Eldritch Horror Theatre

As it turned out, Su Gao had recovered quite well; she had even learned to joke.

After Fu Qian treated her to some pastries, she was ready to set off immediately. Before leaving, she expressed her envy of The Bookstore.

”Sitting here every day, doing nothing but reading and eating pastries—what a wonderful life!”

”It seems you still haven’t adapted to your new identity. You’re a proper Demigod now; your ambitions are far too small.”

”To each their own. Mr. Fu, didn’t you open this shop exactly because you enjoy this kind of life?”

’Enjoy?’

Hearing Su Gao’s question, Fu Qian fell into deep thought, recalling everything he had done since opening the shop.

”I enjoy it, but the joy comes from something else.”

”Hmm?”

Their pleasant conversation came to an end as Demigod Su finally stood up to take her leave, striding away with firm steps.Judging by what she had said, she had no intention of going back to see Yuan Shan.

It was obvious that while she kept quiet, she saw the situation with crystal clarity.

She had long since seen through Yuan Shan’s attempt to use her to test him, and she was using this departure to express her displeasure.

The same went for Fu Qian.

For him, this trip had been well worth it. Not only had he obtained information regarding the Origin Council, but he had also gained a powerful enforcer he could summon at any time.

As for Yuan Shan, let her keep guessing.

Cleaning up the pile of completely emptied pastry boxes, Fu Qian simply took off his mask.

...

[Identity verification complete. Today’s work begins.]

[Warning: Containment Breach.]

[Name: Unclean Ecstasy, Code: 2-095]

After resting for a day, Fu Qian had barely entered the Warehouse when he was enveloped by a cloud of pink mist.

He was already completely unfazed by this.

However, the color of this particular mist was quite distinct. Swirling brightly all around him, it gave the dim space an inexplicably intimate atmosphere.

[Today’s task updated: Enter the Containment Scenario of 2-095 and complete re-containment.]

[Select the skills and equipment you wish to bring.]

’No ability restrictions? Good news.’

Fu Qian nodded in satisfaction and began adjusting his loadout according to the prompt.

His skill configuration was actually quite simple—bring everything he could. He hadn’t hit the limit yet anyway.

As for equipment, he chose to wear his three rings once again and play the Lord of the Rings.

[Entering 2-095 Containment Scenario.]

[Current SAN Value: 194. Current inspiration: 71.]

[...1%...5%...15%...55%...75%...95%...100%. Containment Scenario loaded.]

[This is a quiet night, and you have strayed into a place you shouldn’t be.

Everything you see and hear is entirely unfathomable, constantly battering against your perception.

And while your eyes have been opened to new horizons, you have also been dragged into trouble because of it.]

’What’s going on?’

The moment his vision returned, Fu Qian almost thought the Warehouse had crashed during the loading process.

His surroundings were just as dim and tinted with that same pink.

However, the warmth pressing against his back quickly overturned that theory.

”Guess who?”

As a pair of hands covered his eyes, an elegant, melodious voice rang out from behind him.

’Female, alive, unknown.’

Before the woman had even finished speaking, Fu Qian’s mind had already fired off a series of conclusions.

The delicate, slender fingers, the soft scent of hand cream, along with the soft, yielding sensation and warmth pressed against his back, told him this was a living, flesh-and-blood body.

She wasn’t just in the prime of her youth; she was also exquisitely maintained.

Faced with this suggestive question, Fu Qian didn’t rush to speak.

From the system’s introduction just now, he knew his current identity was that of an uninvited guest.

There was a high probability that this woman had mistaken him for someone else.

Judging by the tactile sensation on his face, he was currently wearing a half-mask.

’A Masquerade? And I sneaked in? Only to be mistaken for someone else and approached the moment I arrived?’

’If that guess is right, the trouble mentioned in the prompt really wasn’t a joke.’

However, unlike the Emissary, even though this mask was made of extraordinary material, it was ultimately just a mundane mask—just like the woman behind him.

Although her life force was vigorous and fresh, she was absolutely not a transcendent.

After a half-second of consideration, Fu Qian abandoned the thought of simply knocking her unconscious and turned around.

An elegant young woman stood right behind him.

She wore a delicate black-and-gold mask with complex patterns traced around the eyes, leaving her delicate chin and full, flushed lips exposed.

Further down, a long, sweeping gown tightly hugged her curvaceous figure. The sheer amount of blindingly luxurious accessories she wore screamed immense wealth.

”Ah! It seems I’ve got the wrong person!”

As soon as Fu Qian turned his head, the woman seemed to realize her mistake, covering her mouth with a gasp.

Fu Qian wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

After all, it was common knowledge that these masks covering only half the face were basically the equivalent of cross-dressing tropes in television dramas.

Nowadays, they had practically become bedroom toys.

In this so-called Masquerade, as long as you were even slightly familiar with the person, recognizing them wasn’t hard at all.

He was just considering what to use to gag her if she screamed, but to his surprise, her shock quickly dissolved into a string of giggles.

”To think I actually got the wrong person. This is... just wonderful!”

As she spoke, she even licked her lips with her bright red tongue.

’Hmm? Getting the wrong person makes it wonderful?’

’What kind of logic is that?’

The young woman’s reaction was genuinely unexpected.

”Sir, would you mind asking me to dance?”

The very next moment, this aristocratic-looking woman actively extended an invitation to Fu Qian.

”Just like them?”

Fu Qian pointed behind her.

In that brief moment, he had already observed his surroundings.

This was a modestly sized banquet hall. Currently, the lighting was dim and the music was sultry.

Upstairs and downstairs, nearly a hundred masked men and women of various skin tones and ages mingled, parading back and forth in outrageously lavish evening wear.

On the adjacent dance floor, quite a few gentlemen and ladies had paired up, stepping precisely to a well-practiced rhythm, looking entirely serious.

Of course, they would look a lot more serious if they were willing to wear a bit more clothing.

Unfortunately, at this very moment, the only things covering their bodies were their masks.

”Of course.”

The woman looked at Fu Qian and replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

’Did I really stumble into some perverted gathering?’

Fu Qian thought to himself.

Having already swept his gaze across the room, he noted that among all the people present, there wasn’t a single transcendent. They were all ordinary humans.

But perversion didn’t discriminate. Even if they were just a bunch of ordinary people, it didn’t stop their behavior from causing Mental Shock.

”I don’t dance.”

Faced with the woman’s passionate invitation, Fu Qian shook his head in rejection.

The woman was clearly a bit surprised, but her reaction was once again unexpected.

”So direct?”

She leaned her body even closer, her gaze growing increasingly sultry.

”Actually, I agree. Maintaining a little mystery is even better.”

”Shall we go rest on the side? I’m sure you’ll be absolutely delicious.”

’Is she inviting me to a room for some unspeakable activities?’

”Sure.”

It seemed Su Gao had recovered quite well; she had even learned how to crack jokes.

After Fu Qian treated her to some pastries, she prepared to head out, expressing a longing for The Bookstore before she left.

”Sitting here every day, with nothing to do but read and eat pastries—what a wonderful life!”

”It seems you still haven’t adapted to your new identity,” he said. ”You’re a dignified demigod. Your ambitions are a bit small.”

”Everyone has their preferences,” she replied. ”Mr. Fu, didn’t you open this shop because you enjoy this kind of life?”

’Enjoy it?’

Hearing Su Gao’s question, Fu Qian fell deep into thought, recalling everything he had done since opening for business.

”I enjoy it, but I find joy in different things.”

”Hmm?”

Amid their pleasant conversation, Demigod Su finally stood up to bid him farewell, leaving with firm steps.

From her tone, she had no intention of going back to see Yuan Shan.

Though she didn’t say it aloud, it was obvious her mind was as clear as a mirror.

She had long since seen through Yuan Shan’s intention to use her as a test, and she was expressing her displeasure this way.

Fu Qian felt the same.

To him, this visit had been well worth the effort. Not only had he obtained information regarding the Origin Council, but he had also gained a powerful enforcer he could summon at any time.

As for Yuan Shan, let her take her time guessing.

After cleaning up the pile of empty pastry boxes, Fu Qian straightforwardly took off his mask.

...

[Identity verification complete. Today’s work begins.]

[Warning. Leak incident.]

[Name: Unclean Ecstasy. Codename: 2-095.]

After a day of rest, Fu Qian had barely entered the Warehouse when he was engulfed by a cloud of pink mist.

By now, this failed to elicit even the slightest ripple of emotion from him.

It was just that the color of this mist was a bit peculiar. It swirled around him in vibrant pinkish-red, making the dim space look inexplicably suggestive.

[Today’s work content has been updated: Enter 2-095’s Containment Scenario and complete the re-containment.]

[Select the skills and equipment you wish to carry.]

’No ability restrictions? Good news.’

Fu Qian nodded in satisfaction and began his configuration according to the prompt.

His skill configuration plan was actually very simple—take everything he could. He hadn’t reached the limit yet anyway.

As for equipment, he chose to wear his three rings again and act as the Lord of the Rings.

[Entering the 2-095 Containment Scenario...]

[Current SAN Value: 194. Current inspiration: 71.]

[...1%... 5%... 15%... 55%... 75%... 95%... 100%. Containment Scenario loaded.]

[This is a quiet night, and you have wandered into a place you shouldn’t have. The sights and sounds before your eyes are incredibly bizarre, constantly assaulting your cognition. And while your eyes have been opened wide, you have also been drawn into trouble because of it.]

’What’s the situation?’

The moment his vision returned, Fu Qian almost thought the Warehouse had crashed during the loading process.

This was because the scene before him was similarly dim and tinged with pink.

However, the warmth pressing against his back quickly overturned that possibility.

”Guess who?”

As his eyes were covered by a pair of hands, an elegant, melodious voice rang out behind him.

Female, alive, unfamiliar.

Before the other party even finished speaking, Fu Qian had already drawn a series of conclusions.

From the delicate, slender fingers, the soft scent of hand cream, and the yielding warmth pressing against his back, he knew this was a flesh-and-blood, living body.

Not only was she in the blooming prime of her youth, but she was also well-maintained.

Faced with this suggestive question, Fu Qian wasn’t in a hurry to speak.

From the introduction just now, he knew his current identity was that of an uninvited guest.

There was a high probability that this woman had mistaken him for someone else.

Because from the tactile sensation on his face, he knew he was currently wearing a half-mask.

’A masquerade? And I sneaked in? Now someone has mistaken my identity and approached me?’

If this guess was true, the trouble mentioned in the prompt really wasn’t a joke.

However, unlike the Emissary, even though the material of this mask was extraordinary, at the end of the day, it was just an ordinary mask—just like the woman behind him.

Although she was brimming with vigorous life, she was absolutely not a transcendent.

After half a second of consideration, Fu Qian abandoned the thought of simply knocking her unconscious and turned around.

A beautiful young woman was standing behind him.

She wore an exquisite black and gold mask with intricate patterns outlined around the eyes, leaving her perky chin and full, rosy lips exposed.

Further down was a long, sweeping gown that hugged her curvy figure. Its various ornaments were blindingly brilliant, the entire ensemble practically screaming its exorbitant value.

”Ah! It seems I have the wrong person!”

As soon as Fu Qian turned around, she seemed to realize her mistake, letting out a surprised cry and covering her mouth.

Fu Qian wasn’t surprised by this at all.

After all, it was common knowledge that masks covering only half the face were basically as effective as a woman cross-dressing as a man in a TV drama.

Nowadays, they were practically adult toys.

In this kind of so-called masquerade, as long as one was even slightly familiar with a person, recognizing them was completely effortless.

He was just considering what to use to gag her if she started screaming, but to his surprise, the woman let out a string of giggles after her initial shock.

”To think I actually got the wrong person. This is... just perfect!”

As she spoke, she even licked her lips with a bright red tongue.

’Hmm? Getting the wrong person is perfect?’

’What kind of thought process is this?’

The young woman’s reaction was truly a bit unexpected.

”Sir, would you care to ask me for a dance?”

A moment later, this young woman exuding an air of nobility actively extended an invitation to Fu Qian.

”Like them?”

Fu Qian pointed behind her.

In this brief time, he had already observed his surroundings.

It was a moderately sized banquet hall. The lighting was dim, and the music playing was seductive.

Upstairs and downstairs, nearly a hundred masked men and women of various skin tones and ages mingled back and forth in extravagantly gorgeous formal wear.

And right now, on the dance floor nearby, quite a few gentlemen and ladies were paired up, stepping through well-practiced dance moves with complete solemnity.

Of course, if they were willing to wear a bit more clothing, they would look even more solemn.

Unfortunately, at this very moment, the only coverings on their entire bodies were their masks.

”Of course,” the young woman said completely naturally, looking at Fu Qian.

’So I really did wander into some perverted gathering?’

Fu Qian thought to himself.

He had already swept his gaze over the room again. With so many people present, there wasn’t a single transcendent; they were all ordinary humans.

However, perversion knew no boundaries. Even though they were just a bunch of ordinary people, it didn’t stop their actions from inflicting a mental shock on others.

”I don’t know how.”

Faced with the young woman’s enthusiastic invitation, Fu Qian shook his head in refusal.

The woman was visibly surprised, but her reaction was once again unexpected.

”So direct?”

She leaned her body even closer, the gaze she directed at him growing increasingly suggestive.

”Actually, I also think it’s better to keep some sense of mystery.”

”Shall we go rest on the side? I’m sure you must be very delicious.”

’Is she inviting me into a room to do the indescribable?’

”Sure.”