Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Unlike other transcendents, Rank suppression is quite pronounced within the Blood Clan. If this was Serana's order, Taylor's behavior just now makes perfect sense."

Yuan Shan was visibly relieved that Fu Qian was willing to stay and hold the line, though she still couldn't help but sigh.

Their earlier conversation had seemed erratic, but she completely understood his point.

Given the current situation, it was almost certain Taylor had been forced to appear here against his will.

If Serana were the type of legendary elder who cared deeply for her juniors, this move could be interpreted as a lesson to curb his arrogance and temper his pride.

But judging from their limited interactions, Serana clearly wasn't someone with that kind of free time.

Therefore, this move most likely served an ulterior motive.

"People really do have many faces."

Listening to Yuan Shan's analysis, Fu Qian nodded repeatedly.

"Speaking of which, Serana dropping hints to us this way about abnormal movements at Gulade does make sense, but you can't say it's completely foolproof, right?"

Yuan Shan clearly still had some doubts.

"No matter how you look at it, her behavior was a bit abnormal. Isn't she worried Taylor will inform on her later?"

"Given their ancient family legacies, the Blood Clan places particular emphasis on loyalty and is quite strict in that regard."

"Not quite. You think it's strange because you're looking at it from our perspective."

Facing Yuan Shan's doubts, Fu Qian put on the airs of a master strategist, analyzing the situation with utmost seriousness.

"No one at Gulade—including Brother Taylor—knows that Serana came looking for me because of the notes, or that she even suffered a loss as a result."

"So even if it gets exposed, Serana's actions can easily be explained away. She could claim that because Taylor lost the notes, she deliberately used this method to strike at him and make him realize exactly what kind of trash he is."

"Moreover, this shows her attitude last time wasn't faked. She was quite dismissive of the pure-blood and half-blood concepts back then. It's possible that among the upper echelons of the Blood Clan, this is already a consensus."

In truth, this was a point Fu Qian found rather interesting.

Most discussions regarding bloodlines were boring to tears.

But the vampires were clearly a special case. Unlike other transcendents, they were practically a distinct species, meaning the influence of their bloodline logically couldn't be ignored.

Yet they were the very ones putting forward the idea of "are they born with special seed," which felt rather profound.

"Hmm, that makes sense."

Yuan Shan nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"Serana can be considered an anomaly within the Gulade Household. It's just that this hint is far too obscure. Isn't she putting a bit too much faith in you?"

"You don't understand. In a certain sense, this is her way of getting even."

Fu Qian snorted.

"From her perspective, she might actually be happier if I didn't catch the hint. That way, she could secretly feel like she won a round back."

"At her age, yet still so competitive."

...

The moment those words left his mouth, Fu Qian noticed the atmosphere turn chilly. Turning his head, he met Yuan Shan's resentful gaze and realized he had just launched an indiscriminate AoE attack.

Clearly, Serana wasn't the only one sensitive about her age.

"So we can basically confirm now that the Gulade crowd is indeed secretly preparing something."

Fortunately, Chief Yuan prioritized the bigger picture and quickly adjusted her emotions.

"And they're prepared to deceive us to the very end, refusing to cooperate."

Fu Qian nodded, fanning the flames.

"It really is a bit troublesome!"

Yuan Shan agreed with Fu Qian's assessment.

"Acting this seriously... this likely isn't some minor operation."

The more she spoke, the angrier she became.

"Even if they want to advance, couldn't these vampires find a quiet place? Did they have to come all the way to Shangjing?"

"With the population density here, even the slightest slip-up will cause massive casualties."

As she spoke, she seemed to realize something and shot Fu Qian a passing glare.

As she understood it, the vampires' actions were undoubtedly triggered by the anomaly of Fu Qian blaspheming the sun earlier.

Granted, she was the one who had invited Fu Qian to help and wasn't entirely ungrateful.

But the trouble caused by this guy's reckless actions was truly giving her a massive headache.

"Not to make excuses for myself, but have you considered that the population density might be exactly what they want?"

Never one for pointless self-blame, Fu Qian blinked and offered Yuan Shan a reminder.

"You mean they aren't here because of that earlier anomaly?"

Yuan Shan frowned, not entirely grasping his meaning.

"Think about the chronological order again. Old Ai, that demigod, arrived before that even happened."

Fu Qian pointed at the sun outside.

"That is true..."

Yuan Shan couldn't deny that point.

"Then think even further back. What did the people from Gulade do before that?"

Even further back...

"Gan Zuoxun?"

Yuan Shan was suddenly startled.

"It's just a guess, but I remember Gulade making some major moves around that time. They had quite a few complaints about that municipal officer."

"If you don't want to spend all your time passively putting out fires, you can try investigating from this angle and see if it turns up anything."

"For example, how exactly this municipal officer got in their way."

"...Alright."

Fu Qian's suggestion clearly struck a chord with Yuan Shan. She pondered for a moment before quickly agreeing.

"So, if anything comes up during this period, I should just come here to find you?"

"If I'm not here, look for her."

Fu Qian pointed at Su Gao.

"She'll be here looking after the shop for me."

...

A demigod looking after a shop was undoubtedly an absurd concept. Yet, given that it involved these two weirdos, Yuan Shan surprisingly didn't question it much.

Considering the arrangements for her next move, she soon bid him a hasty farewell and left.

...

"You're really letting me stay and look after the shop?"

Watching Yuan Shan leave, Su Gao stared at Fu Qian and asked in complete seriousness.

"What, worried I can't afford your salary?"

Fu Qian raised an eyebrow and patted the leather suitcase on the counter, looking every bit the wealthy tycoon.

"Comprehensive benefits, three meals a day, a Flexible Work System, and a bed on the second floor when you get tired. Are these conditions satisfactory?"

"They are... But what if someone comes to buy a book? I might not know the price."

Su Gao nodded, her focus already shifted to practical matters.

"Just tell them nothing is for sale."

Fu Qian imparted his personal business philosophy.

"In fact, try your best not to sell any books at all, because I have no idea where to order new stock."

"Understood."

Su Gao listened with utmost seriousness, raising no objections to her job description.

"Chief Yuan seemed a bit anxious earlier. Is there anything you need me to do?"

"There's no rush."

Fu Qian pushed the salary straight into Su Gao's arms.

"Our job is just to hold the line. We need to trust in Chief Yuan's composure."

"When she actually needs us to step in, she'll definitely let us know."

"Besides, even if you gave those vampires ten thousand times the courage, they wouldn't dare actually sacrifice human lives to advance. To put it bluntly, all Chief Yuan has to do is prepare to wipe their asses in case they screw up."

"You're on vacation right now. Don't forget that."

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