Chapter 250 - 155: Soul Communication, Reina’s Heart

Chapter 250: Chapter 155: Soul Communication, Reina’s Heart

He gazed at the rows of Arrow Towers and wooden houses, and at the Beastmen walking about in the distance.

For some reason, a strange feeling suddenly came over him.

It was a feeling he couldn’t quite describe.

If he had to describe it, it was that everything felt more real.

Even though the buildings and Soldier Types looked no different than before, they seemed to have a greater sense of reality to him.

’Why is this happening?’

Shen Xing frowned, finding it hard to understand.

Just then, a rather peculiar figure approached from the distance.

A black clam shell scraped along the ground, its occupant’s lower body tucked inside while her upper half took the form of a young girl. The ground she passed over was left as clean as if it had been washed, without a speck of dust remaining.

From a distance, she called out a greeting to Shen Xing, "Lo... Lord Human..."

Shen Xing snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her. "Ah, Nimue. Is something the matter?"

The Clam Maiden nodded lightly. "That special fried meat I mentioned last time... We’ve made a batch, and I was hoping you would come and try it."

"Do... do you have time right now?" she asked tentatively.

Shen Xing recalled the matter as well and nodded. "I have time. Let’s go over."

"O-Okay..." The apprehension on the Clam Maiden’s face vanished, instantly replaced with happiness. She then fell in behind his wheelchair.

One in front of the other, they made their way toward the Food Processing Plant.

Along the way, Nimue kept craning her neck to sneak glances at Shen Xing, as if she were studying him.

"Why do you keep looking at me?" Shen Xing noticed her gaze and turned to ask.

"Ah..." The Clam Maiden ducked her head in embarrassment and mumbled, "I-It’s nothing... It’s just that you seem a little different today."

"Different?" Shen Xing paused, surprised. "How so?"

The Clam Maiden tapped her lip and shook her head. "I’m not sure... I just feel like you have a special kind of aura about you now..."

Shen Xing glanced at her. ’Don’t tell me she’s figured it out,’ he thought.

He felt inexplicably uneasy.

Fortunately, Nimue didn’t press the issue.

Soon, they arrived at the territory’s South City District and entered the Food Processing Plant.

Several women from Videng Royal City, wearing aprons, were standing at a workbench, feeding giant fingers into a slicer.

On a metal rack to the side, strips of dark red meat hung in long strings. It was all processed Finger Insect meat, currently being air-dried.

On a wooden table nearby sat several plates of freshly fried meat cutlets.

They looked like fried chicken cutlets, but their surface was a dark green, and they gave off a peculiar aroma blending Hellfire and wheat.

"Lord Human, this is the special fried meat I told you about." Nimue looked at him expectantly. "Please, have a taste."

Shen Xing nodded and picked up a cutlet that was still hot to the touch.

[Acquired: Moonfire Fried Meat (Gold)]

[Effect: Upon consumption, greatly increases fullness and provides the following buffs for 180 minutes: +10% Fire Attribute Resistance, +20 Power.]

(Note: A single Hellfire Pork Chop is enough to feed a full-grown elephant.)

...

’It actually increases Power by 20 points. That’s a pretty big boost to my Attributes.’

Shen Xing marveled. ’As expected of Gold-Quality Food. It’s truly extraordinary.’

After all, even a Silver Holy Fruit only granted 20 attribute points.

Of course, the Holy Fruit’s attribute gain was permanent while the fried meat only offered a temporary boost, so the difference between them was still massive.

But for a consumable, it was still quite impressive.

He hadn’t eaten yet today anyway, so he immediately stuffed it into his mouth.

With a series of loud CRUNCHES, the wheat crust shattered, sending crumbs flying. The meat inside mingled with the flour as he chewed, creating a unique taste experience.

He had to admit, the thing tasted really good.

Plus, it was cooked perfectly—the crust was crispy, but the meat inside remained tender and juicy. It wasn’t oily or greasy at all.

Shen Xing devoured the entire cutlet, wiping his mouth with a lingering sense of satisfaction after he finished.

Immediately after, an intense feeling of fullness welled up from his stomach, accompanied by a powerful heat that spread throughout his body.

Like Popeye after eating spinach, he felt his entire body surge with Power.

’The amount of energy packed into this cutlet is insane,’ he thought. ’I feel like two of them could feed a whole Kodo Beast.’

’Still, it’s a pain to make, so it can’t be mass-produced. We can only use it as a pre-battle consumable.’

With that thought, Shen Xing collected all the cutlets from the table.

[Acquired: Moonfire Fried Meat (Purple) x514]

[Acquired: Moonfire Fried Meat (Gold) x112]

...

The recipe for this fried meat was originally Purple Quality.

However, thanks to Nimue’s Master Level culinary proficiency, there was a chance to raise the Food’s Quality by a grade, which was how the Gold-Quality version came to be.

By comparison, the effects of the Purple-Quality fried meat were much weaker.

The Fire Attribute Resistance boost was only 5%, the Power bonus was a mere 10 points, and the duration was reduced to 60 minutes.

This was a testament to just how powerful the abilities of Nimue, the Master Chef, truly were.

Give her a plate of shit, and she could probably turn it into shit that gives you a buff—and it might even taste good.

After stowing the fried meat, Shen Xing prepared to leave the Food Processing Plant.

"L-Lord Human, please wait a moment." Nimue called out to him again.

"Is there something else?" Shen Xing turned to ask.

"I... I’ve recently developed a new type of Food. Could I ask you to try it?" the Clam Maiden asked, looking at him with anticipation.

"A new type of Food?" Shen Xing eyed her suspiciously. "Is it... a normal type of Food?"

"Of course it’s normal!" Nimue nodded earnestly before adding in a small voice, "All the Food I make is very normal..."

"Then let me have a taste."

Shen Xing agreed readily. ’After all, she’s the only Master Level talent in my territory. I have to look after her.’

"Okay!"

The Clam Maiden turned happily and went over to an oven on the side.

A moment later, she emerged from the oven with a metal tray, which was covered by a lid.

"Lord Human, please have a taste."

Shen Xing hesitated for a moment, then, with some trepidation, he slowly lifted the lid. A powerful fragrance immediately washed over him.

"Huh? Is this a meat-stuffed bun?" he asked in surprise, looking at the food on the plate.

"A ’meat-stuffed bun’?" Nimue tilted her head, asking curiously.

"It’s nothing."

Shen Xing shook his head and looked down at the Food on the plate.

The thing looked normal enough on the outside: two flatbreads baked to a golden brown, with a meat patty sandwiched between them.

Although Shen Xing was already full, he figured he could force down one more bun without a problem.

He immediately brought it to his lips, took a bite, and began to chew slowly.

’Hm, the texture is pretty similar to a meat-stuffed bun.’

The meat inside was soft and tender, and chewing it together with the bread created an especially unique flavor.

And as he chewed, he felt little things popping in his mouth.

"This is delicious," Shen Xing praised earnestly. "You really are worthy of being my territory’s head chef."

"Hehehe, I’m glad you like it, Lord Human." Nimue smiled shyly, looking quite pleased.

Shen Xing took another couple of bites. "By the way," he asked, "what did you add to the meat? Why does it have that popping sensation?"

"Oh, I added insect eggs," Nimue replied with complete honesty.

Shen Xing: "..."

"What... did you just say!?" His eyes flew wide, and he stopped chewing.

"Insect eggs," Nimue repeated earnestly. "They’re the black eggs from the insects that hide in the ground. The workers have been digging up a lot of them lately to use as feed for the Finger Insects."

"So I just picked out the eggs and put them in the meat filling. It tastes pretty great, doesn’t it?"

Shen Xing froze. He raised the bun in disbelief, holding it up to his eyes to inspect it closely.

In the bitten-open filling, he could now see rice-grain-sized black eggs. Some had already broken open, and flea-sized black insects were squirming about in the meat.

He could even feel a swarm of living things crawling inside his mouth. They wriggled on his tongue and burrowed into the gaps between his teeth, as if trying to make a new home.

An intense wave of revulsion, nausea, and physical discomfort surged up from his stomach and instantly erupted.

"BLAARGH!!!"

...

...