Chapter 711: The Chef

The sourness of lemon, the tenderness of fish flesh, the searing aroma of charring, and a faintly sweet, fishy, oily flavor exploded in Lu Mi's mouth in rich layers—far tastier than he'd imagined.

He'd expected such dishes to resemble potions: both disgusting and stimulating, yet he discovered they could genuinely be called gourmet.

Under choice, Ludwig genuinely preferred delicious food and never neglected himself… Lu Mi chewed and swallowed the seven or eight slices of fish.

A mild burning sensation instantly spread from his throat all the way to his stomach, as if he'd swallowed a shot of strong liquor.

The feeling quickly subsided, leaving no further abnormality.

"Has it taken effect already?" Lu Mi asked Ludwig.

Ludwig shook his head:

"Wait another two to three minutes, until your stomach absorbs it."

"So fast?" Franca asked in astonishment.

She didn't disrespect mysticism—she'd taken potions and knew they acted instantly—but Ludwig's cuisine clearly required digestion and absorption by the stomach, completely defying the stomach's known function.

Besides, the stomach doesn't absorb everything!

Ludwig answered seriously:

"A chef's creations are rapidly absorbed by the stomach."

Chef… Lu Mi nodded thoughtfully.

He remembered Ludwig often commenting on food with the tone of a gourmet.

Ludwig said no more, buried his face in the soup pot, and slurped up the pile of "Ice Lemon Fish Slices."

Seeing this, Jian Na and the others quickly ate their own fish slices.

Two minutes later, Lu Mi felt heat spreading through his body, with slight stinging in his skin and flesh.

For him, this was an extremely minor effect—not comparable to the sensation of taking a potion, nor even close to the pain of burning himself with fire.

Soon, Lu Mi returned to normal, showing no visible signs of change.

He glanced slyly at Franca, Jian Na, and Anthony, waiting for the "Ice Lemon Fish Slices" to take effect.

About a minute later, Jian Na and the others' faces suddenly flushed red, as if they'd eaten an extremely spicy dish in the highlands of the Fennepot Kingdom.

"Sss…" Lu Jianuo let out a pained sound, feeling burning with every breath.

It came from within him—he had no way to treat it.

Frost formed on Franca's skin, as if trying to reduce the stinging in her flesh and skin.

It had no effect.

Jian Na and Anthony showed faint signs of pain on their brows but made no extra movements, enduring the discomfort as they waited for the "Ice Lemon Fish Slices" to complete their bodily transformation.

This lasted for ten to twenty seconds, after which the expressions of all four gradually relaxed.

"How do you feel?" Lu Mi asked with a smile.

Franca instinctively recalled and said:

"Every inch of my skin and flesh felt like it had been burned—well, not quite that bad, but lighter…"

As she spoke, she pulled a box of matches from "The Traveler's Satchel," lit two with clear experimental zeal, and held them against the back of her left hand for a while.

Franca's expression twisted; after holding it for a moment, she pulled her hand back and shook it violently.

The matchbox fell to the ground.

"Still hurts!" Franca grimaced as she reported her experiment results to Lu Mi and Jian Na.

Ludwig, busy eating, replied:

"It won't reduce pain."

"How's the wound?" Jian Na asked with concern.

Franca immediately looked at her left hand back—only a faint scorch mark remained on her pale skin, causing negligible actual damage.

"It really works, though the flame's temperature was low to begin with…" Franca's expression eased.

On the other side of the table, Anthony carefully chose his words:

"I feel slightly more irritable than usual, but still within reasonable limits."

"I also feel irritable, but not much," Jian Na agreed.

Franca and Lu Jianuo both confirmed the phenomenon.

"This is normal—effect brings contamination," Ludwig swallowed a bite of "Ice Lemon Fish Slices" and explained.

Jian Na and Franca simultaneously turned their gazes toward Lu Mi.

Lu Mi spread his hands and smiled:

"I felt nothing."

The contamination from the "Ice Lemon Fish Slices" was negligible to him.

Franca didn't know whether to envy or pity him; after a few seconds of thought, she said:

"It's like a weakened version of the 'Covenant-Bound,' bearing some negative effects in exchange for corresponding transcendent traits—yes, the effects are clearly weaker, but it's mostly passive, and the negative impacts are smaller."

"Next time you get similar ingredients, you must clarify the permanent effects and negative impacts beforehand—don't just eat everything blindly, choose carefully, or you'll run into serious trouble."

Lu Mi glanced at Ludwig and said:

"It also depends on the person."

Perhaps the "Chef," or rather the "Gourmet" path, has a sequence that reduces such effects—like the "Beggar Monk" or "Ascetic" in relation to the "Covenant-Bound."

Franca understood Lu Mi's meaning and continued excitedly:

"Dishes and concoctions without permanent effects are just like the various potions of the 'Pharmacist' path."

"I've always envied the 'Covenant-Bound,' wishing I could freely combine abilities and create my own unique character model. Now, without accepting a Xie god's blessing, I finally have a chance—even if it's a weakened version."

This made Jian Na feel deeply tempted; the two witches stared intently at Ludwig.

In their eyes, he was no longer just that monstrous child who ate too much, as Lu Mi called him—he was now a transcendent little chef worthy of care and affection.

Ludwig focused entirely on finishing the remaining "Ice Lemon Fish Slices," showing no extra reaction.

…………

In a quarry hollow beneath Triel.

Franca, Jian Na, and Anthony stood outside the "Wall of Spirituality," watching Lu Mi perform the ritual to obtain a new covenant ability.

Having thoroughly reviewed all the spirit-world creature data provided by the "Magician" lady, and possessing innate strange-creature knowledge from the blessing, Lu Mi quickly narrowed down two potential covenant targets with mirror-travel capability:

One was a spirit-world creature called "Bloody Jack"—according to the records, in southern Ruen, certain mysticism enthusiasts and folklorists playing a divination game discovered a man with a massive axe, dripping blood, and blurred features appearing in mirrors; this man would step out of the mirror and kill everyone present.

The other was the "Daratra Diamond Worm," mentioned in the "Covenant-Bound"'s innate mystic knowledge, which grants the "Mirror Travel" ability but requires the sacrifice of a meteorite with crystallized surface to sign the covenant; its negative effect is increased body density and reduced height.

Lu Mi clearly intended to summon the first, but he wasn't certain "Bloody Jack" possessed mirror-travel ability.

Watching the three burning candles, Lu Mi stepped back two paces and chanted in Ancient Hymnes:

"The 'Fool' not of this age;

"You are the mysterious sovereign above the gray mist;

"You are the yellow-and-black king who governs fortune.

"I beg for your favor;

"I beg for your gaze;

"I!

"I summon, in the name of the great 'Fool':

"The peculiar being wandering in illusion, the killer hidden in mirrors, Jack of the bloody world…"

The bluish-black candle flames instantly swelled, forming a phantom door covered in mysterious patterns amid the drifting, unsettling thin gray mist.

The door slowly opened, and dark shadows surged forth, engulfing the mirror Lu Mi had placed on the altar.

The mirror suddenly floated upward, standing vertically toward Lu Mi, reflecting a blurred man in an old jacket, dripping blood, dragging a massive axe.

Lu Mi opened his mouth, letting his throat and chest resonate, and uttered the "Secret Word of Fate."

Individual silver-white words edged in black materialized midair, landing on the imitation parchment beside the altar, forming a brief, sinister covenant.

As soon as the covenant formed, Lu Mi established a connection with "Bloody Jack," gaining knowledge of its abilities and traits, and "heard" its demands.

"Bloody Jack" had three abilities and traits tied to mirrors, which Lu Mi named "Mirror Mark," "Mirror Hiding," and "Mirror Travel."

"Mirror Mark" leaves an invisible, inverted imprint on a mirror to locate targets; "Mirror Hiding" allows the user to conceal themselves somewhere within those dark tunnels, avoiding direct suction to another mirror; "Mirror Travel" enables rapid passage through those illusory tunnels.

"Bloody Jack" demanded ninety-nine living beings as sacrifices.

Lu Mi pondered briefly and decided to choose "Mirror Mark," since his greatest current need was targeting, while "Mirror Travel" could be replaced by "Spirit World Travel"—no need for rapid transit, only direct arrival.

His eyes instantly turned silver-black, revealing "Bloody Jack"'s river of fate.

He wasn't seeking information—he was confirming one thing under the ritual's protection.

After a brief gaze, Lu Mi switched to Ancient Hymnes and asked "Bloody Jack":

"Can the demand be changed?"

He didn't know if "Bloody Jack" could understand or respond, but trying cost nothing—otherwise, he'd have to write to the "Magician" lady for other suitable mirror creatures.

After asking, Lu Mi immediately entered the state of using "Amplify Fate," seeing more clearly the next ten seconds of "Bloody Jack"'s possible fates.

He feigned nervousness, pretending to touch his face, subtly moving his right hand forward.

He amplified one fate stream!

Two or three seconds later, "Bloody Jack"'s thought transmitted through the "Secret Word of Fate" link to Lu Mi:

"Pull me out of the mirror!"

Lu Mi raised an eyebrow, stepped forward two paces, and extended his right hand toward the floating mirror on the altar.

The moment his fingers touched the glass surface, he felt it become void—no longer solid.

As Lu Mi fully inserted his palm into the mirror, a cold, wet, distinctly sticky hand suddenly gripped his wrist.

(End of chapter)