My Dream Connects to 3000 Years in the Future

"Me! Uh..." Zhang Hai stammered, his face a picture of embarrassment.

"I know you don’t have any money. So, you owe me ninety coins now!" Chu Bamboo said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Zhang Hai was a good man, which was why, even as the head of the Third District Church, he was broke. Chu Bamboo then took a large, gold-inlaid Big Qian Coin from his pocket and placed it on the table.

He waved his hand magnanimously. "Give me twenty back!"

Zhang Hai: "?"

’Is he messing with me... No, wait.’ Zhang Hai’s expression shifted slightly. ’How did I end up in debt all of a sudden? Hold on, you gave them one hundred... shouldn’t you have them give you ten back?’

Then, Zhang Hai saw the boss, his face sullen but acting as if this was all perfectly normal—in fact, this was exactly how things should be—hand over two Small Qian Coins.

Zhang Hai: "..."

’So this is really how Captain Qi’s subordinates run their protection... security fee racket?!’

’Wait, if you only spent eighty, why are you making me owe you ninety?!’

Scooping up the Qian Coins and the two invitations, Chu Bamboo turned directly to his left. With a gentle push, he opened a very well-concealed secret door and walked through with unhurried confidence.

Seeing this, the beefy-faced boss nodded, confirming his suspicions once more. ’Not just one of Captain Qi’s men, but probably someone very close to him... Otherwise, how could he be so familiar with the place on his first visit? He must have been briefed several times before coming!’

"...About that money." After they had walked for a while, Zhang Hai couldn’t hold it in any longer.

"Oh?" Chu Bamboo shot a sidelong glance at Zhang Hai, which made him shrink back. "It’s nothing!"

Zhang Hai continuously tried to console himself. ’That money was just extorted from the boss by Chu Bamboo anyway. At least it’s a seventy-percent discount...’

’At least he didn’t make me pay the full three hundred coins!’

’Damn it, it still hurts so much.’

He was the distinguished head of the Third District Church! His entire monthly stipend was only about that much!

"...By the way, who is this Captain Qi?" Zhang Hai asked, unable to resist, as he followed Chu Bamboo through the dim tunnel. It took him a while to suppress his thoughts about the money.

Of course, he wasn’t just trying to cause trouble. He sent out faint wisps of his Divine Thought, which allowed him to confirm that there was no one around, nor were there any surveillance-type Ancient Relics.

Ancient Relics generally concealed the power of lightning, which could be detected by Divine Thought.

"You’ve probably guessed it already, haven’t you? Second District!" Chu Bamboo’s expression was noncommittal, his gaze deep. "If they didn’t have someone on the Official side... how could they be thriving on this street? And how could the higher-ups have conducted cleanup operations time and time again without ever noticing a single flaw or problem?"

Zhang Hai’s eyelid twitched. He started to speak, then stopped. ’Any idiot could figure that part out. The real question is, why are you acting like you’re one of them?’

Finally,

the two of them reached the end of the tunnel.

At the end was a string of cloth curtains.

They could faintly hear unsettling sounds coming from within...

The walls on the left and right were covered with a dense array of masks.

Chu Bamboo casually plucked a fox mask off the wall. After a moment’s hesitation, he grabbed a white eagle mask and handed it to Zhang Hai. "Put it on!"

Once they were set, Chu Bamboo gently parted the curtains. Beyond was a kaleidoscope of flashing lights and bustling people.

The lights were no different from those in a Real World karaoke bar, constantly shifting and dazzling the eyes.

Men and women reveled wantonly. Many even began getting intimate right on the spot! Men with men, women with women, men with women... The scene was utter chaos. The air was thick with the scent of hormones.

"What an extravagant display!" Zhang Hai’s face darkened. To him, all these colorful, shifting lights were clearly Ancient Relics. But to use Ancient Relics just to create this kind of atmosphere... as he thought, ’What a bunch of bast—’

"It’s not your first time here. Do you have to act like this?" Chu Bamboo rolled his eyes and slapped Zhang Hai hard on the shoulder, snapping him out of it.

Then, Chu Bamboo handed the two invitations directly to a brawny man standing at the entrance. The man was nearly two meters tall with a sharp gaze.

The brawny man’s eyes swept over the invitations, and a smile instantly appeared on his face. "Welcome! Is there any special service you require?"

"I’ll start with the traditional program!" Chu Bamboo replied with practiced ease. "Also, this old-timer behind me hasn’t been here in a long time... He’s a follower of the God Worship Sect, you know."

"Oh?" The brawny man paused, a flicker of realization in his eyes. His expression turned peculiar. "Then you must be here to... attend Mass?"

’Mass...?’

Zhang Hai watched the scene unfold in silence. To be honest, he was glad he was wearing a mask—otherwise, he suspected he’d get so furious the man in front of them would notice something was wrong.

’What kind of Mass could be held in a dump like this... Don’t you people know that the original tenets of the God Worship Sect include Puritanical ascetic customs...? Even though nobody follows that anymore, for you to be playing at this is just too... Huh? Could it be?’

The realization hit Zhang Hai belatedly, and he broke out in a cold sweat. ’I see. They say it’s about the God Worship Sect, but it’s actually a code word...’

"Yes!" A smile played on Chu Bamboo’s lips as he leaned close to the brawny man’s ear and whispered, "May the Lord’s light shine upon the earth!"

The brawny man’s expression changed in an instant. He piously traced an Inverted Cross over his chest, then made a gesture of invitation. "Tea Room Number Eight!"

Chu Bamboo nodded and cut straight through the decadent scene.

Soon,

they arrived in a new hallway.

Here and there, they could see a few people passed out on the floor, their faces filled with ecstatic bliss, white foam occasionally bubbling from the corners of their mouths...

Finally, after another turn, they entered a deserted area.

At the end of this hallway was a sign that read: Pipe Maintenance, Do Not Enter.

Chu Bamboo walked past it without a care.

"...A disguise that’s both beyond imagination and yet so deceptively simple!" Zhang Hai’s eye twitched, but then his expression turned grim. "So, this Mass is actually!"

"It’s just a triple-layered defense!" Chu Bamboo said in a strange tone. "First, you have the public-facing, officially legalized Joy Street. Then you have the not-so-legal, rather kinky masquerade ball that requires an invitation... But in reality, both of those are just a cover!"

Chu Bamboo laughed. It was a laugh that seemed to mock something, yet also seemed like simple amusement. "They’re a cover for the All-Powerful Association’s Mass."

At the very end of the pipe maintenance hallway was a rusty iron gate. The gate wasn’t locked, only held shut by three perfunctory twists of iron wire.

Chu Bamboo untwisted the wire, entered, and then re-fastened the wire from the other side, threading it through the bars of the gate.