The Eldritch Files

"What was that Song Chushi thinking, giving that to me...?"

"..."

"..."

In a deserted manor outside Qinggang City, cobwebs stretched over furniture in disarray. Tattered curtains fluttered while, on a long table, white candles as thick as a man’s arm burned.

Song Chushi sat at the head of the long table, silently eating his dinner.

Beside him, his box was chattering incessantly: "Did you do right by him?"

"Ah!"

"I’m asking you, did you do right by him?"

"..."

The voice from the box even took on a self-righteous tone: "Look, just look. That celebrity Investigator still remembers you fondly!"

"You were the one who dragged him from his comfortable life. You were the one who threw him into this bizarre and unpredictable Mysterious World. And you were the one who wanted to use him to crush those monsters hiding in the shadows..."

"Tell me, besides an Investigator License, what have you ever done for him? Even that Investigator License—he earned it all by himself!"

"You were clearly just using him... and yet, he’s grateful to you!"

"Even now, knowing that someone is plotting against you, he still goes through all the trouble to get a message to you..."

"I’m fucking touched!"

"..."

"Actually..."

Song Chushi cut a large piece of steak, but he paused as he brought it to his mouth. The incessant chattering from the box was making him impatient, yet a genuine look of guilt crossed his face. "I know... I’ve really wronged him..."

"Some things can only be done by him, so he had to step up. I had intended to give him something as compensation, but unfortunately, with how things have progressed..."

"Sigh..."

"..."

"Ka ka ka..."

The monster in the box cackled. "You may be wanted by over a dozen cities, but you’re not a purely evil person. An honest man who’s stirred up a world of trouble. It’s precisely because you’re not purely evil that you’re able to make them so afraid."

"You’ve always felt you owe the world nothing, but with this kid, you feel a sense of guilt. I’m very curious. How do you plan to execute that vicious plan of yours while you’re feeling like this?"

"Now, do you still have the nerve to see that final step through?"

"..."

Song Chushi paused, the piece of meat on his fork hovering before his lips. He had completely lost his appetite.

After a long while, he finally let out a low sigh. "You’re right. I have to find a way to make it up to him..."

But he paused for only a moment before his expression hardened once more. "The plan, however, must move forward."

"Qinggang is getting serious this time, and that’s a good thing. It means those people are finally taking us seriously. I don’t mind confronting them head-on, nor do I mind a bit of bloodshed. However, before I set all this in motion, I really do have to find a way to compensate him."

"As for a suitable gift right now... perhaps the only thing is that skull in the safe?"

"..."

Hearing this, the monster in the box was stunned. "What the fuck? Are you insane?"

Song Chushi said nothing, but his eyes were filled with resolve.

’I really can’t be so indebted to a kid. It would make me feel no different than those rats in the shadows, and my actions would lose their conviction.’

...

...

Meanwhile, in Qinggang West City, within a garden estate concealed by blooming flowers, lay the secret residence of the "Empress." Wei Lan, dressed in a couture gown, stood before a wall-sized copper mirror. Guided by a row of old photographs, she was meticulously recreating a particular makeup style.

This was a required lesson for the Empresses. Certain mysterious cosmetic arts had to be perfectly replicated on their own faces, so their daily studies consisted of endlessly applying and practicing on themselves.

"That’s the gist of it..."

She said while trying out different shades of lipstick, "I’ve already passed on the message you brought. I’m sure he’s received it by now."

"I’ve also cleared up any questions you had. We are all being pursued by the same fate. The enemy in the shadows is starting to make its move. The truth behind the Ancient Castle kidnapping and the whereabouts of the children are the two main objectives we need to focus on now."

"Of course, there’s one other mission: rescuing the children being tortured by monsters in the Ancient Castle. But that’s a task only he can accomplish; we can’t get involved."

"I know all these truths are shocking. You should find somewhere to process it all."

"Now, I have to prepare for a meeting at the Qinggang Council Hall. Heh. It was only after becoming the Empress that I found out we also have a red chair there..."

"..."

"That’s it?"

Lu Neng was dissatisfied, his crossed leg bouncing restlessly.

The decorative fruit platter on the coffee table in front of him was nearly empty, yet his face was a mask of dissatisfaction. "All this fuss, and my only job was to pass along a message?"

"If all he asked you to do was deliver a message, then you should just deliver the message."

Wei Lan said, "We’re facing a war. A war where the enemy is hidden and we’re exposed. Of course we have to be cautious about everything."

"Be careful from now on. Since he left a Spiritual Coordinate, we can try to communicate remotely."

"..."

"Fine!"

Lu Neng got to his feet and glanced around the opulent room. It was filled with exquisite and mysterious artifacts: headdresses, necklaces, bracelets, and gorgeous ceremonial robes, all housed in sealed display cases.

With a look of pure admiration, he suddenly asked, "You got anything in here you don’t use?"

"?"

Wei Lan instantly grew wary. "No!"

"I may have many fine things here, but they were all left by the previous Empresses. Every piece is important. No one is allowed to touch them, or else... they’re cursed!"

"..."

"Alright then..."

Lu Neng waved dismissively. "Well, I’ll be heading back then."

Wei Lan watched him carefully in the mirror, only breathing a sigh of relief when she saw him leave the room empty-handed. Outside, however, a crafty glint flashed in Lu Neng’s eyes as a small grin spread across his face. ’Don’t move until he gives the order? Talk about inefficient...’

’And all that talk about us being exposed while the enemy is hidden... The only one in the light is that guy. The rest of us are in the shadows...’

’So, what kind of trouble should I get into?’

"..."

Mulling it over, he pulled a tube of lipstick from his pocket, swiped some on the back of his hand, and held it up to the sun to inspect the color.

’I’ll have to avoid meeting with that guy in the future...’

In the Empress’s garden, Wei Lan was also thinking, ’His reputation is awful. It’s fine if I’m seen meeting with others, but being discovered with him would be terrible for the Empress’s image...’

Just as she was thinking this, her gaze swept over the full color range of lipsticks before her. She froze, thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her. "Wait, why am I missing a lipstick?"