Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Did you need something with Midas?”

Taking in the scene and watching Fu Qian’s every move, Moglin’s gaze flickered before he suddenly spoke up.

”Just a casual chat. We heard his story and wanted to do an exclusive interview.”

Fu Qian finally spoke, the tone of the conversation instantly turning absurd.

”I see. In that case, could I trouble you with something?” Moglin didn’t seem to doubt them at all. Nodding repeatedly, he made a sincere request as he pushed the pile of chips by his hand across the table.

”This is a token of my gratitude. Could you pass it on to Midas for me? He refused to take it before, but I won’t have any peace of mind unless I do this.”

”No problem, piece of cake!” Fu Qian stowed Mercy away in a second, decisively agreeing to help.

”Sorry for bothering you today. Thanks for sharing.”

”Not at all...” Although his guess was right in a sense, Moglin couldn’t bring himself to feel happy as he watched the other party take the chips without the slightest hesitation.

Fortunately, the other party obviously didn’t care whether he was happy or not. After exchanging pleasantries, the two of them stood up and left without even a backward glance. More importantly, they were clearly heading toward the manual cash exchange counter....

”Next time, it’s my treat.” Outside the casino, Fu Qian played with two chips he had kept as souvenirs. He patted his pocket with his other hand and spoke very generously to Chief Yuan.

Brother Moglin was truly at the peak of his luck after receiving Midas’s blessing.

That pile of chips had indeed been exchanged for quite a lot of cash.

To have such a haul on his second visit to the casino—this must be the so-called beginner’s luck!

”That guy really has good luck!” Facts proved that Chief Yuan didn’t suffer from any boring moral squeamishness. She had absolutely no objections to Fu Qian’s proposal to treat her using ill-gotten gains.

”You asked me for bullets earlier because of this gun?” However, in the next moment, her focus shifted elsewhere.

”It’s called Mercy.” Fu Qian generously took out the weapon and handed it over.

”What a beautiful gun!” As a fashion expert, Chief Yuan clearly had a discerning eye for aesthetics. After taking it and turning it over a few times, she carefully stroked the exquisite patterns on the body and couldn’t help but marvel.

”It’s obviously a transcendent item. You really have quite a few good things on you!”

”Although I’m not that interested in firearms, I suddenly feel like carrying one of these around wouldn’t be too bad.”

”Besides, the color and style would match the outfit I was just wearing quite well.”

Seeing Chief Yuan fondling it admiringly, Fu Qian also offered a comment.

...

Chief Yuan’s hands, which were playing with Mercy, immediately stiffened, clearly caught off guard that her thoughts had been exposed.

”What’s wrong? I’m at least an aesthetics connoisseur renowned at home and abroad.” Meeting Yuan Shan’s subconscious gaze, Fu Qian looked as if this were only natural.

”I’m also very well-versed in the field of fashion.”

”Of course, I’m also very generous. Once your vacation officially begins, I can consider lending it to you to take a few photos or something.”

”...Then I really can’t let you die.” Seeming to have grown accustomed to Fu Qian’s overly sharp perception, Chief Yuan finally let out a long sigh, not denying her motive.

”Sure enough, every item has its value. When trying not to alarm the Night Watchers, having a weapon like this makes many things much easier to handle. This bunch of gamblers obviously aren’t that easy to deal with.”

”Since you’ve established rules, you have to accept that there will be people who exploit them.” Fu Qian shook his head, thinking about his own status as a human fiend on Ye Island.

That was the ultimate embodiment of a rule-breaking villain.

”But no matter what, try not to actually fire it. The trouble is one thing, but scaring the target away would be bad.” Yuan Shan sighed and handed Mercy back, not forgetting to offer a reminder.

”Relax, didn’t you hear the name of this gun? Mercy.” Fu Qian took it, played with it for a moment, and signaled for Chief Yuan not to worry.

”Does this name actually have a hidden meaning? The gun of kindness?” However, Yuan Shan was clearly a bit skeptical of his claim.

”Well... it’s slightly different from what you’re thinking.” Fu Qian pondered for a moment, trying to sound as tactful as possible.

”One of its effects is called Suffocation. Once activated, the next bullet becomes nearly impossible to perceive. Using this to commit a crime would go absolutely unnoticed. The target might not even react before they’re dead. The effect is comparable to euthanasia.”

So it’s that kind of mercy... Yuan Shan looked up to the sky and sighed heavily, marveling that this was indeed his style.

”Is that the place we’re looking for?” At this moment, Fu Qian offered a reminder, gesturing for her to look ahead.

”It’s not very conspicuous, but the name matches.” Yuan Shan, whose emotions hadn’t fully settled yet, immediately remembered the purpose of their trip upon hearing this. She looked in the direction Fu Qian was pointing.

Under the somewhat dim lighting, there was a door painted rose-red. Next to it hung a colorful signboard with a snail shell logo.

Its level of extravagance was far inferior to even Moxie’s bar from earlier.

”This should be the place. You’ve got great observation skills!” While confirming it, Yuan Shan didn’t forget to tease Fu Qian.

”Hmph.” Fu Qian wasn’t modest at all.

”Never underestimate an artist’s nose.”

”Let’s go... I hope that artist Alan is currently enjoying himself.”

Deeply impressed, Yuan Shan made an inviting gesture.

...

The two of them had come here, naturally, because of the intelligence Moglin had just provided—to find the lucky guy, Alan, the last person to have close contact with Midas.

Of course, there was another reason they were so decisive: the name Alan was already on the list Moxie had provided.

Corroborating the two sources, the credibility was quite high.

”Find anything?” After Fu Qian, who had just made a windfall, generously paid the entrance fee, the two finally entered the venue, where the concentration of body odor far exceeded that of the bar.

It was clearly peak hour for the club. Surrounded by a pack of leering men, a group performance by three girls had already begun on stage.

Although she obviously disliked this kind of setting, Chief Yuan wasn’t some naive little girl. After frowning and looking around, she was clearly a bit disappointed.

Among the audience present, no one matched the physical description of Alan that they had confirmed twice.

”I do!” However, to her shock, faced with her casual question, Fu Qian actually gave an affirmative answer.

”On the stage.” Before she could say another word, he jutted his chin forward.

On the stage? It couldn’t be that Alan had squandered all his money and was working here, right?

Finding it hard to imagine such a scene, Yuan Shan focused her attention on the staff for the first time.

”If I’m not mistaken, the one with short hair was just making eyes at you a few hours ago,” Fu Qian explained with a smile under her perplexed gaze.