Eldritch Horror Theatre

Actually, for Fu Qian, misleading Brother Yingjun's judgment wasn't strictly necessary.

After all, even if the guy actually confirmed the issue and ran to the Night Watchers to complain again, the outcome wouldn't be any different from last time.

The main reason he had done it in passing was simply that, as a decent alternate persona, this would make it easier to sustainably exploit in the future.

But he had to admit, the unexpected situation this caused did leave him rather curious.

Brother Yingjun's own strength was mediocre, yet just a moment ago, when his personal obsession clashed with the rules of the dream, it actually caused the upgraded Lucid Dream to exhibit noticeable instability.

Was this the power of dreams?

After confirming that Zha Yingjun's emotions had gradually stabilized and he was now just sitting in his room staring blankly into space, Fu Qian left the scene of the crime with a sigh.

It was the new employee's first day on the job, so he, the manager, ought to conduct a surprise inspection.

...

Outside The Bookstore, Fu Qian looked at the scene inside and nodded in satisfaction.

As expected of the talent he had recruited with his keen eye—her performance was excellent.

At this very moment, the small bookstore was undoubtedly experiencing a surge in popularity compared to usual, with the number of customers already reaching double digits.

These people were scattered everywhere, yet they maintained absolute silence. Their manners were so good it felt unreal.

Meanwhile, they shared one other thing in common—everyone had their backs to the counter.

And Su Gao, sitting by the counter, was evidently the most focused person of all. Her posture hadn't changed at all since he left.

He felt like he was receiving unfair treatment.

Was this the legendary "attractiveness is justice"?

Fu Qian highly doubted this sudden influx of people had all come just to read books for free.

In fact, when Wen Li was volunteering here previously, a similar phenomenon had occurred.

The only difference was that when Wen Li was here, some people would at least muster the courage to try and strike up a conversation.

Now that it was Su Gao sitting at the counter, not a single person even dared to look directly at her.

It wasn't that she looked particularly murderous; rather, even though it was her first day on the job, Su Gao displayed a sense of absolute, profound tranquility, naturally exuding an aura that ignored everything around her.

It was already evening. Sunlight streamed through the small window behind the counter, perfectly illuminating the side of her face.

At a glance, it created a stillness like time itself had stopped.

Anyone harboring feelings of admiration would instantly lose the courage to approach when faced with such a scene.

As someone who believed in making Guests Feel at Home, Fu Qian naturally wouldn't ruin the customers' high-quality behavior. He slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside without making a single sound.

Unfortunately, while the customers didn't dare look directly at Su Gao, they undoubtedly still had the courage to size up others. In an instant, they all turned to look at him.

"How are the sales?"

Drawing all those stares, Fu Qian walked straight behind the counter, sat down, and greeted Su Gao.

Only then did the customers realize that the man before them wasn't a fellow enthusiast, but the boss of this shop.

"Not a single book has been sold."

Su Gao finally tore her gaze away from her book with evident reluctance and answered with a smile.

"Mhm, very good!"

Fu Qian praised her without hesitation, expressing immense satisfaction with her work on her first day.

This...

Not a single sale, yet that was very good?

Without a doubt, everyone in the bookstore had their ears perked up, listening to their conversation.

In fact, the moment Fu Qian asked about the sales performance, a few quick-witted individuals had instantly grown alert and considered buying a book to save Su Gao from trouble.

However, as soon as Fu Qian's evaluation came out, those eager to step forward froze in their tracks, their heads full of question marks.

Sure enough, they were still too young. These customers clearly lacked life experience and knew very little about this shop's corporate culture.

"Alright everyone, thank you all for supporting our work. The shop is closing for the day."

Pity that before the customers could figure it out, Fu Qian was already tapping on the counter to chase them out.

He wasn't some unscrupulous capitalist; how could he allow such a deranged practice as overtime?

Given the shocking conversation between the two earlier, the customers, though confused, didn't voice a single objection. They put the books in their hands back on the shelves, even taking special care to arrange them neatly, before leaving the shop in an orderly fashion.

Now these were high-quality customers!

He had hired a high-quality employee, a large sum of rental income had hit his account, and he didn't even have to restock inventory. Fu Qian was extremely satisfied with the day's business operations and in a great mood.

"The two of you really are playing around..."

Compared to the equally satisfied Su Gao, Chief Yuan didn't look quite as pleased.

Almost the very moment the customers left, she barged right in.

Glancing toward the counter and sizing up Fu Qian and Su Gao—whose postures were practically identical to when she had left—she was utterly speechless.

"What do you mean playing around? Besides, didn't we close early just to welcome you, Chief Yuan?"

Fu Qian wasn't the least bit surprised by Yuan Shan's arrival.

Just now, while chatting with Su Gao, he had noticed her pacing around outside.

And since he had no desire to leave The Bookstore to find some private place to talk, Fu Qian had decisively chosen to kick the customers out.

"Back so soon? Did your previous operation yield any results?"

"You could say that."

Yuan Shan sighed. However, she didn't look like someone experiencing the joy of a fruitful harvest.

"Your guess was right. There was indeed a reason for the little tricks the Gulade crowd pulled on Gan Zuoxun earlier."

"My people found out that shortly before the news of Gan Zuoxun's suspected mental manipulation came out, the new municipal officer had vetoed a proposal."

"And the contents of the proposal concerned a business venture of the Gulade Household in the Shangjing Region, which was said to be highly lucrative."

"What business?"

"...Night of Nights."

"What... why does that name sound like a sex toy?"

Fu Qian frowned slightly, making no effort to hide his rich imagination.

"Well, you're not wrong..."

As expected of an older woman, Chief Yuan mentioned such things as casually as eating beans, without the slightest bit of bashfulness.

"It's just not an ordinary sex toy. It's a type of potion with a mild supernatural effect."

"Even ordinary people can consume it freely, and the effect is a significant enhancement to male performance."

"You might not know this, but the vetting process involving Transcendent Potions is extremely strict. Sales permits aren't even universal across different regions, so a municipal officer's influence in this area is massive."

"I've heard a thing or two. Like Dunis's Mercury Storm, for example."

Listening to Yuan Shan's description, Fu Qian replied quite naturally.

"Right... just like Mercury Storm."

The casual example Fu Qian brought up had clearly struck a nerve with Yuan Shan.

She gave Fu Qian a somewhat stiff look before eventually nodding, agreeing with his statement.

Fu Qian naturally understood her reaction completely.

Given what had happened in Dunis previously, after Yuan Shan received their request for help, even if she couldn't confirm he was involved, it was impossible for her not to be sensitive to related information.

And as someone who championed the joy of helping others, Fu Qian didn't mind helping her desensitize a bit.

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