Eldritch Horror Theatre

It was obvious that Grantham had prepared quite thoroughly.

Even though Yuan Shan clearly hadn't informed him in advance that two others would be backing her up, he still managed to quickly pull the dinner party together.

Once the guests were seated, he tactfully waved a hand, dismissing all the servants from the room.

"Thank you for your hospitality."

As the leader, Chief Yuan demonstrated immense composure, smiling as she forked a piece of roast meat and popped it into her mouth.

Fu Qian, however, felt a bit disappointed by it all.

Before coming, he had been a little curious: since Grantham was a member of the Blood Clan, would there be things like blood tofu on the dining table?

Unfortunately, a quick glance around the table revealed no such bizarre delicacies.

Grantham's chef, however, was undeniably skilled.

So much so that Fu Qian swallowed several pieces in a row with a look of pure intoxication, showing absolutely no intention of speaking.

Now was the time for the leader to perform. As an advisor who had already provided his three strategies, all he needed to do was sit there and provide a strong presence.

"I heard earlier that Ambor, a demigod of the Gulade Family, has arrived in Shangjing?"

Living up to expectations, Yuan Shan asked with a smile while popping another piece of savory roast meat into her mouth.

"...Indeed. Just a short while ago."

At this, Grantham revealed a perfectly measured look of surprise.

"Is Chief Yuan looking for him? Ambor doesn't usually leave his residence, but I can send someone to check if he's in."

"No need for now."

Yuan Shan's smile didn't waver.

"I'll go visit him directly."

...

Hearing Yuan Shan's words, Grantham couldn't help but glance at Fu Qian and Su Gao beside her.

Unfortunately, of the two, Fu Qian was wholeheartedly focused on enjoying his dinner.

And Su Gao beside him seemed completely uninterested in the meal, likely because there were no desserts on the table.

Even so, she sat there with her eyes on her nose, nose on her heart, completely unresponsive to Grantham's inquiring gaze.

Yet, clearly, her and Fu Qian's total detachment ended up putting tremendous psychological pressure on Grantham.

"May I ask what Chief Yuan needs him for?"

After hesitating for a moment, he couldn't resist asking.

"Nothing major. Shangjing hasn't been very stable recently, and I'd like to ask this demigod for a favor."

"Is... that so? I hadn't heard anything about that."

Grantham's expression finally stiffened.

"Is Chief Yuan referring to that anomaly in the sky?"

"It happened more than once."

Yuan Shan didn't deny it.

"But don't worry, any evil will be brought to justice."

"And we never implicate the innocent."

Looking at Grantham, Yuan Shan gave a faint, unreadable smile.

"Of course, if possible, I hope everyone in Gulade will do what they can to help."

...

The moment those words left her mouth, the air seemed to freeze.

The elegance on Grantham's face vanished, leaving behind a smile so stiff it looked glued on.

Meanwhile, Yuan Shan stared straight into his eyes, showing absolutely no intention of speaking further.

"That is a given... Since we are in Shangjing, we will certainly do our part to contribute."

Nearly ten seconds later, Grantham finally adjusted his posture and forced back his smile.

"Me too."

Just as his voice fell, Fu Qian, sitting nearby, swallowed a piece of smoked fish and casually echoed the sentiment.

However, to Grantham's ears, those two light words were downright terrifying.

After another few seconds of silence, he instinctively looked over at Su Gao.

Unfortunately, she was still sitting there completely unresponsive, entirely unchanged from before.

Yet this complete lack of reaction, juxtaposed against Fu Qian's casual comment, created an indescribable sense of oppression.

This was exactly why an intimidation squad never needed to be loud or boisterous. Executive Yama Su's performance was absolutely perfect.

Fu Qian silently gave her a thumbs-up.

...

Undoubtedly, Grantham was under immense pressure.

A regional Chief, the Bookstore Owner, and a vacationing god of slaughter—the three heavyweights at the banquet had successfully created a suffocating aura of oppression through their distinctly different attitudes.

So much so that even someone as typically slick and diplomatic as him found his voice completely dry when he finally spoke again.

"Please believe me, everyone in Gulade has always shared the exact same view."

"We absolutely will not tolerate any threats to the safety of Shangjing."

He spoke with extreme caution, weighing every single word.

"That's good..."

Yuan Shan's expression remained completely unreadable.

"You are all used to operating at night, right? Then I'll just visit Ambor tomorrow evening."

...

The dinner concluded, and the guests and host parted on seemingly excellent terms.

As they left the party, Fu Qian was absolutely certain Grantham had gotten the message.

Yuan Shan, on the other hand, didn't look too pleased.

"These guys are truly stubborn."

She remained silent for the entire drive until they were quite a distance away. Only then did she slow the car and let out a long sigh.

"Even Grantham seems determined to cover things up in the face of his family's interests. He's betting that I'm just making an empty show of strength."

"Is that so? Why couldn't it be that our friend was so intimidated he deeply realized his mistakes, and is now preparing to quietly clean up the mess to share your burden?"

"Grantham's statement just now was no different from his last one."

Yuan Shan shook her head again.

"I sent a very clear message that Ambor will die tomorrow."

"In this situation, there's no need for him to handle it quietly. The only reasonable response would be to admit the problem directly and promise to resolve it properly."

"Or, if he thought this was a misunderstanding, he should have properly explained their recent abnormal behavior."

"He's not a three-year-old child. He knows exactly how I would interpret those words given his previous attitude, yet he said them anyway."

"It's obvious that he's prepared to remain stubborn to the bitter end."

"The middle strategy really wasn't that effective!"

"Who said that?"

Curled up in the passenger seat, Fu Qian looked entirely satisfied.

"He certainly didn't admit to his mistakes, but who said the middle strategy didn't work?"

"What do you mean?"

Yuan Shan frowned slightly.

"Not admitting his mistakes doesn't mean he'll resist to the bitter end. I told you before, you have to treat Gulade as a single entity."

"You can tell that our good friend Grantham is a clever guy."

"Unless he has his own agenda, the odds of him taking the fall for no reason are practically zero."

"Right now, it doesn't look like Gulade is a completely unified front on the inside."

"So the timeline of death you laid out will definitely reach the ears of whoever is actually pulling the strings."

"And as an entity, they will inevitably react to it, evaluating the credibility of your threat and the risk index."

"Applying maximum pressure until their internal structure breaks—you have to give them a little time."

"Time for the dissenters to gain more of a voice."

Fu Qian looked out the car window at the full moon.

Hanging in the hazy night sky, it actually looked faintly dark red.

"Tonight is probably going to be quite lively."

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