Eldritch Horror Theatre

Fu Qian wasn’t just talking nonsense.

He had good reason to conclude that the book Taylor produced was actually a diary.

When he casually flipped it open, the page read:

”Reael does not truly have feelings for me. What drew her to me was a thirst for my power, and she uses her superb acting skills to conceal this...”

That was quite a bit to unpack!

Fu Qian nodded repeatedly as he read, shooting Taylor a meaningful look.

”So your book is a romance novel?”

”Strictly speaking, it is an ancient notebook.”

Sitting across the counter, Taylor had clearly read the page as well. He gave a soft cough to explain.

A notebook? That sounded much more plausible.Fu Qian looked thoughtful.

”How ancient?”

”At least a thousand years. It has been passed down by family elders for generations.”

Taylor answered calmly, a faint smile curling the corner of his mouth.

So I was just reading an angsty romance from ten centuries ago?

Fu Qian massaged his temples and flipped to the next page.

”...After repeated testing, garlic does indeed affect the condition of the Blood Clan. Though it poses no direct harm, it suppresses fertility... This is an effective method to avoid pregnancy when I am intimate with human women, ensuring I do not end up killing them as I did in the past...”

Huh?

Fu Qian double-checked. This entry was indeed right next to the angsty romance.

Naturally, Fu Qian had no comment on the original author’s romantic history.

What he wanted to point out was that the tone was completely off!

A notebook from over a thousand years ago, written entirely in modern vernacular?

No matter how flawlessly it was preserved, surely people from a millennium ago spoke a little differently, didn’t they?

The heavy sense of incongruity was like seeing the ingredients list on a century-old vintage wine printed in Microsoft YaHei font.

Heh.

Seeming to notice Fu Qian’s confusion, Taylor let out another light chuckle and casually waved a hand.

”There are so many miraculous things in this world, aren’t there? Whether people or objects.”

”Is Mister Fang wondering why you can understand its contents perfectly? The explanation is actually quite simple—it automatically alters its presentation based on the observer.”

So that was it?

That meant when he flipped through it, it automatically transformed into a format he could understand?

It truly was a supernatural item!

Moreover, not only had the man just addressed him as Mister Fang, but coupled with his next remark, he was no longer just dropping hints.

He was flat-out saying: ’I know you aren’t some ordinary Bookstore Owner. I’m here because of our past feud to see exactly what kind of monster you are.’

’Sitting before you is a supernatural item passed down in my clan for a thousand years. Never seen anything like it, have you, punk?’

’Bet that scares the life out of you, mwahaha!’

Alright, Fu Qian admitted he had just been inferring that last part based on the tone, but he couldn’t help it—it just flowed perfectly.

What arrogance!

Even so, his gaze instantly turned sharp; his immersion in the narrative was so strong that he was already getting angry.

Bang!

The next moment, Fu Qian slammed his hand onto the counter.

”How much?”

He asked with a frosty tone, meeting Taylor’s suddenly guarded gaze.

...

For a split second, Taylor almost thought the man was going to attack.

After all, based on the information gathered during their investigation, this guy didn’t just have a mysterious background; he was temperamental, eccentric, and entirely capable of attacking without a word of warning.

That was true even if Taylor had practically revealed his identity as a member of the Gulade Family, and even if they were in Shangjing.

He certainly hadn’t expected him to actually ask for a price.

”How much can you offer?”

Taylor slowly sat back in his chair, instantly adjusting his mood as he looked at Fu Qian with great interest.

”Your book is a bit too worn. It will be hard to get a good price for it.”

Fu Qian casually shook the notebook in his hand, sounding incredibly professional.

”Also, while it has a lot of pages, there is a massive amount of blank space in the back. The truly meaningful content doesn’t even make up half of it.”

Fu Qian wasn’t just making things up. With his quick flip earlier, he had easily spotted the massive number of blank pages near the back.

A thousand years and they still hadn’t filled it up? Weren’t the people in his family a bit too lazy?

”Actually, that is exactly where the value of this notebook lies.”

Taylor looked at the blank section the notebook was flipped open to.

”In the blank sections, you are free to write anything.”

”And then?”

”And then? That is where the magic of this notebook comes into play.”

Taylor let out a laugh.

”It only accepts what is ’true’.”

”If the content you write contradicts the facts, it will quickly dissipate and fail to be preserved.”

”It’s that magical?”

Listening to Taylor’s explanation, Fu Qian looked down at the notebook again.

”Feels like it would be perfect to take to a casino. You could use it to guess high or low.”

”Unfortunately, that won’t work. What you write must be something you firmly believe in without a shadow of a doubt. Any speculative content does not fall into that category.”

Taylor frowned at Fu Qian, clearly struggling to comprehend the idea of using such a supernatural item as a cheating device.

It had to be something you firmly believed in, and then it would tell you your belief was false by quickly making the words vanish?

This thing gave off a feeling of absolute malice.

However, if what Taylor said was true, that single effect alone made this supernatural item priceless.

As the saying goes, those involved are often blind to the truth. Having a chance to verify the authenticity of one’s hidden trump cards at crucial moments was absolutely invaluable.

”Truly magical!”

At this thought, Fu Qian nodded thoughtfully.

”If that is the case, I can offer one dollar.”

What?

Even someone as composed as Taylor was left dumbfounded for a moment.

”Are you joking?”

”Why would I be joking? This is just how business is done.”

Fu Qian gave him a look that seemed to say he was making a fuss over nothing.

”Do not underestimate this one dollar. My monthly revenue might not even hit that amount.”

...

With the way you run your shop, it would be a miracle if you had any revenue at all!

Taylor gnashed his teeth internally, glaring coldly at Fu Qian.

”Should I take this as an insult to my entire family?”

”Taking this kind of thing out and letting people bid on it freely is an insult to yourself, isn’t it?”

Faced with the implicit threat in those words, Fu Qian remained entirely unmoved.

”It seems Mister Fang lacks the sincerity to cooperate.”

Taylor snorted. Looking as if he didn’t want to waste another word on Fu Qian, he reached out to take the notebook back.

To his surprise, just as he reached out, the notebook was pinned down by two of Fu Qian’s fingers.

”You?”

Before Taylor could say anything else, Fu Qian searched around, finally dug out a coin, pressed it onto the table, and slid it over.

”Are you trying to force a sale now?”

There was already murderous intent in Taylor’s eyes.

”Is that not allowed?”

Fu Qian gestured with his chin toward the empty bookstore.

”I thought you only came after figuring out my style.”