Chapter 48: Taste (Request Follows!)

Hm?

Hm.

Hm…

Xie Shen Jiang first looked confused, then hesitant, and finally turned puzzled… after a long while, she tentatively asked:

【"Um… you said 'taste'? You mean… uh, you smelled it?"】

"No."

Herbert rolled his eyes and replied irritably: "I mean the smell on my body."

You're the pervert with an obsession for smells!

Your whole family is!

"Judging from the reactions of others like Valentina, my body must emit an attractive scent—let's call it fragrance."

"Natural affinity plus an alluring fragrance—these two factors reinforce each other. I don't believe she could show zero reaction."

These two traits aren't simply additive—they absolutely trigger a qualitative change, delivering a powerful visual and olfactory shock to any first-time encounter with a monster girl.

Whether you call it Herbert's confidence after acquiring knowledge, or his naive self-delusion blind to reality, he was utterly certain in his heart.

No monster girl could resist a white-haired beautiful boy.

Even if she doesn't immediately drool over my body, she certainly wouldn't act this cold!

【"Oh… you're right, these two traits are indeed highly attractive."】

"And besides, come to think of it."

After speaking, Herbert unconsciously sniffed lightly—but detected not a trace of scent from the figure before him.

"She really has no smell… uh, cough, never mind, pretend I said nothing."

Oh no.

Isn't this a bit awkward?

At this moment, Xie Shen fell unusually silent.

After a long silence, He sincerely advised in a conciliatory tone: 【"I think… you're kind of strange."】

【"Maybe you should go see a doctor first?"】

Get lost—

Herbert snorted irritably.

If I really went to see a doctor, wanna guess what my biggest ailment is?

It's you!

Herbert was about to retort further, but at this moment he narrowed his eyes.

The staircase had reached its end.

The avatar ahead had silently dissolved, leaving only a wooden door slightly ajar—just a gentle push away.

Herbert paused for three seconds and sneered: "Hah, still playing games at this point?"

After coming this far, you're still pulling this trick?

You think I'll back out now?

He gave a light snort, strode forward, and shoved open the door, striding inside with his head held high.

Creak—

"Hello! I've come to see you… uh!"

The instant he stepped into the room, before Herbert could even make out its interior, his expression changed drastically.

A foul stench slammed into his nostrils!

The air was thick with the reek of rotting meat.

The intense odor, almost burning in its potency, flooded into his body through his nose, mouth, ears, and eyes all at once.

Hss—

Herbert faintly heard an ominous corrosion sound—he couldn't tell where in his body it was rotting.

He forced his eyes open and saw the room's interior—it was nothing but a slaughterhouse.

No, even "slaughterhouse" was too civilized a term.

It was a mass grave!

All manner of decaying corpses lay scattered across the floor, some grotesquely stitched together in unnatural poses.

Crimson vines coiled around the corpses, slowly rubbing against them like chewing.

What the hell!!?

What kind of father's nest is this?!

A wave of intense nausea surged up, making Herbert want to vomit.

But just as he was about to erupt into violent retching, the holy mark on his wrist glowed faintly.

Hum—

As a warm current surged rapidly through his body, all discomfort vanished instantly!

!!!

Herbert's eyes widened, disbelieving his own senses.

Though he could still see the scattered remains before him, the stench was gone entirely.

Or rather, he had inhaled the odors—but felt nothing, unaffected in any way.

"Maintaining bodily purity—this too is a kind of purity… incredibly useful."

If this discovery holds, could it mean—perhaps I'm immune to toxins?

Praise the Oath of Purity!

Folks, this one is really strong, right?

Herbert sighed to himself for a moment, then set his steps, stepping over the scattered chunks of flesh beneath his feet, and walked toward the center of the mass grave.

At the center of this rotting, depraved place, there was a patch of pure ground, and within it stood an enormous wooden platform.

Or rather, an operating table.

And the one currently lying bare-backed on that operating table was none other than the Sifanni he had just seen!

"Lord Herbert, you've come."

Sifanni did not rise. She controlled the tendrils of her vines, letting them glide gently across her back, spitting out a green liquid that fused the severed flesh on both sides together, leaving not a single wound behind.

At that moment, Herbert could not help but think once more of her title — 【Forbidden Scholar】!

This big sister really does the kind of SAN-dropping research!

"Mm, I'm here."

Herbert gave a casual reply, walked slowly to the side of the operating table, and studied the true body of this captive.

Though the dark elf's true body shared the same appearance as her avatar, the differences were clearly visible.

The first thing that met his eyes was her skin tone.

Though one could still make out the dark coloring of a dark elf, her skin was far lighter than before, taking on a special wheatish hue.

And, most importantly…

She looked much younger than before — seemingly only eighteen or nineteen, the very picture of someone who hadn't yet grown up.

Herbert blinked and could not help asking, "Lady Sifanni, may I ask what this appearance of yours is about?"

Playing young?

Uh, no — taking good care of herself?

Sifanni naturally knew what he was referring to, and said casually, "Just an accident caused by an experiment. The avatar you saw before is my original appearance."

"Oh, I was only a little surprised, that's all. Whichever form it is, your beauty hasn't changed."

Sifanni threw on a robe and sat up, no longer exposing any skin, and studied the visitor who had for the first time broken into this space.

"As for you, you've surprised me once again."

Sifanni looked at Herbert, who was as composed as ever, with some astonishment, and shook her head. "No one has ever been able to remain as calm as you after seeing all this."

She was well aware of just how gruesome her laboratory looked, and naturally understood how difficult it was for Herbert to keep his composure.

Looking at Herbert, she could not help sighing, "Lord Herbert, your courage and will truly command my admiration."

Herbert blinked at her words, then caught on, gave a faint smile, and shook his head:

"It's nothing. Most researchers who pour their heart and blood into the pursuit of truth deserve respect."

"Even if sometimes their research looks, mm, a little… not very reassuring."

"But as long as they don't harm others, don't cross the true bottom line, in my eyes they don't count as evil."

Herbert narrowed his eyes and stared at Sifanni. Though she was standing amid a pile of corpses, he could not sense any evil from her at all.

"What do you say… am I right?"

Thanks to Lintuan for the tip!

……

Today's follow-reads are super important — thank you all! Love you guys!

Hope I don't die in the second round again… let's go!

……

Recommendation:

"Handbook for the Prevention and Control of the Unreal"

A little seedling of kindred spirits! The opening is very gripping—

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(End of this chapter)