Chapter 2253 A Wine Sack Rice Bucket
The shop owner then served good wine, telling the Yellow King believers that this wine was called Ming Chao, brewed from some spiritual seaweed from the sea. Just opening the bottle released a rich aroma, accompanied by a faint oceanic magic power.
Regarding wine, the Yellow King believers were not as fervent as they were with the exquisite cuisine from before. They generally maintained restraint with alcohol, taking only a small sip after ensuring it was safe.
In reality, every dish the shop owner served was meticulously inspected by the Yellow King believers. They confirmed the absence of any signs of life, that it was fully cooked, non-toxic, and free from any peculiar magic before they felt reassured to eat.
Food from corrupted zones, especially when using monsters as ingredients, required careful examination. Only after confirming its safety were the believers allowed to eat. What appeared to be a hearty meal was actually prepared with caution.
Furthermore, they had an inconspicuous yet vital habit: while everyone seemed to be eating with gusto, some individuals would deliberately not touch certain dishes. This ensured that even if one dish turned out to be problematic, their entire group wouldn’t be wiped out.
As an long-established cult, they possessed this necessary caution. They constantly remembered they were carrying out a Divine Revelation, essentially deep behind enemy lines, and thus had to be extremely vigilant.
As for the wine, although fragrant, it could affect cognitive speed and logical coherence. For these Yellow King believers, who enjoyed being scholarly, it held little appeal. Most took only a small taste, unless someone particularly enjoyed drinking and had a high tolerance.
After the meal and drinks, it was time to ask questions. Seeing that the two young ladies were in good moods after eating, Jayad initiated the conversation: “Are you two Demon Hunters belonging to the Iberian Empire? Or do you belong to a specific church or organization?”
Demon Hunter was a broad profession, with both divine and secular practitioners. Many Demon Hunters served nobles, lords, or churches, ensuring stable income and guaranteed benefits.
However, some Demon Hunters preferred freedom and unbound by any affiliation. Some lived as loners, traveling the land to slay monsters, while others joined Adventurer Squads, eager for adventure and monster hunting.
“Ah, us? You can consider us Demon Hunters of the Iberian Empire. After all, we often serve the lords here, so we can be considered an unofficial organization,” the Blue-haired Girl replied.
This meant they were not officially part of the Empire’s permanent staff, but rather employed by the Empire as external contractors – in other words, temporary workers.
This was quite normal. Demon Hunters were generally disliked by ordinary people. In order to combat monsters, they chose to accept physical mutations and monster powers. It was similar to the Demon Hunters of the Snake School I encountered before; when their Spirit Vision was heightened, they appeared to him as a swarm of snakes.
Because of this, their sanity was constantly at a dangerous low. They acted fanatically and extremely, often killing innocent people without reason. During combat with monsters, they could easily go mad, or even mutate into monsters themselves. Their reputation among the populace was very poor. Thus, an unofficial collaboration method was indeed a viable option for the authorities.
“In that case, you two young ladies must frequently interact with the Lord of Saint Port Island, right? What kind of person is he?” Jayad inquired.
“Him? He’s a Wine Sack Rice Bucket. He just inherited his family’s title. In reality, he’s nothing but a drunkard who can’t manage his own territory. He only issues bounties to hire people to solve his problems, and he’s incredibly stingy, offering such meager rewards!” the Silver-haired Older Sister declared.
She was usually a woman of few words. During the meal, she hadn’t even participated in the conversation. But upon mentioning the lord of this place, she became infuriated and spoke at length, revealing just how much she despised him.
“But many people accept the bounties he issues, and didn’t you two also come to see the bounty notices? Even though the remuneration is so little,” Jayad asked, feigning ignorance. He had already guessed some possibilities earlier.
“That’s because even without his bounties, we would still eliminate monsters; it’s part of our duty. As for others who take on these bounties, most do it to clear their wanted status. They’re all criminals,” the Blue-haired Girl stated indignantly.
“He’s not even willing to send his own soldiers to clear out those monsters or capture pirates, for fear of losing his own forces. That’s why he issues commissions. Moreover, he uses the commission-for-exoneration system to attract fugitives, fighting poison with poison,” the Silver-haired Older Sister said coldly.
“And those criminals are of low quality and lack any sense of responsibility. They only do it reluctantly to clear their names. If they can get away with a perfunctory job, they won’t even handle matters seriously. For example, some have tried to farm monsters to pass them off, which makes it impossible to solve various problems,” the Blue-haired Girl chimed in.
“Furthermore, that lord, seeing that exoneration could attract people for commissions, even lowered all the bounty amounts. These bounties are funds applied from above to resolve threats to the shipping lanes, but he has deducted a significant portion of them,” the Silver-haired Older Sister added.
The two women spoke one after another, utterly denigrating the lord. It was hard to imagine that on the territory of a noble, someone would dare to slander a noble to such an extent in public.
However, this also demonstrated the lord of Saint Port Island’s poor control over his territory and just how dissatisfied the two Demon Hunter girls were with the local lord.
“Okay, I understand. Thank you. It seems unnecessary to contact that lord,” Jayad said. In fact, the Yellow King believers had not intended to meet the lord from the start; after all, why would a group of cultists meet with a lord?
Rather, hearing from these two Demon Hunter girls that the lord was a hopeless drunkard filled the Yellow King believers with secret joy. A feeble lord meant that their divine undertaking should not face too many obstacles.
“Who is the Sea God worshipped on this island? When we docked, the ship repairer told us to pray to the Sea God for smooth sailing on our next voyage,” Jayad asked again.
“It’s the Sea Goddess Calypso. The church on the mountain belongs to Her. But it’s best if you don’t worship Her,” the Silver-haired Older Sister advised.
“Why?” Jayad asked, puzzled. Seeing the Angel Form of the two Demon Hunter girls, he had assumed they were followers of the Sea God.
“The Church of the Sea Goddess does not control mutations, which has led to Her followers being very fanatical. Moreover, She is also the God of Black Witchcraft and the God of Concealment. Her followers are accepted without discrimination; many pirates, thieves, and black magicians seek refuge in Her church. The inner workings are extremely evil and Filthy. We refuse to cooperate with them,” the Silver-haired Older Sister said with loathing.
Although Demon Hunters were also fanatical, most were also righteous and hated evil. Therefore, it was normal for them to despise a church that provided refuge to the wicked.
“However, if you wish to see it, we can accompany you to visit the vicinity of the church,” the Silver-haired Older Sister added.
