Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Hello."

Faced with a warm greeting from his former teammate, Fu Qian responded with equal politeness.

Even though it was practically impossible for the woman standing before him to see through his current identity.

The defining trait of Saints was that while the abilities granted by their equipment might be miraculous and powerful, their actual bodies received no feedback from the Transcendent Tier.

Unless Ais were holding Old Man Sage's Golden Staff again, to her, he was nothing more than an utterly ordinary middle school student.

He even had an unpopped pimple growing on his nose.

Even so, beneath her gentle exterior lay an extraordinary presence that was obvious at a glance.

But beneath the call of destiny, the chuuni power belonging to his teenage persona allowed Fu Qian to meet her gaze without flinching.

In fact, rather than her beautiful face, his gaze was focused far more intently on her Golden Faceplate.

Amid the harmonious atmosphere, he added that extra remark.

Stay true to the initial resolve to achieve the final outcome.

Being a chuuni was no mere display of acting cute and begging for pity before the strong; it was a heartfelt conviction.

The Workshop had already fallen into ignorant hypocrisy, so watch me, the newcomer, rectify its ethos.

...

It was obvious that at that moment, even Madam Yingzhu and Oz—who had accompanied him all the way here—had their psychological defenses shattered yet again.

Seeing Fu Qian respond to the greeting neither humbly nor arrogantly just a moment ago, they had thought he was finally reigning it in and had breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Who could have expected such a seamless reversal?

Looking at Ais with some concern, the two of them didn't know how to react.

"Is that so?"

Yet, truly worthy of being a Triple Gold Saint, Ais merely froze for a second at the rather impolite remark. Her smile actually grew even more radiant.

"To be honest, it was only a little bit at first, but now you're even more welcome..."

Fu Qian's performance didn't seem to stir any anger in her at all; instead, it sparked an unexpected sense of appreciation.

"I like driven young people. Just call me Ais."

She even used her real name?

Faced with this praise, Fu Qian's immediate reaction was to glance at Madam Yingzhu beside him.

The difference in their magnanimity was instantly apparent.

Although she had responded earlier to his self-proclaimed title as the Lord of the Rings, Madam Yingzhu still hadn't formally introduced herself even now.

As expected of a character favored by Old Man Sage who had joined the expedition into the Underground Ruins.

It was even obvious from the atmosphere between them that, although Madam Yingzhu held the authority over the assessment, Ais was clearly the true person in charge.

"Understood, Excellency Ais. Just call me the Lord of the Rings."

But as stated before, a true chuuni remained unyielding to martial might.

Facing the Workshop bigwig who could seemingly decide his fate with a single sentence, Fu Qian nodded slightly and offered his consistently unwavering self-introduction.

"I come summoned by the Weapon meant to hunt Gods."

It was a conviction in his ordained destiny.

Hahaha...

After so many days, Madam Ais still maintained her distinctive flair.

Under the helpless gazes of Madam Yingzhu and Oz, she glanced at Fu Qian's bare fingers and let out an incredibly infectious laugh.

"Alright then, come along. Go choose your Weapon."

When she finally stopped laughing, she didn't bother with any pointless pleasantries, speaking with absolute naturalness.

...

See, there are many ways to pass a test!

It was obvious that this absurdly efficient progress had deeply shocked the other two.

Although her tone was as casual as inviting him out for tea, the underlying meaning seemed quite clear: Fu Qian had completely passed the trial.

But that was exactly the issue. Even Madam Yingzhu, who had previously been full of confidence in him, was staggered by the sheer efficiency of this interview.

In contrast, faced with Ais's inviting gesture, Fu Qian's demeanor remained far more composed.

Incomprehensible luck was often more than just luck.

The test of aptitude was highly likely reflected solely in the act of finding the gold coin; everything afterward was merely a risk assessment.

As soon as he made that judgment, Fu Qian settled on a clear strategy for his subsequent actions.

Taking emotional manipulation as his guiding principle, he would ignore all red tape and express the message of "I am going to defy the heavens this time" with maximum efficiency.

The facts proved that this approach was invincible.

Given the intense thirst for talent that Ais and the others possessed—the reason for which was still unclear—the combination of high aptitude and a hopeless chuuni persona seemingly satisfied their requirements perfectly, saving a massive amount of time that would have otherwise been wasted on back-and-forth posturing.

"Right now?"

Amid his thoughts, a rare look of interest finally flashed in Fu Qian's eyes as he double-checked.

"Right now."

Ais seemed to be responding to Madam Yingzhu and Oz as well. A moment later, she walked straight ahead to lead the way.

"After all, the people ahead of you are already getting anxious from the wait."

...

Waiting this late... the chosen ones who passed the trial earlier?

To think that the process of obtaining a Weapon was actually a group activity like playing mahjong.

Although it was a simple sentence, the amount of information it contained was substantial.

As Fu Qian pondered this, he kept an eye on the reactions of Madam Yingzhu and Oz.

The two of them actually looked visibly startled in unison.

So it wasn't a standard procedure? Excellent.

Silently concluding that an anomaly might be present, the probability that the mission target, the Vacuum Flower, was influencing things behind the scenes increased by another notch. For a moment, Fu Qian's mood grew even more cheerful.

"Then we will head back first."

Shock aside, both Madam Yingzhu and Oz clearly still knew their boundaries. They had absolutely no intention of involving themselves in matters beyond their scope.

Having "escorted" Fu Qian all the way here, following Ais to a hidden door, Madam Yingzhu took the initiative to speak. She didn't plan to follow them any further down.

"Alright, thank you for your hard work."

Ais clearly had no objections to this, but as she gave a slight nod, a flash of sharpness still darted through her gaze when it swept across Madam Yingzhu's face.

It seemed it was still hard to change one's nature after all!

Naturally unable to miss this detail, Fu Qian inwardly sighed with emotion.

Even back when they were exploring the Underground Ruins, Ais had displayed a near-obsessive desire for control.

Combined with her behavior right now, it seemed to further explain a question he had pondered back then.

Namely, for such a serious matter, why had she chosen a lineup composed entirely of men clustering around her like stars around the moon.

Madam Yingzhu had behaved so obediently, yet she still inadvertently triggered Ais's displeasure. It was hard to imagine just how Excellency Ais would have ruined the atmosphere if there had been other women on that expedition team.

As for the source of this unprovoked displeasure, it wasn't actually too hard to understand—while failing to read the room would cause unhappiness, Madam Yingzhu was simply reading the room a bit too well.

"The Workshop is just below, Excellency Lord of the Rings."

The next moment, Ais, who had been watching Madam Yingzhu and Oz's retreating backs, turned around. With a sweet smile, she gestured for Fu Qian to walk ahead, her Golden Faceplate shining brightly under the lights.

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