Eldritch Horror Theatre

Not bad. Full of spirit.

The fridge was nearly empty, but that didn’t stop Fu Qian from taking the time to whip up some breakfast for himself.

By the time he popped the last piece of perfectly fried egg into his mouth, he had also finished his daily check.

Ah, the youth.

The people he had cordially met yesterday were already proving that a day’s plan begins in the morning, each starting their busy routines.

That even included Student Pei, the focal point of the incident.

Yesterday’s ordeal seemed to have made her deeply aware of the perils of sleeping in. Right now, she was sitting alone in the cafeteria, earnestly polishing off the breakfast she had bought.

She was eating with obvious relish. The selection was almost entirely unchanged from his memory, allowing Fu Qian to practically recall its taste.

Of course, he didn’t exactly yearn for it.

After washing up and tidying the kitchen, Fu Qian confirmed there was nothing out of the ordinary. Without disturbing them any further, he activated his Wrist Mark....

He slipped on the Emissary Mask without a pause. When he reappeared, he was already on the Bookstore Second Floor, looking as if he had just woken up.

Except the morning sun outside the window had already grown significantly more intense.

I almost forgot, my business is booming too.

Sensing Eldest Miss Wen’s bustling figure downstairs, Fu Qian was suddenly struck by the self-awareness of a successful entrepreneur.

As mentioned before, as a volunteer, Eldest Miss Wen’s enthusiasm was always reassuring.

Even so, as the chief helmsman steering the enterprise’s development, it was ill-advised to remove himself from the front lines.

Rather than leaving Wen Li to toil alone below, Fu Qian straightened his clothes and headed straight downstairs.

...

”Morning.”

Thanks to the brilliant leadership of the decision-makers and the earnest efforts of the frontline staff, foot traffic in The Bookstore had noticeably increased compared to yesterday.

Perhaps stable operations over two consecutive days had boosted consumer confidence, directly causing the frontline employee’s current bustling state.

Having swapped yesterday’s knit sweater and trousers for a black skirt suit, Wen Li was currently fielding questions from multiple customers.

However, despite her radiant beauty undeniably drawing the eyes of every male customer in the room, the person questioning her right now was a young woman.

She wore exquisite makeup, but her questions carried a subtle aggressiveness. Coupled with the slightly unnatural-looking male companion beside her, the scene was rather delicate.

Naturally, this didn’t stop Wen Li’s mood from remaining as stable as an inert gas; she handled the situation with ease.

She even turned her head at the first opportunity to greet her boss with a smile.

It was clear she knew exactly what mattered most in the workplace.

”Morning.”

Despite his high position of authority, Fu Qian maintained a man-of-the-people posture. Nodding in response, he walked over and took a seat under the ensuing cascade of stares.

”Are you the boss?”

As expected, an aura of authority was impossible to hide. The female customer, likely visiting for the first time, paused for a moment before realizing she was dealing with a formidable presence.

”Then that’s perfect... your employee is very professional.”

The next moment, she shot Wen Li a glance.

”But I might need someone even more professional.”

”Then you’ve found the right person. In the cultural industry, I consider myself to have quite a bit of authority.”

Fu Qian’s response was far from low-profile, and he showed absolutely no intent to coddle his employee’s feelings.

”Excellent. I wanted to ask—”

”Lunch break. Everyone needs to clear out for now.”

An instant later, the female customer’s question was ruthlessly interrupted. She froze on the spot as she watched the boss seamlessly shout this announcement to the room.

Lunch break? Half the people here just finished breakfast—so this was the kind of authority he meant?

Suddenly grasping the deeper meaning behind his words, she was left momentarily speechless.

”Please return all books to their proper places.”

Fu Qian, however, paid her no mind, pointing at the item in her hand to remind her.

”I’m going to buy this one...”

”So don’t forget to come back after the lunch break.”

...

”Are we heading out?”

Some of the customers knew better than to argue. With someone quickly taking the lead, the store was soon completely empty.

Having maintained her emotional stability the entire time, Eldest Miss Wen’s first reaction was to glance at Fu Qian and blink as she asked.

”Lunch break.”

Tapping his head with a finger, Fu Qian emphasized the words he had just used.

”Oh... then do you need me to do anything?”

Eldest Miss Wen’s spirits immediately lifted slightly as she took the initiative to ask.

Obviously, even though she had been slightly targeted just now, she didn’t believe the lunch break decision was merely Mr. Fu driving away an unpleasant customer.

For her, slightly delicate and complicated emotional scenarios were just interesting subjects for observation, and there was no way Mr. Fu failed to understand that.

That was exactly why her first concern was that he was closing the shop to leave.

And since Mr. Fu had denied that, it undoubtedly meant there was work to be done.

”Same as yesterday.”

With an employee so understanding, Fu Qian was naturally satisfied.

”...Emotional Ripples?”

Wen Li paused briefly but didn’t question it.

”Understood. What emotion do we need this time?”

”Fear. Give me a moment.”

Signaling her not to rush, Fu Qian quickly established a connection with the numerous voices in his mind.

...

”This matter is still too fishy. We searched for His name for so long without finding a single clue... and then, suddenly, the Emblem appears right in front of us...”

Blurry images and muffled voices—yet they didn’t stop Fu Qian from feeling the doubt lacing the elderly voice through their connection.

”Are you saying everything we felt was a lie? That this isn’t a boon, but a meticulously designed trap?”

A voice of rebuttal quickly rose up, expressing complete incomprehension at such a treasonous claim.

”Everyone is different. I don’t want to use my own feelings at the time to argue...”

”But I just want to ask one question. Suppose your worry is actually correct... then what value would the entity capable of creating such a trap hope to extract from us, instead of just killing us outright?”

”I admit you have a point... but it really is too much of a coincidence. I still think we need to be careful...”

Quite the intense discussion.

Listening to their exchange, Fu Qian offered an unsurprised word of praise.

This dispute naturally came from the Greed Worms who had just received the boon from the King of the Abandoned Prison.

Obviously, even after their recent miraculous experience, internal divisions still remained.

This couldn’t be more normal. They were, after all, a bunch of veteran jianghu grifters accustomed to pulling people into their schemes; they wouldn’t be so easily convinced.

But that was fine. As a pragmatic guide, Fu Qian would never harshly criticize others for not being obedient enough.

If the victims refused to go astray, it only meant the guide’s technique wasn’t masterful enough.

Having never expected to settle everything in one fell swoop, he had an entire package of contingency plans ready.

In fact, his morning exercise had yielded a harvest that could likely be put to good use.

”Alright, go ahead.”

At his cue, a surging wave of terror rippled out from Wen Li, who had long been standing by. It traveled along the connection, guided straight toward the arguing crowd.

Almost simultaneously, Fu Qian pinpointed the Old Man who had spoken first with the loudest doubts, and attempted to activate the Dragon-Shaped Statue in his hand.