Eldritch Horror Theatre

"What exactly is going on?"

Walking alongside him, Yuan Shan was thoroughly confused.

Unfortunately, her teacher's eyes were visibly vacant. He seemed trapped in the moment that pile of chips had vanished, radiating an intense sense of loss.

"Thank Midas for me."

Fu Qian was being as punchable as ever. Ignoring Yuan Shan's inquiring gaze, he acted as if he had just remembered something, fished a phone from his pocket, and tossed it to Ross a short distance away.

The man had followed them all the way out with a bizarre expression on his face. He seemed to recognize Henry.

Naturally, as he reached out and caught the phone, his expression grew even stranger.

"Didn't you... already thank him just now?" he asked, blinking.

"I did, but I'm worried the message won't be passed along. Good luck with your operation."

...

"That wasn't Midas just now?"

After forcing herself to walk a few steps in patient silence, Yuan Shan suddenly realized something and let out a hushed growl.

This was completely unexpected, but she clearly remembered Fu Qian's parting words: he was worried the message wouldn't be passed along.

In other words, he believed the person guiding him this entire time wasn't actually Midas.

Crucially, judging by Ross's reaction, the guess actually seemed correct.

How could this be? And how did this guy figure it out?

"It shouldn't be, right?"

Fu Qian glanced at Old Man Henry. Seeing the elder still somewhat dazed, he even offered a word of comfort.

"It's fine. I was the one asking for advice. I'm not the type to shirk responsibility."

Hmph!

The old man finally snapped out of his daze.

"Correct, that wasn't Midas."

"But you also said it was fine."

Intimately familiar with her teacher's temper, Yuan Shan naturally realized that despite his ugly expression, his murderous intent had completely vanished.

Though still confused, she finally relaxed.

The most direct manifestation of this was her tone becoming quite blunt.

After all, tonight's experience had not been very pleasant.

"It's fine not because of that phone call, but because of that pile of chips."

"Mister Fang didn't take a break just to keep a low profile. He was specifically waiting for me."

Henry shook his head and sighed.

"Whether Midas was the one speaking isn't important. What matters is having such unreasonable luck."

"What I'm curious about now is how you managed to figure out so much?"

"Maybe because I work in the cultural sector."

Even facing the scrutiny of a Tier 2, Fu Qian continued to spout nonsense with total composure.

"Of course, I wasn't that certain at first. I only formed a vague guess after wandering around and wondering why you made me do this in the first place."

"If one has too deep a connection with the Blazing Rainbow, they wouldn't be able to encounter Midas—just like you. Is that right?"

"Hmm... I suppose it is time for me to fulfill my promise."

The question made Henry fall silent for a few seconds before he finally yielded.

"That's right. If you've been corrupted by that name like I have, then Midas will never appear before you."

Corrupted... the old man really dared to say it!

Henry's answer made Fu Qian's heart stir as he recalled that fat cat once again.

"What is going on?"

Beside them, Yuan Shan was losing her mind.

"I can somewhat imagine how you looked when handling that incident over in Shangjing."

Henry looked at his student, his gaze carrying a hint of disdain.

"Let Mister Fang explain it to you. After all, his performance tonight was truly brilliant, and I need a moment to organize my words."

"Besides, I think you should be used to this by now."

...

Faced with her teacher's critique, Yuan Shan immediately blushed.

She naturally understood the sarcasm. He was mocking her—Chief Yuan of Shangjing—for acting with an External Brain attached the entire time.

The worst part was that she couldn't even refute it, as the prime example was standing right in front of them.

"It's very simple."

Playing the role of the strategist, Fu Qian was well aware of the dangers of overshadowing the master with overwhelming merit, so he didn't keep them in suspense any longer.

"The reason I'm so certain the person on the phone wasn't Midas is because Midas doesn't exist at all."

...Huh?

Chief Yuan was no ignorant young girl. Fu Qian's bizarre line instantly sparked numerous associations in her mind, her eyes lighting up.

"The Transcendent domain?"

"Hard to say. Mass hysteria is a thing, after all."

Fu Qian blinked.

"But it's obvious that he's shy and sensitive, existing solely within the cognition of specific individuals."

"I think I'm starting to understand... But if he only exists in cognition, he wouldn't even count as a ghost. Can something like that really exist?"

Yuan Shan frowned, not pretending to understand.

"Why wouldn't it?"

As Fu Qian spoke, his thoughts drifted to the Origin Council, which he had dealt with on multiple occasions.

Nepheli's imagination-defying method of concealment was one of the references that had led him to this hypothesis.

It was just that Midas seemed a bit purer.

"You've visited The Bookstore quite a few times. Let me ask you a question: when you read a book, do the characters inside it exist?"

...

His preamble made Yuan Shan blush even harder. After all, it was true she had visited many times, but she had never actually opened a single book to look.

However, regarding the second half...

"If you put it that way, then in a certain sense, he does exist. He's imagined by my will."

Given her extensive experience, Yuan Shan's mindset wasn't rigid when it came to bizarre matters.

"Well said. Now for another question: if absolutely no one in the world has ever read this book, do the characters inside it exist?"

"Probably not..."

This was far more abstract. Yuan Shan pondered for a long time before answering uncertainly.

"Are you trying to say that people like Moglin, Ross, and Alan are the readers of this book? And that Midas was born because of them?"

"Exactly. You're starting to follow along."

Fu Qian offered an appreciative smile.

"But they really did make money because of him..."

"Have the characters in a book never given you anything in return? Have they never allowed you to surpass yourself in a certain moment?"

"...I think I understand what you mean."

A long silence followed. Led by Henry, the three of them moved completely unopposed, breaking into another Church to rest before Yuan Shan finally spoke again.

"The cognition within the collective belief of that group pieced together the character of Midas, much like co-authors of a story."

"The only difference is that they have zero doubts about the authenticity of the content."

"Including the man on the phone just now. He genuinely believed he was acting under Midas's guidance, answering your questions on his behalf."

"Not only that, but based on what we've learned so far, they likely formulated an operational plan targeting the casino under 'Midas's' guidance."

Faced with Chief Yuan's brilliant deduction, Fu Qian clapped loudly in applause.

"It's truly miraculous... The crux of it is that this character's good luck is real. Your pile of chips from just now is proof."

"I was even beside you earlier, so I know you didn't cheat."

Yuan Shan continued in a muffled voice, her train of thought gradually becoming clear.

"This is also why my teacher only needed one look to know you had truly 'found' Midas and communicated with him."

"If you had run over and arrested the guy on the other end of the phone, it wouldn't have proven anything at all..."

"But how does this prove you don't have a deep connection with the Blazing Rainbow?"

As she said this, Yuan Shan looked toward her teacher.

"Simple. Old Man Henry, who needs someone else's help to catch rats, is an illiterate who can't read."

Seeing Henry's solemn expression, Fu Qian answered on his behalf.

"Or to use the analogy from earlier, to Midas, he's 'dirty'."

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