39: Food Appreciation Session

It was midnight.

The circular plaza in the center of Xilin Town was completely silent.

The plaza was connected to dark, deep alley entrances, Li Ke the gaping mouths of monsters waiting to devour people, silently lurking in the night.

Li Ke stood in the shadows of an alley entrance that led directly to the plaza.

His figure was almost one with the darkness, his aura concealed, waiting quietly.

Time seemed to solidify, flowing slowly in the silence.

Finally.

Several wide black carriages quietly emerged from the darkness on the other side.

The horses' hooves were wrapped in thick cotton cloth, making no sound as they trod on the stone pavement; only the slight rolling of the wheels could be heard.

The carriages stopped silently at the edge of the plaza.

Immediately after.

Figures began to slowly emerge from the dark alley entrances around the plaza.

They walked silently towards the parked carriages,

skillfully opened the doors, and then one by one, slipped inside.

The entire process was eerily quiet.

Li Ke's gaze was calm, and he, too, silently stepped out from the shadows of the alley entrance.

He casually chose an inconspicuous carriage, followed the others,

opened the door, and sat inside.

The carriage door closed softly.

The interior of the carriage was spacious, with thick cushions.

There were already five people in the carriage; with Li Ke, there were exactly six.

In the dim light,

they could barely make out their silhouettes.

Each of them had their face covered with a tight black cloth, revealing only their eyes.

Only Li Ke wore a white mask with strange graffiti on his face, looking somewhat out of place.

The carriage was dead silent, with only faint breathing sounds.

The carriage started moving silently, slowly driving away from the plaza and disappearing into the darkness.

“Heh heh…”

A dry laugh abruptly broke the silence.

A hunched figure sitting opposite Li Ke, peering through the black cloth, looked at the strange mask on Li Ke's face with interest.

“Young man, is this your first time attending a food appreciation society?”

His voice had a sticky quality, as if thick phlegm was stuck in his throat, making it very uncomfortable.

Li Ke did not speak, maintaining a state of closed-eye meditation.

“Heh heh, no need to be nervous.”

A slightly corpulent man next to him spoke up,

“We are all fellow enthusiasts, gathered here for the pursuit of ultimate enjoyment.”

“Back then, the first time I tasted true deliciousness, that flavor… tsk tsk, unforgettable even now.”

“Yes, yes! Ordinary food is simply Li Ke chewing wax!”

Another sharp female voice rose, filled with uncontrollable excitement.

“Only here can my discerning tongue be satisfied!”

“I heard there are fresh ingredients tonight, I wonder how they’ll taste…”

“I hope it has some chewiness; the last one was too tender, not very interesting.”

The atmosphere in the carriage,

because of these few exchanges, became eerily lively.

They eagerly discussed their so-called “delicacies,” their tones filled with pathological fanaticism and anticipation.

Li Ke opened his eyes and glanced at these people.

Judging from their attire and demeanor,

most of them were likely wealthy merchants or Family members of certain nobles.

But under the erosion of “medicinal food,” their minds had been completely twisted…

“Beyond saving.”

Li Ke closed his eyes,

leaning back on the soft cushion, no longer paying attention to their insane babbling.

…

About half an hour later,

the carriage slowly came to a stop.

As soon as the door opened, a complex and peculiar aroma instantly flooded the carriage.

The aroma was a mixture of rich grease, unknown spices, and a faint hint of sweet fishiness.

The few people in the carriage, who had been excitedly talking, immediately stopped speaking.

They made suppressed swallowing sounds in their throats,

their faces showing expressions of almost intoxicated enjoyment, their eyes hazy.

Li Ke opened his eyes and stepped out of the carriage with an expressionless face.

Before him was a giant natural cave.

The ground had been carefully leveled and covered with a thick, dark red carpet, extending deep into the cave.

On the cave walls, every few steps, there was a burning torch, illuminating the entire cave brightly.

In the very center of the cave,

a huge rectangular dining table was set, covered with a silky smooth dark red tablecloth, as if it were a noble's banquet hall.

The passengers, Li Ke hyenas sniffing blood,

eagerly walked to the long dining table and took their seats.

Li Ke roughly scanned the area; there were about forty to fifty people.

Without exception, their faces were covered with black cloths, revealing only their excited, greedy eyes.

Sitting at the head of the table, clearly in the highest status area, were two men who looked Li Ke nobles.

Although their faces were also covered with black cloth, Li Ke recognized one of them at a glance.

The balding, short, and stout man.

Li Ke had seen him recently at the banquet at the Oak Tree Earl's Mansion.

He seemed to be a hereditary baron from near Xilin Town.

At this moment, the baron was holding a stemmed wine glass, greedily sipping the viscous, dark red liquid within, a satisfied gurgling sound coming from his throat.

On the table, some appetizers had already been served.

A red wine exuding a strong bloody smell.

A plate of slender, pale human fingers, marinated with a special sauce.

Many passengers were already impatient,

gently lifting a corner of the black cloth on their faces and excitedly gnawing, their faces showing intoxicated expressions.

Only then did Li Ke understand

why the people in the carriage could easily tell that he was attending the food appreciation society for the first time.

Because wearing a mask was indeed inconvenient for enjoying these “delicacies,”

whereas a black cloth only needed to be lifted.

While the passengers were enjoying their appetizers, Li Ke made no move.

He silently spread his perception, carefully probing the surrounding auras.

Within this cave,

there were clearly four Clairvoyance auras present.

One of them came from the noble passenger who was tasting the red wine.

That familiar, mixed Bloodline aura was clearly from the noble's Bloodline Knight Path, and its tier was not high.

The other three auras came from deep within the cave, feeling more obscure and dangerous.

Li Ke recalled the information about the Holy Meal Society from Baron Vannes's memory.

The Holy Meal Society,

was a loose Alliance composed of Undead, Evil Sorcerers, and some exiled werewolves.

They believed in the twisted doctrine of “using form to supplement form, and food to supplement heaven.”

They frequently held bloody cannibalistic rituals in various places, attempting to break the boundaries of life and death and gain longer life or greater power.

Most of their members were psychologically twisted madmen,

and they had left behind numerous bloody cases throughout the Holy Radiance Empire,

making them one of the highest-level wanted targets of the Empire and the Radiant Light Holy Court.

Li Ke's eyes quietly narrowed.

Among the three auras deep within the cave,

one aura was the strongest, faintly revealing a cold and strange vitality.

It should be a strong practitioner of the Living Corpse Path.

And at least Silver Tier!

The other two auras were also roughly at the Bronze Tier level.

One of them had a cold aura, also Undead.

The other exuded a chaotic and mad meaning, its specific path unknown…

Li Ke's eyes flashed, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

It seems this secret stronghold hidden in Xilin Town,

was even stronger than what Baron Vannes had understood.

This power could almost annihilate most of the noble forces in the Oak Tree Territory,

except for a few old Families.

“It's truly a grand meal…”

Li Ke licked his lips.