Eldritch Horror Theatre

Now that’s what I call efficiency!

What Su Gao pulled out was undoubtedly the Gambler’s Hand Bone—the little gift he had given her not too long ago.

Hearing about her latest achievements, Fu Qian marveled.

With such a dedicated Demigod Hunter on the prowl, things had to be miserable for Transcendent criminals.

He wondered if the Night Watchers offered special rewards for this kind of work.

If they did, given Su Gao’s efficiency, she was definitely a wealthy woman by now.

It seemed his time spent reading inspirational books like How to Meet Rich Women hadn’t been in vain.

”I’m glad to do my part for world peace,” he said.

Luck was a fickle thing, and Fu Qian highly doubted it had much to do with Su Gao’s tracking efficiency.

But just as the Gambler’s Hand Bone’s description stated, the item’s true value was perhaps meant for this exact moment.Therefore, Fu Qian had no intention of ruining the mood. He accepted the credit with a clear conscience and casually asked about her itinerary.

”So you’re on your way back to report in right now?”

”I just got back... Theoretically, I could have asked the local Night Watchers to handle it, but I didn’t want to act out of character.”

Su Gao gave a slight nod, confirming his guess.

”Chief Yuan hasn’t left yet, either.”

...

”Thanks for the hard work.”

Though she put it simply, Fu Qian perfectly understood the implications behind her words.

No matter how things appeared on the surface, it was impossible for the Night Watchers’ higher-ups to ignore the recent incident at the Sacred Night Capital.

It was completely normal for the ever-busy Su Gao to head right back out on another mission, but if she gave the impression she was intentionally avoiding headquarters, it would look suspicious.

The same went for Chief Yuan. She had returned under the guise of taking a vacation, so leaving in a rush would look equally suspicious.

This proved that the master and disciple were truly thorough, doing everything in their power to maintain maximum confidentiality.

Perhaps this was what they meant by ”those who embody the Dao find much support”?

Fu Qian instantly felt a surge of upright righteous energy stirring within his chest.

”Speaking of which, there is something unusual to note.”

Su Gao smiled slightly. She clearly didn’t think it was a major issue and simply moved on to share another observation.

”My current state is quite unique. Even though I’ve entered a dream, I can still sense the flow of time on the outside to some extent.”

”One thing is certain—the Dislocation between the two sides is incredibly severe.”

”From the moment I answered the call until now, during our brief conversation, several hours have already passed in the outside world.”

Something like that was happening?

This information was undeniably significant. Fu Qian tapped his fingers; a slight sense of wrongness he’d felt earlier finally had an explanation.

...

Truly the work of a higher entity.

He had just been thinking about how quickly Su Gao had arrived. Even with his nerves of steel, her sheer efficiency had almost given him an inferiority complex.

There was also the terrifying rate of corruption spreading through his body.

Looking at it now, it actually wasn’t that frightening.

Once Alakir changed strategies, His execution was flawless. Not only had He drawn Fu Qian into His dream, but He had also secretly pulled these little tricks.

To maximize the deception, He had even dragged the Persuader in to serve as a frame of reference.

If Fu Qian had reacted even a second slower, he would have been thoroughly bogged down, unable to free himself.

Truly the advantage of fighting on home turf.

However... it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Fu Qian glanced at the empty seat beside him.

”You’ve been a huge help, then. If I had actually been forced to chat with that guy for several hours, I would have lost a tragic amount of brain cells.”

”Is there anything else you need help with?”

Su Gao was clearly used to his sharp tongue. She kept her smile as she asked.

”Sure.”

Seeing how eager she was, Fu Qian stroked his chin and finally nodded.

”...”

Clearly unwilling to miss a single word of his instructions, Su Gao stared at him in complete seriousness.

However, in the next second, he simply opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Pretty impressive!

At this moment, Fu Qian’s mind was racing with thoughts.

He obviously wasn’t bored enough to mess with his eager volunteer.

The words he had just tried to speak felt as though they had been swallowed whole.

It was obvious. As the master of this dream, Alakir had immense power over someone like him, whose level of corruption was already quite deep.

And Su Gao’s eagerness as a volunteer was painfully obvious at a glance.

It was only natural that Alakir wouldn’t want him passing any crucial information to her.

However... aren’t you underestimating this seat a little too much?

I happen to be an expert in lip-reading, sign language, and various other forms of non-vocal communication. What could a mere silencing trick do to him?

”Mr. Fu?”

At Su Gao’s prompt, Fu Qian tried to exaggerate his lip movements, only to find that a few muscles around his mouth seemed to have a mind of their own. They weren’t quite twitching, but the interference made it impossible to execute precise movements.

That scoundrel Alakir pushes me too far!

Snorting coldly, Fu Qian immediately tried wiggling his fingers.

The joints that had been perfectly nimble just moments ago were now barely any more responsive than the grotesque insectoid arm on his left.

It was a subtle restriction, but it truly took absolute containment to the extreme.

Even Fu Qian had to marvel at it.

However, that excellency clearly failed to comprehend the sheer resilience of a professional task runner.

A moment later, his hideous insectoid arm twitched.

Its movements were clumsy, but it managed to toss the Sweet Dream Head Cage—which had been hanging from it this whole time—straight onto his waiting head.

Clack!

With a firm pat to secure it, a crisp sound rang out as Fu Qian donned the imprisonment-style headwear once more.

...

It was the trump card the Warehouse had gone through the trouble of securing for him; it had to be of some use.

”I’m fine.”

Feeling the invisible shackles instantly vanish, Fu Qian opened his mouth to test it, confirming his speech was no longer restricted.

But even then, Su Gao—who had leaned in closer after his silent display—still didn’t seem to react.

Flawless execution, as expected... Just because he was temporarily immune to the restrictions didn’t mean others could hear him.

After all, sound still needed a medium to travel.

It went without saying that a Divine Entity fighting on home turf was truly extraordinary. However—

Fu Qian nodded slightly. He reached out and made a universally understood gesture, signaling for her to lean in even closer.

How dare you underestimate my Demigod Su Violetta Margaret Hani Bella Soufflé Mousse Gao.

”Can you hear me?”

”I can.”

This time, leaning in close to cooperate, Su Gao finally caught his words.

Under the effects of Echo, her status within this dream was undeniably transcendent. The way she had effortlessly banished the Persuader earlier was proof of that.

As long as she was close enough, protected by that lingering aura, there was a limit to how much Alakir could interfere.

At this point, the only way He could stop their conversation was to kick Su Gao out entirely.

But He couldn’t bear to do that.

Her resistance might have been absurdly high, but as a vessel for an evil god’s descent, she was a peerless candidate—even more astonishing than Eldest Miss Wen.

As if humiliated by this forced compromise, an invisible agitation rippled faintly through the surrounding air.

”If you see a bounty from the Night Watchers for a mysterious Demigod using frost powers, do not accept it.”

Amidst that lingering resentment, Fu Qian gave a slight nod and finally made his request.

In that instant, this dream belonging to a Deity seemed to freeze completely.