Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Then should we go to the police?"

Without voicing his internal sigh, Fu Qian smoothly picked up the thread, building on Yuan Shan's assertion that the police were more suitable than the Night Watchers.

"...On what grounds? Arresting someone because they have too much good luck? Or is it because some bored old geezer at the Church complained that his intangible assets were stolen?"

Taking a deep breath, Yuan Shan glared at Fu Qian, showing zero mercy in critiquing her own teacher.

"My visit this time is purely personal. Are you sure you want me dealing with the administration through official channels?"

"That makes sense. So, what's your idea?"

Looking thoroughly convinced, Fu Qian asked in the most natural tone imaginable.

I had a feeling this would fall on me sooner or later.

Chief Yuan naturally wasn't oblivious to Fu Qian's manipulation tactics, but a certain pre-existing resignation made her let out a long sigh instead of kicking the problem back to him.

...

"You really know your way around. Is your place nearby?"

Following Yuan Shan through the streets and alleys, Fu Qian expressed his admiration upon seeing that she never once needed to check for directions.

His mention of her house wasn't baseless; they were clearly in a shopping district, which perfectly suited Chief Yuan's tastes.

"No, I just walk this route a lot."

Yuan Shan shook her head.

"I don't like living too close."

"To the Church?"

Fu Qian naturally didn't take this to mean that Chief Yuan wanted to maintain a healthy distance from the shopping center; she most likely just wanted to keep her work and personal life separate.

"To the Church."

Yuan Shan's answer confirmed this assumption.

"Understood... So what exactly are your colleagues monitoring?"

Fu Qian took the opportunity to satisfy his own curiosity.

"You really aren't worried about your own situation, are you?"

Yuan Shan slowed her pace, giving him a sidelong glance.

"If I were worried, wouldn't it be your turn to worry?"

Fu Qian chuckled.

"After all, no matter how you look at it, being monitored by only one demigod is the perfect opportunity for me to slip away."

"In fact, the way I see it, Old Man Henry feeling comfortable enough to send you over is clearly a sign of optimism about the situation."

"...It's merely optimism."

Fu Qian's answer made Yuan Shan fall silent for a moment before she finally let out a harrumph.

Although she really wanted to say something ruthless like, 'If you act up, I can handle you all by myself,' after their multiple past collaborations, she didn't dare underestimate his strength.

If it came down to a fight to the death, she truly had no confidence in the outcome.

"Actually, your guess is already very close. I just can't casually reveal any more specific details."

Yuan Shan quickly banished those unpleasant thoughts from her mind and went on to answer Fu Qian's question.

"What I can tell you is that the core of the Base is indeed beneath that cluster of religious buildings, which is why I prefer to live further away."

"Shall we continue? Our time is precious."

"We can."

Fu Qian nodded. He was just about to resume their journey when he frowned slightly and turned to look.

"What is it?"

This action made Yuan Shan sound somewhat confused, because the direction Fu Qian was looking in was completely empty.

Or rather, devoid of any real people.

Withdrawing his gaze from the fashion-clad mannequins in a street-facing window display, Fu Qian looked at Yuan Shan with absolute contempt.

"You stopped just now because of this, didn't you? It must have been hard acting so natural."

He had wondered why the angle she was looking at him from seemed a bit strange; it turned out she was distracted.

"So what if I took a look? I haven't been back in over half a year!"

As expected of Chief Yuan, even when the true motive for her actions was seen through, her expression didn't change; she even shot back with self-righteous indignation.

"Besides, this wasn't even my business to begin with. I was just hoping to wrap this up quickly so I can enjoy a proper vacation!"

"Makes sense. So, for the sake of your vacation, we'd better hurry up."

Unfortunately for her, when it came to being thick-skinned, Fu Qian was forever peerless. He immediately framed the goal of their operation around Chief Yuan's vacation.

...

"This is the place."

Being the bigger person, Yuan Shan ultimately didn't bicker with Fu Qian. She soon led him down a small alley and pushed open a door.

Sure enough, bars were always the classic venue for gathering intelligence!

Dim lighting, suggestive music, and murky air—Fu Qian wasn't the least bit surprised by the scene before him and followed her inside with an internal sigh.

I've always respected professionals. For now, I'll just focus on playing Chief Yuan's lackey.

"It's a bit out of the way here, so there are fewer tourists. It's easier to run into acquaintances."

Yuan Shan didn't offer any further explanation, walking straight up to the bar to greet the person behind it.

"I almost thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. I was even sad for a few seconds."

The latter was a heavily made-up young woman. She wore black velvet gloves and a dark corset dress with an exaggeratedly low neckline; the gorgeously styled emerald hat on her head stood out prominently, yet somehow perfectly matched the surrounding environment.

She had been staring at Yuan Shan almost from the moment they walked in. Her exaggerated tone now carried undisguised joy.

"When did you get back?"

She sounded like an old acquaintance of the Night Watchers' Chief Yuan.

"A few hours ago."

Acting incredibly familiar herself, Yuan Shan plopped down on a stool and let out a long sigh.

"Looks like this isn't a vacation. There isn't some disaster about to strike the city, is there?"

Feigning an exaggerated gasp, the female bartender slid a sparkling glass in front of Yuan Shan.

"The usual?"

It sounded as though she knew quite a bit about Yuan Shan's identity.

It was quite rare for someone to maintain such a casual attitude under these circumstances. After all, inside and out—apart from the design of her hat—there was absolutely nothing about this woman that connected her to the Transcendent Tier.

"The usual."

Yuan Shan clearly didn't think the other woman was genuinely worried either. Too lazy to even explain, she just gestured between Fu Qian and herself.

"Moxie, Fang Xun."

"Welcome. Same as Yuan Shan?"

The woman called Moxie greeted Fu Qian completely naturally and set a glass down for him too.

"Same."

Not even giving Fu Qian the chance to choose, Yuan Shan spoke for him.

This stance naturally stemmed from her awareness that she was the one paying.

On one hand, he had provided great service to her; on the other, this guy had previously wanted to take the Pass to a casino to exchange it for chips. Expecting him to display any gentlemanly grace would be overly naive.

As an easygoing person, Fu Qian naturally didn't mind this in the slightest.

In fact, he had spent most of the time admiring the hat on Moxie's head. Even when she leaned over to pour the drinks, revealing an entirely unhidden expanse of snowy cleavage, he didn't spare it a second glance.

"Not bad, right? I designed it myself."

Noticing this, Moxie proudly flicked the brim of her hat.

"I wanted to give one to Yuan Shan before, but unfortunately, she didn't want it."

That actually happened?

Fu Qian shot Chief Yuan a look. The latter took a sip of her drink without any change in expression.

"You'd better keep it for yourself... Has there been a Mister Midas with outrageous luck around here lately?"

"There has."

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