Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Interesting. It feels like it’s my turn to report you to the casino.”

Ross clearly knew what he was looking at. Even from that fleeting glimpse, he instantly understood the reason for Moglin’s respectful attitude.

”Yes, it seems we’ve finally reached an understanding for equal communication.”

Fu Qian was completely unconcerned by the threat. He nodded and took a seat off to the side.

”You two clearly aren’t ordinary people. But did you really go looking for Sharman?”

Ross narrowed his eyes, thinking for a moment before asking.

”Logically, she should have come to you for her money, right? Of course, she hasn’t because she’s currently too busy counting her cash to spare the time.”

Fu Qian offered a brief explanation to clear up his confusion.

”Besides, the person we originally went to find was Alan.”

”First Moglin, and then Alan... You really are fixated on Midas.”Ross clearly knew the list of lucky winners as well.

”May I ask what your purpose is in finding him?”

”Originally, we just wanted to chat. But along the way, my employer suddenly took an interest in what you were doing.”

Fu Qian gestured toward Yuan Shan. Realizing they were making progress, she immediately played along, letting out a cold scoff and adopting a haughty posture.

”Could you first explain why you had Sharman watch Alan?”

”A chat... That’s a perfectly normal reason. Lately, at least half the people in the Sacred Night Capital must have had the same idea.”

Ross let out an emotional sigh in response to Fu Qian’s explanation.

”As for having Sharman keep an eye on Alan, what do you think the reason is, Mister Xun?”

”To see if anyone was paying too much attention to Midas?”

Surprisingly, Fu Qian didn’t deflect the question.

”As the last person Midas shared his good luck with, the chances of him being approached are undoubtedly the highest. By watching him, you can practically gauge the entire city’s attitude toward Midas.”

”Of course, there is another important reason. He’s relatively easy to monitor—at least much easier than Moglin.”

”If Moglin’s luck wasn’t so terrible, he certainly wouldn’t have sunk this low.”

Ross clearly agreed with Fu Qian’s assessment.

It was evident the current situation was causing him considerable distress. So much so that he was in no hurry to say more; instead, he scratched his nose, his gaze darting rapidly between Fu Qian and Yuan Shan.

”I really didn’t expect there to be such formidable characters in the Sacred Night Capital.”

After a long while, he finally sighed and picked up his nearby drink to take a sip.

”The reason for arranging Sharman to watch Alan is simple: I’m also looking for the person you’re looking for.”

”Alan is the last lucky winner. I figured the chances of Midas appearing before him again might be a bit higher than for others. It just so happens that I’m very familiar with Sharman, so I asked her for a favor.”

”You didn’t hurt her, did you? It would be a real shame if she couldn’t dance anymore.”

This excuse was incredibly far-fetched.

Before Fu Qian could respond, Yuan Shan was already beginning to frown.

Judging by his previous reactions, the man almost certainly knew something about Midas.

Yet, facing the threat of a gun, his careful consideration had resulted in an excuse that couldn’t even fool a child.

He even had the leisure to turn around and toss in another chip after finishing his sentence.

Obviously, after judging that Fang Xun and herself were extremely dangerous, this man had weighed his options and decided to carry the burden himself.

It could be called an act of loyalty, but right now, it was somewhat of a hindrance.

”It doesn’t matter. It’s very secluded here.”

Instead of continuing to threaten the gambler, she looked directly at Fu Qian.

Naturally, Fu Qian perfectly understood the implication of her words.

This wasn’t an intimidation tactic meant for Ross to hear, but an authorization directive—no more nonsense; just resolve it directly with Transcendent Tier methods. She had the situation under control.

”How could we? I believe today’s income will definitely make Sharman fall in love with her job.”

However, Fu Qian shook his head imperceptibly, even going so far as to earnestly assure him that Sharman wasn’t hurt.

”Then I’m relieved.”

Ross looked as if he had just breathed a sigh of relief.

”May I know what you two plan to do in such a ’secluded’ place?”

After a moment’s thought, he added the question.

It was obvious that he had taken the exchange between Fu Qian and Yuan Shan purely at face value—assuming they were dissatisfied with his answer and were preparing to resort to violence.

But rationally speaking, while this area wasn’t the liveliest, there was definitely no shortage of people around. Sneaking a gun in was one thing, but actually opening fire here was something only a lunatic would do.

Their words only made him suspect that it was mostly a bluff.

”Shoot me dead right here—”

Crash!

Before Ross could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a strange noise.

The instant he realized what was happening, he darted away like a startled fish.

With a loud crash, a crystal chandelier fell from above, smashing right onto the machine he had been using.

As he scrambled up from the floor, the first thing Ross saw was Mister Xun slowly putting his gun away.

This guy actually dared to fire the gun? Had he not considered the consequences?

Also, wasn’t that speed a bit too fast? How come he hadn’t even heard the gunshot?

Amidst his racing thoughts, Ross was surprised to find that the two people who had just finished intimidating him had no intention of running away at all.

They remained exactly where they were, even as a group of staff members rushed over.

...

”Did you see anyone get into a conflict?”

The casino staff were professional indeed. After a brief inspection, someone came over to quietly inquire.

Clearly, they had discovered the true reason for the chandelier’s collapse.

Someone had actually brought a weapon inside!

Of course, what was even more puzzling was that despite shots being fired, no one was hurt.

The burly head of security looked as if his brain was struggling to process the situation.

”No.”

As the closest victim, Ross gave Fu Qian and his companion a discreet glance before finally shaking his head.

No matter how they had done it, the meaning behind their actions was simple: they didn’t mind firing a gun in the casino at all. They had made this seemingly bored gesture just to make sure he understood that point.

These were true outlaws.

He had no doubt that if he pointed them out right now, the next shot would go directly into his head.

...

”Adapting to local customs, it’s best to resolve things within the rules as much as possible.”

A few minutes later, having moved away from the scene, Fu Qian looked at Yuan Shan with a smile.

What he had just done was very simple: he had merely triggered Mercy’s Suffocation effect and fired a shot.

It proved to be exceedingly stealthy indeed.

How on earth does this count as adapting to local customs...

Yuan Shan was speechless, finding Fu Qian’s decision to stay in character somewhat hard to understand.

”But it looks like that guy is still standing firm.”

Although they hadn’t followed him too closely, Ross had remained within their line of sight the entire time.

”How could he be? Even though he hasn’t communicated with us, he’s already communicating with his own people, isn’t he?”

Fu Qian gestured for her to stay calm.

”Mister Xun?”

Sure enough, after exchanging a few words over there, Ross walked straight over to them.

”Midas wants to have a word with you.”

(End of Chapter)

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