Eldritch Horror Theatre

[Task Evaluation: Silence of the Stars]

In the familiar Warehouse, Fu Qian examined the Head Cage in his hand as the system prompt rang in his ears.

Forcing a High-Tier Existence to accept an outcome she didn’t want was undoubtedly a daunting task.

That was why, right up until the very last moment—even when the task completion prompt appeared and a sense of accomplishment erupted in his chest like a supernova—Fu Qian made no attempt to take off the Head Cage.

Once he committed to a course of action, he wasn’t going to give his opponent a single sliver of an opening.

The instant he returned to the Warehouse, it was as if some barrier had shattered. His head grew light, and the Head Cage automatically materialized in his hand.

The transition from the Containment Scenario to the Warehouse automatically severed the sweet Nightmare.

At the same time, the various mutation curses on his body vanished without a trace.

But that didn’t mean he was fully recovered.

Right now, within Fu Qian’s consciousness, that intense, maddening emotion had merely stopped its endless expansion. The boundless, soaring joy was still there, and letting it fade back to normal would be a long process.[As the Clamor Festival approached, Chelfus, the chief of the Night Watchers in the Dunis Region, received some unpleasant news: local police had submitted reports of several diseases suspected of exhibiting Transcendent characteristics.

Initially, these mutations were not taken very seriously, until the Night Watchers in charge of the investigation discovered that these individuals all belonged to the same special group.

The mysterious symbols found at their gathering places made investigators inevitably connect this disease of unknown origin to the eerie figures depicted in the manuscripts.

Upon receiving the investigation report, Chelfus displayed a level of tension far beyond expectations. Not only were all the Night Watchers in the Dunis Region mobilized, but new Demigods soon arrived as well.

However, the night of the Clamor Festival—destined to be chaotic—ended in unexpected tranquility.

By the time the two Night Watcher Demigods rushed back to the docks, some incomprehensible mutation had already come to an abrupt halt. The participants were nowhere to be found, just like the victims of the two bloody murders on the eve of the festival.

After the festival, many of the revelers who had gathered from all over the world claimed they had actually seen the legendary God of Clamor. As a result, this year’s carnival was even more joyous than in previous years.

Surrounded by powerful enemies, you not only slaughtered an ancient Deity with your own hands, but you also forced the source of the beast-transformation disease, a Higher Existence named Rom, to accept this reality—turning it truly into history.

On this day, the Stars fell silent because of you.]

[Kills: Camus Greda, Marco, God of Clamor Hamadus]

[Reward: SAN Value +30]

[Special Reward: Pseudo-God Incarnation]

[Current SAN Value: 89, Current inspiration: 99]

[Play event review?]

It was about what he had expected.

Listening to the task summary, Fu Qian felt some of his suspicions being confirmed.

Rom was indeed some kind of Higher Existence, guiding everything from behind the scenes all along.

Weaving a hunt, and then only accepting a future where the hunt succeeded—anything that deviated from expectations was merely a delusion.

Truly the methods of a Deity. The prestige was off the charts!

And Cassandra had indeed come specifically because of the beast-transformation disease.

Furthermore, judging by their reactions, the Night Watchers were fundamentally quite sensitive to this kind of incident.

Combined with Veil’s earlier explanations, the Night Watchers probably knew much more about the secrets of the ancient Deities.

But this clearly hadn’t escaped Rom’s control. Whether it was the symbols or the sketches, they had misled the two Demigods, preventing them from immediately linking the situation to the God of Clamor Hamadus.

Otherwise, the Clamor Festival would have likely been canceled outright, and the hunt could never have taken place.

In addition, this could be considered his first close-quarters contact with the Origin Council.

The facts proved that this organization truly possessed astonishing strength. Aside from a Divine Emissary like Ariel, they had casually pulled out two more Demigods for a single operation, even if one of them kept their movements mysterious.

Of course, how can the light of a firefly compete with the glory of the sun and moon!

After this battle, the mighty reputation of his Rebirth Club would definitely strike deep terror into those clowns.

Thinking this, Fu Qian tilted his head back and laughed aloud, looking as if he were about to transform.

Having confirmed the task was complete, he completely let go of his suppression over his own emotions, allowing that intensely euphoric sense of self to radiate freely.

Reveling in his role as the ultimate mastermind, Fu Qian focused his attention on his special reward.

[Name: Pseudo-God Incarnation]

[Type: Ring]

[Effect: A simple yet noble ring. Because it is crafted from a material that shouldn’t exist, the symbolism it brings is equally illusory. Yet this illusion is so sublime and dazzling that, in the eyes of fools, it is indistinguishable from a Deity.

Consume 10 SAN Value to allow the wearer to briefly obtain the false station of a True God.]

[Note: It is not only Deities who can look directly at a Deity.]

Another Ring?

Fu Qian rubbed the reward that had appeared in his hand.

Its edges were flat, and the design really wasn’t complicated. It looked like a twisted hoop, paired with intricate hollowed-out textures, resembling a silver snake biting its own tail.

What drew his attention was its effect.

Incarnate as a False God and briefly obtain a Divine Station?

Meaning that even though he hadn’t even reached Tier 2 yet, he could directly experience what it felt like to be a Deity?

Even if it was false, that was still an outrageous feat.

The price was just a bit steep.

Ten SAN Value each time was already half the profit of a normal task.

This was undeniably a strategic skill.

For instance, the next time he encountered Ariel, if the guy initiated another True God Descent, activating this might prevent an even greater loss of SAN Value.

Although it wasn’t some world-destroying divine artifact, the effect was very much to his taste. It made all the hard work of tearing apart a Deity with his bare hands well worth it.

Satisfied with the task reward, Fu Qian stretched lazily and nodded with an exaggerated smile.

His workload had been a bit heavy lately; it was time to go back and rest.

However, he didn’t activate the pattern on his wrist; instead, he went straight to find the Emissary Mask and put it on.

Ever since he advanced to a Demigod, all the muttering that Young Master Qin, Tan Ying, and the others did about him generated a special kind of connection, which was influenced by his own will.

Considering his current overly euphoric mood, if even a tiny sliver of it transmitted through that connection, it could completely shatter their sanity.

Better go watch the shop for a bit first.

...

I’m seriously too high on this!

Leaping down from the bed on the Bookstore Second Floor, Fu Qian briskly walked downstairs while silently evaluating himself.

The customers later will surely be moved by this enthusiasm.

But before he even finished descending the stairs, Fu Qian realized something and looked up toward the door.

There were no letters on the floor, and the door was neatly deadbolted from the inside, exactly as it had been when he left.

A moment later, Fu Qian walked forward and opened the door from the inside.

Outside, it was still just early morning, with only a handful of pedestrians on the street.

And right on the bench by the shop, a figure was sitting quietly with her back to the door.

Dark clothes, a narrow hat, brown hair, and snow-white skin.

It was none other than a certain sweets enthusiast.

”Mister Fang...”

The next moment, as if sensing something, Su Gao turned her head to look over.

After squinting to make him out for a few seconds, she gave a faint smile and patted the Curved Sword beside her.

”I’m ready.”

(End of Volume 3)

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