Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Very well.”

A display of strength proved effective. Jenny’s gaze was quickly drawn to the cash, and she watched Fu Qian throughout the entire motion.

However, the shock on her face seemed to stem not from his immense wealth, but from the act itself.

But ultimately, as someone running a business, she accepted this method of ordering with a whole stack.

Rustle—

She even resumed what she was doing, shifting her gaze from Fu Qian’s face to focus on her work.

’What a pity. It doesn’t seem like they have any braised beans here.’

Despite this, Fu Qian still felt a hint of regret and sighed softly to himself.

Moreover, while it was a lot of money, that depended on the location.

In a place like the Ring Archipelago, where money was spent like water, those with immense wealth were countless.Was it truly a lot? Not really.

Without even needing to turn his head, Fu Qian could already sense the mocking looks from the people behind him.

But that didn’t matter. The defining trait of the nouveau riche was precisely their lack of refinement.

Not only did Fu Qian have no intention of putting the money away, but he also didn’t let Jenny off the hook just because she avoided him. His gaze continued to brazenly wander over her strikingly unusual bone structure.

During their first meeting, his knowledge in this area had been rather limited; he was still at the stage of a layman watching a spectacle.

Now, with his experiences from the Apocalypse Branch, combined with the fact that her clothing provided less coverage, he could see much more of the underlying intricacies.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the two odd-toed ungulate front legs beneath her belonged to a Transcendent Tier creature known as a ”Tallow Princess.”

Its Rank wasn’t high, and its most prominent feature was the contrast between its front and back.

From behind, apart from being a bit smaller, it looked almost exactly like a horse.

However, regardless of its original coat color, its two front legs would always be covered in snow-white, delicate short fur without a single trace of impurity.

As the light played across them, one would almost think they were a pair of bare human legs.

So much so that when viewed from the front, it gave off a humanoid feeling that plunged straight into the uncanny valley.

Its poor reputation was allegedly due to this as well. Although humans weren’t on their menu, they seemed very happy to show themselves off in front of people, even appearing in their dreams—dreams again?

Aside from marveling that Jenny had become an idol who drew everyone’s attention for good reason, another element deeply intrigued Fu Qian.

This kind of interference seemed to prove once again that the concept of dreams also possessed a considerable Transcendent Tier attribute...

Yet, up until now, he had never actually seen a Divine Path centered around this kind of authority. Where did the person standing at its peak go?

”Here.”

During his reverie, the efficiency behind the counter proved remarkably high. A glass was already handed straight to him.

The liquor was golden-red with swaying ice cubes. Impressively, faced with a big spender, she simply handed over the very glass she was holding.

Although this behavior slightly violated business ethics, Jenny didn’t seem to care, and no one even voiced any dissatisfaction.

”Thanks.”

Since that was the case, Fu Qian didn’t stand on ceremony either, grabbing a bill from the table and handing it over.

Oh...

Even though the amount was rather large, Jenny was equally unceremonious. Without even lifting her eyelids, she reached out and took it—

However, the moment she touched the money, that seemingly nimble and strong hand abruptly stiffened. She raised her head, her eyes filled with disbelief as she looked over.

...

”You’re welcome.”

This scene looked somewhat like she had been frightened by the zeroes on the banknote, so Fu Qian thoughtfully offered a word of comfort.

Without even waiting for her response, he directly withdrew his hand, playing the role of a wealthy patron to the absolute limit.

Of course, it only looked that way.

As a former mass idol, although Ms. Jenny appeared to have washed away her glamorous past, she wouldn’t be scared by this little bit of money.

The real focus was actually beneath the banknote.

A small Serpentine Badge. When Fu Qian picked up the bill and handed it over, it had been cleverly pinned underneath and given to her along with it.

While others might not be able to feel it out, as one of the former core members of The Club, Ms. Jenny surely knew without looking that it wasn’t a uniquely shaped Room Card, but rather a former Invitation Letter to the Rebirth Club.

That special badge, personally delivered by Ji Ping, with a warm texture resembling a creation of flesh and blood.

Naturally, the specific one given by Ji Ping had been returned long ago during his very first visit to this bar.

But it didn’t matter. For Fu Qian, as long as he remembered the shape, he could use flesh and blood to instantly create one at any time.

Even more gratifying was that Ms. Jenny seemed to remember it just as clearly.

So much so that even though she accepted the money, her expression remained exceedingly poor.

”Leave those here for now. I’m a bit tired and need to rest.”

Fortunately, the party involved immediately offered an explanation, indicating that while she loved her work, she also needed to balance it with rest.

She further emphasized that Fu Qian’s business would still be done, and the money should be left there and not taken away.

In the end, she didn’t even give Fu Qian a chance to voice any objections. The moment she finished speaking, Jenny had already turned away, stuffing that bill into her pocket as she walked.

...

Business was so good that it literally chased the worker away from exhaustion.

Although this sort of thing was a bit rare, it wasn’t entirely unheard of, right?

Fu Qian’s reaction was quite easygoing. He genuinely left the money on the counter and took a sip of his liquor.

It seemed pretty good, just a bit strong, deeply capturing the essence of being smooth on the palate but burning like a line of fire down the throat.

So, if he wasn’t guessing wrong, was Ms. Jenny hinting for him to go find her in the back after a minute?

Deeply aware of the profound and vast nature of drinking culture, Fu Qian didn’t dare be negligent, instantly comprehending the takeaway.

And as the saying goes, dare to think and dare to act. Upon realizing this, Fu Qian promptly emptied the liquor in his glass into his stomach at a steady pace within one minute, then immediately got up and vaulted over the counter.

Logically speaking, trespassing into a work area like this was definitely forbidden. However, firstly, there was no one inside at the moment, and secondly, out of the corner of his eye, a certain individual clearly acting as the bouncer had a somewhat awkward expression, seemingly unsure of whether he should stop him or not.

It wasn’t strange at all; this situation was far from being a matter of dereliction of duty.

The bartender accepted a large sum of money, then directly stated that she was too tired to mix drinks and needed to rest in the back, while emphasizing that the money wouldn’t be refunded.

Question: What exactly did this situation imply?

Ms. Jenny’s excuse was so incredibly stiff that anyone with a bit of business acumen would have to consider the possibility that a different kind of transaction was being established.

Mainly because he had simply given far too much.

...

”What are you doing?”

However, high comprehension was most afraid of encountering a lack of romance. Just as Fu Qian easily locked onto his target’s whereabouts, even making his way to the second floor and lightly knocking twice on a certain door, the response that greeted him was an impressively cold interrogation.

Without needing to analyze it closely, one could feel the extreme vigilance within it that kept people a thousand miles away.

”Didn’t you guys invite me?”

Fortunately, Fu Qian had always ignored people’s cold faces, so he immediately tossed the question back.

”...There is no ’us’ anymore.”

And a term of address that seemed like a slip of the tongue appeared to deliver quite a shock to the person Inside the Door.

After a moment of silence, Ms. Jenny’s faint voice echoed out in denial.