Eldritch Horror Theatre

The days of peaceful years were always fleeting.

The morning light broke, and the city's bustle began to swell.

Having worked through the night, Fu Qian stretched behind the counter and surveyed the business he had built with such painstaking care.

Shangjing truly lived up to its reputation as a top-tier metropolis. The citizens' ceaseless drive for self-improvement was admirable.

Even at this hour, a handful of customers remained amid the scent of books, doing their best to absorb the cultural edification.

Creak—

A vibrant young man who looked like a student actually stepped inside at the sound of the opening door.

"Apologies, everyone. The shop is closed."

Unfortunately, what greeted him was a different sort of edification—one known as corporate culture.

Most people who browsed bookstores early in the morning clearly lacked immunity to this brand of corporate culture. Exchanging startled glances, they answered the call and filed out.

"Excuse me, can I confirm your closing time? It is currently seven thirteen in the morning."

Not everyone was quite so cooperative, however—especially a student yet to be battered by society.

After standing frozen in the doorway for nearly twenty seconds and watching the other customers get chased off, the bespectacled young man finally mustered his courage and stepped forward instead of retreating.

"It's very hard to imagine this being a standard closing time, so I can only suspect you were targeting me just now."

His argument even sounded perfectly reasonable.

"If that is the case, I won't leave until I get what I came for."

Targeting him?

Fu Qian glanced up at the rather courageous young man. Beneath his bottle-cap-thick lenses lay a pair of eyes that, despite the dark circles of sleep deprivation, remained entirely resolute.

"Don't worry, this shop's policies have always applied to everyone equally—for example, T-shirts and shorts are strictly prohibited."

Sighing at how nice it was to be young, Fu Qian shook his head.

"...Aren't you also wearing a T-shirt and shorts? I thought the rules applied equally?"

Clearly not expecting a random street-side shop to enforce a dress code, the young man froze for a moment before instantly recovering. Gritting his teeth, he resorted to using someone's spear against their own shield.

And he was absolutely right.

Fu Qian followed his gaze, looking down at his own T-shirt, which now sported a different design compared to the one he had worn when speaking with Madam Sissi.

Indeed, this was not the following morning. Over thirty hours had passed since that nighttime meeting.

Fu Qian had already spent more than a day dutifully running his business here, even taking the time to go back and change his clothes.

Unfortunately, since he had spent most of his time holding down the fort here since then, he hadn't had the time to buy a new outfit, leaving a glaring flaw for the customer to spot.

Of course, the youth could never fathom the true sinister depths of the business world.

"You aren't even wearing socks—"

"And socks."

Just as the student emphasized his point further, Fu Qian coldly cut in with the supplementary rule.

Ah, youth. Why on earth did he think he could win an argument against the referee?

...

Slam!

In the gentle dawn breeze, the young man who ultimately slammed the door and stormed off hadn't let his ambition go to waste—he had learned a valuable life lesson this morning.

Happy times were also fleeting.

Politely watching the customer depart, a thoroughly satisfied Fu Qian finally stood up and closed the shop.

The past day or so had been smooth sailing. He hadn't seen a single sign of a Feather Ragdoll or anything of the sort.

It seemed that as veterans of this world, everyone had a thorough grasp on knowing when to stop and had refrained from doing anything foolish.

Naturally, Chief Yuan wouldn't be lowering his guard anytime soon, while Eldest Miss Wen was resting peacefully under heavy protection.

The end result was that up until now, The Bookstore hadn't received any special visitors; everyone was just busy with their own affairs.

At the same time, the Greed Worm's efforts were also in full swing, which was quite gratifying.

In light of all this, as the mastermind behind the scenes, he couldn't afford to slack off either.

Returning to the second floor, Fu Qian stretched his limbs and casually took off the Emissary.

...

[Identity verification complete, today's work begins]

[Warning, containment breach]

[Name: Bitter Fruit, Designation 1-011]

[Today's work content has been updated. Enter Designation 1-011's Containment Scenario and complete re-containment]

A new week really did bring a fresh start. His very first assignment was a number one designation task.

And it had to be said, the illusory projection that accompanied this breach was incredibly abstract.

A swirling gray vortex, resembling both mist and water, churned among numerous black pillars. Its sheer size was enough to swallow even the desk where he kept his collections.

A unique sense of oppression made him immediately feel as if everything were submerged in the untouchable depths of the deep sea.

[Consume 1 point of SAN Value to begin?]

[Yes]

Critiques aside, Fu Qian didn't waste a single second.

[Entering Designation 1-011 Containment Scenario]

[Current SAN Value 99, current inspiration 99]

[Select the skills and Items you wish to carry]

He had to admit, the unofficial drain on his SAN Value had been a bit high lately.

First, he had bumped into a senior out in West Plain, and immediately upon returning to Shangjing, he'd crossed paths with a Prison Angel specializing in "purifying evil." Thanks to all that, his stats had already dropped below the three-digit mark.

Fortunately, it was a relief to see that this number one designation task did not come with any restrictions.

Though, going by past experience, this usually didn't mean the difficulty would be any lower.

But the main point here was that his recent harvests had been relatively bountiful. With no restrictions, he would have the chance to run a few tests.

A person should always have the eyes to discover the beautiful side of things, after all.

While contemplating life, Fu Qian routinely selected and confirmed all his skills, bringing along every easily carried Item.

His only regret now was his distinctly undignified attire. Hopefully, the Warehouse would issue him a proper uniform.

[......8%...13%...21%...34%...55%...89%...100%, Containment Scenario loaded]

With high hopes for the future, his first task of the week officially began.

[Attempting to stuff a chaotic amalgamation of impulses and desires into a symbolized self-portrait is the root of all tragedy.

For the first time in your life, you abandon any attempt to put words to the scent filling your nose, allowing the sheer pleasure it brings to wash over you, scouring away all filth.

Amidst a shuddering excitement, this realization finally blooms within your mind.

This realization, in turn, acts as an amplifier, allowing that pleasure to swell until it entirely transcends the bounds of language.

You feel an overwhelming regret that it took you until today to realize this, yet you are endlessly grateful that you are no longer like the ignorant masses, burying your head in a cage of your own making.

This sensation is so sweet it could leave one eternally intoxicated. Anyone who dares interrupt it is committing an unforgivable sin—

Unfortunately, this new thought is interrupted by a pat on the shoulder.]

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