necessary; otherwise, it would impact the treatment's efficacy.

When a person realized they were dreaming, it negatively impacted both the dream's stability and the feedback they received.

As a professional Dream Dominator, Fu Qian had drawn similar conclusions from his own past experiences.

In fact, the premise of having drunk a memory-loss potion wasn't even a bad thing for him. Since the Warehouse's mission introduction had been completely silent on the matter, he genuinely had no idea what had happened beforehand anyway.

Being conveniently slotted into such a persona saved him the trouble of finding an excuse for his ignorance.

Speaking of which, there was one detail about his current situation that couldn't be ignored: the Warehouse's task description was extremely limited in scope.

Specifically, its description applied entirely to the therapeutic dimension he had experienced right at the start.

Although he couldn't say for sure what that meant, it didn't feel like a good sign.

This place faintly seemed to leave even the Warehouse closing its eyes and blocking its ears.

"So, in your estimation, what should 'it' look like?"

As Fu Qian analyzed the situation in silence, Dorian seemed amused by his reaction and directly countered his earlier remark.

"So even you don't dare mention that thing's name?"

Fu Qian was in no rush to answer. Instead, he simply returned the man's smile.

...

It was just a typical symbol of dark evil within a special dream used for treatment.

No matter how terrifying it might have been on the inside, anyone who had already woken up—and therefore held a dimensional advantage—had no reason to fear it.

Not to mention Dorian, the chief architect of this treatment, who clearly wasn't a normal human himself.

Indeed, it wasn't just that he possessed so many Dolls or could orchestrate such a surreal treatment plan. Dorian himself radiated a distinctly inhuman aura; he was clearly a master of Transcendent Tier power.

This was true even if some special barrier or concealment temporarily prevented Fu Qian from confirming his exact Rank.

Even so, Fu Qian had still posed the question and taken the initiative to mention "it" earlier.

His goal was actually simple: to verify Dorian's level of involvement in the recent dream.

Was his role limited to tossing his patient into a treatment sandbox and waiting for the results, or had he been constantly observing everything inside, perhaps even secretly manipulating every interaction?

Judging by his reaction, the latter was much more likely.

Dorian clearly knew the details of the dream intimately; he hadn't just deduced from the outcome that Fu Qian had stayed in the dark for a sufficiently long time.

On one hand, this made him seem even more like a puppeteer, with the numerous characters serving as mere marionettes.

On the other hand—and most importantly—this meant his opponent throughout his conspiracy theorizing had been Dorian himself, and every single one of his moves had been watched.

Under these circumstances, this conversation clearly meant more than just summarizing a failed treatment. The doctor's vigilance had to be maxed out.

Knowing this, Fu Qian decisively maxed out his own aggressiveness as well.

...

"Is it possible that 'it' simply doesn't have a name to begin with?"

Holding a long Spike shaped like an ice pick, Dorian bypassed the nearby hospital bed and drifted lightly forward.

Faced with Fu Qian's teasing, his expression hardly changed. He merely looked Fu Qian up and down again before offering a superficial, hollow smile in response.

"Doesn't have a name, or doesn't exist at all?"

Unfortunately, even if the sheer viciousness of that Spike completely qualified it as a murder weapon...

...Fu Qian, who was being pointed at by it from afar, only grew increasingly aggressive.

...

Not having a name was indeed a plausible explanation.

Even factoring in the treatment experience, there was no way to fundamentally refute it.

Brother Dorian truly lived up to being a man with the guts to open a psychological Clinic.

It was just a pity that while he might be thoroughly familiar with what had happened previously, the credentials of a Dream Dominator were still beyond his comprehension.

Not to mention that Fu Qian also possessed a wealth of practical experience.

True, choosing to wait in the darkness and ultimately fulfilling the conditions to escape was certainly a fruitful result born of his steadfast commitment to conspiracy theories.

But that erratic, approaching sound had ultimately never reached him, and Fu Qian didn't simply chalk that up to good luck.

Even though he had been the one being hunted, he was clearly still the core subject of the dream.

Meanwhile, Dorian had utilized the characteristics of the Dolls to insert them into the dream, turning them into subjects with special effects—like Hilaria.

It made perfect sense. Although the method was a bit rigid compared to what a Sovereign like him could do, it was still quite ingenious.

Praise aside, trying to pull a fast one in front of a professional was not a good habit.

Using suggestive guidance to make the dream subject perceive more false "truths" could effectively increase one's control over their dream.

This precious experience—gained with Brother Taylor's cooperation while attempting to escape the Nightmare Corridor—had made Fu Qian doubt whether "it" truly existed the moment he realized a conspiracy might be at play.

His corresponding countermeasure was that, while waiting in the dark just now, no matter how perfectly the atmosphere had been built up, Fu Qian strictly believed only what he could see.

'Cut the useless crap; if you have the ability, stand right in front of me.'

Unfortunately, "it" ultimately failed to satisfy that bit of curiosity.

And upon waking, there were only five Dolls surrounding him. That evil incarnation, which by all rights should have been far more powerful than anyone else, hadn't manifested at all. This served as its own form of proof.

Now, he could almost conclude that "it" was actually the final safeguard preventing his escape from the dream.

As long as he fell for the suggestion and believed in "its" existence, Dorian's control would strengthen. Combined with his own cooperation as the dream subject, it was highly likely that the entity would truly appear in the end.

It would stand right in front of him and herd him into the Church.

This was definitely not something that could be avoided simply by being fearless. Even if he wasn't afraid, dealing with it would likely take quite a bit of effort and force him to prematurely expose more of his trump cards.

As for now?

"Who exactly are you?"

Under the continuous psychological pressure, Dorian's characteristic composure as a healer finally vanished, replaced by utter solemnity.

"An outsider."

Fu Qian, however, still answered fluidly without missing a beat.