Chapter 74: Crimson Feast
Takebitori seemed to hear a sound like thunder, but the weather clearly wasn’t suitable for rain.
“What should we do? It’s just the two of us now.”
Her teammates disappeared in the blink of an eye. Could this quest have a limit on the number of people?
She looked at Li Lin, pondering that although her mage friend was level ten, his frail body would surely be at a disadvantage during a fight, so she would still have to carry him.
Li Lin naturally knew what his friend was thinking. After a long period of contemplation, he said, “It’s the Crimson Feast.”
“Huh? What’s that?” Takebitori felt like an idiot when it came to games.
“A large-scale ritual originating from the ancient Hermetic tradition, born from the twisted worship of the Mother God. It shouldn’t be appearing here.”
Takebitori’s head ached.
“Can you use normal words?”
“In normal words: we’ve come at a very bad time, just as that Viscount is performing a ritual,” Li Lin concluded.
Takebitori blinked, finally showing a look of dawning comprehension.
“You mean this Wilson isn’t an ordinary person? Then it’ll be troublesome if we have to kill him.”
Li Lin was speechless. Is this your first reaction at a time like this?
“I told you this quest was difficult.”
“So what do we do now?”
Takebitori’s dictionary had no word for “give up,” especially since this was just a game. At worst, she could revive and start over if she died.
Hearing her words, Li Lin took out the castle’s engineering blueprint again, but this time he opened the back.
That piece of paper was filled with all sorts of abstract lines and dense, strange text. In short, Takebitori understood nothing.
Li Lin didn’t expect her to understand. He explained one by one: “All rituals are replicas of past miracles or legends. The ‘Crimson Feast’ is a replica of a feast described in legends about Fermod, a child of gods, and his last banquet. At that banquet, Fermod invited all prominent figures in Norradon Empire society as guests and, at the last moment, killed them one by one, staining the long table in the banquet hall with their blood. From then on, he broke free from his shackles, and his divine power emerged from his mortal shell, transforming into a new form and ascending.”
Takebitori listened, stunned. She really didn’t understand what divinity, shackles, or ascension meant.
“So, this Viscount has great ambitions.”
However, Takebitori did understand the underlying logic.
Since the ritual was a replica of a miracle or legend, Wilson should be imitating Fermod’s feat of ascension. In other words, he needed to invite guests and kill them, letting their blood stain the long table.
“So, we have to save those guests?”
Takebitori seemed to understand the quest’s objective and felt more confident.
Saving hostages, wasn’t that easy?
But Li Lin shook his head, giving a negative answer.
“No, we are the guests.”
“Huh?” Takebitori was startled. She found a point to refute Li Lin’s story, “But we aren’t prominent figures!”
“It’s enough as long as Wilson thinks we are,” Li Lin patiently explained. “The ‘prominent figures in society’ are naturally granted their status by others in society. In this ritual, Wilson is the ‘other.’ When we intrude upon this ritual, he grants us the status of guests and invites us to the banquet. If you don’t believe me, check your pockets.”
Takebitori was wearing a full set of light armor, which had no pockets, but she carried a fanny pack for consumables.
She reached into the fanny pack and found something that shouldn’t have been there. It was solemnly placed in a pure white envelope, a stiff card about half the size of her palm, with a crude drawing of a spear and shield combination.
Li Lin also showed the stiff card he had, which had a hat pattern on it.
“This represents a hatter.”
“Craftsmen count as prominent figures?” Takebitori found it hard to understand.
“One of the three major faiths in the Norradon Empire is the lineage of creators, representing creation, birth, and change. Therefore, craftsmen who are skilled in manufacturing and invention not only hold a high status in Norradon but are also highly respected.”
Takebitori nodded in understanding. This was something she could comprehend.
“Then what about mine? A soldier or a warrior?”
“Hmm… it’s a gladiator.”
“Wilson really has no taste!”
Takebitori couldn’t stand it anymore. She wanted to find Wilson and kill him right now.
“Don’t rush. Since we’ve interfered with Wilson’s ritual, we can only act according to the ritual’s rules. For example, the reason others have disappeared is that guests don’t arrive at the same time but are staggered.”
“So what do we do?” Takebitori looked both angry and anxious. If Li Lin weren’t here, she would definitely seek a way out herself, but now, she would leave it to Li Lin. “Do we just walk into Wilson’s banquet hall nonchalantly, like in the story, and wait for him to kill us?”
“It’s not impossible… I mean entering the banquet hall.” Li Lin put away the blueprint, a hint of interest in his calm dark pupils. He walked in front, “But we won’t use the main entrance.”
Takebitori remained silent, waiting for his explanation.
“This is to leave ourselves an escape route. In the Norradon Empire, guests attending a banquet don’t necessarily have to use the main entrance. Using the main entrance signifies being invited and holding a noble status, but it also means adhering to the rules set by the host and not being able to leave at will.”
Li Lin led the way, bypassing the main entrance and entering through the kitchen door.
He had memorized the entire castle’s layout. Under Li Lin’s guidance, they moved unimpeded through the complex mansion. The servants and guards on the way were like wax figures, pale and motionless.
Finally, the two arrived at a side hall, just one step away from the main hall.
“Are you ready?”
“To fight?” Takebitori tilted her head. Fighting was her forte.
Li Lin smiled gently, “No, it’s our first time participating in a banquet in this world.”
“What’s the big deal? I’ve experienced this in other games before.”
Perhaps finding Li Lin too fussy, Takebitori impatiently pushed open the door to the main hall.
The opulent banquet hall, filled with bright and dazzling candlelight, assaulted their eyes. The golden hall was adorned with numerous candelabras, making it brighter than daytime. A long table, capable of seating over twenty people, was placed in the center, laden with various delicacies, enough to satisfy every guest attending.
Apart from the head seat, there were seventeen chairs at the long table. Three people were already seated.
One of them looked over as they entered. His pupils were pure and empty. Just being looked at by him instilled a sense of immense pressure.
Li Lin nodded slightly at him and then looked at the head seat.
There, a portly nobleman had been waiting for a long time.
“Ah, you’re welcome. Two more guests have taken their seats.”
