Chapter 62: Fine Cuisine
Inside the restaurant of Xia, in the lounge.
Xia stood blankly by the door at this moment, watching Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, Amu, Baha, and Beini setting up various pieces of equipment. Those precise and massive devices only deepened her confusion. Weren't they supposed to attend the banquet at the Gluttony Castle in the Nether Realm? And then, by tasting the food, reverse-engineer the recipes.
"Where are we going?"
Xia asked with a puzzled expression, but since Su Xiao was busy calibrating precision instruments, and Bubu Wang's dog language was incomprehensible to her, only Baha could answer: "We're going to the banquet, of course. By the way, why are you wearing evening attire?"
"Shouldn't one wear evening attire to a banquet?"
Xia grew even more bewildered. Baha grinned mischievously and said, "Xia, just by tasting, what are the odds you can reverse-engineer the Duchess's best recipe?"
The Duchess Baha referred to was actually the master of Gluttony Castle, and her husband, the Gluttony Duke, had long been killed by her.
"About... ten percent?"
Xia was uncertain. In truth, she underestimated herself. Having cooked all kinds of high-grade ingredients, she had at least a twenty percent chance of deducing eighty percent of that delicacy's recipe.
"So we need a different approach. If you could witness the Duchess cooking firsthand, what would your chances be of getting the recipe?"
"That should be no problem. But how am I supposed to watch the City Lord's wife cook? For that level of delicacy, the Duchess would keep the process as secret as possible."
"You don't need to worry about that. We're professionals. Put this on your eye."
Baha tossed out a small box. Xia opened it and found two pieces that looked like contact lenses. After using the tool to put them on, she saw a chibi-style dog running through various obstacles in front of her eyes.
"This is..."
"What is it?"
Baha quickly pressed, clueless about technology and thus extra cautious. After hearing Xia's description, he looked at Bubu Wang, who was slacking off, playing a game under the equipment. What Xia saw was actually the view shared from Bubu Wang's goggles.
Having known them for so long, Xia was aware of some of Bubu Wang's abilities. The situation now made everything clear. As long as Bubu Wang was in the Duchess's kitchen, she could watch the entire cooking process through the transmitted feed.
"So that's it. Then I should wear evening attire and attend the banquet, right? Otherwise, wouldn't I seem suspicious in Gluttony Castle?"
Xia voiced her doubts, but half an hour later, she no longer had any.
Clatter, clatter~
Bubu Wang used pneumatic devices to secure the defensive armor on Xia. She swallowed nervously—this banquet seemed incredibly hardcore.
"Do I have to wear this to the banquet? It looks cool in a mecha style, but isn't it... a bit inappropriate for the occasion?"
Hearing this, Baha explained, "Of course not. That would be way too suspicious. This is crash-landing buffer armor, to ensure your safety."
"Sa... safety?"
Xia was even more lost. This banquet seemed far from simple. But then she thought of something and asked, "Isn't Gluttony Castle a neutral zone? Can neutral zones be dangerous?"
"Hmm, this danger... its source is quite... unique. Yeah, let's call it unique. But rest assured, we invited you to the banquet, so we won't let you die."
"?"
Xia was completely dumbfounded. Baha's reassurance only made her more anxious.
Seeing this, Baha explained, "Actually, it's about how we're teleporting there. It's... a bit forceful."
"Oh, it's just turbulence from teleportation. You scared me. I thought we'd run into enemies. If I held everyone back, that would be embarrassing."
"No, definitely not. All the risk is in the teleportation."
"In that case, I'm not worried."
A smile spread across Xia's face, but moments later, that smile grew increasingly strained. She was now encased in three layers of defensive armor. At this point, she fully realized the seriousness of the situation, but for the sake of that top-tier recipe, she decided to take the risk.
Thump, thump.
Su Xiao knocked on the outside of the armor. Xia nodded from inside. Seeing that Xia understood the risk and didn't back down, Su Xiao knew the setup wasn't wasted. As a collaborator, Xia was reliable.
Su Xiao took out two [Banquet Invitations]. These invitations served both as proof of entry to Gluttony Castle and as a means of teleportation. Activating them would trigger the teleportation array inscribed on them.
When he first obtained these two [Banquet Invitations], Su Xiao's plan was to bring culinary master Xia to Gluttony Castle, have her taste the delicacies, and deduce the recipes through a normal banquet.
But after learning that the master of Gluttony Castle, the Duchess, was a guest of honor at Arcane Eternal Star and had close ties with its high-ranking members, various operational ideas began to surface.
"My dear friend, I'm not late, am I?"
Kaisa suddenly appeared. Yes, one of the members heading to Gluttony Castle was Kaisa. How do you make an enemy wear a sufficiently vivid mask of pain in a neutral zone where fighting is prohibited? Kaisa was the answer.
Su Xiao opened one [Banquet Invitation], pressed his finger on the spatial imprint, and a layer of Proud Song crystals spread, covering the imprint before peeling it off.
Hum~
The peeled spatial imprint emitted a faint hum. Su Xiao embedded it into a piece of equipment, using it to decipher the designated coordinates.
Click, click.
One by one, spatial lock wheels on the equipment turned, starting from the first, each locking into a fixed spatial scale. When over ninety percent of the wheels were locked, the peeled spatial coordinate broke.
Su Xiao took out the other [Banquet Invitation], again peeling off the spatial imprint, using it to determine the remaining coordinates.
With a crisp click, over a dozen spatial lock wheels connected, yielding a final spatial coordinate. Based on this, Su Xiao set the spatial scale on the prepared [Law-Destroying Teleportation Array], allowing him to teleport near Gluttony Castle in the Nether Realm without using the [Banquet Invitation].
Stepping onto the teleportation array, Su Xiao took out a metal mask and put it on. Beside him, Kaisa pulled the Abyssal Jar over his head and stepped up as well. Bubu Wang shook his head like a rattle, but after Su Xiao stared at him for three seconds, he reluctantly climbed onto the array.
"Everyone ready, especially Xia. Take a deep breath."
As Baha spoke, he began gradually activating the teleportation array.
"Huh? What?"
Xia's voice came through, muffled by several layers of defensive armor.
Boom!!
With a dull roar, Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, Kaisa, and Xia all vanished from the array.
...
The surrounding spatial crystals gradually dissolved into the air. Normal teleportation left spatial mist, but the [Law-Destroying Teleportation Array] was unique, producing spatial crystals that floated upward and slowly dissipated, creating a beautiful, dreamlike scene.
Unfortunately, Xia had no mood to appreciate the view. She staggered out of the opened defensive armor, one hand bracing against the side compartment as she bent over.
"Ugh~"
Xia, who usually maintained some ladylike composure, completely abandoned it now. The envisioned luxurious hall, soothing music, and chatting diners were nowhere to be seen. Instead, she had personally experienced an incredibly hardcore teleportation, and she even received a notification.
[Notification: Your spatial resistance has permanently increased by 62 points.]
Seeing this, Xia was stunned. Her original spatial resistance was only 8 points, and now it had suddenly jumped by 62. She was both happy about the unexpected gain and shaken by the experience.
"Phew, this teleportation was pretty smooth."
Kaisa spoke while clinging to a lamppost to stay upright. Hearing this, Xia wondered if the turbulence had caused her to hallucinate. That experience, like being inside a spatial railgun—no, terrifying was the word—was hardly smooth by any measure.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang, lying on the grass nearby, agreed with Kaisa. This teleportation was indeed fairly smooth.
Su Xiao looked around and found they were in a small city. Further away, green Nether mist shrouded the town, meaning the only way to reach this Nether region was through teleportation.
Following the street, Su Xiao and his group entered the bustling area of the small city. Various shops lined the streets, including a gem store that traded in Soul Coins. Though small, it displayed a few Origin-level gems as a show of prestige.
There were no vehicles on the streets. Upon reaching the city center, Gluttony Castle appeared ahead. This estate occupied half the city's area.
The estate was scenic, but the most eye-catching feature was the bloated castle at its heart. Dark red in color, its main entrance resembled a massive maw, as if swallowing every diner who entered.
There were only two [Banquet Invitations], but that was enough. Bubu Wang could blend into the environment, an ability already at an astonishingly high rank. This time, Bubu Wang used the [Follower Promotion Qualification]. Aside from the unique Absolute Strong rank boost of [Basic Physical Defense Rank +1], only his environment-blending ability improved.
Technically, [Follower Promotion Qualification] didn't include [Basic Physical Defense Rank +1], but Su Xiao had advanced to Absolute Strong using 11 Primordial Fragments, and the [Follower Promotion Qualification] was a derivative benefit of his advancement.
This meant the extent of his advancement directly affected the boost from [Follower Promotion Qualification]. Advancing to Absolute Strong with 11 Primordial Fragments was incredibly valuable, which is why Bubu Wang, Amu, Baha, and Beini's [Follower Promotion Qualification] included [Basic Physical Defense Rank +1].
For Bubu Wang, aside from [Basic Physical Defense Rank +1], only his environment-blending ability improved. Sometimes, having a single type of improvement was a good thing, leading to a higher boost.
Bubu Wang was a case in point. He himself didn't know how high his environment-blending ability had reached. In the ability description, it now showed as ???.
The reason for this was related to Bubu Wang's initial positioning. Don't forget, he was the Space-Tearing Hound, Bubuteni. Unfortunately, his goofy, easily scared nature destined him not to develop in combat.
As a follower, Bubu Wang's initial positioning was combat-oriented, but in practice, his abilities leaned toward aura-based support.
In normal judgments, this wasn't an issue, but [Follower Promotion Qualification], as the biggest boost for any follower, would naturally enhance based on the initial positioning, strongly and accurately.
Thus, the judgment became tricky. Bubu Wang's combat power was only enough to beat Beini, but since Beini managed the money, he could only force a draw—who would risk their allowance?
Bubu Wang's weak combat power caused the [Follower Promotion Qualification] judgment to malfunction. If it tried to boost him to the minimum standard of a combat-type Absolute Strong follower, the boost would exceed the authority's maximum. But boosting his aura abilities conflicted with his initial positioning—the title "Space-Tearing Hound" wasn't just for show.
So, after some deliberation, only the environment-blending ability matched Bubu Wang's initial positioning. This meant all of Bubu Wang's boost went into that ability, pushing it to an unprecedented level.
Bubu Wang blended into the environment, while Kaisa, wanting to enter Gluttony Castle, naturally had his own methods.
Su Xiao handed one [Banquet Invitation] to Xia, who looked puzzled and asked, "Not going to the banquet together?"
"Too many enemies."
Understanding dawned on Xia. She had wondered why Su Xiao put on a metal mask before coming to the Nether Realm. Taking the [Banquet Invitation], Xia headed toward the estate alone.
The master of Gluttony Castle, the Duchess, invited 20 guests each time. Su Xiao had brought Xia to get the recipes, so he had to consider whether the other 18 diners included enemies. Though his enemies weren't numerous, each was formidable. Negligence that harmed a friend was unacceptable.
Su Xiao walked to a nearby shop, used the Mysterious Eye to open the door naturally, and entered. He took out a terminal and played a puzzle game that Pi Pang had specially upgraded. After a while, his eyes narrowed—this puzzle game was incredibly difficult.
An hour passed quietly. Su Xiao removed the metal mask, and his aura returned. This item, a gift from Tuanzhang, could disguise aura and clothing. It was quite useful but had many usage restrictions, making it a very unique piece of equipment.
Leaving the shop and locking the door, Su Xiao walked alone toward Gluttony Castle. Presenting the invitation, he entered the estate's gate. But as he passed the winding path and reached the castle's main entrance, several guards blocked him, looking tense. Soon, an old butler hurried over.
"Mr. White Night, please come in."
The butler, with graying temples, was exceptionally warm, welcoming Su Xiao into the castle. In truth, upon hearing that the Law Destroyer, Bai Ye, had arrived, the butler broke out in a cold sweat. This was a god of death at the door. The butler didn't understand power levels or other details; he only knew that this god of death had made Arcane Eternal Star pay a heavy price and was still alive today—definitely someone he couldn't afford to offend.
Under the butler's guidance, Su Xiao entered a banquet hall lit by candles. A long table, three meters wide and ten meters long, sat in the rectangular hall. It wasn't crowded, and the dim candlelight created an intimate atmosphere.
Each diner's seat was about half a meter apart, fostering a more harmonious vibe. Only one seat was empty, and Su Xiao took it.
[Banquet Invitations] could be obtained through various channels, so the master of Gluttony Castle didn't know exactly who would attend. As long as the dozen or so invitations sold at high prices, the Duchess didn't care who showed up.
Su Xiao sat down, with Xia next to him. But following Su Xiao's instructions before entering, Xia acted as if she didn't know him. Her acting was decent, though her gaze occasionally went blank—likely receiving recipe after recipe from Bubu Wang's transmitted feed.
Su Xiao scanned the diners and immediately spotted several familiar faces. Across from him sat a figure in a black bishop's robe, with pitch-black eyes ringed with white circles. Just meeting his gaze felt like falling into an abyss, consumed by darkness and despair. It was the Archbishop of the Abyss.
The Archbishop was also staring at Su Xiao. Dark energy seeped from his left arm, indicating it was unstable and decaying. He needed to replace it frequently and couldn't use any Abyss-type abilities with it.
The Archbishop's entire left arm had been severed by Su Xiao's dual soul-slashing strike. For someone of the Archbishop's caliber, regenerating or reconstructing an arm was easy, but being soul-slashed meant more than just missing soul matter. The flesh represented power, the soul symbolized existence. With the entire arm's soul severed, the arm's existence itself was gone.
Why did many people hold grudges against Green Gillian but never seek revenge? The cost of being soul-slashed by extreme soul-severing was too great to bear.
"So soon we meet again."
The Archbishop spoke without threats or anger. At this level of power, one didn't waste words, but his desire for Su Xiao's immediate death was unmistakable.
However, Su Xiao had more than one enemy present. Sefeiliya, seated diagonally across, was also staring at him. Beside her, Green Wei looked around. If this wasn't Green Wei's own soul controlling her body, then Green Gillian's acting was truly exceptional.
Further to the right, Shenfu smiled silently. His "old friend" had enough enemies this time, so he wouldn't join the fun—though he was one of them.
Even further right sat a tall deity with stag-like antlers, draped in a cloak of animal hide. Scars covered his face, neck, and arms. This was the fifth-ranked figure on the Void's grudge list, Deer God. In his early years, Deer God was either fighting powerful foes or on his way to do so, a symbol of the spiritual system. He had recently advanced to Supreme and rarely sought out strong opponents anymore.
The other diners seemed significant, but Su Xiao didn't recognize them. Notably, all of them seemed to know him, which puzzled him. Aside from making Arcane Eternal Star lose the resource star Prosperous Star, he hadn't done anything else in the Void to gain fame.
But Su Xiao overlooked one thing: his recent clearing of all world-destroying entities and races in Eternal Light World, restoring it to a normal world, had spread widely.
After more than ten minutes, the first appetizer arrived. Su Xiao picked up his utensils and tasted the sweet shrimp on his plate. It was slightly cloying at first, then gradually became refreshingly sweet, ending with a rich, savory sweetness. Gluttony Castle certainly had skill.
Dish after dish of delicious food arrived. As he tasted them, Su Xiao realized that the delicacy that could enhance one's essence wasn't a single dish but the cumulative effect of tasting multiple courses.
After finishing the final main course, Su Xiao felt a pleasant warmth throughout his body. But for some reason, commotion and furious shouts came from outside.
The banquet hall door opened, and the Duchess, in her chef's attire with an imposing figure, strode in. She stopped by Su Xiao's seat, her eyes blazing with anger. "It's you."
"..."
Su Xiao set down his drink, seemingly unaware of what was happening.
"You must be the one who brought the fraudster in!"
The Duchess's eyes bulged with rage, suggesting she had suffered significant losses. She immediately came to confront Su Xiao mainly due to factional hostility. If Su Xiao weren't an alchemy master, the Duchess wouldn't hesitate to poison his food. As for her culinary integrity, she had possessed it before turning against her husband, but after killing him, her standards plummeted.
"So, in this neutral zone, what do you plan to do to me?"
Su Xiao was genuinely curious.
"Just wait for Void Tree's punishment."
At the Duchess's words, Shenfu, sipping hot tea diagonally across, coughed a few times as if wanting to say something but ultimately remained silent.
"If you don't want Void Tree's punishment, there's another way. I've lost wealth. As long as your compensation is sufficient."
The Duchess prepared to demand an exorbitant price. As for offending the Law Destroyer, since their factions were already hostile, she didn't care. Her backing was Arcane Eternal Star.
"Oh."
"You... agree?"
The Duchess was shocked, even stepping back half a step instinctively.
"I have a precious treasure here..."
Before Su Xiao could finish, the Archbishop across from him and Shenfu diagonally across both stood up simultaneously and walked out. As they hurried, they exchanged glances, both understanding the other's thought: this place was no longer safe.
Under the gaze of all the diners and the Duchess, Su Xiao took out the [Book of Original Sin]. The next second, chairs clattered to the floor as people scrambled to stand. Ten seconds later, only Su Xiao and the Duchess remained in the hall. As for Xia, she had been pushed out, chair and all, by the diners and servants.
In the corridor outside, Xia sat on her chair, drink in hand, momentarily stunned. This experience was truly bizarre. But the next moment, she noticed fleeting glowing words on the floor ahead—Bubu Wang, blended into the environment, warning her to leave quickly.
Inside the hall, the Duchess looked at the [Book of Original Sin] in Su Xiao's hand. Her anger gradually melted into a smile. Beaming, she said, "Dear guest, you really don't understand humor. I was just joking with you, haha, hahaha."
Half an hour later, Su Xiao was escorted out of the main gate by the master of Gluttony Castle and all the servants, all smiling warmly, with cold sweat soaking their clothes.
As for Xia, who had come with him, she had, as agreed, witnessed the Duchess's entire cooking process. She then returned to Reincarnation Paradise as quickly as possible to attempt recreating the process in her restaurant, listing all required ingredients, which Su Xiao would handle.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang appeared from the environment, his expression saying, "I want to eat those delicacies too. I was drooling in the kitchen."
Su Xiao activated his mark function. Getting here was hard, but leaving was simple. He activated his return authority to Reincarnation Paradise and soon arrived in his storage space. As soon as he returned, a notification appeared.
[Overlord Equipment: Blood Feather has completed its upgrade.]