From the Ship of Fools to Earl of Wugang

The handwriting was somewhat messy, and the writer seemed to be in a state of frenzy. Edmund wouldn't be surprised if it were written by a drunkard:

"...When the curtain rises, you are no longer yourself. Dionysus doesn't need followers, only actors. To get lost in revelry, or to be elevated in tragedy. I soon became unable to play my role well, so I left the stage to those who came after me..."

Edmund flipped through the pages quickly, his heart sinking deeper and deeper into the book.

This notebook roughly explains how to survive in this "epic drama," and even... how to use this drama to gain extraordinary power.

An hour later, Edmund used the notebook to figure out what kind of contract the so-called "Dionysian epic" actually was.

Similar to the infinite flow novels I'd read in my previous life, this is a mandatory "transcendental trial."

Dionysus appears to be a lost deity, but his power still works.

Once the contract is bound, the holder will be pulled to a mysterious "stage" in the spirit world and forced to become an "actor" to participate in a "drama" that conforms to the aesthetics of Dionysus.

The system will randomly select extraordinary individuals from different regions and backgrounds to form temporary teams, and then inject their consciousness or physical entities into specific "story scenarios".

These scenes may be fragments of ancient myths that have long been lost, distorted historical events, or even illusions derived from some indescribable and bizarre phenomena.

The mission objectives are varied: investigate the truth behind a certain ruin, break a curse that has lasted for thousands of years, or push a destined storyline toward a predetermined tragedy or celebration.

The actors need to complete the script assigned by the director—or rather, the Dionysian will—under intense mental pressure and life-or-death crises.

If the play is successful, the actors will receive the blessing and power advancement through the Dionysian path; if the play fails, or if the actors "break character" on stage, they will suffer the backlash of the contract, their souls will be extracted from their bodies, and they will become mad ghosts wandering forever in the dream world.

The latter half of the notes details the "settlement" rules.

After the play ends, a special resource called "Blood of Bacchus" will be distributed based on the actors' performance and mission completion.

This is a universal "spiritual currency" that can be exchanged for secret medicine recipes, extraordinary items, forbidden knowledge, and even extremely rare "cross-path advancement opportunities" in the exchange interface after the play ends.

The fate of the losers is chilling.

At best, their extraordinary level will be reduced; at worst, they will receive a permanent "mental debuff".

The most serious consequence is that one's soul is taken away by Dionysus, becoming completely lost in the revelry of the Dream Spirit Realm, and turning into a phantom spirit that never ends.

The last few lines of the notes became frantic and illegible: "...Be careful, although contracts usually do not affect the participants' choice of path, under the pressure of the drama, some people's beliefs will be distorted, thus changing their path...This is the joke of the gods, and also the temptation of the abyss."

Edmund leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and his brain began to work at lightning speed.

Given his "immunity" ability, a steady pace of advancement is necessary. For him, this would undoubtedly bring more trouble than benefit.

But it's too late to say all this now; we must find a way to resolve this matter...

-----------------

Earlier that morning, the Gulfstream Central Station was filled with the smell of diesel fuel.

When Inspector Harry Douglas got off the night train, he looked like a rag that had been wrung out and then dried on a radiator all night.

His dark gray trench coat was wrinkled, his pipe was tucked into his pocket, and his already somewhat listless face was made even more gloomy by lack of sleep.

There is only one night train from Liugang Town to Wanliu City, and the carriages are crowded with passengers who are also suffering from insomnia and are emaciated – although the source has been eliminated, a week of severe insomnia cannot be made up for with one or two good nights of sleep.

Douglas sat in his hard seat all night listening to the constant chatter from the people in the next berth, and when he got off the train, his temples throbbed.

He waited for a few minutes at the taxi queue in front of the bus station before finally getting into a taxi.

"Gulfstream City Police Department Headquarters."

As the city of Gulfstream gradually unfolded in the morning light outside the car window, Douglas stared straight ahead expressionlessly, pondering his next plan.

Victor made it very clear on the phone: find Lane Hall and bring him back.

It's clear that he has great faith in Douglas's abilities, and Douglas has no objections to this.

The taxi stopped in front of the police headquarters building. It was a five-story gray concrete building with the Gulfstream Police Department emblem hanging above the main entrance.

Douglas paid the fare and carried his weathered travel bag up the steps.

He showed his inspector's badge at the front desk, and the officer on duty immediately changed from being lazy to being attentive.

"Inspector Douglas, we've received a notification from the branch office. Chief Wentworth of the Special Cases Division is waiting for you on the second floor."

Douglas nodded and followed the guide through the lobby on the first floor. Several uniformed officers glanced at his trench coat and Ninth Division badge, then quickly looked away.

In an office on the second floor, Superintendent Wentworth was already waiting. The middle-aged superintendent had a neatly trimmed beard, and a stack of documents lay open on his desk, seemingly prepared overnight.

"Inspector, welcome to Gulfstream City." Wentworth rose to shake hands. "I have all the surveillance footage you requested ready."

He took out a manila envelope, opened it, and took out the documents.

"The bus from Liugang Town to Wanliu City does indeed run at 8:00 AM, but due to outdated equipment, the surveillance camera at the exit only captured a blurry silhouette. However—"

He turned to a page in the document: "Our people visited the vendors near the bus station, and an old newspaper vendor remembered a tall, thin young man who had bought a map from them."

"describe?"

"He was wearing ordinary clothes. The old man said the man spoke without an accent, paid money readily, and seemed perfectly normal."

Douglas put the photo in the inside pocket of his trench coat.

"Chief Wentworth, are there any public gathering places for extraordinary individuals in Gulfstream City? The proper kind."

Wentworth paused for a moment, then gave a knowing look: "You mean... the underground gathering?"

The inspector nodded, staring intently at him.

"Well... I know a place," Wentworth said in a low voice.

"There's a 'Gulfstream Natural History Club' at 27 Harding Street, which is actually a regular meeting place for local superhumans. We've always known it existed, but as is customary—"

"We will not infiltrate unless there is a serious threat to social order," Douglas finished the sentence for him.

Wentworth nodded: "That's right, after all, we have an agreement with the 'Libra Alliance'."

Douglas suddenly had a bad feeling: "So what's their 'caretaker's' name?"

"Uh, I remember his name was Kane Holloway? He was also a Tier 1 transcendent, and he must have advanced through the 'Contractor' route."

Upon hearing the name, Douglas's face fell, and he stood up.

"Thank you, Section Chief. I'll handle the rest myself."