The Last Gentleman
Chapter 547: Black Curtain

In a restaurant private room that was nearly of hall-level prestige, ten attendants stood correctly on both sides, serving the trio who chose the 3888 highest-grade set meal throughout the course.

As a Candle Puppet, Thirteen did not need to eat, thus the trolley service also provided a free cleaning service for dolls.

As the three sat down, the serving of dishes officially began.

The starter, "Raw Marinated Salmon with Endospore Parasite,"

The soup, "Sea Mushroom Stew with Exciting Cryptosporidium Hot Soup,"

The side dish, "Smoked Cheese with Early-stage Parasite-infected Lamb Leg,"

The main courses, "Giant Barnacle Claypot Rice" and "Spicy Szechuan-Style Oil Splashed Nematode Noodles,"

The desserts, "Black Worm Forest Worm Ring Cake" and "Pudding Embryo."

Price soon became immersed in such exquisite flavors that he could hardly extricate himself. His atrophied stomach regrew to its original shape during the meal, fully activating his taste buds and digestive tract in the process.

"To think that such delectable food exists in the world!"

Even Jin, seated nearby, was savoring the food with relish, not fussy about the parasites in the dishes—as long as they were delicious.

Only William’s expression did not change much, for he had already eaten even finer food while at the Circus.

Throughout the meal, William was silently observing Price.

The reason he led the group to the "trolley" was superficially for a pre-mission gathering, to let Price, who hadn’t eaten in thousands or tens of thousands of years, enjoy a meal and thus recover his physical condition.

But there was another purpose. He knew that Price, who had always stayed in Rat City and lived in a bygone era, had never tasted anything exquisite. Culinary delights would surely give him a completely different experience and even bestow upon him new aspirations.

Having eaten their fill,

Price’s body rose and fell as he lay back in his seat to rest,

William naturally turned his head, asking with a very affable voice:

"Price, wasn’t the food outside fantastic?"

"Incredible, I’ve never tasted such food... Before, we ratfolk would eat raw, and I wasn’t picky myself, as there was no concept of food processing."

William elegantly wiped the oil stain from the corner of his mouth with a napkin, speaking lightly, "To me, the food here is only ordinary. If you have a craving for gourmet food, my current place of employment has the highest standard of delicacies from the Old World.

If you’re interested, Price, you can join me there after our Abyss exploration is over; there’s an important position vacant. In my view, you’re fully qualified to take that spot."

Jin immediately threw William a look. "Hey, William, Price is an Honored Tumor Knight; his status does not permit him to join other organizations."

However, before William could speak, Price said:

"According to the Knight’s Code issued by the Cancer Palace, a knight like me who hasn’t reported back in years, or even returned to the Cancer Palace, without news, should have been removed from the knightly roster by now.

I should be a free agent now, shouldn’t I?"

Jin bit her lip slightly, pondered for a moment, "Hmm, there seems to be such a rule... All right, just don’t cause trouble."

After a brief rest, the quest to explore the "Tenth Abyss" officially began.

When the team returned to the gates of Rat City, Price cast his gaze to the other side,

The Moon Eyes under his helmet attempted to discern the outline of the mine but were completely blocked by darkness, making out nothing, even a sliver of moonlight shooting from Price’s eyes was useless.

"It’s all pitch-black, even the moonlight can’t penetrate—how much the world has changed. Once, I was merely a ratfolk miner, when we left the city to mine, one could see the entire scope of the mine from the door.

Enveloped in such darkness, I even doubt the existence of the mine itself.

Let’s go, if it’s still the old distance, a normal walk would take at most half an hour to arrive."

In the journey forward into the darkness, Price’s massive silver-armored body stood at the forefront, offering a sense of complete safety. William couldn’t help but ask about the "Dark Nest Mine."

This question stirred Price’s memories,

"Before Rat City was established, the rat people already lived around the mine, with multiple communities scattered throughout the mountainous region.

It wasn’t until the Cancer Palace discovered the value of this mine that they sent the Honored Tumor Knights, afflicted with the Rat Plague, here. Relying on their absolute strength, they quickly took control over the entire rat population and established the city.

With the mining and excavation of the mine, a type of stone called ’Dark Stone’ began to circulate.

Not only is the durability of the Dark Stone among the top of all stones, but it also effectively resists the Evil Sunlight, making it an essential for those Old World patients who dislike the sun.

If one is lucky enough, one can also find ’Dark Crystals’ in the mine. These crystals can be processed into accessories or wand cores, and they amplify the effects against dark-type illnesses remarkably well.

That being so, once I took the position of the City Lord, I only needed to put a little thought into it. There was no need to only offer tributes to the Cancer Palace; the business could be expanded quickly and powerfully.

And because of my presence, as well as the backing of the Cancer Palace behind Rat City, there weren’t many who dared to target the mine. Any petty thieves were branded by Moonlight and quickly hunted down by my Silver Moon Rat Brigade.

The scale of Rat City also continued to grow, to the point where it was even considered to be incorporated as a key district by the Cancer Palace.

But then the war came... and we were thoroughly defeated."

Despite the brief narration, Price seemed affected. William could tell that although Price had devoted everything to the moon and the Queen above it, a part of his heart still lay with the city and the rat people.

It was for this reason that Price left the Tower quickly. He gave no response to the rat people kneeling along the streets, not out of indifference, but because he felt a deep sense of guilt towards them and unworthy of the title of City Lord.

Just as William was about to ask further about the war that occurred around Rat City, the squad suddenly halted their advance.

Everyone, except for the eyeless Thirteen, stared wide-eyed.

About a hundred meters in front of the squad appeared a curtain that connected heaven and earth, cutting off all sources of light.

It was very similar to a stage curtain, with wavy patterns on the surface, and even the fabric material was clearly visible—it seemed to hang directly from the sky or to rise up from the ground.

When one’s gaze followed the curtain to either side, they found that the black curtain formed a circle, completely enclosing the interior area, refusing entry to any light.

Thirteen, who trailed at the back, explained, "The ’Black Curtain,’ a symbol of the Extremely Dark Land’s boundary... Once we cross this curtain, we officially step into the Extremely Dark Land, but such a curtain that is like a physical fabric is incredibly rare.

In the books, descriptions related to the curtain are mostly gaseous or liquid.

Something solid like this, there are no records of it in books from a hundred years ago. It might be different, and we should all be careful."

William asked, "Is there anything we need to pay attention to when passing through the curtain?"

"The most typical characteristics of the curtain are ’isolation’ and ’spatial disorientation.’

Individuals who step into it are randomly transported to a certain area within the Extremely Dark Land, deep or shallow, and lose their sense of direction. To leave, one must find the way out."

"Spatial disorientation? So, if we all walk in together, will we get scattered too?"

"My Candlelight can suppress the effects of the curtain. As long as everyone stays within the candlelight when we enter together, it won’t trigger the spatial disturbance.

Even if we do trigger it by accident, the candlelight can connect us with its light, allowing us to form a single unit and be transported to the same place. Just in case, teacher, it’s best if you combine your Star Means with mine."

"Alright."

Jin, who was quietly listening to the explanation, felt an unexplained excitement in her cancer cells, with several Red Lotuses blooming at the joints of her armor to express her excited state.

As the squad gradually approached the curtain, they unexpectedly found a large number of tents set up in front of it, along with plenty of food leftovers.

Some tents were empty, but in others, Patients were still moving about.

Thirteen explained again, "Treasure Hunters... With so many Treasure Hunters gathering here, it suggests that this part of the ’Extremely Dark Land’ is probably quite new, perhaps having only appeared within the last hundred years, or even less.

As long as they can find a single ancient artifact inside, the only thing they’ll need to do for the rest of their lives is enjoy."