Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam-Chapter 678 - 71: City Folks Can’t Stomach This

The efficiency of the two red-eyed ghouls was impressive. Just as Ethan and Ave settled into the inn, there was a commotion from the group of ghouls downstairs.

Their so-called "Mother" hadn't even approached yet, but the ghouls had already voluntarily cleared a path. At the end of the path appeared a noblewoman dressed in a black ceremonial gown. She wore a black hat, half of her face concealed under a thin veil. Her skin was pale and bloodless, and the hem of her voluminous gown trailed on the ground.

With the noblewoman's appearance, Ave's expression shifted slightly.

She clutched her chest, her breathing became considerably faster.

When the noblewoman reached downstairs, she sensed the gaze coming from the second floor and glanced up at Ethan by the window.

The sound of high heels clicking on the wooden floor grew closer until it stopped right in front of their room. About three seconds later, there was a knock at the door.

"Knock, knock knock."

"Come in."

Ethan decided to maintain the disguise of an Imperial Capital ghoul to the end.

The noblewoman, upon entering, didn't linger her gaze on Ethan but rather focused on Ave. She didn't hide her delight as she examined Ave as if she were an exquisite piece of art. Excitedly, she approached Ave and gently placed her hand on Ave's face.

"Such a beautiful girl; I have many dresses that would suit you perfectly!"

Ave subtly stepped back half a step; she didn't like having her face touched so casually by others.

The noblewoman didn't mind, giving Ethan a slight glance, "As for you, arrogant 'white-eyed' gentlemen if you have anything to say, now's the time."

Clearly, she wasn't a ghoul in the traditional sense, and Ethan couldn't exactly tell what creature she had mutated into. As the noblewoman spoke, the nails on her fingers suddenly grew, looking as sharp as blades, suggesting that the mutation that had occurred in them was within a controllable range.

Unlike the previous two red-eyed ghouls, the noblewoman looked like a city person. The identity of "Imperial Capital Ghoul" was ineffective in front of her.

"We're investigating the whereabouts of a human. The village demon hunter said she came to your territory."

"Demon hunter?"

The noblewoman feigned confusion, then suddenly seemed to understand, "Oh, you mean that believer of the God of Truth."

"Where is she?"

"Her will was strong, perhaps the strongest I've ever seen in a human. So I kept her in a place you'll never find. You can earn the opportunity to meet her by how you act, especially you, my lovely doll-like girl. If that's your wish, I can grant this small request."

The noblewoman paused, "I can lead the way for you."

Ethan didn't feel good about this.

The "Imperial Capital Lord" tactic failed in front of the similarly city-born noblewoman, and he had a lingering suspicion about the meaning behind the look she gave him.

She fancied Ave, and combined with the red-eyed ghouls' prior reference to the noblewoman, he guessed she intended to make Ave her "daughter." A mother and offspring without blood relation are quite common among dark creature families. Those dark beings that still maintained thought often banded together as families due to their rarity and the need to resist demon hunters' hunts. Family members honored their leaders by calling them father or mother.

"Of course, you can also choose to stay here."

Seeing Ethan remain silent, the noblewoman said, "It seems there is nothing more you wish to discuss."

Almost simultaneously, two messages popped up in front of Ethan:

"Shadow Arrow: If your identity is exposed, you'll be eaten."

"Shadow Arrow: Whatever happens, don't get eaten. If you absolutely must, then only I can eat you (^_^).

This was Ethan's first time encountering a natural element speaking to him through a skill list. The emoticon at the end seemed to be Shadow Arrow's signature smiling face, expressing unsettling words through an innocuous smile.

Something was off about this element.

His intuition told Ethan that unless necessary, it would be best not to summon it.

In the academy's "incantations" course, this was described as a way for humans to establish a link with natural elements. Put simply, when he used Shadow Arrow, it opened an invisible door to summon this peculiar element inside that uttered nothing but "Shadow Arrow, only Shadow Arrow."

Given that it had suddenly appeared in the skill panel and squeezed out other elemental elves, Ethan didn't think this was a benign element.

The next moment, more dialogue boxes appeared.

"Shadow Arrow: Stop having those strange thoughts; I'm the first; we're the best fit."

"Shadow Arrow: Next time I remind you, remember to say 'Thank you, baby' instead of 'Where did you come from?' with ungrateful thoughts."

"Shadow Arrow: I'll forgive you this time (^_^).

The situation now could be described as very grave.

Inside, Ethan was somewhat anxious.

"Ethan, Ethan."

Seeing his silence, Ave patted Ethan's shoulder, "The ghoul lady has gone downstairs; should we follow and then seize the chance to set her house on fire? What's with that expression on your face?"

From the moment the noblewoman entered the room, Ave felt Ethan's response was a little odd. The confidence of the "Imperial Capital Lord" diminished, and his expression was complex. To describe it, it looked as if... he had been caught being intimate and whispering secrets with another woman by Lindong.

"The situation is a bit complex right now. If conditions permit, it's best not to get into conflict with the ghouls here."

Ethan felt that compared to the noblewoman and the ghouls in the Mirror Dark Furnace City, the shadow element posed the biggest problem, leading Ethan to wonder if this was a trap aiming at Ave or himself.

"I understand."

Ave nodded, "But I must see TeacherValerie first."

...

The lady's castle is in the same area as Duke Bellamo. As they entered the "noble district," the shabby common ghouls disappeared, blocked off at the bottom of the slope. Only red-eyed ghouls were allowed in this upper area, and here, they were assigned the same identity.

Children of the Mother.

The lady is the ruler of all ghouls in Mirror Dark Furnace City. Given the sheer number of ghouls in Dark Furnace City, the balance between them and humans is extremely skewed. If the lady wishes, the defensive line set by Demon Hunters in the village would be ineffective; the ghouls could overwhelm them by sheer numbers alone.

Van Fleet mentioned that they'd never ventured into ghoul territory, knowing nothing about the "red-eyed" dwellings. Perhaps they were unaware that a mirror version of Dark Furnace City lay hidden in the depths of the fog, but this might be a blessing. Otherwise, knowing how many ghouls lurked in the mist would fill the villagers with nothing but despair.

"Are there new members again?"

"Wow, what a pretty little girl."

"That one over there must be the one they mentioned with 'white eyes', right?"

"Besides the eyes, there's not much difference."

Along the way, Ethan encountered many "red-eyed" ghouls, their attitudes surprisingly friendly, with many waving as he passed, overturning Ethan's perception of ghouls. This place felt oddly like a warm family.

Yet, the ghoulish traits were still marked upon them.

Ghouls disliked brightness and flames, so the castle was devoid of torches; illuminating tools cast a dark red light from lanterns, with a wick made from a kind of energy-storage crystal.

As the two entered the castle, a long horn sounded from above.

It seemed the red-eyed ghouls were unsurprised by this, putting aside their tasks and gradually moving towards the castle.

The banquet hall was on the second floor, adorned with stained windows bearing religious motifs. On both sides of the hall stood statues of the Goddess of Life, but they were marred, their eyes continuously flowing with crimson liquid into a pool below. This less than half-meter wide pool encircled the banquet hall, its reflected glow providing all the lighting within.

A banquet bathed in blood.

People gathered quickly.

The lady raised a goblet full of crimson liquid, announcing to all, "Today, the Blackrave Clan welcomes two new fresh bloods."

"13 in total."

Ave whispered from behind Ethan. Including the previous encounters, the Blackrave Clan had thirteen official members, most of whom appeared young. Among them was only one with disheveled hair and a scruffy beard, a weathered elder seated at the end, despite his red eyes, he seemed humble before other clan members.

"To celebrate this wonderful moment, today we gather here to enjoy a feast."

With a wave of the lady's hand, the elder lowered his head and silently exited the hall.

After a few minutes, he returned, leading a rope tied to five people, their wrists bound, faces covered with burlap sacks, from which their muffled sounds revealed their mouths were tightly sealed.

They wore uniform cloaks, the attire of village Demon Hunters.

As the group passed by Ethan, he heard soft sobbing beneath the burlaps.

The red-eyed ghouls were thrilled, ready to indulge in the joys of feasting on this beautiful night.

The lady's gaze fell again on Ethan.

Clearly, she didn't buy the "white-eyed" claims, but she didn't intend to break relations with them, thus resorted to such means.

Whether Ethan was truly one of them or not, consuming the flesh and blood of his kind would trigger his transformation.

Ave held her breath nervously, unable to think of an excuse to leave the banquet.

She was unwilling to stomach these sobbing people.

She could only look at Ethan for help, hoping he'd perform his past miracles.

"Wait!"

At a crucial moment, Ethan stepped forward once more, drawing every ghoul's eyes to him.

"Have these foods been vaccinated?"

Vaccinated?!

The banquet hall buzzed with commotion.

Ethan's expression grew cold, "So, you haven't vaccinated them nor ensured basic food quality control."

His challenge was resolute, "And who is the chef, what cooking methods are planned?"

Silence greeted him again. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The red-eyed ghouls looked at each other, to them, this was the best food. As the feast began, they would swarm, awaken long-forgotten desires, tearing them apart amidst the prey's sorrowful cries — a spectacle reserved for times when new members joined the clan.

Ethan's shock and disdain were apparent, incredulously he asked, "You expect me to eat this?"

Look at these people, their threadbare clothes and frail bodies.

The Imperial Capital lord couldn't eat this.