Eldritch Horror Theatre

”You’d better not cause any trouble.”

His rare willingness to listen actually seemed to undermine Chief Yuan’s confidence.

She hesitated for a moment, eyeing the overly cooperative Fu Qian, and ultimately couldn’t resist giving him a slight warning.

She had only been thinking about having a top-tier expert hold the fort, completely forgetting that this guy was also a massive troublemaker—a character who brought disaster wherever he went.

This time, not even Wen Li was around. He was utterly lawless and entirely unchecked.

For a moment, Yuan Shan hesitated over whether she should leave at all.

”Since when have I ever caused trouble? Is my professionalism really that untrustworthy?”

Faced with her warning, Fu Qian felt slightly wronged and fired back in disbelief.

”True. You never cause trouble ’randomly’...”

Even blackout drunk, she wouldn’t buy the innocent look on his face. Recalling past events, Yuan Shan practically gritted her teeth, clearly grasping the implication behind Fu Qian’s words.No matter how unreliable he appeared, he had always been highly purposeful in his actions.

Following the rules was out of the question, of course, but he rarely wasted energy on meaningless endeavors.

The few ”acquaintances” he had mentioned earlier likely understood this deeply.

”So, who are you planning to catch up with first? Chen Pingxian? Houhai Manor would certainly welcome you.”

Even recognizing he had certain principles, Yuan Shan still couldn’t completely set her mind at ease and casually tried to confirm Fu Qian’s exact plans.

”Anyone is fine. Do you have any recommendations?”

Unfortunately, he remained shockingly easygoing. Fu Qian smiled and tossed the question back.

”Not really. I just felt that out of a sense of duty, I should accompany you there first, even though I’m not very fond of the place...”

Yuan Shan frowned, actually demonstrating a fair bit of responsibility. She was clearly worried that Fu Qian would be too ruthless with the Chen Clan.

”Simple. You can just call him over.”

’Easygoing’ was no longer adequate to describe him. In response to her concerns, Fu Qian genuinely offered an alternative.

”...Are you serious? Aren’t you worried they’ll disturb your peace?”

Sure enough, Yuan Shan was looking at him as if he were an alien.

”Why would I? Our doors are open for business.”

Fu Qian gestured toward the door, exuding the amiable air of a merchant.

”If you say so.”

Somewhat ’moved’ by this dedication to his job, Yuan Shan didn’t verify further and stood up.

”When did you get a new Chair?”

However, the shift in perspective seemed to draw her attention to a detail she had overlooked. Before leaving, she stared blankly at the seat beneath Fu Qian for a moment.

Unlike this somewhat pocket-sized shop, the seat was not only exquisitely designed but also imposing in size.

Coupled with a pale gold hue that exuded luxury, it elevated the proprietor’s aura to something extraordinary.

And Yuan Shan was absolutely certain it hadn’t been there before.

”Just now... What do you think? Doesn’t it suit my vibe perfectly?”

As if he had finally found someone to appreciate it, Fu Qian leaned back and patted the armrest.

Aside from helping him recover his strength, the Red Moon had clearly left something else behind after coming to check on its ’child.’

...

”It looks a bit awkward at first glance, but looking closely, it actually suits you.”

It was obvious that very few people displayed this kind of nouveau riche aura in front of Chief Yuan.

However, after examining it briefly, Yuan Shan ultimately nodded and conceded the point.

Perhaps for a shop with single-digit monthly sales, this setup was a bit extravagant, but it perfectly matched its proprietor.

”So what is that over there? A snake’s tail, or some kind of claw?”

”This? It’s probably a claw.”

Fu Qian followed Yuan Shan’s gaze and touched a protruding tip on the armrest.

Chief Yuan couldn’t be blamed for thinking so. Roughly the length of a hand, the protrusion indeed looked highly biological; one could even make out the faint outline of joints.

Combined with its fine, scale-like texture, it instantly sparked a multitude of associations.

There was a reason he leaned toward it being a claw. Fu Qian recalled having seen a similar shape before—these were the exact contours he had felt among the Red Moon’s extended limbs.

Not to mention, this Chair beneath him had only appeared after the Red Moon embraced him.

That was right. Even its design was identical to the one in the Academy Laboratory.

After confirming that its ’child’ was doing well, the Red Moon had actually gifted him a new piece of furniture.

”It does look like one. Feels like it would prick your hand.”

Although she still found it somewhat eerie, Chief Yuan’s schedule was clearly tight. Shaking her head at Fu Qian’s explanation, she ultimately said no more, turned, and walked out the door.

To be honest, her warning wasn’t unfounded. With that upward-pointing protrusion, the Chair’s design was domineering, but it seemed to sacrifice a certain degree of safety for the sake of visual impact.

The spot where the tip of Fu Qian’s index finger rested felt incredibly sharp, giving the impression that it would draw blood with just a little pressure.

...

So, how was this thing supposed to be used?

Watching Yuan Shan walk away, Fu Qian didn’t withdraw his gaze, nor did he pull back his index finger.

It definitely wasn’t just for show. The Red Moon’s purpose in giving him the Chair before had been simple: it was a way of manifesting its door-opening ability, making it easier for him to travel around.

However, due to his missing Transcendent Perception, he couldn’t activate the Ring it had given him to reach the Half-Step Moon, rendering it temporarily unusable.

Initially, his first thought upon seeing this was that the Red Moon had opened another teleportation point for his usual base of operations, one he could use once he recovered.

But now, it seemed that wasn’t the case at all. The Red Moon’s gift appeared to be much more substantial.

The proof lay in the fact that in Fu Qian’s current field of vision, alongside the familiar sight of The Bookstore, an extra, illusory door had unexpectedly appeared.

Furthermore, this door hadn’t appeared the moment the seat did. It only manifested after Yuan Shan expressed her curiosity and he placed his finger on the tip of the claw.

The previous times he sought the Red Moon’s help for directions, it had indeed manifested a door; pushing it open led straight to his destination.

So, considering that he couldn’t return ’home’ to ask for help, it had directly brought this function to him here?

It even seemed to have fully considered his entirely spiritless mind, setting up idiot-proof controls.

Without needing Transcendent Perception, he could attempt to trigger it with just a few symbolic gestures.

Though this raised two new questions. First, now that he saw the door, how was he supposed to open it?

Second, what would happen if he used a different finger?

With that question in mind, Fu Qian actually switched from his index finger to his middle finger.

A gratifying scene immediately unfolded. The rather gloomy-looking door in front of him vanished instantly, replaced by a much deeper, blood-red hue.

At a glance, the first thing that caught his eye was a set of thorn-shaped blood grooves, with actual liquid visibly flowing through them.

This design... didn’t it look familiar?