He realized how short-sighted his previous thoughts were.
The culture, history, and belief systems within the Small World... these are the best materials to construct a Nightmare Illusion Realm.
The horror woven from self-awareness is rely a self-proclaid fear.
It’s like using scenes of turning into zombies after death to scare a group that believes "death is rebirth"; they might even regard zombies as pioneers of reincarnation and feel reverence.
Fear that departs from cultural soil is like a rootless waterweed, unable to truly penetrate deep into the other’s soul.
What he thought was hideous horror might be rely an amusing display in the eyes of beings in the Small World.
Even a ticulously crafted thriller from Earth’s culture might coincide with so kind of celebration ceremony of the Small World, evoking respect from the other party instead.
Not only would they not feel afraid, but they might also find the scene very sincere.
Thus, he must first understand the culture of the Small World, only then can he weave a profound fear that makes the Challenger’s pupils contract and heart stop.
As Visitor No. 1 said, only by rooting in their age-old taboos, ingrained reverence, and integrated customs can fear truly take root and grow.
For example, using the gods they worshiped to judge them in return, or twisting the Codes they adhered to into shackles binding them—such "familiar thing alienation" shock is what causes the Shock Value to surge like a volcanic eruption.
While talking here, Visitor No. 1 also gave several examples that he could understand.
An early Earth period elent often appearing in Chinese horror: paper figures.
These were common items in traditional funerals and sacrificial ceremonies, seen as a dium to communicate between the living and the dead, a carrier of the living’s respect for the deceased.
When paper figures transform from rigid offerings into lively, joint-twisting beings.
The horror is not rely that the paper figures can move.
But the deep-seated unease brought by the breaking of the order between life and death.
In the traditional Chinese culture of early tis, once sacrificial items exceeded their boundaries, it ant a profanation of the rules of life and death, which was far more horrific than the image of a "ghost".
But this kind of horror nurtured from traditional customs becos devoid of lethality in places without the sa cultural concepts.
For example, placing this horror in an African primitive tribe without a similar cultural foundation.
The concept of paper figures becoming spirits is far less fearso than the real beasts existing around them.
Other expressions of horror include the terror brought by "joy and mourning mixed up".
In Chinese weddings and funerals, there are strict ceremonial rules, with red for joy and white for mourning distinctly separate, and once mixed up, it becos the most terrifying taboo.
In early Earth tis, there was a tradition of making horror-thed movies based on concepts like "ghost weddings".
In the movie scenes, the joyous hall originally ant for festivities has red candles burning with green flas, the bride under the wedding garnts has cyan corpse spots, and the guests attending the ceremony are all paper figures, with the master of ceremonies supposed to say "Many happy returns" reciting "Rest in peace" instead.
This kind of alienated fear is the most penetrating to the heart.
Similar cases include: the legend of the slit-mouthed woman, Lallacoinna, the revenge of Naga, and other culturally derived content that brings about extre fear.
The commonality of these examples is that they all transform a group’s everyday beliefs, customs, and emotional symbols into alien forms.
Turning the sacred into evil, the ordinary into bizarre, reverence into fear... using the culture of beings in the Small World as raw material to brew the most intense terror.
This "familiar thing abnormality" is indeed the sharpest blade of fear to pierce the heart’s defenses.
Visitor No. 1’s in-depth explanation made Wei Shan’s eyes shine brightly.
Feeling as if a new door had been opened.
The analysis of cultural roots and the logic of fear was like a precise scalpel, dissecting his previously vague nightmare scene concepts, making how to efficiently harvest Shock Value crystal clear.
Ending the exchange, Wei Shan sincerely thanked Visitor No. 1, then turned his head to the Guiding Water Ball floating beside him:
"Brother Guide, I have a question to ask."
[Go ahead!]
"I want to learn about the Small World that gave birth to the Virtual Rune Legion, related information...."
...
Three days later.
While browsing the latest updated materials in the library, Wei Shan received a private ssage from the head of the Gold Coin Chamber of Comrce’s "Space Research Team".
Informing him that the Space Transmission Array had been completed and could be activated at any ti to head to: teor World.
But it’s a one-way ticket; the ripped passage would close after transmission, but the "Array Base" can be preserved for future use.
In this regard, Wei Shan completely understood.
Keeping the Transmission Array open continuously requires constant energy consumption, and the Void would also continually erode the Array Base.
A stable open state is equivalent to the point card mode in gas, continuously deducting fees.
The most economical plan is one-way transmission, closing it after transmitting.
As for a return ticket.
Being a player, this issue does not exist.
They have more convenient and economical tricks: Soul Return to Emperor Zhao.
A traveler away from ho, no matter how far from ho, can look at their hotown’s land within an hour, reborn under Brother Di Zhao’s divine light (white light).
Upon receiving the notification, Wei Shan did not linger; he traveled through the Transmission Array of Imperial Tomb Village to the Colorful Mist Coast Region.
The Transmission Array was set on an open space to the west of the Colorful Mist Coast Node, not on Dream Island.
After all, Dream Island is the territory of the Gold Coin Chamber of Comrce, all land will be developed for future use, and it cannot reserve the Array Base for him for long.
Half an hour later, Wei Shan t with the Gold Coin Chamber of Comrce mbers at the agreed location.
The other party looked like a player of the Moon Eclipse Clan, about 20 years old, extrely handso.
At his feet was the tiny Transmission Array specially built for him, occupying only around five square ters.
The Array Base’s Spiritual Patterns seed intricate, each node inlaid with a piece of Energy Baryte.
Without nonsense, Wei Shan directly initiated the transaction, providing the final paynt:
"I don’t know how to use the Transmission Array, so I’ll leave its activation to you."
"Don’t rush, let go over the transmission matters with you once again, there’s a 30% chance of being swallowed by Space Reverse Flow during this transmission, but I can wait here for you. You can attempt multiple transmissions after death and resurrection, but each transmission fee is your responsibility."
"Understood." Wei Shan, who had already familiarized himself with the related content, nodded to express his understanding.
Then, under the guidance of the Gold Coin Chamber of Comrce mber, he stood at the center of the Array.
Soon, the Array was activated.
In an instant, a blue halo erupted from the ground, entwining his body like a living being.
The scene before his eyes began to distort violently.
A strong sense of weightlessness followed, as if the land beneath his feet was turning into a black hole vortex, pulling his body downward constantly.
The space ahead was collapsing, forming a passage that extended endlessly into the unknown.
His body was sucked into it, flying forward continuously with the extension of the passage.
Within the space tunnel, there was no concept of "up, down, left, right," with space reverse flow vortexes occasionally appearing in the colored tunnel.
As long as you touch them, you would be dragged into the Void, Soul Returning to Emperor Zhao.
The concept of ti beca blurred during the transmission.
After an unknown period, Wei Shan’s vision suddenly widened.
Flying out of the space tunnel, he found himself high above, falling rapidly, with an endless ocean below.
He summoned the map function.
The four big words "teor World" appeared on the map; apart from his current location, other areas were still shrouded in Mist, unexplored.
In a flash of thought, the coat on Wei Shan’s body transford into pixel particles and converged into a Floating Skateboard under his feet.
Next, he decided to explore the Small World first, dispelling the map fog.
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