Eldritch Horror Theatre

The old man from Anjing was clearly a repeat offender at this!

His mind racing with connections, Fu Qian marveled inwardly.

From the Miracle Potion to Universal Infamy, they were skirting the line far too aggressively!

If concepts like legend status and cognitive occupation still seemed like a joke...

...then that giant human-faced toad—called Elegy on the program, if he remembered correctly—certainly did not. Fu Qian would never believe it had nothing to do with extraordinary power.

This was likely why Anjing Company, despite its immense influence, still resorted to such roundabout methods.

Just like with the Miracle Potion, whenever extraordinary powers were involved, their chosen entrance was always framed as answering the expectations of the masses.

They were far too skilled at manipulating public opinion.

This time, they were even using an entertainment program to subtly guide the audience’s interests.

Otherwise, given the sensitivity of the Night Watchers, such a large-scale disturbance would almost certainly bring them knocking on their door.Of course, in another aspect, this was just like the Miracle Potion incident—it was hard to pin down Anjing Company’s true motive for doing all this.

At least on the surface, he really couldn’t see what benefits they were reaping.

Truly worthy of a business magnate who had lived for two hundred years; their grasp of boundaries was impeccable!

”Do you know where this place is?”

Fu Qian pointed at the screen and asked Su Gao.

The girl was being overly modest. Earlier, she had claimed to know very little, but judging from her subsequent explanation, her knowledge of the situation was actually quite extensive.

”It’s not too far from here. Normally, it’s about a three-hour journey.”

As expected, Su Gao did not disappoint him. She pondered briefly before giving a travel estimate.

”You want to go take a look?”

”No—”

Fu Qian shook his head.

”It is you who wants to go take a look, Madam Violeta.”

Make the best use of everyone. Given the groundwork laid during their interaction with Carlos earlier, his best option right now was to play the role of Madam Violeta’s obedient puppet and follow her orders.

...

”Then let’s set off as soon as possible. This thing is indeed wondrous, and definitely worth checking out.”

Su Gao caught on instantly. She agreed without hesitation and stood up.

A child worthy of teaching!

Fu Qian praised her inwardly and rose to follow.

...

”The attention we’re getting isn’t too exaggerated.”

As the train slowly started moving, Su Gao glanced around and whispered.

”Yeah, at least when we were buying tickets, nobody rushed up to pin us down.”

Fu Qian wholeheartedly agreed.

Along the way, the various factions keeping an eye on them had clearly been stirred up.

Yet, right up until they boarded the train, no one took direct action. They merely sent people to trail them from a distance.

This was the true stability of a triangle.

The beauty of mathematics was exactly this.

”Besides, this was Captain Lai Ge’s personal suggestion. I’m just readily accepting good advice.”

This wasn’t nonsense. Earlier, Lai Ge had repeatedly told him to try breaking the dimensional wall through notoriety.

”Get some rest. In a bit, we’ll go check out that Elegy together.”

Although this trip wasn’t a fast-paced investigation, they wouldn’t just casually waste time either.

Fu Qian’s proactive decision to head out this time might have been suspected of serving as a smokescreen, but more importantly, he was genuinely somewhat interested in that thing.

If his previous guess was true, he could imagine that the Origin Council was treating Ye Island as a giant testing ground. Fu Qian didn’t mind thoroughly studying the test results they had painstakingly orchestrated.

After all, aside from being an operations advisor for the Night Watchers, he was also an Academy instructor!

Of course, the journey wasn’t entirely without surprises, such as—

”What a coincidence!”

The next moment, a familiar voice rang out.

Fu Qian withdrew his gaze from the window and spotted two familiar faces.

Kana Kisaragi and Takagi.

The couple was neatly dressed and walking arm in arm with an air of intimacy. Brother Takagi was currently greeting him with a gentle expression.

They had actually come over.

Fu Qian calmly exchanged a glance with Su Gao.

They had naturally noticed these two strange stalkers earlier, but hadn’t expected them to actually approach.

”Yes, what a coincidence.”

Fu Qian responded with a smile while sizing up Takagi.

Human nature was truly bizarre. It had only been a few hours since they last met, yet Brother Takagi now seemed like a completely different person. He had a steady demeanor, a firm gaze, and carried himself with effortless grace.

Beside him, Kana Kisaragi was smiling radiantly, radiating charm with every glance. Standing together, they looked like a match made in heaven.

Naturally, Fu Qian didn’t believe this was a coincidence. The two had clearly followed them on purpose.

They had probably been keeping a close eye on his movements even prior to this.

The real question was: why?

Fu Qian could completely understand why the Night Watchers and Anjing Company’s people would tail him, but he couldn’t think of a single reason why these two would insist on joining the fray.

”Where is Mister Dancy heading?”

Kana Kisaragi took a seat beside Takagi and asked quite naturally.

Compared to her demeanor during the Miracle Potion test, the young woman was much more subdued and spoke with far greater politeness. She gave off the impression of someone who had undergone significant personal growth.

Unfortunately, Fu Qian and Su Gao knew that the thing which had ’grown’ was something else entirely.

”To check out my level of infamy.”

Fu Qian waved a hand and made a pressing gesture in the air.

”That’s great! We were just planning to head there too!”

Before Kana Kisaragi could say anything, Takagi already wore a knowing expression.

His confident and composed tone made it hard to associate him with that small room covered in photographs.

While everyone had their own little secrets, and Fu Qian was no moral judge, witnessing this scene still left him sighing that a knife is at the head of the character for lust.

He could figure out with his toes that this ’coincidence’ was orchestrated by Kana Kisaragi.

As for her specific motive, it was still hard to guess. Perhaps some special change had rapidly boosted her ego, making her want to show off in front of the man who had previously rejected her charm?

Acting on petty pride was risky. This lovely couple had no idea what they were getting themselves into!

Stepping into this triangle with a Mortal Body could no longer be described as dancing on a knife’s edge; it was practically dancing inside a meat grinder.

Fu Qian lamented silently and gestured toward the corner of the carriage.

”It’s more comfortable over there. You can go sit in that corner.”

”Alright.”

Faced with this rather blunt imperative, both Takagi and Kana Kisaragi readily agreed.

The next moment, the two stood up without any complaints, walked straight to the spot Fu Qian had indicated, and sat down earnestly.

The reason they were so cooperative was actually very simple. When Fu Qian delivered that imperative, he simultaneously activated the Commandment Residue.

They still had a long journey ahead, and he had zero interest in playing games like the return of the Dragon King or severing one’s inner demon with this couple.

As for Su Gao, it went without saying. Although she seemed quite happy playing Madam Violeta, forcing her to stay in character for a nearly three-hour scene—he wasn’t that cruel of a person.