Eldritch Horror Theatre

Although it bordered on malicious speculation, it certainly lived up to its designation number.

Thanks to his excellent habit of never being blindly optimistic, Fu Qian quickly formed a suitably pessimistic interpretation of his current situation.

He had already harbored concerns upon hearing the mention of immortality earlier; now, through Cako, he had confirmed a few more details.

The facts suggested there were no loopholes for him to exploit.

From the moment the mission began, all he could do was rely on this Mortal Body to go about shattering the void.

Even if he died an unnatural death, he likely wouldn’t get a chance to restart.

And under these circumstances, he was currently heading toward what appeared to be a City of Sin driven by ”bliss.”

”So, do you want me to take you to your residence?”

As he pondered, the carriage came to a complete stop at a fork in the road.

Beside him, Cako brought the wicked topic to a close, shifting the focus back to her duties as a guide.”I actually have a residence in this city?”

Gazing at the unevenly clustered houses, Fu Qian didn’t spot any designs that caught his fancy.

”The moment you gained a grave, you naturally gained a residence.”

Cako stated it as a matter of course.

”Of course, newly appeared houses are usually quite empty and won’t have anything extra. If you aren’t in a hurry to see it, you could head to my place first.”

As she spoke, she stared at Fu Qian. The same fiery passion from earlier flashed across her face once more; she needed no further words to explain her meaning.

”Sure, let’s go to your place then.”

Devoid of any hesitation or internal struggle, Fu Qian’s expression at that moment was even more placid and detached than Cako’s. It was as if he were the one who had cultivated for years in this realm of bliss and was now serving as the guide.

”Alright.”

But Lady Cako was extraordinary after all. Faced with Fu Qian’s rapid adaptation, she merely maintained a brief moment of surprise before regaining her composure and agreeing.

Soon, the sound of hooves rang out once more.

...

Of course, he had no interest in this woman’s bodily offering.

Granted, her curves were alluring and her fragrance intoxicating, but for someone like Fu Qian—who had dealt with Ecstasy on more than one occasion—trying to use this to sway his judgment was still a bit lacking.

The reason he chose to go to Cako’s residence was simple—she had just said his own place would be very empty.

For a newcomer to the Realm of Bliss, using such a place as a base to gradually adapt and integrate was certainly a normal progression, but for him, the efficiency would simply be too low.

Time was also a resource, regardless of whether the Warehouse had set a countdown for him.

And given Cako’s experience and path, her social connections in this bizarre City of Bliss had to be quite complex; he might as well leverage them.

He could also conveniently project the image of a weak-willed person lacking in spiritual insight.

It might not necessarily come in handy, but it was never wrong to hold an extra card.

”Please follow me.”

Cako barely spoke for the latter half of the journey. When she finally spoke again, they were standing before clusters of fiercely blooming flowers.

Through the obscuring floral arrangements, an audience even larger than the one present when he woke up from the coffin immediately cast their gazes over.

...

She didn’t disappoint him; her social connections really were complex.

At that moment, Fu Qian felt a sudden surge of gratification.

Compared to his initial welcome party, these spectators were just as strikingly beautiful, yet their appearances were far more vibrant and diverse.

For example, there was a face pierced over a hundred times and laden with gold rings, or a headdress almost as long as its wearer’s upper body, swaying like willows in the wind with every movement.

There was even someone completely naked, their limbs stretched out in every direction and bound to a flat board, which was being held by a burly figure.

There were men and women, but without a doubt, they all knew Cako—and none of them knew him.

Feeling the gazes quickly converge on him, Fu Qian stepped down from the carriage and calmly walked beside Cako. They passed right through the crowd until he followed her behind a Silver Door.

The distance wasn’t far, but Fu Qian believed it was enough for these people to ascertain his identity.

”You performed wonderfully—better than any of them.”

Even as she reached back to shut the door, Cako explicitly voiced her praise.

The implications behind her words seemed rather substantial; it sounded like a significant portion of the people outside had once been in that exact same position of being observed.

”You flatter me. It might just be because I was already quite old when I died.”

Fu Qian showed no sign of emotion, humbly brushing off the compliment while surveying his surroundings.

He wasn’t entirely sure what Lady Cako’s standard for a ”mostly empty” room was, but at least in Fu Qian’s eyes, her residence truly didn’t have much of anything.

It was just as resplendent inside as out, and the interior layout could be considered complex. Yet, standing from this vantage point, aside from a half-burned stick of fine incense in a censer, he couldn’t spot a single everyday household item.

”Hehe... For someone who just stood up from a grave, you are already very young.”

Clearly unfazed by Fu Qian’s scrutiny, Cako let out a soft laugh.

”Hard to say whether I should be happy or unhappy to hear that.”

Fu Qian, having supposedly ”died young,” seemed entirely oblivious to Cako’s casual act of lighting another candle amidst her praises, focusing instead on a different question.

”So, were there any members of the Brotherhood in that crowd outside?”

...

”No, but there are people from many other organizations.”

Self-deception had its limits. It was obvious that, now that they were alone, the performance of this newly awakened ”Lu Ming” had finally caused Cako’s earlier judgments to waver.

In an instant, she withdrew her flirtatious demeanor and gave a concise response.

Although no frostiness could be seen on her face, she appeared even more devoid of emotion than during the welcome procession.

So it really was riddled with factions.

Fu Qian, however, still looked completely unbothered. Recalling the appearances of the crowd just now, he silently mused that this truly was the bliss version of the City of Sin.

”You are a lying scoundrel. You have no interest in me.”

At the same time, Cako seemed to have finally confirmed her suspicions, a chilling tone creeping into her voice.

”How could that be? It’s just that my interest might not be the kind you’re thinking of.”

Seeing Cako—whose appearance hadn’t changed much, but who was now truly embodying the essence of quiet authority—Fu Qian offered a casual word of comfort, implying she shouldn’t sell herself short, while simultaneously turning an ear to listen.

”That’s alright. I’m interested.”

He wasn’t disappointed. Just as Cako remained silent, her eyes fixed on him as if considering whether to throw him out, two heavy knocks rang out against the door behind him, accompanied by a deep, resonant voice.

The next moment, the door was pushed open, revealing the very crowd of spectators now clustered outside. Standing dead center among them was the burly man he had seen just moments ago, the one holding the human-flesh board.

”And he will be interested too.”

Seeing Fu Qian look over, the newcomer bowed slightly in greeting, his face brimming with joy.