Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Chapter 707: The Demon God’s Restaurant
Greed stirred hearts. The moment they saw the gold coins, all their fear turned to delight. The Black Robe Woman could sense the shift in the girls’ emotions, which was exactly the effect she desired.
“The gold coins can be put away for now. Since they’re yours, they won’t run away!”
The Black Robe Woman clapped her hands, and the two guards carried the gold coins away. With this exchange, the atmosphere in the hall had changed considerably.
To summon the Old Ones, one needed enough people to recognize, understand, and accept them from the heart, generating Wish Power. This seemed simple but was actually very challenging for the guide’s control. Otherwise, believers could easily turn into mindless madmen, which would be meaningless.
“Let’s eat first. Everyone is tired after a busy day.”
The Black Robe Woman, without any further ado, led a group of girls to a place resembling a restaurant. Ten rows of long redwood tables were arranged in the center, appearing like dried blood under the dim yellow light.
The Players took their seats at random with the girls.
Their San Value was dropping.
At a rate of one point every five minutes.
This indicated that the Old Ones’ contamination here was not severe. They could hold on for a while longer as long as they took breaks outside periodically.
Not long after they sat down, a sound of footsteps echoed from outside.
*Bang!*
The door was pushed open, and a group of waiters, dressed in black tailcoats, with immaculately styled hair, and carrying trays, entered. However, their complexions were abnormal, ghastly pale as if they were not alive, somewhat translucent with a gelatinous texture. Their eyes were vacant, and their steps were mechanical. Everyone moved in unison, as if cast from the same mold.
After these waiters appeared.
Ms. felt the rate of her San Value decrease significantly. It went from one point every five minutes to one point every three minutes. It was clear that these waiters were contaminated, and their presence had elevated the contamination level of the place.
These waiters methodically placed the plates in front of the girls, like assembly line workers. Once done, they immediately left, then went to fetch drinks. Only after each girl had a plate and a drink did they form a neat line and slowly depart with puppet-like steps.
“The True God is merciful. Your meals here are provided by the True God. We must thank the True God for bestowing upon us delicious food.”
A plate was also placed in front of the Black Robe Woman.
She clasped her hands at her chest and closed her eyes slightly, as if in prayer.
Then, she was the first to lift the lid.
A fragrance spread through the hall.
The plate contained thinly sliced meat, cut as thin as flower petals and arranged in an exquisite shape, with a pastry spread with light yellow cream beside it.
Seeing how exquisite the food was, the girls lifted their lids with anticipation. Indeed, the food was exactly the same as the Black Robe Woman’s.
A gasp of surprise arose.
It was filled with delight and admiration.
Most of them came from common families. Even the daughters of slightly wealthy merchants or mages had never tasted such exquisite food. This was clearly something only the Kalun royal family could enjoy.
“Praise the True God!”
One girl, imitating the Black Robe Woman, whispered a prayer. Although she didn’t know what the True God was, she had begun to feel the True God’s mercy and blessings.
Many girls followed suit.
Thanks to the gold coins and the delicious food, they had completely escaped their fear. They even felt fortunate to have such an opportunity.
But the Players had strange expressions on their faces.
The meat slices were indeed exquisite, and the aroma was enticing. They also felt tempted to eat. However, as Players, they had developed the habit of using Appraisal technique on everything. Not appraising was fine, but the moment they did, they lost all appetite.
[Extremely exquisitely roasted frog meat (Contaminated)]
[Description: The Lapland royal family has become increasingly obsessed with frogs for some unknown reason. They eat frogs every day and love to eat them raw. The moment the cold, slimy frog meat slides down the esophagus into the stomach, they feel closer to the True God. The more fervent their faith, the more uncontrollable their craving for frogs becomes… Start liking frog meat with this plate of frog meat~]
The cake beside it was equally bizarre.
[Mutated Cow Mousse Cake]
[Description: Have you ever seen a cow with a frog’s head? The Kalun royal family believes that such cows are more in line with the Truth’s aesthetic. If the entire city were to turn into frogs, that would be even better… Rest assured, the cake base is safe.]
[Note: Consuming contaminated food will lead to the intake of mutagens. Mutagens will continuously reduce San Value until a critical point is reached. When influenced by a sufficient concentration of Old Ones aura, the mutagens will fully erupt, leading the host to complete degradation.]
This was just like a virus!
The Players looked at the food in front of them. Their appetite vanished as quickly as it had appeared. They needed something edible!
They glanced at the drink that resembled red wine, and then they despaired completely.
[A beverage mixed with contaminated frog blood. Not only does it not affect the taste, but it also makes it smoother~]
“What are you standing around for? Why aren’t you eating?”
The Black Robe Woman’s suspicious gaze swept over them. Everyone in the hall had picked up their chopsticks, but the Players had not. And since the Players were sitting together, it was even more obvious. It would be strange if the Black Robe Woman didn’t suspect something.
“Hehehe… We’ve just never seen such exquisite food before, so we were a bit stunned!” Ms., possessed by a dramatic spirit, put on a look of panic.
“We are just some rough Mercenaries. We’ve barely been to Lapland a few times. Our lives are spent roughing it out every day. This food is simply too luxurious for us to start eating.”
Upon hearing this, the Black Robe Woman’s expression softened slightly.
She smiled faintly and said, “This is the reward from the True God. For the True God, any amount of wealth is merely an empty thing, something we mortals pursue. What the True God wishes for us to pursue is eternal transcendence.”
Ms. tilted her head and subtly curled her lips.
Eternal transcendence? Eating frogs every day could lead to transcendence?
How amusing.
“Hurry up and eat. It’ll get cold if you don’t. Your food will gradually upgrade in the future, becoming more and more exquisite.”
The Black Robe Woman’s expression became a little more serious. She urged in a deep voice, “Refusing the True God’s bounty is also a form of disrespect to the True God!”
The Players exchanged glances with each other.
Eating was not an option, but they had to put on a show.
They had their ways.
Ms. was the first to pick up her chopsticks, setting an example for the other Players.
The moment she put the food into her mouth, she discreetly transferred it into her Backpack.
Then, she puffed out her cheeks and made chewing motions.
Afterward, she didn’t forget to put on an expression of ecstasy.
“Delicious! It’s so delicious! This is the first time I’ve ever eaten something so tasty! Thank the great True God!”
