Chapter 87: Curry Rice is the Best in the World!
By a round table surrounded by half-wilted potted plants in the indoor garden.
Jima and George stared blankly at the curry rice brought to the table. The curry was steaming, emitting an acrid, spicy aroma, but worse than the smell was its appearance.
A puddle of curry, resembling a yellowish diarrhea, was splashed over the white rice. The curry was mixed with overcooked radishes, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and ground beef that was so unrecognizable it looked like it could have been anything.
Jima stared at the mushy vegetables, increasingly convinced they were the undigested remnants of a human meal. Coupled with that questionable yellow liquid, she suspected that New Delhi had just returned from the restroom.
New Delhi boasted, “This is my secret hometown dish. It’s hard to find tomatoes in Shalin City, and making curry is quite difficult; it’s very precious. I usually don’t even dare to use it generously for myself.”
Jima’s complex emotions deepened as she looked at the curry nearly drowning the pure white rice, feeling increasingly that it was a desecration of the rice’s purity. She glanced at George beside her, who indeed frowned slightly, indicating that this human lie detector had deemed New Delhi was still bragging.
“Esteemed guest, this is a special curry rice prepared for you!”
With that, New Delhi served George a plate of curry that had more curry than rice. The liquid, resembling diarrhea, threatened to overflow from the plate, and New Delhi’s yellowed thumb was half-submerged in the thick curry as he nonchalantly wiped his hands after presenting this “special curry rice.”
George’s facial muscles stiffened, but he still mustered the courage to pick up a rusty iron spoon in front of him.
Jima had heard that paladins were blessed, immune to ordinary diseases and poisons. Perhaps that was George’s reliance.
She began to speak:
“Esteemed Master New Delhi, may I ask how this golden, thick curry rice was made?”
New Delhi’s eyebrows raised in pride as he said, “It’s turmeric powder, I added turmeric powder, and it’s high-quality turmeric that cannot be found locally…”
Jima looked at George and saw that his complexion was still normal. Pointing to the “special curry rice” in front of George, which resembled incompletely digested radishes and potatoes, she deliberately asked:
“Master, how did you cook these vegetables to such a…perfect level of doneness?”
New Delhi proudly replied, “I cooked them for a day and a night. Do you know? The famous ancient scholar Elena once said that fire is the second stomach of intelligent beings. The longer you cook, the more nutritious it becomes.”
Jima displayed an epiphany expression:
“Master is truly wise and knowledgeable. Cooking vegetables to a ‘semi-digested’ state is beneficial for digestion and absorption!”
Jima emphasized the words “semi-digested” heavily. At this point, George also sensed something was off and couldn’t help but associate it with some unappetizing ideas.
New Delhi felt he had found an understanding friend and continued, “Exactly, exactly.”
Jima shifted her tone and said, “But since it’s so different from the local food style, Master must be severely misunderstood.”
New Delhi’s thick eyebrows nearly jumped to his hairline in excitement. He clapped his hands and said, “That’s right! Those so-called food critics who are narrow-minded, full of jealousy, and lack tolerance maliciously attack my hometown cuisine. They slander it by saying, ‘I’d rather have diarrhea than eat this curry rice.’ Isn’t food supposed to be about taste first? How could they compare my dish to feces!”
George’s face showed disgust as a wave of nausea hit him. His spoon plunged into the semi-solid curry but was slow to lift, as he pondered how to politely refuse.
New Delhi continued, “I hate it when others slander my hometown dishes.”
Jima ignored George’s pleading gaze and said, “Coincidentally, my lord has no prejudices towards food and can accept anything while traveling, from the stinky tofu that smells like feces to raw lamb testicles in the desert to maggot cheese, he has tried it all.”
“Hey! Why aren’t you moving your spoon?”
“This is a custom in his hometown, where the cutlery is placed in the food for a moment of silent respect for the dish.”
“Oh,” New Delhi’s brows relaxed, “It’s truly my fortune to have an open-minded guest like George. I will certainly do my utmost from now on. By the way, why aren’t you moving your spoon?”
Jima stood up and respectfully said, “I am merely a small servant of Sir George, and when he enjoys supreme cuisine, I must not sit at the same table.”
“No worries, once Sir George finishes, you will also have the opportunity to taste it.”
“To maintain good shape requires incredible willpower, such delicious food would surely tempt me to indulge and ruin my figure,” Jima said with a frown. “Besides, I’ve already eaten enough on the way here.”
“What a pity,” New Delhi said, “When you visit next time, I will make you a dish to open your eyes.”
There won’t be a next time.
George’s blue eyes looked at Jima, filled with a sense of betrayal and confusion.
Jima could understand George’s conflict. It was the struggle of having to eat something as disgusting as feces in order to break a contract and regain strength.
Reluctantly, George scooped a full serving of curry rice, and the thick golden curry dripped from the spoon with a “biabiabia” sound. He opened his mouth wide, swallowed in one go, and his Adam’s apple awkwardly moved as he choked it down.
It seemed George had swallowed a chili pepper. His face turned red at a visibly alarming speed, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He opened his mouth wide, gasping for air as if he had just escaped death.
Hee hee hee, watching that was so gratifying; happiness must be built on someone else’s pain. Otherwise, I would feel like my joy was unreal.
Jima felt pleased.
New Delhi eagerly asked, “Is it spicy? How does it taste?”
George honestly shook his head.
New Delhi’s face stiffened, quickly turning pale.
Jima said, “In my lord’s hometown, shaking one’s head means affirmation; nodding means negation. Since this dish is simply too delicious, my lord acted on instinct and used his homeland’s custom to affirm the dish!”
New Delhi’s complexion rapidly improved, and he sighed, “So you’re just like me, a traveler who doesn’t forget his roots.”
At that moment, a caw from a crow echoed outside.
“Excuse me,” New Delhi said, “Someone has replied; let me check.”
With that, he hurried towards the stairs to exit the indoor garden.
Having experienced numerous schemes in the demon world, Jima’s cautious nature kept her on high alert. Instinctively sensing something was amiss, she quickly looked to George’s brows.
His brows were not furrowed; he was speaking the truth.
She instinctively relaxed.
At that moment, a high-pitched horse neigh came from outside, the sound of a celestial battle steed.
George’s expression changed, shouting, “We are under attack!”
Jima immediately thought that even if New Delhi spoke the truth, it didn’t mean he had no problems!
Without hesitation, she ran towards the only exit. New Delhi had started running, moving incredibly fast, likely enhanced by magic.
Jima instinctively raised her hand to use her extraordinary abilities, only to realize she was not a demon king and, as a bronze extraordinary being, had no direct damaging supernatural ability. She shouted, “Stop him!”
Before her words had finished.
New Delhi’s figure disappeared at the staircase exit, and George had already jumped past. Just as he landed, a massive stone suddenly descended, crushing towards him.
George quickly raised his arms, the stone smashed onto his shoulders, bending his waist, yet he stubbornly held it up, managing to utter two words, “Get through!”
Jima glanced at George, who was struggling to hold up the many tons of stone, and said, “I will go out; I have no means of self-protection, so it’s better than nothing.”
George’s face turned red as he fell silent. He stepped back, pushed off with his feet, and pulled himself back. The gray-white stone fell in front of him, the ground trembled, and the only entrance was firmly sealed.
Jima, clinging to a sliver of hope, looked around and concluded, “This is basically the best prison in the world; it’s unbreakable, airtight, spacious enough to effectively prevent prisoner claustrophobia. For mental wellbeing, there are a few potted plants for company. Even the food aspect is taken into consideration, and there’s never a worry about prisoners escaping.”
“At this moment, humor is lost on me,” George said, “There is no prison one cannot escape from.”
“But the dead cannot run away.”
Based on Jima’s experience, New Delhi intended to kill them here. “But when did our identities get exposed?”
“It must be the Shadow King Akarnis,” George said, “He used our blind spot; we thought he was an enemy of the great benefactor and wouldn’t collude with the mages of Shalin City.”
“I think New Delhi, the braggart, definitely can’t wait to tell us the whole story.”
As soon as Jima finished speaking, New Delhi’s triumphant voice came from a copper pipe above.
“Ha ha, you two dogs of the Sanctuary! You must be scared; you must be wondering how I acted so secretly while the wise Master New Delhi discovered you? If you beg for mercy, I will let you die understanding.”
“Not a chance!”
“Oh, I love this neat and articulate retort; even when facing death, one can still be indignant. Don’t worry, you will die a very ugly death. The benefactor’s soldiers are on their way with spears, crossbows, and big guys; there are enough to fill a street. However, when they arrive, they will see your mangled corpses…”
With the sound of flowing water, both George and Jima detected a strong sulfuric smell. Looking down, they saw corrosive green liquid oozing from a drainage hole in the floor.
“By the looks of you, you’re the holy warrior, right? You hypocritical dogs always obstructing our Shalin City’s unique trade, causing us to live poorly. The ones who came to sign a contract with me have all disappeared; if it weren’t for you sanctum, I wouldn’t be poor enough to move into this broken place. Just wait for the soldiers to drag your corroded corpses out for public display! I promise, the residents of Shalin City will greet your filthy corpses with spit and rotten eggs because your sanctum doesn’t allow those commoners to have a good life!”
While George and Jima were quietly discussing something, they were oblivious to the commotion.
“Hey! Aren’t you two rude guys listening to me?” New Delhi was displeased. “Do you want to know how you were exposed? Let me tell you, your sanctum’s informant in Shalin City is a double agent. He wrote my name in the intel sent to the sanctuary, hence it’s only been able to lead the sanctuary to me. You sanctum dogs, are you scared?”
Jima, not looking up, repeatedly confirmed with George, “Are you saying that as long as you and an enemy target are not completely isolated, you can burst through to the other side?”
“I haven’t tried, but it should work. I once used ‘Charge of Light’ to plunge into enemies behind the city wall.”
Jima looked up and saw the large shooting port and said, “Then we just need to lure him behind the shooting port.”
