Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Yaragiel.”

Sawdust, the stench of alcohol, and crimson.

Inside the House of Nightmares, two evil entities who had long been separated were holding a cordial meeting.

Amid the intense atmosphere, Dayun Mingwang, who had finally been willing to remove his mask, slowly repeated the name provided by the God Corroder.

Neither spiderwebs entangled him, nor did locusts fall from the sky; everything remained as quiet as before.

”You didn’t just make that up, did you?”

Seeing that speaking the name directly had drawn no divine punishment, Fu Qian frowned, suddenly worrying about its authenticity.

”Heh... so what kind of reaction did you imagine there would be?”

The Persuader gave a cold sneer, his demeanor full of the disdain of one whose upright body is not afraid of a crooked shadow.

”Among the many higher wills, He is indeed one of the more active ones, but only relatively active. What reason would He have to pay any mind to your probing?””Not to mention that to Him, both you and I are merely among His few high-quality tools.”

He certainly had a clear understanding of his own situation.

Despite the other party’s rude tone, Dayun Mingwang was pleased rather than angry.

Brother Persuader would always be such an excellent target for communication, and even trade.

Marveling inwardly, Fu Qian gave a slight nod.

”Since He is so low-profile, how did you come to know this name?”

”Could it be that while you outwardly pursue freedom, you were actually officially recruited long ago and hold a certificate personally signed by Him?”

”...There is no need to provoke me like this. I have never forgotten your past actions. That trick no longer works on me.”

Although he said that, the Persuader’s emotions clearly still fluctuated slightly at having his motives misunderstood.

Fortunately, thanks to the harsh lessons of his previous setbacks, he quickly reacted and instantly brought his feelings under control.

”I have already said enough. If you want to know more, then you had best produce chips of sufficient value.”

”Indeed, one must look with new eyes after three days apart!”

With his attempt to freeload instantly seen through, Fu Qian clapped his hands in delight.

”Communicating with Brother Persuader is truly becoming more and more refreshing. Rest assured, you will definitely be interested in my bargaining chips.”

Taking a deep breath, Fu Qian’s expression turned serious.

”Under the current severe circumstances, and in light of the precious intelligence you are about to provide, I am prepared to let bygones be bygones and carry you through this level.”

Carry you through this level...

It was obvious that the Persuader was already having somewhat of a stress response to this phrasing.

Following Fu Qian’s impassioned speech, the air grew terrifyingly quiet.

The Persuader’s face—his only feature that could still be considered human—practically sank to the floor; he was clearly recalling the past.

”Apologies. I am indeed interested in this matter, but given your prior performance, the weight of a simple promise is no longer enough.”

But he was a mentally mature individual after all. Even so, he did not flap his wings and storm off, but merely spoke coldly.

”I know, which is why, to make up for it, you no longer have to sneak around. You can directly take full control of this dreamscape.”

Fu Qian clearly anticipated this and replied without any hesitation.

...

As a negotiation expert, how could Fu Qian have failed to evaluate the resistance of his former partner?

Since he dared to restart their cooperation, he naturally had a substantial show of sincerity prepared in advance.

”I don’t quite understand what you mean. It’s just a residual dream. Why would I want to control it, and what meaning would there be in doing so...”

The Persuader’s defensive murmurs grew quieter and quieter. Dayun Mingwang’s placid gaze was filled with a firm resolve to not waste time.

”When did you find out?”

Seeing this, he hesitated briefly before directly switching the question.

”Although we are on good terms, your coming in here requires a reason beyond just catching up.”

This time, Fu Qian finally gave a satisfied response.

”My praise just now was genuine. Having not seen you for a while, Brother Persuader has indeed made considerable progress.”

”Not only did you use the last incident to immediately show weakness and lower everyone’s guard to the maximum, but even your means of Divine Corrosion seem much more concealed. Your condition isn’t as bad as you’ve made it out to be, is it?”

”Go on.”

His expression shifting, the Persuader did not directly answer the question, but instead encouraged him to continue speaking.

”Actually, you have already done quite well. It’s just a pity that, as I said just now, when it comes to things like manipulating a Nightmare and inflicting mental pollution, my experience is simply far too rich.”

Fu Qian clearly felt absolutely no shame regarding his own wicked life.

”After I discovered your secret spying, your reaction was also of a rather high caliber. First you hesitated, and then you showed yourself to confess.”

”You didn’t even waste the cover provided by that awkwardness; you played dumb while quietly fighting for control over this Nightmare.”

”Even for me, it was only by starting from your motives that I managed to retroactively find a few traces.”

”So actually, I should have been the one to ask that question. It’s nothing more than a residual dream, so what value does it hold for you to take such a bold risk?”

Gesturing to the side, Fu Qian did not hide his confusion.

”Don’t tell me you fell in love at first sight with the one on the bed or something.”

”Very well...”

Following Fu Qian’s gesture, the Persuader actually turned his head to glance at the drunken young woman.

Of course, from his demeanor, it was evident that this Realm of Carnal Sin, seen through Jiang En’s eyes, held zero appeal for him. He looked entirely like someone weighing the gains and losses of a transaction.

”Even if the initial dreamwalker leaves, as long as the dreamscape can be maintained, one can still attempt to capture him the next time he enters a dream... regardless of what he originally dreamt about.”

This deliberation did not take long. Very soon, the Persuader expressed his stance by answering the question from just before.

”So that’s how it is... It seems you highly approve of my judgment!”

At this, Fu Qian responded with a tone of sudden realization, clicking his tongue in marvel.

”...Although his Rank is not high, this little vampire is indeed an excellent choice.”

Once he made his decision, the Persuader’s attitude was fairly straightforward, immediately evaluating Taylor’s worth.

”While he is sensitive to the Transcendent Tier, his body and spirit are also relatively resilient.”

”Impulsive, simple-minded, and easy to guide. At the same time, one can see that he is extremely prideful. If slight abnormalities appear early on, there is a high probability he won’t seek help from others.”

”I must say, your luck is truly quite good. To encounter such a great opportunity on just your second try.”

The envy and jealousy in the Persuader’s tone sounded quite sincere.

”Is that also why you were cursing just now?”

Looking as if he thoroughly enjoyed hearing that, Fu Qian asked with a beaming smile.

”Yes... I completely fail to comprehend why you would waste it, especially when taking control of the dreamscape went surprisingly smoothly.”

The Persuader admitted that he had been the one to yell ”bastard” earlier.

”Do you have any idea that after interrupting it once like this, even if he enters a dream again, his vigilance will be greatly heightened, and the difficulty of polluting him will be far higher than the first time!”

”Yet you still wish to expend the effort to claim him.”

Fu Qian did not defend himself against this. Instead, he gave a slight nod and pivoted to another point.

”Your enthusiasm... I have received it.”