The pain in his mouth suddenly seemed secondary, as he struggled to continue eating. Reasoning told him that it was an acceptable price to be paid for the kind of stat boost the dish offered. His Agility sitting at around 390 could even break the 400 points mark...
On the other hand, he had not suffered the runs since becoming a system player, especially not after spicy food. He knew how unreasonable it was, hesitating to eat the buff food just because there was some pain involved. But the pain of just eating it raised his
Just how much worse would it be when it came out the other end?
"You appraised it," Mina said flatly. It was not a question when she noticed his spoon floating motionlessly over the bowl. "That's why I told you not to. It's already too late; just eat the whole thing," she finished and continued consuming the devil's soup.
Seth looked at her, looked at the smiling old man, looked at the bowl before him. Surrendering to his fate, the blacksmith finally lowered the spoon back into the bowl. Meanwhile, Fin was confused by the whole dialogue, looking back and forth between the two.
"What is going on?" the petite fairy asked, trying to get some context. Seth solemnly ate another spoonful before answering.
"Don't worry about it, just eat," he said, a tear slowly rolling down his cheek.
Fin looked at them suspiciously, but trusted them and continued eating.
Soon, Seth finished his bowl, gaining 5% Poison Resistance, and his
But the blacksmith didn't want to rely on luck. Determined, he pushed the bowl forward.
"Another serving, please," he said, no emotion in his voice. If he was going to suffer either way, he decided to make it worth it.
"Hmm, are you sure? A second serving won't have to be as potent as the first, but double the consequences," he warned. The sharp glint was back in his kind eyes, as if he felt a certain delight, anticipating his suffering.
"Another serving, please," he said again; his voice didn't waver. With his
The blacksmith had decided to get as much as possible out of this; raising his
...
"When?" Seth asked for his grace period when they finally left the stall. He had eaten four bowls, raising his Poison Resistance to 35%. The second and third bowls had raised it by 3% and 2% respectively. The fourth had no more effect. When he ate the fourth, even the stall owner looked at him like he was a mad man. His
"Tomorrow Morning, otherwise we wouldn't have booked the show for tonight," Mina said with a sad expression. Seth understood why she kept that secret; it was also why he didn't tell Fin, despite her throwing a little tantrum after he had his third bowl.
Doing something necessary without knowing the consequences was much easier than doing it knowing the consequences. He was not upset about her keeping secret; he appreciated her care. He just wished he had not appraised it...
"Don't worry, I'm sure the show will be able to distract you," the cat girl said, hugging his arm. Her soft body clinging to him through the soft fabric of their robes, already distracted him from the next morning. Thoughts were redirected to tonight.
"Guys, if you keep talking like that, I only get more worried, you know?" the fairy mentioned, competitively hugging his other arm, lowering his brain capacity for worry by another step. With two beautiful wives clinging to him, how could his brain keep wasting resources on anything but what he could do with them?
Distracted from the consequences of their meal, the trio moved to their next location. The Full Moon Tea House was located not too far from their inn. Here, the streets were still bright with the light of spirit lamps.
The tea house was quite large; the inside was a huge room with tables arranged around a central stage. At the entrance, Mina brought out a small jade token that represented their reservations. A server guided them to a table close to the central stage.
"Honored guests, thank you for gracing us with your presence. Which variety of fine, fragrant tea would you like to order tonight?" he asked with a polite smile. There was no menu or anything to order from.
"What teas would you recommend to accompany tonight's show?" Fin asked skillfully.
"We recommend our Peerless Jade Leaf Tea for first-time visitors. It has a calming effect and will allow you to enjoy the performance with a clear mind," the server explained politely. For lack of better knowledge, all three ordered a cup of Peerless Jade Leaf Tea.
The piping hot teas arrived just before a man entered the central stage. The light in the room dimmed, and only the stage was lit by a soft moonlight. The man on the stage wore a colorful outfit covered in loose, flowing ribbons. He waved and bowed to the crowd all around.
"Welcome, esteemed guests, to today's Lunar Sword show. Please enjoy," he said and bowed. For a moment, the stage turned dark. When the light returned, the stage was filled with ladies in similar but more revealing outfits.
They all carried slender swords they held up before bowing to the audience. Music started echoing in the darkness. Drums and strings accompanied the elegant dance of the women, crossing their glinting swords.
Their graceful dance, mixed with acrobatics and choreographed sword fights, had absolutely nothing to do with the battles Seth had witnessed so far, but it was an incredibly enchanting play. For a whole hour he was actually distracted from what waited for him after they returned to the inn.
Just when the show was about to reach its final, the door of the tea house was kicked open, letting in the lights from the street. In the door stood three people with the shadows of a crowd behind them. At the front was a young-looking man, wearing a set of loose yellow robes and a sheathed sword on his shoulder.
"BROTHER! I know you are in here! Come out!" he cried out with an expression like he swallowed a bug. The blacksmith's mood had just begun improving, and now someone came to disturb the show.
Seth was deliberating stepping in; Fin was a little faster and had already lifted her cup for a throw when a chair flew out from the darkness. The target dodged, and the piece of furniture knocked out one of the young man's henchmen.
"Little brother, why are you disturbing the midnight show?" the voice of another young man asked. A figure stepped into the light, and Seth actually recognized that person. It was Yi Mo, the guy he had killed to help Lao Ban, the chef of The Five-Savoring Flavors.
"Yi Mo!" the young man who had just dodged the chair growled at him.
"Let's take this outside," Yi Mo said coldly and moved like the wind. He grabbed his brother by the neck, and their figures vanished through the open doors into the night.
Seth didn't quite know what to think, but it seemed the guy who took over Yi Mo's body had a little more decency than the original.
After the short disturbance, the show was actually able to resume, and they were able to watch the final before returning to their inn.