Chapter 175: Horror

Chapter 175: Horror

San Lin hesitated for a moment before slowly walking to the end of the long table. He looked at Wen Ying and said, "My Lord, I can help you with these lids..."

"No need," Wen Ying placed the covered plate in his hand on the table. "I'll open them. You sit down."

The Demon Mirror was unexpectedly considerate, which felt odd. San Lin sat down hesitantly, a strange sense of danger stirring within him, though he couldn't pinpoint its source.

"Then, let's begin with the first dish," Wen Ying smiled as he lifted the lid off a dish.

All five humans and one demon turned their gazes. Upon seeing the dish clearly, even Chang Ningsheng, who was usually good at controlling his expressions, revealed a visible look of horror.

"These octopus legs have been frozen for a few days, but they haven't lost much of their nutrients or texture. The black ink they naturally produce, combined with my specially prepared sauce, creates a fantastic flavor," Wen Ying seemed oblivious to their disbelief as he spoke with a light tone. "These black balls beside them are made from ground devilish octopus meat mixed with some demonic plants. They have a soft, chewy texture."

"That... This dish seems to be emitting," Lu Rongyu paused, choosing his words politely, "a black smoke?"

The octopus legs in this dish resembled Cthulhu-like evil gods writhing in black liquid. They were an alarming crimson color, making it unclear whether they were cooked or not. There was also a liquid resembling blood on them. The black balls in the sauce were almost dissolving, with specks of dark green mixed within.

Lu Rongyu had still been rather conservative in his description. The others thought that the smoke rising from the dish resembled toxic fog.

Wen Ying's tone remained unchanged. "Steam is a sign of freshness. Would you like to try it? It's very nutritious and packed with magical energy."

Tan Qingqing's face stiffened. "Uh, suddenly I remember, aren't humans not supposed to eat demonic food?"

Wei Zheng promptly responded, "I believe that's correct, isn't it, Ningsheng?"

Chang Ningsheng, gazing at the dish that seemed capable of poisoning them, had a grave expression. Could he have been wrong? Was this demon, cloaked in magical mist, truly attempting to poison them?

They didn't touch their chopsticks, but Wen Ying didn't rush them. Instead, he softly hummed a cheerful tune as he lifted the lid off the second dish.

All eyes turned to it, involuntarily filled with hope that the second dish would be more normal...

But it seemed even more horrifying.

The atmosphere grew tense, and the expressions on everyone's faces froze.

The second course was a stew. A dark purple broth bubbled ominously, with several whole fish skeletons rising to the surface; their once-white bones were now half-dyed a deep purple. The other contents of the stew were indistinguishable, having been cooked into a poisonous-looking color.

Most terrifying of all, there were floating white eyeballs within the broth.

Wei Zheng clamped his hand over his mouth, desperately suppressing the urge to vomit.

Wen Ying playfully picked up an eyeball with his chopsticks and said, "This is the eye of a certain fish from our Realm of Magic. These fish possess immense magical power, most of which is concentrated in their eyes. Hence, their eyeballs are highly prized as a magical delicacy."

"I've also included a variety of magical fruits and vegetables in these dishes. Your magical strength will surely increase after consuming them."

Lu Rongyu hesitated, "Um..."

Wen Ying lifted the lid of the third dish, plunging the room into an even deeper silence.

The third course consisted of roasted meat served on the skull of some wild beast. The bloody meat was placed on a large blue leaf, still twitching. The accompanying, unidentifiable vegetables appeared to be decaying yet emitted a strangely sweet aroma.

For the fourth course...

Maintaining composure became increasingly difficult for the five humans and one demon. Chang Ningsheng noticed that San Lin, the demon beside him, wore an expression of stunned horror, seemingly sharing their discomfort.

Aren't these supposed to be delicacies in the Realm of Magic? San Lin's reaction further fueled Chang Ningsheng's suspicion that the demon might be trying to poison them.

Staring at the table filled with "magical delicacies," San Lin felt his ability to think slipping away. Did Ye Wang and Kirishino regularly consume such fare? Was it even appetizing? Those clusters of eyeballs, eerie black mist, distorted limbs, and pulsating chunks of flesh...

San Lin felt something rising in his throat. He clutched his mouth, forcing it back down with great difficulty. A wave of nausea spread through his entire body, causing goosebumps to prickle his skin in dense clusters.

"Wen Ying," he held up his fork, skewering a black meatball right in the center before popping it into his mouth and swallowing it down.

The five humans and one demon watched as the meatball disappeared into the black mist, their stomachs churning violently.

Help! — !!!!

Wen Ying, ever considerate, helped them serve themselves while saying, "These ingredients are quite rare and possess abundant magical energy. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare to offer them to you."

You might as well not serve them, it feels like someone's going to die.

Wei Zheng glanced at Chang Ningsheng, who exchanged a look with Lu Rongyu.

Should we eat it?

It looks poisonous.

If he wants to kill us, he probably wouldn't use such an obvious poison, right?

The demonic delicacies described in the book previously weren't nearly as terrifying as this.

Perhaps during their thousands of years of isolation from us, they've evolved their cuisine into something bizarre.

Lu Rongyu took a deep breath and, gazing at the octopus leg on his plate, he picked it up with trembling hands and brought it towards his mouth.

The other four people and San Lin watched him as if he were a hero, all of them silent throughout the process.

Wen Ying fixated on Lu Rongyu, barely containing his mischievous delight. The dark mist that materialized from his magical aura swirled gently around him.

Lu Rongyu swallowed it down.

Tan Qingqing asked nervously, "How is it?"