Eldritch Horror Theatre

Speaking of which, Brother Zha Yingjun was a man with clear goals and strong execution.

He was nothing like his peers, who were so thoroughly puffed up with a sense of superiority.

His purpose for coming to Shangjing was crystal clear. Instead of exhausting himself sprinting down the path of a transcendent, he fully utilized his advantages as a stepping stone.

His identity as a transcendent, combined with his good looks, was enough to let him benefit from all sides.

Choosing the right track really was important!

Sighing in admiration, Fu Qian slowly lowered the unconscious man.

Everyone had their own ambitions. Fu Qian didn't actually bear much ill will toward the man.

He had targeted him primarily because his identity was perfect for current use.

A loner benefiting from all sides, well-informed, and free from any highly conspicuous social circles—it was simply too perfect for certain operations.

Even if he woke up halfway, breaking free on his own would be extremely difficult given his level of strength.

With that done, Fu Qian walked over and opened the wardrobe, his appearance and build rapidly shifting to match.

Zha Yingjun's current outfit was far too flashy. Plus, since they were in his home, there were obviously far more options available; there was no need to strip him bare.

A single glance revealed a wardrobe packed to the brim. Brother Zha had clearly spent a small fortune on it.

He didn't see the Pure White Battle Suit from last time; presumably, the man had already discarded it.

Fu Qian had little knowledge of fashion. By the time he was fully dressed, quite a bit of time had passed.

...

Judging from the address on the Invitation Letter, the destination was clearly a private residence. This fit the concept of the high-end circles Zha Yingjun had mentioned.

...

After all, private collections were often ridiculously extensive.

Zha Yingjun's claim that he had put a lot of effort into this was likely no exaggeration.

In truth, the entry point Brother Zha had chosen was genuinely brilliant.

The art scene possessed a unique advantage: its inclusivity.

Whether they were transcendents or ordinary elites, under the stable social structure maintained by the Night Watchers, they could all rightfully sit together in the name of art without any awkwardness regarding their motives.

Speaking of which, he wondered how the Night Watchers had internally reacted after the Dunis Incident.

But one thing was certain: if some ancient deities really could be awakened by that kind of summons, it made perfect sense why the Night Watchers were so dead set on maintaining a stable society.

They had even carefully nurtured the seedling of technology, fostering its growth all the way to the present day to create something akin to a modern society.

Theoretically, they were fully capable of keeping humanity driving horse-drawn carriages for a thousand years.

It was a disguised form of suppression.

Just as Veil had mentioned, ever since the steam engine was invented, the number of people who claimed they could still hear the responses of deities had dwindled.

Quite a few things must have happened during that long, dark night.

And judging from his own recent experiences, the deities hadn't silently faded away as the legends claimed. In fact, they seemed to be attempting a return.

Take Rom, for instance—the one who had tried the trick of the turtledove occupying the magpie's nest. Although Fu Qian had forced him to swallow defeat this time, he clearly hadn't perished.

...

"Mister Zha Yingjun, please follow me."

In front of a quiet, secluded villa, an attendant verified the Invitation Letter Fu Qian handed over before gracefully inviting him inside.

Purely in terms of square footage, this wasn't an absurdly large mansion. It was roughly the same size as Wen Li's residence in Shangjing.

Once inside, however, low-key luxury could be seen at every turn.

Various sculptures and paintings—likely authentic—were arranged to create a genuinely artistic atmosphere.

Following the attendant into the drawing room, he saw that quite a few people had already arrived. Amid the elegant music, they were gathered in twos and threes, chatting over drinks.

The moment Fu Qian walked through the doors, numerous gazes drifted over to size him up.

Brother Zha really had busted his ass to score this Invitation Letter. What an overwhelming feeling of being a total outsider!

Most people took a single glance and looked away. Clearly, Zha Yingjun was not a familiar face in this circle.

Fu Qian casually accepted the scrutiny, offering his own silent critiques.

The room was almost entirely devoid of transcendents, and the few present were quite up there in years.

In such a setting, as a young transcendent, Brother Zha was undoubtedly quite an anomaly.

For those who knew his background, even under the guise of art, their impression of him was inevitably a bit awkward.

As for those who didn't know him, they wouldn't rashly approach a stranger.

Because of this, Fu Qian looked rather out of place for the moment.

"You're here."

A moment later, however, a beautifully made-up woman approached him. She handed him a glass of wine and greeted him with a smile.

Slightly curled long hair, a somewhat flirtatious tone, and a voluptuous figure.

She looked to be in her early thirties, and her attire from head to toe screamed wealth.

There was also a somewhat familiar scent of perfume clinging to her.

Fu Qian suddenly had a pretty good idea of exactly how Brother Zha had scored his Invitation Letter.

...

"I thought I'd arrived early enough."

Bumping into Brother Zha's female confidante here really wasn't all that surprising.

Taking the wine glass, Fu Qian returned her smile and greeted her.

"I came early on purpose. I was worried you'd feel awkward all by yourself."

The woman winked and leaned in close to whisper.

Brother Zha's hard work had really paid off!

Feeling her enthusiasm, Fu Qian marveled inwardly.

Judging by her appearance, she was either incredibly wealthy or of high status, but she was undoubtedly just an ordinary person.

A young, handsome transcendent who wasn't arrogant, and who was actually willing to integrate into the lives of ordinary people—his lethal charm toward a woman like her was not to be underestimated.

"The host of this salon is quite low-key. He won't make an appearance until it officially begins."

Seeing that Fu Qian remained silent, the wealthy woman covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Would you like me to introduce you to a few friends first?"

"Sure!"

Fu Qian didn't decline her suggestion in the slightest, agreeing straightforwardly.

After all, he wasn't really here to discuss art today. Networking was the real goal.

In fact, Fu Qian believed that many people here felt exactly the same way.

"Julie, who is this?"

Following the woman back to her social circle, Fu Qian instantly became the center of attention. Before she could even introduce him, someone took the initiative to ask.

He was an ordinary man in his forties with a somewhat deliberate tone, and the gaze he directed at Julie was rather fervent.

Perhaps a defeated love rival?

Fu Qian took a single glance at him and remained silent.

"Never mind, there's no need for introductions. Just by looking at you, I can tell this must be Mister Zha."

Without waiting for Julie to respond, the man let out a hearty laugh, though the gaze he used to scrutinize Fu Qian was distinctly sharp.

"I'm Jose. I had only heard the rumors before, but seeing you in person, Mister Zha is indeed outstanding. No wonder you've managed to completely sweep our Julie off her feet."

"However, I didn't expect Mister Zha to be interested in art. We'll have to have a proper discussion about it later."

"You flatter me."

After quietly waiting for Jose to finish speaking, Fu Qian simply offered a faint smile.

"Actually, I'm not interested."

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