A Core Ship From The Start

Chapter 272: Chapter 219 Intermittent Journey_1

After completely gaining the power of the Rune of Death, Duanmu Huai immediately set off towards the giant elevator. According to Lani’s statements, the elevator required a key to be activated. However, Duanmu Huai, not particularly keen on searching for the hidden key, launched his jetpack and flew directly to Yatan Plateau.

Just as Lani described, the periphery of the Royal City was a complete mess, with ruins of war strewn all around. There were even several enormous Steel Giants walking the earth, wielding longbows and moving slowly. However, Duanmu Huai had no interest in dealing with these dull puppets, he chose to bypass the battlefield, intending to head to the Volcano Manor from another side.

However, as Duanmu Huai was halfway there, suddenly a familiar aroma wafted over.

Hmm? This scent is….

Deducing the origin of the scent, Duanmu Huai’s eyes lit up instantly. He promptly turned and started heading in the direction where the scent originated from. Before long, Duanmu Huai saw a man sitting by the river under the Royal City, in front of him was a large pot that was exuding a tantalizing aroma.

“Who’s there?!”

Hearing the sound of Duanmu Huai’s footsteps, the man was startled and immediately got up. Spotting the ominous figure standing not too far behind him, the man drew out his little knife in fright. Noticing the man’s reaction, Duanmu Huai quickly removed his helmet and greeted him.

“It’s me.”

“Hey, it’s you. You scared me.”

Recognizing Duanmu Huai’s familiar face, the man finally let out a sigh of relief. Duanmu Huai came over and sat down next to the man, his eyes caught on the bright red crabs simmering in the pot.

“Changed your taste this time?”

“Hehe, crab isn’t too bad either.”

The man chuckled. As it turns out, he was none other than Brother Shrimp, who ate spicy crayfish with Duanmu Huai in Leyenia. He stared at the pot for a while, then looked up at Duanmu Huai, rubbing his hands nervously.

“Actually…I have a request, do you still have the seasoning you gave me earlier? I had collected the remaining portion after that time, but it was hard to preserve it…”

“No problem.”

Duanmu Huai perceived that the spicy aroma in the pot was not strong, it seemed that Brother Shrimp had used the soup ingredients excessively after that day, so now the smell was not as intense. Without saying much, Duanmu Huai removed a packet of hot pot ingredients from his pocket, opened it, and handed it over.

“This is for you.”

“Hey, thanks a lot!!”

Brother Shrimp was evidently excited. He extended his hand to receive the hot pot ingredients from Duanmu Huai and scooped out some into the pot. He then carefully stored the remaining portion. Soon after Brother Shrimp added the ingredients, a refreshing and spicy aroma wafted out of the pot once more. Looking at those juicy and plump crabs, one couldn’t help but salivate.

“It’s done!”

Soon, both of them reached out and started savoring the delicious crabs. No denying, Brother Shrimp really knew how to cook. At least, he knew how to prepare these dishes better than Duanmu Huai. When they had the crayfish before, Duanmu Huai had just dumped the seasonings in and the flavor was somewhat heavy. However, since crayfish itself is quite rich, it didn’t pose much of a problem.

When it comes to cooking crabs, Brother Shrimp clearly paid a lot of attention to the ingredient proportions. His cooking not only brought out the deliciousness of the crabs but also didn’t fail to highlight the spicy kick and aroma. For a while, both enjoyed their hearty feast, savoring every bite.

“Phew…”

Before long, the pot of crabs was completely devoured by the two. Brother Shrimp sat there, patting his round belly.

“That was truly satisfying…”

“What are your plans next?”

As Duanmu Huai enjoyed the crabs, he curiously looked at Brother Shrimp. He noticed that Brother Shrimp was just an ordinary person, he didn’t seem to have any specific plans, and now he was roaming around this dangerous Borderland all by himself… Could it be that he’s planning on becoming a gourmet food connoisseur?

“I really don’t know.”

Brother Shrimp shrugged.

“I used to be a small-time hoodlum and was locked up in a cell before managing to escape. Who would have thought, the world is now like this… I don’t know where to go or what to do… don’t even know what the hell the world is turning into…”

“I think with your cooking skills, you could open a restaurant, it would certainly do well.”

“Ha ha ha, that’s a good idea.”

Listening to Duanmu Huai, Brother Shrimp burst into laughter.

“If you’re interested, I can recommend a place for you.”

Duanmu Huai thought for a moment and then offered. He found Brother Shrimp to be quite amiable. Although they have only met a few times, they did share exquisite meals together. Duanmu Huai didn’t want anything to harm Brother Shrimp.

“I’m going to the Volcano Manor to find someone now, if you trust me, wait for me here. After I return, I’ll take you to a place. Although not particularly bustling, it’s definitely better than this mad place swarming with dangers.”

“Hmm…”

Upon hearing Duanmu Huai’s proposal, Brother Shrimp pondered a moment before nodding in agreement.

“Alright then, I’d like to see what kind of good place you’re introducing me to…I’ll wait here for you.”

While chatting with Brother Shrimp and eating crab, Duanmu Huai remained in mental contact with Bambi and Melfy, checking on their progress. Bambi did indeed bring Duanmu Huai some news —— they had not found any trace of Mistelina on the Sobbing Peninsular. However, a wandering merchant provided them with a clue. He had seen a girl resembling Mistelina heading towards Stonewell Castle…

Mistelina headed to Stonewell?

Admittedly, hearing this, Duanmu Huai was somewhat surprised. But one thing was certain, he and Mistelina had crossed paths. Thus, Duanmu Huai told Bambi to continue the search based on this clue with Melfy. At the same time, Duanmu Huai felt a bit relieved.

At least for now, it seemed that Mistelina was above the Borderland, not below —— it would be harder to find her if she was further down.

“…Oh, I’d better tell you.”

Just as Duanmu Huai finished his contact with Bambi, Brother Shrimp, who had been eating, seemed to remember something and turned to Duanmu Huai.

“Do you know the Feces Eater?”

“We’re eating, can you not talk about disgusting stuff?”

Duanmu Huai glanced at the crab roe in his hand… You are not doing this on purpose, are you?

“Hahaha, sorry, that’s a disgusting, god-forsakenly ugly, cursed loon in an armour.”

At this point, Brother Shrimp’s expression turned serious.

“It’s clear you’re powerful, but I still have to tell you, if you encounter that guy, stay away from him… I shared a cell with him once, so I know. He’s not like me, a petty criminal, he’s a terrifying man. He kills to place an eternal curse on souls, then he uses his curse to cover the entire corpse… defiling corpses…”

As he was speaking, Brother Shrimp seemed to recall something and shivered uncontrollably.

“… I’ve never seen such a disgusting scene. I saw defiled corpses around here before. That guy was here… be careful, don’t run into him, he’s bad news.”

“Alright, thanks for your warning, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Naturally, Duanmu Huai wouldn’t pay much attention to a mere… well, it’s mealtime, so let’s not talk about this guy. However, seeing Brother Shrimp’s disgusted expression, he made a mental note of this. It was clear that this was nothing good.

If he encounters it, he might as well take it down.

While Duanmu Huai was chatting and eating with Brother Shrimp, Mistelina was in the midst of the most terrifying adventure of her life.

“Miss Haida, should we continue forward?”

With a sword in one hand and a shield in another, Mistelina looked at Haida uneasily. Afterward, she followed this blind witch to the Royal City. However, to her surprise, the location of the Beacon Fire sensed by Haida was the city’s sewer.

Indeed, Mistelina swore she had never been to such a filthy place. @@novelbin@@

The entire sewer was incredibly dark, filled with rotten rats the size of dogs, cursed human and plant mutants, not to mention the filthy water and repugnant smell. All of which was almost unbearable for Mistelina. She had never encountered anything like this in the forest. It was clear that the sewer was more than just a mass of decay and filth. She felt something even more…

“…!!!”

At this moment, Mistelina abruptly stopped, raising her shield in front of her, carefully watching ahead. A bizarre, twisted figure slowly appeared under her watchful gaze.

He was cloaked in a dirty, ugly armour that reeked of decay and stench, appearing as if he had just emerged from a pool of feces, emitting an overwhelmingly nauseating smell. The pus and filth covering the surface of his armour was unbearable to look at.

He slowly raised his head, glaring maliciously at Mistelina. Feeling his gaze, Mistelina couldn’t help but shudder. There was no good intention in it, only pure hatred, anger, and loathing for the world and everything in it.

“…I will kill you, defile you. I will devour all of you, I am… the Feces Eater! The curse of you all!”

As he shouted, he raised his sword.

“I’m going to kill and utterly defile your corpses! Let the curse give birth to all, let the descendants carry the endless curse!! I’ll kill—!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than he dashed towards Mistelina!

“Miss Haida, please stay away from me!”

Mistelina raised her shield, shouting loudly. She didn’t know who this terrifying man was, but it was clear —— he had set his sights on her.

“I am Forest Princess Mistelina! Evil one, meet your death!”

Youn out loudly, Mistelina raised her shield and charged towards the monster in front of her.