Eldritch Horror Theatre

Look at that. This was what you called taste.

Despite them having only crossed paths twice, Brother Clown had clearly recognized which name better represented his current essence.

Fu Qian was quite satisfied with the title for the moment. Furthermore, it looked like the final showdown was about to begin.

Bet on the last five numbers?

Coming from the mastermind behind the mastermind, the offer was surprisingly convincing.

The Jester had indeed casually blocked A Wei's actions just now, saving his mission from failure.

Although he clearly didn't need any gratitude for it.

He just didn't want things to end so quickly, purely for the sake of higher-tier amusement. This was a two-way street.

If Fu Qian hadn't been patient enough earlier, or if his taste hadn't been up to par and he had simply locked onto the Angel of Death with full firepower, the Jester might not have been interested in wagering on this round at all.

Agreeing without hesitation, Fu Qian made no effort to hide his anticipation.

"Don't worry, it's definitely something you're familiar with."

Seeing him agree before even asking about the stakes, the Jester laughed with even greater delight, going out of his way to emphasize the fairness of the game.

"But first, you need to stand up."

The next moment, he pointed right beneath Fu Qian's rear.

...

He knew the seat offered to an old friend wouldn't be anything simple.

The Jester was pointing at the Fright Gift Box—the very one Fu Qian had been sitting on this whole time.

The ultimate gift had been bestowed from the very beginning, yet only fools remained blissfully unaware?

Fu Qian thoroughly appreciated the deeper meaning behind this little stunt, and even noted that it made for a rather comfortable seat.

The current situation was already quite clear. A Wei's countdown just now hadn't been wrong; the descent of the eternal night had reached a critical threshold, threatening to cross it at any moment.

Considering his containment objective, there was a substantial probability that this meant outright failure.

There was even a significant chance that, with its control having reached such an extent, A Wei could just kick him—an outsider—straight out of this domain.

To sum it up, right at that final moment, the true mastermind had pressed pause, inviting him to settle everything with a single wager.

Additionally, judging by the Jester's account, it seemed that as his plan deepened, he was gradually drawing closer to the will of the Unseen Hill, or rather, the will of Ji Feng.

To some degree, he wasn't just mimicking Yuan Fang's demeanor; he was fundamentally playing the role of the Dark Prophet.

This also explained why he could casually restrict Demigod Realm entities with a mere wave of his hand. After all, turning to the dark side always brought a massive power boost; Yuan Fang certainly couldn't have pulled that off.

It was just a pity that whatever he felt didn't seem entirely to his satisfaction.

"I'm looking forward to it."

Mid-thought, Fu Qian stood up and quietly observed the Jester's actions.

The latter wasted no time. He began turning the crank on the side of the box, even striking a theatrical pose to hype up the anticipation.

Click—

He didn't keep him in suspense for long. About three seconds later, the top of the box sprang open—

"Can someone tell me... what is going on here?"

However, what popped out wasn't some ghastly face, a snake's head, or even a bunny girl, but rather a voice raising a cold interrogation.

A voice that actually sounded quite familiar—Spider Silk Queen Akasha?

...

It really was her.

It took Fu Qian only half a second to confirm her identity.

For one thing, they had just met, so his impression of her voice remained vivid. For another, the face matched perfectly.

Indeed, they were meeting yet again, although this time he was literally looking down on her.

Staring into the fully opened square box, there was no terrifying monstrosity hidden within. Instead, it seemed to hold a miniature building.

Even though the structure's roof clearly posed a barrier, the scene inside could still be seen with crystal clarity.

And that voice just now had come from a figure inside the building.

So the Jester's claim about it being "familiar" was actually a double entendre?

Not only had Fu Qian been sitting on it for so long, but the key characters inside were also old acquaintances.

"I'd like to know that myself."

In fact, there was more than just one acquaintance.

Akasha hadn't been screaming her previous question up to the heavens.

Clearly oblivious to the two observers looming overhead, she was interrogating another character who, just like her, had been turned into an item inside the box.

The one who shot back an immediate reply was none other than Crystal, who had been constantly searching for her.

Just a moment ago, he had been wondering why Holler had shown up alone and where Crystal had run off to. Now, the answer seemed to be lying right in front of his eyes.

Though Crystal didn't look too thrilled either; ending up inside was clearly not her intention.

"Did you go out of your way to catch them?"

Marveling at the wonder of it all, Fu Qian checked with the Jester.

"Indeed. I figured that if you recognized the people involved, you might get a bit more enjoyment out of it."

The Jester admitted it without blinking an eye, as casually as if he had just snatched up a couple of crickets.

"How... are you here?"

Or rather, three crickets.

The location they found themselves in was a somewhat narrow corridor. When Crystal fired back her reply, she was noticeably keeping her distance from Akasha at the other end.

Yet, before the latter could respond, she had already spun around, questioning another figure even further behind her—herself?

That was right. Although she stood tall and graceful, and her features didn't even look much like Crystal's, Fu Qian still recognized her as an acquaintance. He was the one who had recently gone out of his way to bestow upon her the name Amber.

It seemed the Jester had truly put quite a bit of thought into this wager.

...

"What do you think?"

Bringing those three together was undoubtedly going to be a spectacular scene.

Watching from a truly transcendent perspective, the Jester casually asked Fu Qian for his impressions.

"When Crystal and Amber meet, does it trigger some sort of special side effect?"

Knowing the Jester wouldn't be so boring as to simply fish for praise, Fu Qian understood that he was asking for his read on the situation before them.

After a cursory glance, Fu Qian offered up a theory.

A wager so meticulously prepared by the Jester absolutely had to be interesting enough to be worthwhile.

Though he claimed to have chosen acquaintances just to accommodate Fu Qian, that probably wasn't the only reason.

After all, every single one of his acquaintances in there happened to have a bit of a problem.

Back when he chatted with Amber about this behind the door, she had clearly been hesitant about possibly running into Crystal, unwilling to face her.

And right now, one could almost sense some sort of inhuman strangeness on that face.

The same went for Crystal.

When it came to Amber, Crystal didn't seem entirely unable to comprehend the situation; she knew exactly where the other girl had come from.

On the other hand, the fact that the girl was standing right there in the flesh clearly delivered a considerable shock.

It wasn't just making her question reality; it looked as if her entire aura was shifting.

"Heh heh, exactly. That state you saw them in earlier was pretty much their most stable form of coexistence. As long as they cross paths, a dominant persona must be born, though exactly who that will be isn't quite set in stone."

Just as expected, the Jester instantly confirmed it, explaining what was transpiring inside the box.

"So, you want to bet on who will take control?"

Fu Qian felt like he was starting to catch on.

"No."

The Jester shook his head.

"We're betting on who Akasha will help take control."

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