Eldritch Horror Theatre

”This is good. Thanks for the recommendation.”

Fu Qian popped a snack from his plate into his mouth, managing not to get a single drop of its vibrant jam on his lips. Looking thoroughly satisfied, he made sure to compliment the woman beside him.

”Aren’t you being a little too polite today?”

Yuan Shan looked somewhat exasperated.

It was just a food recommendation. She had done so much for him before—some of it bordering on illegal—and rarely received such an earnest thank-you.

”As a law enforcer of Shangjing, you’ve successfully shown me another fraction of its beautiful side.”

Fu Qian clearly didn’t share her sentiment. He grabbed two more portions, casually observing the diverse array of guests around them.

Outside, the sky was already darkening. The two of them were currently standing right in the middle of what Yuan Shan called a social occasion.

As it turned out, humans really did like to judge things by their own standards. Chief Yuan, who had commented that his attire was rather formal when she showed up at The Bookstore, had indeed made special preparations for a certain occasion herself.

And this gathering right in front of them was that occasion.”What about Shangjing’s municipal officer?”

Unbothered by Fu Qian’s loose terminology, Yuan Shan gestured in a certain direction.

”Not bad. He looks just as spirited as last time.”

Following her gaze, Fu Qian assessed the white-haired figure standing at the center of the gathering.

He wasn’t particularly tall, and his face was still gaunt. It was indeed Gan Zuoxun, the man he had crossed paths with once before.

As Shangjing’s new municipal officer, the man had been burdened with days of endless work, yet he showed no signs of fatigue.

”Quite a few people showed up. It looks like everyone is giving him plenty of face.”

But he only took a single glance. Having no intention of mingling, Fu Qian retracted his gaze the next second and went back to focusing on the food.

”That is genuinely not easy.”

Yuan Shan nodded slightly, evidently agreeing with Fu Qian’s assessment.

Maintaining one’s energy wasn’t the difficult part; the hard part was keeping oneself from looking too elated and triumphant.

The reason the First Poison Strategist had crossed paths with the man in the first place was, theoretically, because he had been acting at her behest.

At that time in Shangjing’s political arena, the man, seeing almost no hope in sight, had used himself as bait. Borrowing the momentum of the Night Watchers, he took a gamble to open up the playing field, and it had actually yielded an impressive result.

With a certain Councilor Huang driven out of Shangjing, the city had undoubtedly entered a delicate balance, giving the new municipal officer the opportunity to exercise his abilities. This bustling banquet was proof of that.

To maintain a steady posture under these circumstances was indeed a display of excellent self-control.

...

”So it seems you haven’t gone over to greet him yet?”

Fu Qian had already found a place to sit down. Thanks to his clever technique and precise control, the food in his hands was stacked in a spectacular manner. Factoring in the material properties of the different ingredients, it was practically a masterpiece of structural mechanics.

”Why should I greet him? I told you I brought you here to freeload food and drinks.”

Looking lazy and relaxed, Yuan Shan plopped down right beside him, adopting the tone of an otherworldly master.

”Saying that will scare people. The target of your last freeloading session is right over there.”

Fu Qian didn’t question her claim at all; he merely gestured in a certain direction.

The man was tall with pale skin, wearing what was arguably the most meticulous formal suit in the entire venue. His handsome yet slightly sinister face certainly lived up to the look.

It was another acquaintance: Grantham Gulade.

Although he hadn’t even reached the Demigod Realm yet, he was still the person in charge of the family in Shangjing.

Compared to Gan Zuoxun, Fu Qian had actually met this man a bit more often. He had even bumped into him over at the Night Watchers Base last time.

Only this time, there was no sign of Taylor or Serana by his side.

It wasn’t surprising. That pureblood Blood Clan member who repeatedly caused trouble was likely unable to get even a wink of sleep right now.

If Grantham really brought him along, and his brain short-circuited into preaching his conspiracy theories, the scene would turn extremely awkward in seconds.

As for the latter—the only demigod of the Gulade family stationed in Shangjing—Excellency Serana would absolutely not enjoy this kind of occasion.

Not to mention that not long ago, she had specifically confirmed with him that she had discovered traces of the Dominator of Death’s minions and was about to set off to hunt them down.

But regardless, Grantham’s appearance here already signified a great deal.

As the faction that previously harbored the most designs on the new municipal officer, after experiencing the massive upheaval surrounding Ambor, their posture had indeed become quite humble, just as the rumors claimed.

”Don’t worry. The fact that I’m here but haven’t gone over to chat with him is enough to let him peacefully enjoy this fine evening.”

Yuan Shan’s response to Fu Qian’s remark was overwhelmingly domineering. Flashing a charming smile, she smoothly swiped a load-bearing wall straight off his meticulously stacked plate.

...

It made sense.

The banquet truly had a charity theme, to the point that the expressions on everyone’s faces seemed to carry a bit more serenity.

Although, from the moment they had walked through the door, Brother Grantham had already cast several stealthy glances in their direction, clearly not as composed as he looked on the surface.

And while Chief Yuan’s explanation was slightly veiled, it was still easy for Fu Qian to understand.

After showing sincerity, the best possible outcome was for it to be seen and accepted.

The matter with Ambor had already come to a close, and having narrowly escaped disaster, the Gulade family was reading the room perfectly.

Even though the Night Watchers adhered to the principle of not participating in politics, it was obvious they didn’t dislike the new municipal officer.

Ultimately, despite the rather ordinary theme of this banquet led by Old Man Gan, Grantham had resolutely decided to attend.

Under these circumstances, the fact that the Chief of the Night Watchers actually took time out of her busy schedule to attend not only proved his choice was correct, but also allowed him to be seen directly by her. From any angle, this was a beautiful outcome for him.

In fact, Grantham wasn’t the only one; quite a few people had been stealing glances their way all evening.

It was just a pity that, as the center of attention, Yuan Shan had zero interest in making eye contact with anyone. Treating them all as if they were invisible, she merely focused on snatching food from the hands of a Tier 2.

On the way here, she had repeatedly emphasized that there was no business to handle, and that she was merely coming to enjoy the nightlife.

This little display alone seemed to boost the credibility of that claim by quite a bit.

Of course, no matter how casual Yuan Shan appeared, her every movement undoubtedly tugged at the thoughts of the numerous bigwigs present.

Aside from Gan Zuoxun, who was visibly surrounded by an eager crowd like stars flocking around the moon, one could sense the presence of another invisible storm core within the banquet.

Yet the woman whose every smile or frown stirred the tides of Shangjing found her appetite entirely unaffected by it all, joyfully devouring the food she had snatched.

”What about the others? It seems they have no intention of coming over to bother you either.”

Naturally, Fu Qian wouldn’t hold a grudge over such a trivial amount of food. Swallowing his mouthful, he pointed out the situation with the rest of the attendees.

”That’s because I haven’t taken the initiative to approach them.”

Yuan Shan carefully wiped her mouth, her tone light and casual.