EFB Chapter 64 Braised Beef Noodles
Chapter 64 Braised Beef Noodles
Chapter 64 Braised Beef Noodles
Since its inception, less than one-tenth of El Lu's employees have been able to retire smoothly.
Retiring due to injury, or disappearing into the black fog like Nilar's father, is the norm.
Despite the generous treatment offered by the Senate and the Parca family, becoming an Elru still requires a strong sense of conviction.
To cleanse the living and seek the "miracle of salvation" hidden deep within the black fog—this is the simple aspiration of most newcomers to Elu.
Suddenly asking them to accept the Living Eclipse, who has always fought against the hunters, would be emotionally difficult for most people, even with the charisma of Raven Gunn as a leader to reassure them.
Gunn has to take care of the feelings of this group of people.
However, it's all good. The Bewitching Crow is very charismatic, so having him take the lead in supporting him makes the Deer seem like a perfect balance of yin and yang, and that he's getting along well with everyone.
The theft of the living corpse was discovered, and the divine power was activated instantly, causing it to "disappear without a trace."
Their activities, conducted in secret far from the central government and large city-states, were so arrogant as to be a case of "blind spots under the lamp," enraging the chief elder.
After only a few sips of fruit wine, Gunn received a communication, but it wasn't to urge Erlu to take action; instead, it was to ask Erlu to assist [Cat's Eye] in catching mice.
Nan'an recalled glimpsing the green cat's eye sign in the underground waterway.
"Cat's Eyes generally only operate within the Twin Crowns. They report directly to the Senate and, with authorization from the senators, can dispatch sheriffs and law enforcement knights to assist them," Crow explained to the two. "The Living Eclipses and demons surrounding the Twin Crowns are also within their scope of action."
Suiyue asked, "How does it compare to our Eru?"
"Cat's Eye has a larger workforce and a clearer internal selection and promotion system," said Crow, arms crossed, glancing meaningfully at Gunn. "Most people don't need to be out there all the time like we are. Only a few elites regularly accompany the Deer Squad into the edge of the Black Mist for combat training. As for other differences—"
He paused for a moment, then said, "All you need to know is that the current top manager of Maoyan has a very close relationship with this young master of the Palka family."
They sound like a family?
For a long time, Solitz and Onzer have never released information about the live erosion experiment.
After the black mist caused a major upheaval, a large number of people migrated to the capital, resulting in the current crowded and prosperous city.
However, the land's carrying capacity is limited, and the huge population base has already put a lot of pressure on the administration of the two crowns. Moreover, Nora's vast territory still needs people to guard and cultivate it.
Once the public learns of the existence of groups that specifically hunt marginalized people for experiments, rumors will spread like wildfire, and the structure that has been stable for nearly a century will likely face another dramatic change.
The more Nanan learned about these inside stories, the more amazed he became by Pirion's abilities.
This non-stick pan was able to support a large city-state with a population of one million and a well-developed urban plan, located behind Rostarek.
Most of the living erosion hunted by Nan'an live in the wild and rarely dare to venture deep into the area under the jurisdiction of the city-state's administrative power.
This also shows that the guards trained by Pirion should not be underestimated.
They may not be as good as Elu, but when it comes to teamwork and precise slaughter of live predators, they definitely have unique skills.
Pirion chose to run the Kren because it was located on the frontier, making it easier for the governor to achieve results. He was too confident; how many people dare to plan for 10 years?
With clear goals and explosive action.
The key point is that, in 10 years, he really did deliver results that earned him a seat in the Senate.
In the Gray Star era, his pioneering achievements would have earned him the rank of a border duke.
"You don't need to worry about Nan'an. Take a day off and focus on preparing for the test that the Chief Elder has arranged for you." Gunn poured drinks for the two of them. "Now you'll see what else we've found in the black mist since Cat Meal."
By the time they returned to their lodgings, it was already very late at night.
Perhaps due to the shock of what had just happened, Suiyue fell into insomnia for the first time in a long time.
Despite being physically exhausted, she lay in bed unable to fall asleep. She simply stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, its outline blurred by the faint light from the window, her pupils unfocused in the darkness.
"Nan'an—" Her voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet room, "I can't sleep."
"It's because you can't sleep." Nan An was flipping through the documents provided by Gu En by the light of a small lamp on the bedside table. Hearing this, he corrected her without looking up, "Your tone sounds like a child crying for their parents to lull them to sleep. Unfortunately, I don't know how to sing lullabies."
"I'm not a baby either—and I've never been comforted by my parents."
Nan'an's fingers, which were turning the page, paused slightly: "Uh—"
He realized he had misspoke.
"When I close my eyes, all I see in my mind is that pile of corpses. For some reason, their expressions are becoming clearer and clearer."
When the brain is subjected to shocks far exceeding its tolerance threshold, the apparent "normality" is merely an illusion. The subconscious is already in chaos, and those terrifying details that have been forcibly suppressed will violently retaliate when consciousness relaxes.
Nan'an understands this feeling.
He had just transmigrated when he joined Aslipan in tearing people to pieces. Then he squatted beside the still-warm pile of corpses, munching on dry rations and desperately trying to regain his strength, fearing it might be his last meal before he was beheaded.
At the time, Nan'an didn't feel scared at all. Even though there were limbs and broken bodies all around him, all he could see were the hard, black bread and the sour bean soup.
It wasn't until they escaped danger and Aslipan took them to a secluded cave that the cool night wind dispelled the sticky smell of blood and the heat of the killing, and their belated senses and emotions finally caught up with them like a tsunami.
He couldn't help but bend over and violently retched, as if he wanted to vomit his entire stomach.
In Aslipan's words, "If you keep being this calm, I'll have to be wary of you."
Being slow to react and experiencing fear is what makes someone a living, breathing human being.
Nan'an put down her book: "Did you just take a quick hot shower?"
"Why are you suddenly asking this?" Suiyue rolled over on the bed, curling up in the blanket like a big caterpillar.
"Go fill that big wooden tub in the bathroom with hot water, soak in it for a while." Nan An stood up. "What do you want for supper? I'll make it."
Upon hearing about food, Suiyue immediately sat up: "Anything with meat will do."
She always listened to Nan'an, and although she didn't know why the senior servant wanted her to take another bath, she obediently did so.
The large wooden bathtub was already more than half full of hot water, with white steam rising from the surface.
Suiyue removed her clothes, stepped barefoot onto the cool stone floor, tested the water temperature, and then carefully lifted her leg to step into the water.
"Hey!"
She leaped down, splashing water everywhere.
After her antics ended, Suiyue slowly sat down and submerged her entire body in the water, leaving only her shoulders and head above water, letting the warm water envelop her.
"Awooo"
Having adjusted to the water temperature, she exhaled a long, pleasant breath.
The bathroom was quiet, with only the soft sound of water rippling with her subtle movements.
She could clearly hear faint sounds of Nan'an fiddling with pots and pans coming from downstairs.
That was a truly reassuring sound.
She was initially feeling a bit palpitations, but she almost fell asleep in the bathtub.
Until Nan'an's footsteps sounded outside the door, accompanied by a light knock and his usual calm tone.
"The noodles are ready. Would you like to eat them in the bathtub or come out to eat?"
"A bathtub!" Suiyue replied immediately.
Nan'an naturally pushed open the door and entered, serving the noodles to the silly Niu Niu who was peering eagerly from the bucket.
Smoked meat that can be stored for a long time is cut into even, thin slices.
A few eggs and a handful of dry, thin noodles.
Suiyue couldn't stop eating the bowl of egg and smoked meat noodles.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the smile on Nan An's face: "What are you laughing at—it's not like I'm a glutton, it's not like it's the first time we've known."
"It has nothing to do with table manners; it's just that an interesting association suddenly occurred to me."
Suiyue chewed, looked around, then looked down at herself, but couldn't make any connection.
"Look, you're a cow, and a cow is eating noodles in a wooden tub filled with hot water. Isn't this—braised beef noodles?"
After saying that, Nan'an laughed to himself.
Suiyue didn't fully understand Nan'an's humor, but she was still influenced by this association.
"If you insist on saying that—isn't bathwater just beef broth?" Suiyue suggested, "Would you like a bowl of soup?"
"Uh—" Nan An choked up. "No, this isn't like you. You should be righteously emphasizing that I'm a deer. Why aren't you following the normal procedure?"
"Everyone I met along the way called me awesome," no matter how much I repeated it, it was no use. Suiyue slurped down her noodles, completely unconcerned. "Whatever, I'm awesome, I'm awesome, okay?"
The environment has distorted Suiyue too much; the once-thriving evergreen deer has become slackers and is now proclaiming itself as cattle.
After a relaxing bath and a delicious bowl of noodles, Suiyue went to bed and soon began snoring loudly, meeting as promised in her mental space.
After a period of dormancy, the giant Rubik's Cube has finally recovered from its slumber and started spinning again.
It was only during this period that Nan'an confirmed that all the gods and demons contained in the small cubes needed to be in the normal operating state of the giant cube before they could escape from the cards transformed by the small cubes and remain in this desolate space of consciousness.
The bloodthirsty fly gnaws have a particular fondness for orange tree leaves, curling themselves into balls and settling down on the leaves.
Since its resurrection, Nan'an feels that he has gained some understanding of the Rubik's Cube, but he is still clueless about this space.
It remains unchanged, and even with Suiyue's assistance, the explorable boundaries are still completely unpredictable.
In other words, if Suiyue hadn't dialed the empty number and pulled him out through the summoning ritual, he would still be wandering in this fog-shrouded area like a lost soul, day after day.
Having witnessed the bizarre sights deep within the black fog, Nan'an couldn't help but offer his first guess.
"Surely this space isn't also a place of gods and demons, is it?"
A day of rest passed in the blink of an eye.
Before the time agreed upon by the chief elder, Nan'an Suiyue completed the purification bathing ritual and arrived at the Observer's Courtyard.
Only Senjing's chief executive, Ivila, was present at the scene.
Before the test began, Nan'an returned the scroll with both hands.
"Thank you so much for the reel, we have gotten what we wanted."
Ivira took it with some surprise, a slight smile playing on her lips. "So soon? I heard you stayed at the manor all day yesterday, the only purchase you made was the day before. Such a rare opportunity, aren't you planning to buy some nice things?"
-
"The items we want to purchase cannot be obtained through normal market channels. If possible, I would like to request a copy from the chief elders."
"Is it a demon-suppressing crystal?"
Nan'an thought to himself, "Just as I expected."
His every move was actually being observed by the chief elder.
Not overusing the reel is the right thing to do, which makes his demands at this moment seem more justified.
"I don't need many, just one bottle."
Ivira playfully covered her mouth and smiled gently: "We also guessed that you would make this request, so someone suggested that we put the Demon Suppression Dust at the end of the test, just to see if you could obtain it."
"What kind of testing venue is it?"
"Right here. This woodland will soon come to life," your first task is to traverse the woodland and reach—" Ivera pointed to a towering tree with a dense canopy in the distance, "beneath that ancient tree."
She paused, then continued, "This is just the initial test. Only by passing this level can you proceed to the formal trial grounds."
Nan An looked around thoughtfully and smiled, "Right now, the chief elders are all watching me through some kind of magic, aren't they?"
"Exactly."
The treatment, akin to being the star of a live stream, excited Nan'an.
He was determined to obtain the Demon-Suppressing Powder for Suiyue's sake!
Ivira's crystal-clear wings fluttered gently, reflecting a dazzling brilliance in the sunlight.
"Are you ready, Nan'an Suiyue?"
She raised her right hand and snapped her fingers.
In an instant, the once solid and flat ground beneath their feet seemed to be abruptly awakened, like a sleeping giant beast.
The ground undulated and surged violently like the sea, and thick tree roots burst forth from the earth like giant pythons.
The surrounding air instantly became thick and pressure-filled, and the fresh scent of grass and trees was replaced by a violent and angry restlessness.
Hold on tight!
Nan An let out a low shout, and just as the first wave of undulating ground surged up, he grabbed Sui Yue's wrist beside him and pushed off with his feet.
Instead of retreating, he advanced like an arrow released from a bow. He led Suiyue and charged headlong into the now-"alive" dense forest, heading towards the ancient tree that Ivila had pointed out.
Their figures were instantly swallowed up by the surging green waves.
Witnessing all this, Ivira smiled and slowly disappeared into the depths of the dense forest, accompanying the two at a distance.
"Wow, what is this? What is this?" Suiyue looked at the towering trees that were rising from the ground around her and the vines that snaked around her, feeling somewhat bewildered.
"The Forest Elves possess a unique talent: they can imbue the forest with vitality using their own magic," Nan An explained, "even in the Gray Star Era, this talent was rare." He transformed into a fire spirit, burning away the swarming "giant snakes" along the way. "In the Black Mist Era, the talents of all races declined, yet some still possess this talent—"
That's amazing!
Nan'an made no attempt to hide his praise, extolling the opponent as he fought.
Just kidding, even the chief elders are watching, and Ivila is one of those who clearly has a good impression of them.
At this point, saying a few nice things is definitely the right thing to do.