Chapter 45: The Cult of the Round God

In the misty haze, Liu Zheng seemed to hear that endless, echoing chant once again.

"Can golden mead help me?"

he asked.

"Yes,"

the white-feathered chicken replied with absolute certainty.

"Alright, I'll go."

Liu Zheng agreed.

He was going to stay in this world for a long time, and sooner or later he would need to use sick leave. The chances of losing his sanity were simply too high.

"You're far too weak right now. Going out there would only bring shame to the restaurant."

The white-feathered chicken shook its head vigorously at him.

Then why are you sending me?

Liu Zheng curled his lips in silent grievance.

What else could he do? It wasn't like he could ask the novelist to order takeout again.

The white-feathered chicken paced over to a separate knife rack and took down a Western chef's knife.

"I'll lend you this for now. I hope it's well-fed by the time it returns."

It held the blade in reverse, offering the handle into Liu Zheng's hand.

"Name: Gluttony"

"Type: Equipment"

"Quality: Perfect"

"Effect 1: Ingredients sliced by this knife are restored to their optimal state (limited to Excellent quality and below)."

"Effect 2: Enemies struck by this knife will have a portion corresponding to their appetite devoured."

"Effect 3: Once the knife is fully fed, the player can transform into the 'Gluttony Demon' for a duration of one minute."

"Remark: If it tastes good, eat a bit more."

"Can it be brought out of the instance: Yes"

Why did this knife look so familiar?

Liu Zheng looked toward the beast's chest, deep in thought.

Back then, after they snatched Vlad III's limited-edition item and returned, the thing stuck in its chest seemed to be precisely this blade.

"What are you looking at? Stare again and I'll beat your head in."

The beast raised a hoof in a threatening gesture.

"Tch."

It had no problem getting stabbed by others, but couldn't stand being reminded of it.

"Calico, you're going too. Your only job is to inspect the ingredients. Leave the negotiating and fighting to these two."

The white-feathered chicken said to the tricolor cat.

"Understood, meow."

The tricolor cat leaped off its stool and walked over to them.

"I have a feeling it's probably better at fighting than I am."

Liu Zheng sighed.

"Paws used for washing vegetables are not meant for catching people."

The white-feathered chicken said coldly.

Even though it was just a chicken, at this moment it exuded the aura of an emperor.

The emperor of the kitchen.

He couldn't help but feel a sliver of admiration.

"Don't listen to its bragging. These bastards were all desperados to begin with; the number of people they've killed exceeds the number of food deliveries you've ever made."

The beast revealed the truth.

"You talk too much. Go receive the cargo."

The white-feathered chicken turned and walked away, leaving them with a dashing silhouette.

"Of all the characters in this restaurant, it's the biggest poser."

The beast shook its head, leading the man and the cat toward the exit passage of the kitchen.

Unlike the absolute darkness of the delivery passage, the kitchen passage was spacious and bright, its floor paved with marble tiles.

Faintly, Liu Zheng could even catch the scent of burning incense.

"Big guy, isn't the gap a bit too wide here?"

He couldn't help but complain.

"What do you know? They use incense to mask the stench because they reek. They yearn to bathe in the light because their hearts are pitch black."

The beast replied in an aria-like tone.

Liu Zheng found himself looking at it in a new light.

Usually, this fellow's mouth was full of vulgarities, yet it could spout such philosophical wisdom.

"Oh, you've read the poems of Master Bai, meow."

The tricolor cat chimed in.

"Master Bai?"

That name sounded familiar too.

Ah, he remembered. Wasn't that the author of the snake-person manuscript the beast had given him?

Liu Zheng pulled out the snake-person poetry manuscript and sure enough, found the exact two lines of verse the beast had just quoted.

He cast a peculiar look at the beast, which immediately put on a guilty expression.

"Move along, move along. What are you chatting about poetry for while on the job? So vulgar."

It flicked its hooves and strode forward.

Liu Zheng and the tricolor cat exchanged a smile and quickly followed.

Before long, they walked out of the passage.

By now, twilight had descended.

The dark red sun was dying, while the blood-red moon watched with predatory eyes.

In the shadows of a street corner not far away, several figures draped in linen cloaks and wearing iron masks stood silently.

The beast did not walk straight toward them; instead, it drew a quarter-circle in the air.

One of the iron-masked figures stepped out from the shadows and traced a matching quarter-circle in response.

"It's them. Let's go."

said the beast.

"Are you very close with them?"

Liu Zheng asked curiously.

"Extremely close. They were the ones who sold me to the restaurant in the first place."

The beast sneered.

Hearing this, a trace of doubt stirred in his heart.

He remembered the beast saying that both it and Oink came from a breeding farm.

A breeding farm sounded like a legitimate channel, which clearly didn't match the image of these shady individuals.

Liu Zheng filed the question away in his mind, intending to ask later if the opportunity arose.

The two groups walked toward each other and converged in the middle of the road.

For a smuggling operation, it felt remarkably brazen.

"These are the goods for this batch."

The leader of the iron-masked figures pointed to a wooden crate nearby.

His accent was peculiar, carrying a Latin lilt with a slight trill of the tongue.

His mask was also distinctive, painted with a cross, with a quarter-circle in each quadrant of the cross.

Liu Zheng secretly glanced at the other masked men; the most decorated among them only had two quarter-circles.

"Garcia, you've really come up in the world, becoming a high priest and all."

The beast's tone was thick with mockery.

"Because I have offered all my suffering to my Lord."

Garcia said calmly.

"You mean other people's suffering, right?"

The beast said coldly.

"One is all, all is one. Your suffering and mine are no different. When the appointed day arrives, we shall all become the tallow for our Lord's candles."

Garcia extended a hand and traced a quarter-circle on his iron mask.

"Praise be to our Lord."

"Praise be to our Lord."

...

All the iron-masked figures chanted with deep piety.

"Go burn yourselves then. A false god that can't even descend its gospel, yet putting on airs as a savior."

The beast retorted unceremoniously.

"Sigh."

Liu Zheng sighed softly and quietly tightened his grip on the chef's knife.

Although the white-feathered chicken had told them to pick a fight, wasn't this escalation happening a bit too fast?

At least inspect the goods first!

To Liu Zheng's surprise, even after being provoked so directly to their faces, the iron-masked figures showed no intention of turning hostile, nor did they even offer a retort.

They simply stood there silently watching the beast, like a row of statues.

"Spit. Hand over the cargo."

After a few minutes of standoff, the beast spat on the ground and spoke.

"Very well."

Garcia made a gesture, and several iron-masked men lifted the wooden crate and carried it before the beast.

Judging by their strained footsteps and trembling bodies, the contents of the crate were evidently extremely heavy.

"Thud!"

The iron-masked men let go, and the wooden crate crashed heavily onto the ground.

Not even an equivalent volume of solid granite dropping would have made such a massive impact.

Liu Zheng couldn't help his curiosity flaring up.

"This is the manifest."

Garcia produced a piece of paper and handed it to the beast.

"Show it to him."

The beast jerked its chin toward Liu Zheng.

Garcia said nothing, turned around, and handed the paper to Liu Zheng instead.

Then, he stared hard at Liu Zheng for several moments.

"Your Excellency, have you listened to the gospel of the Evil God?"

"Indeed."

Liu Zheng nodded.

It seemed Mr. Li hadn't cleaned up thoroughly after all; anyone could tell at a glance.

"Interesting, how interesting."

A hint of excitement crept into Garcia's tone.

"Would Your Excellency spare a moment? I would love to introduce you to our Heavenly Father and Savior."

"The Great Circle God."