Eldritch Horror Theatre

So it was actually a Solar-Powered Whale? No wonder its temperament was so peaceful.

The bizarre scene before him drew a heartfelt sigh from Fu Qian.

Standing there now, he found that the wondrous sense of resonance had actually weakened.

All along the way, whatever had catalyzed his own wondrous transformations truly seemed to originate from the whale outside.

Through this, it had conveyed the existence of the Crystal Sun to him.

Truly wondrous!

And now, as Fu Qian approached, the Crystal Sun changed—it stopped rotating.

That wondrous connection remained, but bit by bit, it came to a complete standstill.

Driven by this change, the rays of "light" also froze, eventually weathering away and dissipating.

The whale, which he could previously feel swimming at a leisurely pace, gradually slowed its movements until it was merely drifting.

Stirred by a sudden intuition, Fu Qian reached out and caught the descending Crystal Sun.

As he did, wisps and threads of light pierced inward.

The whale's broad back melted away like snow in the sun, the gaps widening until its body even began to sink.

In less than half a minute, the most peaceful entity Fu Qian had ever encountered among all the creatures of the Ash Sea returned entirely to ash, leaving not a single trace behind.

"Thank you for your trouble."

Fu Qian offered in solemn tribute.

By now, the resonance had completely dissipated, but his wondrous connection to the prize in his hand only grew more distinct.

In stark contrast to how it had floated just moments ago, the object felt remarkably heavy in his grasp.

At the same time, it felt incredibly stable, undergoing no strange mutations upon contact with him.

If he wanted to digest it, he would likely have to "eat" it, just as he had when consolidating his Demigod Realm state.

Speaking of which, why was this starting to mirror Senior Goto Hi's experience more and more?

Amid his inward grumbling, Fu Qian simply pulled off his mask.

His appointed time was approaching. The coordinates deeper within the Ash Sea would have to wait for his next expedition.

Regardless, he was still a Rank or two away from the severed Divine Path Old Man Ji Feng had mentioned.

...

The dim Warehouse materialized before his eyes once more. Sitting in his usual spot, Fu Qian toyed with the Crystal Sun in his hands.

It showed no reaction whatsoever to leaving the Ash Sea.

A few seconds later, Fu Qian looked up, scanning his surroundings with a peculiar expression.

Astonishingly, the Warehouse also showed no reaction.

The issue was that a brand-new week had already begun.

Logically speaking, entering the Warehouse now meant his daily tasks should already be waiting for him.

In fact, the moment he stepped inside, the identity verification prompt had indeed appeared.

But it was immediately followed by dead silence.

[Today's work has been completed. You may now leave the Warehouse.]

Just as he was mulling this over, a reaction did occur—only it was entirely different from what he had expected.

Was this telling him that he had successfully clocked in and could just leave right away?

"So accommodating?"

This unprecedented situation left Fu Qian clicking his tongue in marvel. He couldn't help but raise the Crystal Sun to his eyes.

Could this thing carry the legendary authority of slacking off?

If so, its value would be immeasurable!

Of course, although its Rank was undeniably high, Fu Qian didn't actually believe it could interfere with the Warehouse's operations.

But ruling that out, what else could possibly be influencing this?

Looking down at himself, Fu Qian rapidly employed the process of elimination.

Everything on him seemed to have been brought out from the Warehouse. The only other loot he had acquired—that eyeball—he had tossed into the sea, which had even cost him an outfit in the process.

Wait a minute, could it be...

As he recalled the events of this expedition, a sudden realization dawned on Fu Qian.

If all tangible assets were ruled out, could it be an intangible one?

During this trip, had he stained his hands with the blood of a former employee who had quit without notice?

Was the Warehouse so immensely pleased by this that it granted him a day off?

Speaking of which, Goto Hi managing to hide out in there the entire time without being forcibly dragged out to work by the Warehouse was a miracle in itself. The exact reasons behind that were worth a deeper investigation later.

But that didn't seem right either. It wasn't too long ago that he had eliminated Liliana, and he hadn't been rewarded with a vacation for that.

Was it because the karmic fluctuations of that place slipped even further beyond the Warehouse's control than the Shattered Crown?

His mind racing, Fu Qian gradually pieced together a plausible theory.

Given how Liliana had treated that place as a refuge to escape her forced labor, it seemed that cluster of bubbles possessed an extraordinary degree of independence.

It was just a pity that she could no longer provide him with answers. As for the Night Watchers—who clearly knew something—asking them directly would most likely invite a heap of trouble.

In fact, he had already invited that trouble.

Thinking of his upcoming itinerary, Fu Qian shook his head and placed the Crystal Sun on the desk.

He was in no rush to devour the trait and finalize his transition into a "False God."

Although the goal of this expedition appeared to have been perfectly achieved, the underlying situation had actually grown even harder to control.

The most valuable piece of information he had gained thus far was the confirmation that a higher Divine Entity truly had its eyes on him.

It understood his circumstances, knew his state, and was aware of his needs.

It even possessed considerable agency to act.

This clearly explained the two distinct opportunities he had sensed after prematurely completing the Pseudo-God Ritual—one of them was a fake, a forgery woven by a Deity.

And he was expected to choose between the two.

By all appearances, even the Red Moon was incapable of discerning the difference.

Strictly speaking, he had already come into close contact with both, yet he hadn't received any particular warnings.

Had the worst-case scenario truly come to pass?

He was forced to make a blind gamble, exactly like the advice he had previously given Goto Hi.

And he had a sinking feeling that if he bet wrong, his fate would be no better than hers.

The situation was becoming more and more interesting. If that being truly was Blazing Rainbow, he was terribly curious about the grudge it held against the Warehouse.

The number of administrators who had perished by its hand was undeniably large, and now it had drawn him into the same predicament as Goto Hi.

Unfortunately for it, of course, he was not Goto Hi.

Picking back up the mask he had just set down, Fu Qian, readily accepting good advice, simply clocked out.

"No need to be so accommodating tomorrow."

He even offered the Warehouse a smiling reminder right before donning the mask.

...

He hadn't applied the Decree of Return before taking off the mask, so unsurprisingly, he materialized on the Bookstore Second Floor.

The sky outside the window was still pitch black. Although it was already Thursday, the hour was still incredibly early.

Climbing out of bed, Fu Qian felt immensely satisfied with his time management.

Considering what he had just been through, his first order of business was to take a shower, after which he dug out a spare change of clothes from the wardrobe.

With all that settled, he even had time to step out and buy breakfast, enjoying his meal as he began today's shift of navigating the seas of commerce.

"Shall we go?"

And Chief Yuan did not disappoint. Following in the wake of a certain red-eyed insomniac, she was the second person to step into The Bookstore.

She had even changed into an outfit relatively better suited for movement—though naturally, it still looked incredibly expensive.

Seeing Fu Qian punctually tending to his health in The Bookstore, a sliver of surprise mingled with the relief on her face.

"Let's go."

Swallowing his steamed bun in one bite, Fu Qian threw a slightly regretful glance at his lone customer.

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