Eldritch Horror Theatre

"So you don't have to work at all?"

After a brief wait, Sissi came downstairs and opened the door.

Following her into the modest living room, Fu Qian felt a pang of envy at this capitalist nonchalance.

When she had called it a "humble abode" earlier, his immediate suspicion was that she had simply bought the place outright.

"Sorry, I really don't."

Faced with Fu Qian's novel focus, Sissi actually offered an earnest apology.

"I had a good impression of this place after my first visit. Thinking it would be convenient for future trips, I had someone buy a place to stay."

With a glance around the room, she had effortlessly confirmed his suspicion.

She seemed perfectly unburdened by the prospect of being alone together at midnight, casually pushing the door shut behind him.

With his guess confirmed, Fu Qian made no effort to hide his awe.

"Should I be honored on Lincheng's behalf?"

"No need. It's just a habit of mine."

Sissi shook her head.

......

A habit of casually buying a place to stay wherever she went?

Truly uninhibited. Just what you'd expect from the wealth required to amass so many collectibles.

Seeing Madam Sissi brush the purchase off as easily as buying a street snack when hungry, Fu Qian's first thought was that, as her consultant, he really should have expensed a few more sets of work clothes to her account.

"So, is this the interesting item you mentioned?"

Ultimately refusing to be bogged down by such worldly concerns, Fu Qian took a comfortable seat and gestured directly at her head.

"Yes. I made a new discovery after I went back."

Sissi was equally straightforward. She took the Crown off her head and handed it straight to him.

"I'm not sure if it's of any use, but this and the Bronze Madam were originally a set."

"How are you so sure?"

Accepting it smoothly, Fu Qian held the Crown in his palm and examined it closely.

"Because if I remember correctly, this thing was still resting on top of it when I was a child."

Oh?

Fu Qian blinked.

"Then why was it gone later?"

"I took it off."

"...And then wore it around for fun like this?"

Amidst his admiration, Fu Qian had no trouble putting himself in a child's shoes.

Honestly, though its design was a bit traditional, it really did look quite good resting on her head.

"Yes. I always felt the thing underneath was far too ugly and unworthy of it... I just never dared to do it before."

Sissi admitted it frankly.

"Then why did you suddenly dare?"

Rubbing the multiple glittering stones set into the Crown, Fu Qian fully understood her feelings.

As he asked with keen interest, he casually placed it on his own head.

"It's simple... Because since a certain day, there has been nothing I wouldn't dare to do—that doesn't suit you."

Amidst a distinct peal of laughter, Sissi stared at Fu Qian's new look and delivered her verdict a few seconds later.

"I think so too."

Fu Qian sighed, reaching up to take the Crown off.

Sissi was at least wearing a somewhat classical-style nightgown; a T-shirt and shorts really didn't pair well with this sort of accessory.

However, aside from his own self-assessment in a nearby mirror, the main reason was that, unlike the Bronze Madam, putting it on had triggered absolutely no changes.

Despite his disappointment, Fu Qian still believed Sissi's account of its origins.

For one, the item itself indeed carried a strange aura; it was clearly no ordinary object.

More importantly, however, he had seen a similar design for a crown before.

During his visit to Ehm Palace, resting on the head of that face-revealing statue.

That Human-Flesh Face Helmet really did have deep ties to the Laria Family.

He looked forward even more to seeing whether Chief Yuan might uncover further interesting information for him.

......

"Anyway, I liked it a lot at first, but I quickly grew bored of it. I started tossing it around everywhere, to the point that I thought it was lost for good for a very long time."

"I didn't expect to find it when I went back this time, but after tearing the place apart a few times, I finally dug it out."

Pleased that her aesthetic tastes had been validated, Sissi watched Fu Qian's hands as she recounted its history.

Lost for good? Did she have zero sense of historical preservation?

Although the logic checked out, Sissi's memories of the past still provoked Fu Qian's internal sarcasm.

The Crown wasn't excessively ornate, but if the Laria Royal Family ever found out it had been treated like a toddler's toy, who knew how they would feel.

Although, it wasn't hard to guess the root cause behind such atrocious behavior.

[Since a certain day, there was nothing I wouldn't dare to do]

What that sentence referred to was undoubtedly the incident where the woman before him had endured three days of torment before finally chopping off her own hand.

Under such an earth-shattering shift in worldview, a breakthrough in her inhibitions was perfectly normal.

And going by her account, she must have started searching for this item the moment she went back after delivering his compensation.

No wonder they always said to do good deeds and ask not of the future. Had he not shown such warm hospitality last time, even volunteering his psychological counseling services, he might not have received such a thoughtful reward.

"Thanks for the effort. The treasure hunt game was quite fun, too."

While organizing his thoughts, Fu Qian didn't forget to earnestly thank her for this extra gesture, even offering high praise for her setup.

"Hehe... So do you know why I said earlier that I was really looking forward to you lighting that lamp?"

Seeming to sense his sincerity, Sissi smiled even more radiantly before suddenly asking a question.

......

"Because you thought I probably wouldn't light it? Actually, I really did almost miss the message."

Fu Qian answered quite naturally, seemingly having anticipated this. He even volunteered the fact that he hadn't been particularly dedicated to a certain part-time job lately.

"Speaking of which, what would you have done if I hadn't made it here within a certain timeframe? Would you have actually just tossed it in that box?" he followed up with a touch of curiosity.

"How could I? It's such a precious item!"

Sissi shot down the notion instantly.

Precious enough to throw around until you lost it, right?

Unfortunately, her overly exaggerated acting only provoked another bout of internal sarcasm from Fu Qian.

"If that happened, the box would still just hold that switch, and then I would tell you that this little house was your gift."

Before he could even respond, Sissi pointed to their surroundings and added a follow-up.

Oh?

Although it looked unassuming, this place was worth a fortune. Fu Qian clicked his tongue in awe.

"And now?"

"Now, you've already made your choice."

Unsurprisingly, Madam Sissi smiled with deep cunning, looking exactly like a schemer whose plot had succeeded.

Though Fu Qian knew full well that the true scheme wasn't this seemingly distasteful multiple-choice game.

The saying that being a psychiatrist was a dangerous profession was no mere joke.

To be a wallfacer whose words belied their heart, whose thoughts and actions were utterly inscrutable... it seemed the patient was actually using him to practice those very doctor's orders.

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