Eldritch Horror Theatre

With a professional right in front of him, why waste extra time and effort?

This was a vacation, after all. Wasn’t it perfectly normal to enjoy a local folk performance?

As for what the others thought, Fu Qian completely ignored the issue.

”A Dancer? Are you sure? You want to go right now? It’s so early, there might not even be a performance scheduled...”

The group’s progress had come to an abrupt halt. Under their converging gazes, even the female tour guide could not hide her surprise.

”Yes. I’m very interested. I can’t wait.”

But for Fu Qian, who was highly skilled at using Three-Stage Questioning, handling this was a breeze.

”Alright, if you insist, you can go try. It’s just that the nearest performance venue is twenty minutes away. And since it’s not on the itinerary, I won’t be able to accompany you.”

Sensing his powerful desire to spend money, the guide didn’t try too hard to dissuade him, simply outlining the limitations in a soft voice.

”No problem. I remember that coffee shop.”Fu Qian’s expression didn’t change, once again demonstrating an unstoppable determination.

”Alright... Just remember the most important rule: do not interact with strangers.”

The guide didn’t waste any more time. She earnestly pointed out the route and even made a point to inform him of the normal price range for such venues.

”Also, don’t forget our gathering time. You have an hour and a half.”

”Thanks.”

Under the somewhat complicated gazes of the group, Fu Qian offered his thanks, split from the tour right then and there, and headed in the direction she had pointed.

As for agreeing to the gathering time, he hadn’t just blindly promised.

On one hand, the guide—who had been specifically mentioned in the mission briefing—did seem fairly reliable. On the other hand, although this tour group was small, it had its own interesting aspects—

When his Vision Radar swept over them earlier, he saw that most of them, including the guide, had ordinary constitutions. To use technical terms, they were as weak as ants.

But there were a few exceptions. For instance, that stylish Old Man possessed his own Transcendent Tier qualities, putting his strength a cut above the rest.

If quantified, he was probably an armored ant.

His Rank wasn’t high, but his age was. Rather than pursuing greater heights, he had shifted his focus to enjoying nature and scenery—an understandable mindset.

But meeting by chance was a form of fate. If he had the time, Fu Qian didn’t mind paying him a little extra attention.

...

It seemed he had arrived a bit early.

Weaving through the streets and alleys according to the guide’s instructions, Fu Qian reached his destination without much effort.

Even without intentionally speeding up, the journey took roughly twenty minutes, just as she had said.

The only issue was the notice posted outside. There was still a long while before the performance time, and the rather imposing bronze doors in front of him were tightly shut.

Even this winding alleyway, which drifted with the scent of spices and held a bit more ancient charm than where they had gotten off the bus, was currently deserted. It was obvious the place would be quite bustling during specific hours, but right now it was totally quiet.

In theory, he only needed to find someone, unless the staff hadn’t arrived yet either—

”Looking for someone?”

Truly worthy of the title of a tourist city. Just as Fu Qian was admiring the teardrop-shaped carvings on the door, someone seemed to have noticed his dilemma and took the initiative to ask.

Wearing a gray knit shirt and possessing dark, sallow skin, it was a guy who could easily be described as having the shifty head of a roebuck and the eyes of a rat.

He wasn’t particularly old, but aside from his unlikable facial features, he was shockingly emaciated.

”I am.”

Sizing up the stranger, Fu Qian completely ignored the guide’s warning from a second ago and nodded.

”I’m guessing you’re a bit too impatient to wait for the exciting show—”

Establishing communication so smoothly clearly excited the man a bit, and he gestured toward the closed doors with his eyes.

”A Dancer.”

Unfortunately, his slightly subtle phrasing was instantly cut off by Fu Qian.

”’Allowing you to once again experience the enchanting scenery of Lanphilai from a thousand years ago’—that kind of Dancer.”

Not only that, Fu Qian even recited the keywords right off the notice.

”...Then you’ve found the right person.”

The man clearly possessed enough self-knowledge regarding his own lack of affability. This overly uninhibited attitude actually made Brother Zhang hesitate for a moment.

”Please believe me, our place can help you experience the Lanphilai of a thousand years ago much better than here—”

But as he looked the customer up and down, the utterly shameless, tourist-exclusive sunglasses on Fu Qian’s face quickly convinced him. He immediately assured Fu Qian there was no need to doubt.

”Right now?”

Unfortunately, he was cut off once again. Despite being nothing more than a consumer of culture, the man before him was exuding an astonishing domineering aura.

”...Right now.”

”Then lead the way.”

...

Brother Zhang had naturally come to drum up business.

Anyone with a bit of travel experience knew that a group like this always prowled outside the entrances of numerous places.

Their sole purpose was to find suitable targets and drag the people who were originally meant to enter these doors over to their own turf.

Generally speaking, the quality of ”their turf” would be slightly worse.

This wasn’t limited to tourist attractions either; the same applied to accommodations.

Of course, good or bad wasn’t absolute. Sometimes they truly offered a different flavor—such as more flexible hours, or being ”better able to reflect the charm of a thousand years ago.”

Brother Zhang’s appearance might have been a bit lacking, but in certain borderline illegal industries, this kind of vibe was exactly what was needed.

There was good reason to believe that while their business was more retro, its illicit elements would also be much higher.

Winding paths lead to a secluded place.

Strictly speaking, the business establishment Brother Zhang belonged to wasn’t actually that far away.

But given that the streets were naturally twisting and turning, and the route was full of multiple intersections, the likelihood of getting lost skyrocketed in mere moments.

However, even though the scent in the air was gradually becoming less pleasant—making it obvious that the quality of the spices was dropping—Fu Qian didn’t mind enjoying the passing scenery. He didn’t even need Brother Zhang to chat with him.

On their way over, the most memorable thing was, without a doubt, the continuous sight of the word ”Inviolable.”

It wasn’t just for commercial purposes. That special Three-Ring Imprint could be seen in all sorts of places... on clothes, in front of doors, and even on the walls.

His gaze sweeping past that section of architecture, Fu Qian followed Brother Zhang’s guidance and walked through an unusually low doorway.

...

The illicit elements were indeed a bit high.

As a thick curtain was lifted, the space ahead suddenly opened up.

Colorful lights, reminiscent of the lamps used at a fresh meat stall, surged forward alongside a fragrance ten times heavier than the one outside, instantly dragging him into another world.

The guide hadn’t lied. Although there was currently no performer on the miniature stage ahead, behind a curtain painted with pomegranates, Fu Qian could already see the slender silhouette of a figure warming up.

Just from the shadow cast by the lights, one could tell that her attire was quite primal.

He didn’t refuse the premium seat Brother Zhang helped arrange. Less than ten minutes after sitting down, Fu Qian, along with a double-digit number of audience members, waited until the Dancer finally made her appearance—she really did have Blue Eyes.