When William walked down Skin Bag Avenue and stepped into the theater’s lobby,
he was greeted by a scent that was a blend of metal and life, with various circuits and oil pipelines sheathed in metal shells arranged on the walls, merging vascular structures with a metallic style to achieve a unique aesthetic beauty.
The "lamp" at the center of the lobby was even more futuristic,
comprising a three-tiered crystal chandelier made up of 108 dolls, each containing at least eighteen individually controlled candles within.
The illumination atmosphere created by the different body positions emitting light was starkly distinctive,
far from just providing illumination, each doll had its own facial expressions and poses, and could even perform simple aerial acts under the guidance of silken threads and gears.
Currently, all of them bowed to William, welcoming the master’s return.
"Is this Thirteen’s work?"
"Yes, indeed~ Candle Puppet Sister has quite the artistic cells, several main members have visited here during your absence, everyone who steps into the lobby would pause to watch, offering high praise."
As William crossed the lobby and entered the theater’s inner field, all the seats had been replaced with a biological style.
A complete spine and ribcage formed the structure of the seatbacks,
multiple arms stitched together to make the armrests of the seats,
while the lower half comprised leg bones and fleshy fillers for the cushions.
A "Theater Viewing Skull" was also mounted on the back of each chair’s spine.
Inside the skull was a neural network connected to the stage, allowing the audience to wear it and directly receive surround sound from the stage, significantly enhancing the viewing experience for those seated at the back.
"Boss, how about it! I’ve modified this stage several times, completely in line with the designs you left before you went away."
"Boss, don’t worry about the theater’s affairs today, you must be tired from outside! Hurry back and rest, I’ll handle anything that comes up."
"Alright, but~come with me, I have something to say to you."
Upon hearing this, Nash’s entire body instantly tensed, blood racing, "Boss, do you want me to follow you to your office!?"
"Yes, there are some matters I need to discuss with you in private."
Nash took the lead, his walking posture changing constantly, now running, now leaping, and even seemed to move by slithering close to the ground.
Even a secretion of Parasite mucus dampened his shirt, leaving thick, stringy substances in his footsteps.
The design of the door was equally sophisticated,
featuring a double-door structure with each side carved with a profile of William’s upper body, where one could discern ’two different Williams’ from the carvings, one of them with a sinister and venomous gaze, that gave off a feeling of ’Yi Chen’.
"This kid is not bad, I like it! Despite never having seen me, he could create such a work." Yi Chen praised heartily within.
William made no comments and pushed the door to enter.
The once ordinary office had been transformed into a library-like structure,
spanning three floors,
all walls having been remodeled into bookshelf structures, with multiple sections,
and the books here were also procured by Nash, commissioning others to buy from various cities, as the Patients of the Old World shared a high degree of similarity with humans, with many authors among them.
"What do you think, Boss?" Nash rubbed his hands together unconsciously, waiting for the praise to come.
"Very good~ How did you know I like reading books, Nash?"
"Candle Puppet Sister likes reading books and calls you ’teacher’, I inferred it from that~ And these books were carefully selected by me, I know you were born in the neighboring world, essentially belonging to the people there, and you may not have detailed knowledge about our Old World.
These books cover the humanities and geography of various places in the Old World, plus there are some novels based on famous historical events."
William’s right hand patted Nash on the shoulder, an action that caused him to spasm.
At that moment, Thirteen descended the spiral staircase, no longer wearing her patchy maid’s outfit, but a pure white dress obtained through Solidification Wax Technology.
Her entire aura had changed, resembling a housekeeper capable of managing the entire theater.
Thirteen gently lifted her skirt with a finger and curtsied to William.
"Thirteen, you’re growing up fast~ and your lamp designs are quite impressive."
"It’s all thanks to the teacher bestowing upon me the opportunity for ’advanced learning.’ I’m now able to recognize my self more clearly and delve deeper into the knowledge I’ve previously acquired."
"Hmm, I need to have a talk with Nash first, I’ll check your brain condition again tonight."
Thirteen left at a brisk pace, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.
Click~ the moment the door closed,
William suddenly caught the scent of some thick bodily fluid,
Turning his head, he saw Nash appearing as if he was slowly melting, with copious dense fluids seeping from the surface of his skin, steadily shrinking as though reverting back to his true Parasite form.
"Nash, what’s happening to you?"
After sending Thirteen away, the two were alone in the room.
In Nash’s mind, all sorts of frenzied images had already materialized, and he was utterly lost in this thrilling fantasy.
Until... bang! William slapped him on both sides of the head, snapping him out of it.
"Get serious, I have something to discuss with you."
The melting Nash instantly stopped secreting fluid, somehow produced an oversized cup and began pouring water into himself, quickly returning to his original form.
"Sorry, Boss~ I got a bit carried away since it’s been so long since I last saw you."
Just as Nash had stabilized, William started undressing right in front of him.
He tossed his suit jacket lightly onto a hanger several meters away,
Unbuttoned his waistcoat, and further unbuttoned his shirt,
Revealing his incomparable physique and the mysterious, profound, and dark abyss of his stomach.
Nash’s body internally generated a high-pressure burst in an instant! Pop... Grayish-white mucus splattered in all directions, and he exploded on the spot.
The fragments of his body then quickly reassembled back to their places, returning to normal yet still somewhat unstable.
Nash was in a daze; such scenes that should belong in dreams had suddenly become reality, and he couldn’t accept it.
William’s next move was to reach into his abdomen and pull out a black worm with a spiral pattern.
When the creature of the same species appeared, Nash instantly became alert and even emitted a hint of killing intent.
"A Black Worm... no, it’s different from the regular Black Worms. It seems to be mixed with a special space attribute. Is this thing parasitizing inside you, boss?"
The latter half of Nash’s statement was almost through gritted teeth.
"No, I’ve just been using a multitude of Black Worms for deeply contemplating the Abyss. It’s merely a lucky survivor from that process."
"Oh~ I see, I was wondering how such a low Parasite deserved your body, Boss. Not even I am worthy."
"Back to the matter at hand, the owner of the Black Ascaris Company, the former Holy Nest Protozoa, wants to meet with you. Are you available?"
"If it’s a request from you, Boss, of course I’m available~ If it were just a message from them, I wouldn’t be available... After all, I’ve just joined the Theater and need to devote myself fully to the job."
"Then represent me and meet with them. I have a cooperative relationship with the Black Ascaris Company, and they’ve been quite helpful to me this time... It would be improper to refuse their request."
"As you command. Should I ask for leave and head there right now?"
"No rush~ just find a day when you’re free to go over. Also, I need you to help with one more thing, Nash."
"How good are your concealment abilities?"
"They have to be second only to yours, Boss. Back when I was still known as ’J,’ I was specifically in charge of handling matters that couldn’t see the light of day."
"Investigate Catherine for me, find out what she’s been up to recently. Make sure you’re not detected."
For the first time, Nash’s expression turned serious, and his Scattered Eyes focused together, "Catherine... that’s a bit troublesome~ Should I try to approach the Clown House?"
"If you can get close, that’d be best."
"Alright, I’ll do my best..."