Eldritch Horror Theatre

It was obvious that Madam Sissi truly had a lingering fear of the Human-Faced Helmet. Even when asking questions about it, she refused to look at it directly.

"Of course you know..."

Barely two seconds later, she provided the correct answer herself.

"This is not made of metal."

I knew that at first glance, all right.

Having had no time to answer, Fu Qian simply gave a quiet snort.

I also know it isn't just not made of metal—it isn't even made from a real human head.

The material was clearly harvested from other human tissues, then cleverly stitched together.

In a sense, that was even more grotesque than hollowing out a real head. Madam Sissi's fear was perfectly normal.

The next moment, startled by her own muffled voice, she froze. In the dim light of the collection room, everything fell dead silent.

Madam Sissi stood completely petrified, clutching the Human-Faced Helmet she had just placed on her head.

...

How did this happen?

Her vision was pitch black, and the smell wasn't as awful as she had imagined, but—why had she put it on her head?

The sequence of events rapidly flashed through Sissi Gatsby's mind.

While explaining the terrifying nature of the helmet, she had simply walked forward, picked it up, and slid it over her head without a single moment of hesitation.

Is this "script" truly this miraculous? Just how did he do it?

Caught up in trying to understand the rationale behind these events, she didn't even immediately remove the helmet.

There's no sound at all. As expected, it was just a legend.

Time ticked by. Madam Sissi finally sighed and even offered a suggestion.

"Actually, if you want this to be more dramatic, you should probably play some sound effects right about now..."

...

There actually was.

At the same time, peering from afar, the evil god Fu Qian let out a heartfelt sigh of his own.

This helmet was, of course, a transcendent item.

Fu Qian had noticed it the moment Madam Sissi approached it.

So, regardless of her fear, she was absolutely going to muster the courage to try it on today.

And while Madam Sissi couldn't hear a thing, through her as a medium, Fu Qian actually did hear a barrage of chaotic ravings.

The problem now was that he couldn't understand them.

The chaotic noise seemed to obscure its own meaning in an incomprehensible way, acting like encryption on a genuinely transcendent scale.

At the same time, the twisted sense of sublimity it projected proved that whatever lay behind it was far from simple.

By the looks of it, I might need to head over and wear it myself. Using a proxy to interact with it feels a bit disrespectful.

No matter. Madam Sissi had invited me over as a guest anyway, and as her private consultant, I've been granted absolute freedom to operate.

Observing it in person wouldn't be an issue at all.

Encrypted information, is it? Don't underestimate an academic pioneer's ability to crack codes.

Or my ability to brute-force them.

...

Take it off.

Quickly making up his mind, Fu Qian finally transmitted a message to Madam Sissi.

The intensity of such an inner debate in the dark was simply too high; if she kept it up, her mental state would likely suffer.

As if granted amnesty, the increasingly anxious Madam Sissi quickly pulled the helmet off.

She clearly wanted to appear calm, but ultimately, she couldn't overcome her psychological hurdle.

A few seconds later, she hunched over, gasping for air, looking as if she were about to drop the helmet.

Whatever you do, don't drop it!

Fu Qian watched with his heart in his throat. He rapidly issued the Eighteen Commandments, forcing Madam Sissi to put the item back on its stand.

...

Am I... bleeding?

After putting the item back, Madam Sissi clung to the Bronze Madam's pedestal and slumped to the floor for several minutes before her breathing finally steadied.

Only then did she notice a stinging sensation on her cheek. She had evidently pulled the helmet off so forcefully that it had left a scratch.

But such was the strange nature of humanity.

After realizing that she had actually hurt herself out of pure fear, Madam Sissi's emotions inexplicably leveled out. Suddenly, everything in front of her seemed both ridiculous and amusing.

"Thank you for accompanying me, Mr. Consultant."

"This is the happiest I've been in this room in years."

She then let out a soft chuckle.

"But considering neither of us wants me to scar, I need to go back and get this treated."

As expected, today's ordeal had been too intense for her; she was immediately quitting her job as a tour guide.

Fu Qian didn't feel any regret over Madam Sissi abruptly ending the tour.

The harvest today was already more than satisfactory. Aside from the Bronze Madam, he could uncover whatever surprises remained in her collection another time.

Watching Madam Sissi stumble slightly as she left work—exhausted from the repeated shocks—Fu Qian chose not to pry into her privacy any further and directly severed the connection.

However...

[Mr. Consultant, how much would you like for your salary?]

Five minutes later, Fu Qian stared at the new message on his forum account and fell into deep thought.

It wasn't strange that she hadn't gone to rest yet, but to ask how much to pay him right after finishing her stint as a tour guide?

It seems there really are people of principle among wealthy women!

[I left in a hurry last time and only realized after getting back that we forgot to discuss this. Given your work performance, please do not hold back.]

Acting on the assumption that Fu Qian was definitely reading, another message quickly followed.

[If you are not interested in money, I have many special collectibles. You may choose whichever you like.]

What total sincerity. It almost feels like she's trying to drag me into the play as well!

He knew Madam Sissi's last offer was bait regarding her recent experience in the collection room. To her, it was obvious that he "should" know what had happened back there.

[I want the "Bronze Madam."]

Fu Qian thought for a moment. Rather than playing dumb and asking why his work was considered excellent, he decided to play along and confirm her suspicions.

For quite a while, there was no response.

Although he didn't check on her situation again, Fu Qian had a strong feeling that Madam Sissi hadn't been scared off; rather, she was probably laughing like a maniac on the other end.

[No problem. It will be delivered before the day after tomorrow!]

When the next message arrived, the sheer sincerity of his employer was genuinely moving.

[Okay.]

After a few seconds of thought, Fu Qian—who had originally planned to show up at her door to demand his pay—decided not to refuse.

[Thank you. Today I suddenly realized that there are still many unimaginable joys left in the world.]

After that earnest word of thanks from his employer, the messages finally stopped.

...

What a fulfilling and beautiful evening!

As long as you're alive, interesting things will happen. That really was a philosophy to live by.

Plans could never keep up with changes. With his research material delivering itself right to his door, he could take a breather at home for a couple of days and temporarily postpone his academic fieldwork.

Sitting in the darkened living room, Fu Qian quickly made up his mind.

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