Eldritch Horror Theatre

He was actually taking it to this extreme?

At this distance, Yuan Shan could naturally hear the phone call, leaving her momentarily dumbfounded.

He wasn’t just accepting the compensation and placing bets on the tips—he was actually going for an all-in thrill?

As the mysterious figure sharing this luck, Midas’s premise was simple: he would tell you how to bet, making your winnings skyrocket.

But according to the rules, you had to wager your entire bankroll every single round. You also bore one specific risk: not knowing when the game would end and knock you back to square one.

In a sense, it was a wildly thrilling game.

From the sound of it, Moglin and Alan’s group had received similar treatment back then.

Judging by the results, those seasoned gamblers had clearly folded at the right time and walked away with their fortune.

Whether that was the exact reason they failed the selection, however, remained unknown.

”So, they were considered too cowardly?”The moment the thought entered her mind, Fu Qian actually posed the question straight into the phone.

”Yes, they clearly weren’t crazy enough. Or rather, their level of madness wasn’t enough to cover up their flaws.”

Unsurprisingly, the voice on the other end confirmed the guess.

”Congratulations, then.”

Fu Qian gave a slight nod. His gaze was resolute, making it sound as if he were complimenting himself.

...

Sure enough, the money didn’t matter to him—the thrill was what really caught his interest!

Yuan Shan watched from the sidelines, a vein throbbing on her forehead.

When it came to Fu Qian, she absolutely refused to believe he was short on money.

After all, his unconventional way of doing business had left quite a deep impression on her.

That was why her first reaction earlier was to assume he was only pretending to accept the compensation, while actually planning to use this method to track the caller down.

Now, however, Yuan Shan wasn’t so sure.

Ever since she had known the man, despite his peerless methods, he had also displayed a severe tendency to just look for fun.

She couldn’t be sure that this bizarre form of compensation hadn’t genuinely sparked his interest.

And knowing his temperament, there was no way he would quit halfway.

The problem was that if he kept playing, wasting time would be the least of their worries. It would bring a host of other issues.

It was hard to say whether Midas was intentionally testing them, but the area Fu Qian was currently sitting in was clearly meant for non-transcendent games.

A casino might not constantly verify its patrons’ identities, but if someone started winning an absurd amount, staff coming over to check was practically guaranteed.

When that happened, dealing with the mess would be a headache of its own. Worse yet, if Midas realized transcendents were looking for him, he might get spooked and go into hiding, making him even harder to find.

Yuan Shan felt a deep headache coming on.

”Looks like a rookie.”

Ross, who had been forced to follow his phone over here, was currently taking a break. He leaned in to watch, shaking his head repeatedly.

”Never knows when to quit.”

”By the way, can I have that piece of paper back now?”

Having finally found a chance to speak, he quickly and cautiously asked the question.

Earlier, Fu Qian had handed the sticky note he’d stolen from him over to Yuan Shan. Aside from his phone, Ross was clearly paying far more attention to that piece of paper.

Unfortunately, right after carefully asking, he realized out of the corner of his eye that the space beside him was empty.

Whipping his head around, he found that the cold-faced employer with the precarious status was already nowhere to be seen.

...

”You’re telling me he found the guy, but is having too much fun in the casino to come out?”

Inside yet another religious building of a vastly different architectural style, Henry listened carefully to the news Yuan Shan brought, entirely at a loss for how to comment.

”Yeah, and it looks like he’s going to cause trouble soon.”

Yuan Shan sighed up at the ceiling. If she hadn’t been intimately familiar with her teacher’s temperament and decided to swing by here on her way back, she probably would have made a wasted trip.

Neither of those two was the least bit reliable.

”He found Midas...”

Henry didn’t seem to care about the rest of her report at all. Muttering to himself, he stood right up.

”Take me to him.”

”Alright.”

Yuan Shan readily agreed.

After a moment of thought earlier, she had suddenly decided to take Fu Qian’s advice, update her teacher on the situation, and see his reaction.

After all, broadly speaking, they had technically managed to ”find” the rat.

If her teacher could accept this result and end this test before the farce escalated beyond repair, it would undoubtedly be the best outcome.

Since her teacher hadn’t immediately shown any murderous intent and was even willing to go take a look, she was naturally quite satisfied.

Hopefully, they would make it in time.

...

”You’re here?”

A short while later, Fu Qian, clearly the center of attention, turned around and nodded at Yuan Shan and Henry, his expression completely devoid of surprise.

Looking at the massive pile of chips in front of him, Old Man Henry wore a visibly solemn expression.

Chief Yuan, on the other hand, furrowed her brow, a trace of confusion in her eyes.

The call was clearly still connected. From then until now, this guy actually hadn’t lost it all in one go?

But if he had been winning this whole time, the size of his chip stack seemed just a little too small.

”I took a little break earlier. Just started back up not too long ago.”

Fu Qian seemed to read her mind, explaining with a smile.

”So, are you ready to stop now?”

Her confusion instantly cleared. Feeling slightly relieved, Yuan Shan discreetly motioned with her head in a certain direction.

Within the crowd of onlookers, aside from those just watching for the thrill, there were clearly casino staff keeping a close eye on him.

If he kept this up, there was a high chance he would be escorted aside for a ”friendly chat.”

”Why would I do that?”

Fu Qian looked surprised.

”I was waiting for you guys to come over and help me carry all these chips. Oh, right—thanks.”

The next moment, Fu Qian suddenly picked up his phone, thanked the person on the other end, and hung up, shoving it into his pocket.

What are you doing? You’re just hanging up like that?

You could have at least let my teacher hear the voice!

This maneuver undoubtedly drove Yuan Shan crazy.

I went through all that trouble to bring him to you! If you’re too lazy to catch the guy, you could at least try to prove that we actually ”found” him!

”Which one do you think is a better bet?”

Unfortunately, Fu Qian completely ignored her, turning straight to Henry to ask the question.

To Yuan Shan’s shock, Henry stared at the pile of chips and actually began contemplating the question seriously, seemingly having forgotten the entire reason they had come.

What the hell...

Her resentment boiling over, Yuan Shan could only watch helplessly alongside the crowd of spectators as the old man and the young man shoved the entire pile of chips forward.

”What a pity.”

The next moment, Yuan Shan heard more than one sigh of regret.

The instant the phone call ended, the good luck vanished with it.

Amidst the dealer’s comforting words, the mountain of chips was completely swept away.

Cleaned out in a single hand, the former lucky winner faced no resistance as he walked away.

...

”Are we good?”

A moment later, walking with their defeated group, Fu Qian looked at Henry—the man who had given the terrible advice—without a shred of negative emotion. He even asked with a smile.

”We’re good.”

Henry sighed, his expression a mix of emotion and melancholy.