Lady Red's banquets always followed a Chinese style. The large, round table, draped in luxurious fabric, was laden with an abundance of elaborate dishes. Each course was meticulously plated, radiating an air of sheer sophistication.
Mu Anqi thought, To think I could receive this 'state banquet' level treatment in the Shattered Mirror Continent.
"Not knowing your specific tastes, I had a variety prepared," said Lady Red. Her form-fitting crimson cheongsam today perfectly accentuated her figure. Seated sideways in the host's chair, she crossed her legs, one high-heeled shoe gently swaying. A wisp of smoke curled slowly from the cigarette holder between her fingers. "Please, begin."
The players acted extremely well-behaved, especially those who had experienced the "Phantom Ghost Flight" instance. They simply couldn't forget the massive red eye deep under the sea. That colossal crimson specter had left a powerful psychological impact on them; after all, they had never encountered a ghost that looked more like a "vengeful spirit." Though, of course, the savage terror of the red specter stood in stark contrast to Lady Red's current poise and elegance.
Mu Anqi looked at the cabbage dish closest to her, then glanced at the golden-brown, whole roasted suckling pig in the center. Feeling too embarrassed to stand up and reach, she simply picked up a random morsel and put it in her mouth. However! That single bite was utterly astounding. The cabbage melted instantly on her tongue, its savory juices bursting forth and awakening every single taste bud. Mu Anqi's eyes lit up. She no longer dared to underestimate this table of seemingly just exquisite-looking food and seriously dedicated herself to the business of eating.
Wu Sansheng, who had been eating, suddenly paused as if sensing something. She looked towards the woman in ancient attire standing behind Lady Red, then, without a word, lowered her head and continued her meal.
[Wu Sansheng]: The ghost behind Lady Red seems to be using psychic energy to connect specific people. They've pulled the Ghost Kings and Demon Kings into a private chat.
[Fang Xunjiu]: Huh? So even ghosts and demons have private chat groups? What secrets are they discussing that we can't hear!
[Fang Yunjiu]: Eat, just eat! I want some of that roasted suckling pig. Bro, get up and carve it, will you? I'm too shy to.
[Fang Xunjiu]: … All the big shots at the table haven't moved yet, and you want me to go carve it?
The beeping group chat notifications caught Mu Anqi's attention. She swallowed the slice of Fu Rong chicken and, after reading the messages, quietly put her hand down and subtly nudged Ji Huaichu.
Ji Huaichu hadn't been eating much, but her expression suggested she was indeed discussing something. Suddenly nudged, Ji Huaichu remained expressionless as she added a morsel of food to her bowl with her chopsticks. Her left hand, however, dropped beneath the table and caught Mu Anqi's hand. "What is it?" Ji Huaichu's voice sounded directly in Mu Anqi's mind. Their ability for mental communication proved surprisingly useful at a time like this.
"What are you all discussing?"
"The Feast of Extreme Bliss," Ji Huaichu said. "Also, regarding the Black Mirror Vortexes, Lady Red has made some discoveries."
"Oh?"
"While mining for special crystals underground, her miners found a strange substance. Lady Red sent it for research. While its composition remains unclear, they found that every time this substance emits an energy fluctuation, a Black Mirror Vortex appears nearby."
Mu Anqi was stunned for a moment. In the history of the Shattered Mirror Continent, Black Mirror Vortexes had always appeared as "sudden, catastrophic natural disasters." Later, this calamity even integrated into the continent, becoming part of its culture. "So, if research continues, could the Black Mirror Vortexes disappear?"
"Uncertain."
"The research will undoubtedly continue, but this matter must also be discussed with the other Great Demons and Ghost Kings at the Feast of Extreme Bliss." The Demon Kings were the original inhabitants of the Shattered Mirror Continent, while the Ghost Kings had "migrated" later via the Black Mirror Vortexes. As for the future of this continent… Ji Huaichu wasn't sure what stance she should take.
"But, this should allow for more accurate prediction of the Black Mirror Vortexes' appearance times and locations, right? That's a good thing, isn't it? Perhaps in the future, we could even classify the vortices based on the energy fluctuations, making them more suitable for everyone's training," Mu Anqi replied mentally. In a way, one could view the Black Mirror Vortexes as something akin to "game instance dungeons," just far more dangerous training grounds.
"Perhaps."
Now that she knew what the Demon and Ghost Kings were privately discussing, Mu Anqi relaxed. She glanced at the group chat and noticed everyone seemed too shy to reach for distant dishes or to touch the intact ones like the roasted suckling pig. She asked quietly in her mind, "General, could you carve the roasted suckling pig?"
Ji Huaichu's chopsticks stilled. Without looking at Mu Anqi, she stood up directly. Yin energy coalesced into a small knife in her hand, and she swiftly began slicing the suckling pig. The crisp, golden skin made a satisfying crunching sound as it was cut. After simply portioning the dish, Ji Huaichu placed a few slices into Mu Anqi's bowl.
Lady Red was momentarily taken aback, then seemed to realize something, covering her mouth with a light laugh. "Everyone, there's no need to stand on ceremony. We have no strict rules here."
Even so, the players didn't dare to act too unrestrained, but they felt comfortable enough to stand and gently serve themselves dishes now.
Only when her stomach was round and full, incapable of holding another bite, did Mu Anqi slowly let out a long breath. She couldn't help but think: I wonder who the chef is here at Lady Red's place. Their skill is absolutely unparalleled.
The players, now satiated, found that the discussions between the Demon and Ghost Kings were also drawing to a close. Ji Huaichu took Mu Anqi's hand. The other Demon Kings and Ghost Kings also led their respective recruited players in rising to bid farewell to Lady Red.
"Then, until we meet again."
…
Following Ji Huaichu onto the airship, Bai Yulai and Wu Sansheng naturally came along. Mu Anqi glanced at the group chat and found everyone was immensely reluctant to part with the food from Lady Red's banquet.
[Zhao Guogu]: I wish we could invite Lady Red's chef on our next trip.
[Xia Yun]: The possibility seems low… Unless we invite Lady Red herself on the trip, then she might bring her entourage.
[Fang Xunjiu]: That meal was absolutely incredible! I secretly wrote down all the dish names. I'm going to order them all back in the Nirvana Space.
Seeing this, Mu Anqi paused for a moment: Oh, right. The chefs in the Nirvana Space are skilled too. If we have the dish names, we should be able to get something similar to today's feast. But how much could their player stomachs really hold? If they wanted a feast, they'd all need to be on the same channel. Spending 50 points just for a penalty to have a big meal…
The cost-performance ratio actually seemed… acceptable? So thought the nouveau riche Mu.
She promptly saved a copy of the dish names Fang Xunjiu had posted, storing them for future use.
"Lady Red seems to be a very powerful Ghost King?" Mu Anqi asked curiously.
"She arrived much earlier than Ji Huaichu," Bai Yulai cut in before Ji Huaichu could answer. "You can tell just from the division of territories, right? Plus, she has many ghosts under her command, like Wan Jin and Chen Ling. Chen Ling was the one who established the psychic connection today."
"She seems to really like cheongsams?"
"It seems so, but we don't know what she was like when she first arrived here." Bai Yulai shrugged. "Rumors say she was a vengeful spirit in red."
"You know, there's actually quite a lot of gossip about her in our Mingdu. I even have some fanfiction books about her there—no idea who's so bold…" Bai Yulai lowered her voice mysteriously. "Most of her key subordinates are female ghosts, so in the fanfics, many people write about her romantic life with her underlings. Currently, the most popular pairing circulating underground is Lady Red with Wan Jin. According to records, when these fanfics first started appearing, Lady Red didn't seem to care. But then, for some reason, Wan Jin showed up at one of the underground distribution 'dens' and rounded up several dozen demons in one go."
"That was decades ago. After that incident, the writers became even more obsessed with writing about those two."
Mu Anqi: "That's some serious reverse psychology…"
Bai Yulai nodded, sighing with feeling. "Isn't it just?" And probably out of spite, those writers specifically portray Wan Jin as the weak, submissive one in the relationship.
But she didn't voice that last part out loud, mainly because Ji Huaichu had been silently staring at her. Bai Yulai felt she probably shouldn't be discussing R-rated topics with Mu Anqi. She glanced at Wu Sansheng beside her; this woman was, as usual, expressionless, seemingly completely uninterested in the gossip.
For the first time, Bai Yulai felt annoyed by the "Absolute Rationality" ability. But then she remembered these abilities were tailored to the players. Even without the skill, Wu Sansheng would probably still have this wooden personality—how infuriating! It was a shame there were no love experts around her. She still couldn't figure out how someone like Ji Huaichu had managed to get into a relationship. Those romance novels she'd given her were fine for reading, but putting them into practice… completely useless! As for herself? Although she fancied herself a love expert, when it came to actually pursuing someone, Bai Yulai was self-aware enough to know her limits.
She looked at her communicator and, breaking her own precedent, decided to spend some points on "relationship advice."
The airship docked at the General's Manor. Mu Anqi and Ji Huaichu disembarked. Bai Yulai and Wu Sansheng were heading back to Mingdu. The airship would automatically return after reaching its destination.
"Feels like so much time has passed," Mu Anqi stretched. In reality, most of their time had been spent traveling, plus attending Lady Red's banquet. The time flow in the Black Mirror Vortex was always reasonable; they hadn't actually wasted much time. She considered checking the game progress but decided against it. "When is the Feast of Extreme Bliss?"
"An invitation will be sent before the banquet begins," Ji Huaichu said. "I'll let you know."
"General, it seems Lady Red will have many ghosts participating… How about we bring Strange tale ghost and The Dramatist along then? Even if they aren't that powerful, they can help bolster our numbers."
Ji Huaichu hadn't expected Mu Anqi to worry about this. She couldn't help but chuckle. "There's also Xia Fenghua. I have many soldiers under my command as well; they're just currently lent out to clear Black Mirror Vortexes in various regions. If you're concerned, I can recall them all when the time comes."
"We can bring Strange tale and The Dramatist too. It is time they integrated more into this continent."
Mu Anqi nodded. She thought that once the revamped game system was preliminarily established, they could also pack those two ghosts off to experience and learn from other people's games within the Shattered Mirror Continent. It would be best if the difficulty could be increased, letting them truly experience the games from the perspective of "players."