Eldritch Horror Theatre

Is the gap between people really wider than the gap between humans and animals?

Not only was this former customer not avoiding him, she actually wanted to meet offline?

She hadn’t even bothered inventing an excuse, stating plainly that she just wanted to thank him.

Honestly, in this day and age, it was hard to believe such a gesture came from genuine sincerity.

Most people’s first assumption would be that she was dissatisfied with the results and wanted to trick him into revealing his address for an in-person negative review.

Yet her sheer candor piqued a bit of Fu Qian’s interest.

He checked when the message had been sent. It was from over a month ago.

”Read.”

After a moment’s thought, Fu Qian casually replied with that single word and went back to scrolling through the forum.

”Today?”Unexpectedly, a new reply popped up less than ten seconds later.

Wasn’t it the middle of the night? What kind of sleep schedules did people keep these days?

Fu Qian frowned slightly. Faced with this behavior of treating email like an instant messaging app, he sighed deeply at how human hearts are no longer pure.

”Do you know where I am?”

Proposing a time with such confidence suggested she already had a good grasp of his location.

”I have a rough idea. Don’t forget I paid you, even if it wasn’t a direct transaction.”

Her reply was as candid as ever.

He knew none of these supposed safety and privacy measures could truly be relied upon.

Fu Qian let out a sigh, though he didn’t feel particularly bothered by someone keeping tabs on him.

...

The Mirror, the photograph, the Bracelet, and now Ji Feng...

No matter how he looked at it, he definitely wasn’t the first Warehouse Manager in this world!

Sitting on a high stool by the window, Fu Qian gazed outside, recounting his recent experiences.

He had previously considered tracing his predecessors’ footsteps for reference.

However, Brother Jifeng’s condition did not feel like good news.

True, her current rank was quite high, even giving off the feeling of holding authority and having Longevity Equal to Heaven and Earth.

But just the fact that she needed the Warehouse to help stabilize her mental state didn’t look too promising.

Yet the more that was the case, the more he felt he should figure out what had happened to her and use it as a cautionary tale.

Speaking of which, hadn’t he encountered a few too many people with the surname Ji?

...

”Consultant?”

Amid his thoughts, a soft, pleasant voice rang out behind him.

”Yes.”

Fu Qian didn’t even turn his head. He glanced at the clock on the opposite wall; it was exactly noon.

She was truly punctual.

Reflected in the glass, he could see his guest was a young woman.

She had smooth, long hair and wore light makeup. Below her pale purple wrap dress, her slender, fair calves were exposed, giving her an intellectual and elegant air.

As a consultant with professional ethics, Fu Qian had always based his analysis solely on the information provided by the client, never prying into their privacy. Therefore, this was his first time seeing what his customer actually looked like.

Judging purely by her appearance, she really didn’t look like someone who would visit that kind of weird forum.

”Please, have a seat.”

Fu Qian finally turned around and offered a gesture of invitation.

”What would you like to drink?”

Indeed, he had chosen the exact same coffee shop where he had hosted Brother Jiang Yuanliang, even picking the very same seat.

”I’ll have whatever you’re having.”

Stepping to the opposite side of the table, the female customer was very agreeable.

”Thank you again for your help earlier.”

Upon sitting down, the very first thing she did was solemnly express her gratitude.

”Of course.”

Is it not delightful to have friends visit from afar? After replying politely, Fu Qian casually refrained from asking for her name.

He wasn’t deliberately playing hard to get. This involved a very realistic problem—asking for her name naturally meant he would have to introduce himself.

And based on his past experiences, he knew that anyone who could match his face to his name gained the ability to ”call” him.

Though it wasn’t a huge deal, for the sake of peace and quiet, Fu Qian obviously had no interest in proactively increasing the number of people who could do so.

”Why did you want to make a special trip just to thank me in person?”

Naturally, this omitted introduction didn’t hinder their conversation, and he posed the question casually.

”I have to say, your previous advice truly benefited me a lot.”

”However, thinking back on it later, I felt like something was missing. It seemed I had to get a look at the person who advised me in order to solidify my resolve.”

Staring at Fu Qian’s face, the female customer frowned and shook her head, as if she felt somewhat helpless about her own reasoning.

”To be honest, though, you are far younger than I imagined. It makes me feel somewhat ashamed of the confusion I displayed back then.”

”That isn’t meant to question your expertise, of course. In fact, I’m feeling much better right now.”

”You’re welcome. Although, under normal circumstances, this falls outside my scope of service.”

Fu Qian nodded.

He could more or less understand the subtle psychological state she was describing.

But that didn’t mean he completely believed everything she said.

There were some things that even the person involved would struggle to recognize.

”Apologies for taking so long to reply, but you certainly answered fast.”

He noted this without a change in expression.

”It was a coincidence. I happened to be around right then.”

The female customer smiled slightly.

Happened to be around?

Fu Qian’s peculiar feeling grew even stronger.

Ever since he became a task runner, the probability of coincidences seemed far too high.

Especially after learning that a certain Deity Level figure might also hail from this world, it was hard not to wonder whether she had manipulated it in some way or left behind some strange things.

Including, but not limited to, the two previous transcendent items, and—

The next moment, Fu Qian saw Tan Ying outside the window. Laden with bags large and small, she was staring at him with wide eyes.

She truly was young; once her mental knot had been untied, she was full of life and energy by the very next day.

Fu Qian sighed with emotion and casually waved a greeting.

”What a coincidence. This is...”

Seeing that Fu Qian didn’t seem to mind, Tan Ying promptly walked through the door.

Greeting him familiarly, she naturally glanced over at the female customer.

However, before Fu Qian could answer, her eyes lit up.

”A client?”

As she spoke, she even subconsciously peeked at the female customer’s wrists.

”A client.”

Fu Qian nodded, confirming her assumption.

Although Tan Ying was clearly referring to the wealthy woman he had mentioned before, calling the person sitting in front of him a client was absolutely accurate.

As for what she was looking for with those darting glances, Fu Qian understood perfectly—her Bracelet.

Previously, when he had spent 180,000 to buy it from her, she had misunderstood, thinking he intended to give it to a client.

What a pity that the thing had long since turned to ash.

”Nice to meet you. I’m Tan Ying, and you are?”

Amid his musings, Tan Ying had already sat down beside him, looking completely exhausted.

”Just call me Sissi.”

The female customer smiled amiably, seemingly not quite understanding why this girl kept staring at her hands.

”I happened to have some free time today, so I came to visit my consultant.”

Everything this guy had said was actually true? He really was working as a consultant?

At those words, Tan Ying immediately looked at Fu Qian in shock.

He even had more than one wealthy female client?