Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam-Chapter 680 - 73: I Made a Deal with the Devil

Although he had a premonition, when Ethan witnessed the pasture mentioned by the "Red Eyes," he was still filled with complex emotions. The two stood on a hill not far from the village, overlooking the people patrolling under the eerie green glow. The only reason they could still exist here was that they could provide a stable supply of meat for the ghouls living in the Mirror Dark Furnace City.

The fog made it impossible for the people living here to distinguish between day and night. However, each of them held onto one belief in their hearts: One day, Van Fleet would find a way out of this damned place and lead them back to Dark Furnace City.

This became the spiritual pillar for each of them.

The reason they trusted Van Fleet so much was his vast knowledge as a Demon Hunter. He single-handedly established the village and set up a defensive line outside the village to fend off the ghouls.

"The number of humans coming here is limited. Mother thinks that rather than consuming them all at once, it's better to drive them to a fixed place and let them procreate there."

The young "Red Eyes" looked proud, "It's just like herding sheep, we are all Shepherds."

Initially, there were not many lambs in the pen, but after a long period of effort, the number of sheep increased. The suffering people here fell in love and united, and the children born here became an excellent source of food for them.

The young "Red Eyes" was named Peter, a common name in the empire.

This name was given to him by his mother. His memories of being human had long become blurry, but that no longer mattered. He now had more family and lived closely with his brothers and sisters, and now they were welcoming a true gourmet.

"Mr. Ethan, I want you to stay here and help us improve the flock."

They already had enough lambs, but they were still far from the "premium meat quality" Ethan had described at the banquet.

"What are you doing here?"

A panicked voice came from the fog, and Ethan once again saw the Demon Hunter Van Fleet, this time alone, still wearing the dark-toned cloak and holding a light crossbow. He was no longer composed, and when he saw Peter, he finally didn't dare to aim the crossbow arrow at the forehead of this Red-Eyed Ghoul.

Ethan understood everything.

Including the story Van Fleet had mentioned before about being saved by "Red Eyes."

He subtly instilled certain ideas in the villagers, making them believe that "Red Eyes" were harmless. As long as they didn't provoke them or invade their territory, the higher-level ghouls in the depths of the fog wouldn't trouble them.

The eerie green lantern at the village entrance had never really mattered, which was why Ethan didn't immediately realize any incantations that could ward off the ghouls when he entered the village.

The key was his agreement with the "Red Eyes."

As long as he could manage the sheep in the pen and regularly deliver the agreed food to the "Red Eyes" in Mirror City, both sides could maintain the illusion of peace.

Van Fleet stared at Ethan intensely, his eyes full of complex emotions.

All the lies were exposed at this moment, and his image as a Demon Hunter and leader collapsed. He couldn't face this outsider who had left the village not long ago — he had sincerely invited Ethan to stay in this safe pen and become a docile sheep.

But now he had no time to talk to Ethan; the appearance of "Red Eyes" near the village was usually for one reason. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"I've already fulfilled this month's quota!"

He reminded Peter.

He, of course, referred to the five people who were almost eaten at the banquet.

The method of paying tribute was simple. He would tamper with the patrol route list, steering the tribute away from the normal patrol paths. In such foggy weather, even those who had lived here for a long time could easily get lost, and these lost sheep would wander into the territory of the "Red Eyes."

Disappearing a few people every now and then wouldn't arouse the villagers' suspicion. After all, everyone knew this was ghoul territory. Perhaps they encountered lower-level ghouls while patrolling, or they strayed from the designed route—for the sake of continued survival, the villagers wouldn't concern themselves with these troublesome matters.

Everyone would gather to mourn the dead, then sleep deeply, and all the messed-up things would be left behind.

"You have no right to dictate to us."

Peter was a head shorter than Van Fleet, yet he didn't even consider this experienced Demon Hunter worth his attention.

"Is it to welcome fresh blood..." Van Fleet clenched his fists, "How many more do you need?"

"We just came to take a look first."

Peter waved his hand impatiently, "We'll let you know when we decide."

The footsteps of the patrols came from the fog. Van Fleet's expression was uncertain, but in the end, he still did nothing. He responded to the call from the depths of the fog, heading toward the approaching patrol members. They needed to pretend nothing had happened and conceal the news that "Red Eyes" had been here.

"What do you think?"

After Van Fleet left, Peter couldn't wait to seek Ethan's opinion.

"Worse than I imagined."

Ethan shook his head and said, "On our ranch, we not only carefully select the sources of our ingredients and provide them with a spacious and favorable growth environment to ensure they carry no diseases, this is just the first step. After that, we customize their living environment according to the menu in advance, but as I said before, keeping them in a happy mood is the key."

"A happy mood?"

Peter stood in awe, remarking that Ethan was indeed a ghoul from the Imperial Capital; in the face of a true culinary empire, their proud ranch was insignificant.

"These people? You need not taste them to know their meat is bitter."

"Absolutely, Mr. Ethan!"

Peter said excitedly, "I've always told them these people taste strange!"

Of course, that was a lie. He had never said such a thing. Before Ethan arrived, Peter always believed that wantonly gnawing on the living was the most extravagant enjoyment in the world. He was the youngest among his siblings, and during meals, his brothers and sisters would let him have the youngest ingredients.

But now that Mr. Ethan had spoken, then these people must taste bitter.

Because Mr. Ethan is a true gourmet and currently his most admired figure.

Peter was captivated by Ethan's narrative in the banquet hall. For him, eating was no longer the instinct of a ghoul but an art. Peter could easily imagine Ethan skillfully handling each ingredient, like musicians in an orchestra, orchestrating a charming symphony with the sound of knives, spatulas, and hot oil.

"How can I become like you?"

With his head tilted up, Peter's eyes were full of longing.

"Child, it's not easy. Do you know how many years it took us to build our culinary empire?"

Ethan posed as if reminiscing about the glorious years. Seeing Peter shake his head, he continued, "Twelve years! Twelve years ago, when I came to the Imperial Capital with my first pot of gold earned from business, ghouls were like rats in the gutter there. Once your identity was exposed, those insatiable believers in the Goddess of Life would invade your home and rob you of your wealth."

"Despicable and shameless!"

Peter shared the sentiment, having heard his mother speak of the Church as well. Their mother had also fled to Dark Furnace City under the Church's persecution.

With the Evil God's blessing, they gained the power here to rival the Goddess of Life.

And on their territory, there was a rule—believers of the Goddess of Life had no right to live. Their mere existence was a desecration of this land, and they would not devour those believers. When Van Fleet sent those believers to them, they would treat them with the harshest tortures.

Death would turn into a prolonged torment, possibly lasting several days and nights.

They had ample time here, missing none of the screams from the tortured.

"It's a long story, one that could go on for three days and nights. You only need to know that in today's Imperial Capital, not only can ghouls live gloriously, but our culinary club also hosts vampires who demand near-exacting tastes for blood. The club provides seasoned members with flavorists, who begin their work a week before the ingredients are drained; and werewolves, who especially favor hearts, eating only medium-rare meats."

At this point, Ethan glanced at the village, "So, returning to your previous question, you need not just a ranch, but also more refined talents—nutritionists, flavorists, chefs—only through their collective efforts can true delicacies be crafted."

"Are you saying... our ranch can never meet your standards?"

This left Peter feeling deeply disappointed, his eyes filled with desolation.

"I'm afraid so, but child, you could consider this from another angle."

Ethan gently coaxed, "As long as you leave here and return to the Imperial Capital with me, you can taste the ultimate delicacies. If you can persuade your mother and other siblings, recommending you all join the culinary club would be no difficulty for me."

"Really?"

Peter's eyes lit up.

He could almost imagine himself in a tuxedo, sitting in the high-end restaurant Ethan had described, waiting for the waiters to bring the real delicacies to the table.

He didn't want to wait another moment.

"But your mother seems to be a traditional ghoul and seems to have some prejudice against me."

"I'll help!"

Peter quickly said, "Mother loves me very much, I'll definitely find a way to persuade her!"

He was confident in this, the world Ethan described was nothing short of paradise to them.

No one would refuse to live in paradise.

Unless they were utterly foolish.