Eldritch Horror Theatre

The more you know, the more dangerous it becomes—this had always been the rule of the transcendent world.

As the mastermind who orchestrated the exchange between Taylor and his companion, Wen Li had naturally heard the title of the King of the Abandoned Prison.

And his earlier stunt of enchanting a Calamity Bullet bare-handed made it hard not to draw a connection.

In Fu Qian’s view, the fact that Wen Li could hold back from asking was partly for her own safety, but primarily because she didn’t want to put him in a difficult spot.

In truth, Fu Qian only intended to satisfy her curiosity a little.

In a certain sense, he had truly become an evil god incarnate.

As a reasonable man, Fu Qian felt that Eldest Miss Wen—who had helped spread the legend of an ancient deity throughout the world—had the right to understand the true nature of her actions.

His previous actions had already made it abundantly clear to her that the deity known as the King of the Abandoned Prison could still bestow his mighty power.

The subsequent explanation was naturally to let her know that, to a certain extent, the King of the Abandoned Prison was a friend rather than a foe.

As the saying went, proximity to vermilion turns one red. Someone closely associated with Dayun Mingwang obviously didn’t need to worry about moral dilemmas, let alone harbor any guilt over her actions.As for whether Eldest Miss Wen believed him, Fu Qian didn’t consider that an issue at all.

”So, Mr. Fu... have you really reached Tier 2?”

Sure enough, in the next moment, Wen Li reached her own conclusion with a sigh.

A Divine Emissary—just from the title alone, it was obvious he must have forged a connection with a higher entity.

”Just a couple of days ago.”

Fu Qian made no attempt to hide this information.

Instantly, everything made sense.

...

It was apparent that Wen Li had some immunity to this revelation; after all, it had been mentioned in the dream earlier.

Yet that only highlighted the sheer, exaggerated impact of a living Tier 2 standing right in front of her.

Even with Fu Qian personally admitting it again, Eldest Miss Wen still stood in silence for nearly half a minute.

One couldn’t blame her. Half a year ago, she had been lamenting her lack of freedom within a powerful family. Now, her social circle was only one degree of separation away from a higher entity that could be called a God.

How could she not marvel at the limits of her past perspective?

”Please rest assured, I will keep this an absolute secret.”

However, having broadened her horizons by following Dayun Mingwang, Wen Li eventually reined in her emotions and solemnly declared her stance.

Mr. Fu had shared such a profound divine secret with her so straightforwardly.

Such immense trust not only moved her but also instilled in her a deep sense of responsibility as a secret-keeper.

”It’s fine.”

Instead, Fu Qian simply pointed to the bullet in her hand, signaling her not to be so tense.

”Use it freely if necessary. It won’t leave any traces.”

...

Even though it was just a small gift, Fu Qian didn’t want Eldest Miss Wen to harbor any concerns.

And his claim about leaving no traces wasn’t just empty talk.

As its creator, Fu Qian was confident in the bullet’s stability. After it hit the target and triggered an eruption of Calamity, this ordinary metal absolutely wouldn’t be able to withstand the strain. It would shatter into pieces at the very least.

Unless someone could recognize the Power of Calamity during the process, there was zero risk of exposing anything.

Even if it did somehow get exposed—

”Even if it does get noticed, don’t worry. Someone else will take the fall.”

Fu Qian continued to demonstrate his foolproof planning.

As for his handpicked scapegoats, those were naturally the Greed Worms, who had also just received his boon.

Honestly, a normal boon should have looked more like Wen Li’s situation—bestowing the Power of Calamity upon their enemies rather than giving it to them directly.

Unfortunately, the connection was far too weak. In Fu Qian’s judgment, he would likely need to activate his Mythical Form to accomplish that from across a distance.

...

”Okay.”

It was a perfectly fitting and highly practical little gift. Mr. Fu had clearly thought of everything before handing it over, so Wen Li accepted it with a smile.

And just as expected, she didn’t stash it away as a souvenir.

As Fu Qian handed the gun back, Wen Li actually took his advice to heart. She earnestly unloaded two standard rounds and placed the Calamity Bullet at the very bottom of the magazine.

”So, was that situation from before the price of your advancement?”

After doing so, she tucked the gun away. Her sense of security bolstered, she quickly thought of another question.

The timing was far too close; drawing such a causal link was only natural.

Since Mr. Fu didn’t seem to mind discussing these matters, she took the opportunity to satisfy her curiosity.

”No. You can think of it as the price of going on a field expedition.”

Yet, after a moment of thought, Fu Qian gave a rather unexpected denial.

A field expedition...

The term slightly stretched the limits of her comprehension. Wen Li grew thoughtful, but she knew where to draw the line and didn’t probe any further.

”So, what are your plans next, Mr. Fu? If there’s anything I can do to help, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

”I’ll probably go on another field expedition.”

Fu Qian’s answer was as honest as ever.

...

He definitely had to go check out the tree he had mentioned with Witch.

Furthermore, now that he had successfully advanced to Tier 2 and descended upon the world in the guise of an evil god, he needed to properly digest some of his gains.

Additionally, he needed to wait and see if Blazing Rainbow’s attitude would become as ambiguous as he expected.

Finally, as a professor of the Academy, he probably needed to find time to head back and give a report.

All in all, the near future would be his time for walking in brocade by day and wreaking havoc in the local neighborhood.

”Ah... right away?”

Fu Qian’s dedication to ”research” clearly took Wen Li by surprise.

”Not exactly. I’ll focus on my career here for a bit first.”

Fu Qian pointed downstairs.

”Then it seems I really can be of help.”

Covering her mouth with a light chuckle, Wen Li quickly volunteered.

”You wouldn’t mind having an extra volunteer in The Bookstore, would you? Especially since your hand is still somewhat out of commission. The customers might get a fright.”

”I don’t mind.”

Eldest Miss Wen had already done something similar once before, and Fu Qian had no intention of spoiling the fun.

Putting in some honest work here was partly to rest his battered body, but he also had a few things he needed to confirm.

”Besides, you’re overthinking it. If they see me like this, their most likely reaction will be immense satisfaction.”

...

[Identity verification successful. Today’s work begins.]

[Today’s work is complete. You may now leave the Warehouse. Weekly work progress: 1/4.]

With the volunteer’s help, The Bookstore quickly opened for business.

Wen Li tackled the job with great enthusiasm. It wasn’t long before she volunteered to watch the shop by herself, shooing Fu Qian away to rest.

Unable to refuse her earnestness, Fu Qian unceremoniously returned to the second floor and removed the Emissary Mask that had seemingly disappeared earlier.

The Warehouse reappeared before his eyes after several days of absence. He felt a deep sense of relief, but the system prompts made him frown slightly.

Having his task instantly marked as complete could be interpreted as the Warehouse counting his previous prison break toward his quota, tossing him a little bonus.

However, he had just checked his surroundings. Even though a lot had happened recently—including him breaking through the barrier twice in a row—

Because of his exceptional professional efficiency, very little actual time had passed. By all logic, he should still be in the same week he had initially completed the task.

It seemed the Warehouse was growing impatient.

However, considering how cooperative it had been lately, Fu Qian had no intention of making a fuss over such trivial matters.

After casually sorting out his various items, Fu Qian felt completely relaxed. He activated the Wrist Mark he hadn’t used in quite some time.

The scenery blurred and shifted, and an even more familiar sight appeared before his eyes.

It was still quite early. Sitting on the sofa in the living room, Fu Qian was in no rush to move. Instead, he silently focused on the sounds around him—and the voices inside his head.

Everything seemed fine.

Young Master Qin and the others didn’t seem to be acting out of the ordinary. The ”infiltration” from the Divine Dream hadn’t affected this place.

After a long while, Fu Qian opened his eyes and gazed at the sunlight slanting into the room. Feeling relieved, he muttered to himself.

”So, The Corridor intrinsically belongs to the Bookstore World?”