Chapter 742

"'Glutton'?" Lu Mian said in a tone of great approval, "Quite vivid."

Ludwig ignored his hidden mockery and proceeded to give a brief introduction on his own:

"At this Sequence, hunger truly became a part of our bodies, causing us to undergo many, many evolutions revolving around it."

"What kind of evolutions?" Lu Mian was worried that Ludwig would only have this one sentence for "Glutton" just like he described the "Hobo" Sequence, so he took the initiative to ask.

Ludwig paused for several seconds to swallow the food in his mouth.

Then, he stuffed a small piece of lemon cake into his mouth and answered mumblingly:

"Internal organs that are more conducive to digesting food and absorbing energy, harder and more powerful teeth, bite force and appetite that far exceed normal limits...

"This helps us obtain different powers from food more efficiently, and we don't have to worry about being affected by toxins, viruses, and bacteria inherent in the food."

"In other words, even if it's highly toxic, as long as you treat them as food and eat them with your mouth, you won't be poisoned to death?" Lu Mian suddenly felt that Ludwig was very suitable to be an "assistant" for "Apothecaries."

Ludwig drank some milk and shook his head:

"It cannot exceed a certain limit; many 'Gluttons' died precisely because they ate things indiscriminately."

Don't tell me you didn't eat things indiscriminately? Lu Mian sneered in his heart.

At the same time, he sighed inwardly:

This guy is actually quite honest; most of the time he really is like a little child, actually forgetting to protest that I added more questions.

Ludwig put down the glass bottle containing milk and picked up a box of cookies.

Amidst the crunching sounds, he continued:

"The one corresponding to Sequence 7 is 'Gourmet.'

"At this level, we will have stronger digestion and eating abilities, and can distinguish which ingredients can be eaten, which ingredients cannot be eaten, which ingredients can bring special changes, and which ingredients need to be paired with others."

Lu Mian thought earnestly and said:

"Is extracting corresponding information from the food eaten one of the 'Gourmet's' abilities?"

This ability had helped Lu Mian quite a lot.

"Mm." Ludwig, wearing the thick yellow cotton nightcap, nodded obediently.

He did not elaborate on the corresponding abilities.

"Although 'Gourmet' is very useful, it feels like at this Sequence, you still lack sufficient combat ability. Hmm, perhaps 'Hobo' would grant a certain amount of street fighting ability." Lu Mian evaluated from his own perspective.

Ludwig did not argue, nor did he bother to argue; how could that be more important than the delicacies in his mouth and the delicacies to come?

He peeled a round candy and put it into his mouth, his expression revealing some enjoyment:

"Further up, which is what you call Sequence 6, it's called 'Chef'."

"I thought it was Bartender," Lu Mian joked.

Ludwig thought earnestly and said:

"The scope of 'Chef' is broader; it's not like they can only make cocktails."

Lu Mian nodded thoughtfully:

"'Chef's' ability is to use special ingredients to make dishes, pastries, drinks, and cocktails with magical effects?"

This was an ability Ludwig had displayed many times.

Ludwig unconsciously revealed a proud expression:

"Yes, because every 'Chef' has obtained different ingredients and made different foods, the specific traits and abilities are also different.

"The common point of 'Chefs' is that they all possess excellent ability to process ingredients, which includes how to find weak points and techniques like cutting, chopping, and slicing."

Only at this Sequence does the "Gourmet" pathway have combat ability in the true sense... But "Chef" is similar to "Contractee," actual combat power depends on one's own pairings; the upper limit is very high, and the lower limit is also very low... Lu Mian, who associated this with "Contractee," asked curiously:

"Is there a limit to the number of permanent effects 'Chefs' can obtain through different magical foods?"

As for negative effects, Lu Mian, who had eaten "Iced Lemon Fish Fillet," had deep experience:

Depending on the ingredients and the finished product, magical dishes or cocktails will bring different negative effects, but overall, they are significantly weaker than those of a "Contractee."

"No." Ludwig shook his head quickly, "As long as you completely accept hunger and accept greed, there will be no upper limit to the number."

This, the upper limit is terrifyingly high... But this also means there is no limit to the number of negative effects; even if each one is far inferior to those brought by a "Contractee," after stacking, it will move from quantitative change to qualitative change... Lu Mian pondered for a while, looking at Ludwig, who had roughly finished this meal, and said:

"When we first met, that is, the time I saw you eating a rat, were you a 'Glutton' or a 'Gourmet'?"

Ludwig did not hide it:

"'Gourmet'."

Indeed, he kept commenting on the dishes I treated him to later... Lu Mian thought for a moment and said:

"That time with the Batins Black Worm, did you recover to the 'Chef' level?"

Ludwig said "Mm":

"I was already just a little bit away; eating a Batins Black Worm was enough."

"What is the next Sequence?" Lu Mian brought the topic back to the right track.

Ludwig earnestly dug into his memory:

"It's 'Depriver'."

"'Depriver'?" Lu Mian immediately associated it with the "Deprivation Bullet" obtained from Yebus.

Was this traded from the evil god cult of the "Gourmet" pathway?

Ludwig thought Lu Mian was asking him to explain the "Depriver's" abilities, and recalled while saying:

"'Depriver' can deprive a target of one to three abilities within a certain period of time. If you subsequently eat a part of the target's flesh and blood, you can permanently obtain one of the abilities, while the target will permanently lose it, unless they drink a potion again or kill me—no, the corresponding 'Depriver.'

"At 'Depriver,' our recipes will become more extensive; many things that couldn't be eaten before can now be eaten, and things that originally couldn't be eaten now have ways to be eaten."

"Give an example?" Lu Mian was not sure if the association he produced matched what Ludwig truly wanted to express.

Ludwig looked at him and gave two examples:

"A certain degree of corruption, as well as energy bodies like fireballs and lightning."

So he can eat some more dangerous things, and can also eat parts of things that shouldn't be food originally... Lu Mian thought of an enemy he encountered in the "Hostel" and also thought of something Ludwig just mentioned, and asked for confirmation:

"Does the ability to process ingredients also include these ingredients?"

"Yes." Ludwig was very honest.

Lu Mian took out the matte "Deprivation Bullet" from the "Traveler's Bag" and placed it on the dining table in front of him:

"Does this come from a 'Depriver'?"

Ludwig's eyes lit up with a swish:

"Yes."

He said eagerly:

"I, can I have it as a prize? I don't want that Beyonder characteristic!"

"I feel the Beyonder characteristic is more precious than it," Lu Mian said, fishing for information on purpose.

Ludwig's expression was sad, and he said quite reluctantly:

"But I can only choose one.

"I can't truly eat a Beyonder characteristic right now; I can only use it to make some food."

Is that so... Lu Mian looked at Ludwig and organized his language:

"How much more do you have to eat to recover to 'Depriver'?"

"The further you go, the more difficult it is; you can't just rely on quantity to accumulate; you also need more suitable and higher-energy food." Ludwig pointed to the "Deprivation Bullet" and said, "I have to eat at least two hundred such bullets to recover into a 'Depriver'."

Lu Mian laughed and asked like a devil's whisper:

"What about eating the 'Depriver' who made this bullet directly?"

"I could recover immediately!" Ludwig's eyes became unusually bright.

Lu Mian smiled even more brightly and said:

"You don't seem to possess very strong active attack ability yet. I can help you obtain such items and capture the corresponding Beyonders, but you need to listen to me, accept my command, and cultivate sufficient tacit understanding before I become a demigod.

"This is my promise. Do you want to complete this transaction?"

Ludwig hesitated for a long time before barely nodding and saying:

"Deal."

Phew, stay calm... This is just the beginning of "taming," not the end; there is still a long process in between... Lu Mian restrained his smile and asked curiously:

"Who did you follow back then?

"You don't have to tell me the honorific name; just find a noun to refer to it, just like 'Great Mother'."

Ludwig was stunned for a moment.

His expression changed several times, and suddenly he shed tears, howling like a child:

"I, I don't remember!

"I forgot, I forgot everything!"

Hearing his wailing, Lugano put on a thick coat and walked out of the guest room.

This "Physician" saw Lu Mian at a glance and asked blankly and suspiciously:

"Why is he crying?"

Is this still the terrifying cannibal from the "Dream Festival"?

Lu Mian smiled:

"I showed him delicacies but didn't let him eat them."

"Alright..." Lugano looked back and forth between the two suspiciously several times and wisely chose to shrink back into his own room.

Because of his brief appearance, Lu Mian remembered an item and had a certain dangerous idea.

He took out Omebella's umbilical cord remains from the "Traveler's Bag" and "consulted" Ludwig, who was gradually stopping his sobbing:

"What kind of dishes and cocktails can this be used to make?"

The umbilical cord remains left behind by the "Great Mother's" divine child were originally thought to only serve as spellcasting materials or auxiliary materials for making charms, potions, magical artifacts, and Beyonder weapons. But now, Lu Mian felt that a "Gourmet" might have a different opinion.

Ludwig looked at Omebella's umbilical cord remains and licked his lips:

"It can make three kinds of food with different magical effects.

"The effect of one kind of food is to completely cure infertility."

"That's not necessary," Lu Mian asked amusedly, "What are the effects of the other two kinds of food?"

Ludwig said very professionally:

"One can allow you to obtain relatively strong self-healing ability, but it still can't compare to a 'Vampire.'

"And there is another one..."

PS: Thanks to Mr. O of the Aurora Order for the Silver Alliance donation again~

(End of chapter)