Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 367 - 78 Betrayal_1

Chapter 367: Chapter 78 Betrayal_1

"Matters within the Shadow Hand are best left undisturbed by outsiders," Elegance advised. "However, Lord Cruel, do not forget the President’s directive that the number of Shadow Hand captains must remain at no fewer than four."

"Of course, of course." Lord Cruel responded with an innocent smile. He glanced at Passion’s wound, then at the calm-faced Indulgence whose hands were uncontrollably tapping on the armchair. He coyly said, "There’s honestly no rush, everyone. What’s not to be slowly discussed over? Today is a day of celebration. Shouldn’t everyone be preparing to enjoy this lavish feast set before us?"

The veins on the back of Indulgence’s hand pulsed violently as she gripped tight onto the armrest of her chair. Before she could react, a hand covered in fresh blood pressed onto her thigh. Passion gave a small shake of his head, preventing her from acting on her growing impulsivity. The corner of Indulgence’s eyes twitched as her body remained noticeably tense.

Lord Cruel wore an expression full of joy, and courteously pointed to the food on the table. "This exquisite meal was carefully prepared by Kermil, the city’s top chef whom Joseph invited for tonight. Mr. Kermil has spent a full seven days in preparation for this feast. If we don’t partake in it, it’ll be an absolute insult to his efforts."

As the argument waged on, no one paid special attention to the spread of dishes on the table until the confrontation had simmered down. The table had been adorned with an array of delicious dishes, the appealing fragrance and color maintained even after an hour of sitting. The variety would make any hungry person go mad. Despite the combative interruptions that occurred, no damage had been done to the splendid feast on the table, not even a droplet of blood from their scuffles had splashed onto it.

Like an attentive host, Lord Cruel gestured towards the spread of dishes while introducing them to the stone-faced individuals. "This here is the belly fat of a Dolphig, a creature that can only be found in the depths of the Mist Sea, and can only be caught by the Deep Sea Clan. The meat has been meticulously marinated with special ingredients and placed atop an Eternal Frost Stone from the Perpetual Icefield. This dish alone uses up at least ten Dolphigs. Outside of our City of Innocence, I can’t imagine where else one could enjoy such a delicacy. Lord Passion, Lord Indulgence, the Dolphig is not only delicious but is also said to aid in wound recovery. Would you care for a taste?"

"Thank you for your kind offer, Lord Cruel," Indulgence replied, her usually calm demeanor now replaced with a charming smile. Her eyes swept over Lord Cruel’s face, "However, I must decline at this time. It’s truly a shame, if I’d known that there would be such an array of dishes today, I wouldn’t have eaten anything earlier. Such a regret."

"Hmm," said Passion, now visibly pale. Large drops of sweat were leaking down his chiseled jawline, gathering at his chin. The strands of his hair that were soaked with sweat clung to his pale face. Despite the agony caused by the severe injury, his eyes remained cold, filled with mockery. He gave an ill-disposed grunt. "Doltish."

Lord Cruel laughed in good-natured agreement, tolerating the attitudes of the duos like a winner and continued to introduce the food on the table. "And this one here, this is the mountain rat from the Mountain Country’s caves. Only one out of every ten thousand becomes particularly stronger. When I say stronger, I mean only among other mountain rats. The meat of such a mountain rat is very tough, when it is coupled with the wing meat of a lightning falcon, a specialty from the Magical Beast Forest; a rich aroma is emitted. However, due to the tough texture of the both meats, it’s difficult for humans to enjoy. This is why it must be mixed with the Narrow Feather Grass found deep in the Lost Forest to qualify as a rare delicacy. So, Lord Suspicion, Lord Crazy, any interest in trying?"

"Of course," replied Lord Suspicion. He casually moved the dinner plate on the table, wincing in apparent pain as this smuggled his wound. His facial muscles twitched as he reclined back into his chair, catching his breath, "It seems we will have to trouble Lord Cruel to serve the food."

"My pleasure," replied Lord Cruel. The utensils in his hand moved ever so slowly as he reached into the dish to serve, delicately picking out the food and placing it onto Suspicion’s plate. This simple act took him nearly three minutes to complete. All this while, Suspicion’s gaze was intently fixated on Cruel’s hands, whereas Cruel kept his eyes half-closed, seemingly paying no attention to anyone. The moment Cruel completed serving, Suspicion started coughing violently, his arms trembled from the excessive force, and his complexion worsened. Meanwhile, Lord Cruel’s smile looked rather strained but he still insisted, "Lord Crazy, how about you?"

"I’ll pass," Lord Crazy announced. He stared blankly at the ceiling, his fingers twisting unconsciously. In a wooden tone he continued, "You all go ahead, just pretend as if I’m not here."

"Understandable. If that’s your choice, Lord Crazy." Lord Cruel finally turned his attention to the gentlemanly Elegance. "Lord Elegance, would you care for something?"

"You should know," Elegance’s expression shifted to a minor annoyance as he maintained his decorum, "I never consume these meals, I only eat the food I bring myself. Why ask me?"

"My apologies," replied Lord Cruel, a tinge of laughter in his voice. "I momentarily forgot."

"You people, all of you, are just too cruel." Elegance sighed, his face reflecting a touch of melancholy. "Birds, beasts, insects, seafood, plants, fungi, all these are gifts bestowed upon this world by Lord Yarra, all miracles of life, the greatest miracle. Look at all of you: hunting and destroying endlessly for desires beyond satisfying hunger. Don’t you understand? Each of them is a living entity. The most valuable thing in this world is life itself; how can you heartlessly harm them? As a human, I may not be able to prevent the desecration and destruction of life and the world by intelligent creatures, but at the very least, I can start from myself and refrain from harming these fragile lives."

Speaking so, Elegance opened his leather handbag, taking out a flat lunch box. The lunch box faintly emitted a magical fluctuation, likely inscribed with an Array to preserve freshness and warmth. Upon opening the lunch box, it contained four sections of boiled white meat. Elegance dumped the meat on his plate and gracefully picked up the fork and knife. He then kindly advised everyone, "Honestly, I wish each of you would be like me, cherishing every animal and plant around you, every life. Stop being enemies of the world."

"But..." Crazy pointed at the black Mandarava flower on Elegance’s chest. "Lord Elegance, the flower on your chest..."

"Ah, this child." Elegance put down his utensils, tenderly caressing the petals of the Mandarava flower on his chest, gently as though stroking his lover’s cheek. "This child has exhausted its lifespan three months ago. I couldn’t bear to let it leave me just like that, so I did everything I could to prolong its life. But now it’s reached its limit, and before its departure, it wanted to witness its final glory. That’s why I brought it here, to bear witness alongside me."

Though she seemed gentle, though she seemed elegant, an inexplicable chill rose in the hearts of everyone present, making their faces rigid. Elegance ignored the awkward atmosphere, calmly picked up her utensils again, cut a very tender-looking piece of meat with perfect etiquette, and put it in her mouth, indulging in the taste with closed eyes. After a long while, she reopened her eyes and said, "Every time I dine, I think about how I’ve eliminated an enemy of life and saved countless vulnerable lives. This sense of accomplishment and pride is simply irresistible to me."

There was a deathly silence, no one spoke. Everyone avoided looking at Elegance who continued to eat, not wanting to glance at her at all.

It had been nearly ten minutes since the lights were turned back on. Catherine watched Passion, who was growing weaker, from afar. Several times, she wanted to stride over bitingly, but each time, Pannis stopped her by the shoulder. The last time she was stopped, Pannis said softly, "Leave it to me. You don’t understand the rules of the game in a battle between thieves."

"I’m sorry." Catherine lowered her head somewhat embarrassed. She noticed that Pannis did not wish to intervene too deeply in the fight.

"No, now is probably the right time." Pannis patted Catherine’s shoulder, "I’ll collect the debt that’s owed."

Catherine smiled brilliantly, "Thank you, Pannis."

Pannis gestured to Muir, who raised a thumb, took out a faintly glowing arrow, and placed it on the bowstring. Pannis nodded, walked towards the captain’s seat with a casual sway, hands behind his back.

"Such a fragrant aroma, what are you all secretly eating?" With a cheerful smile, Pannis pulled open a chair across from Elegance, added a spoonful of the lightning falcon wing stewed in mountain rat legs -- a dish Lord Cruel had recommended -- to his plate without any hesitation, then put a large chunk of the wing meat into his mouth, mumbling in praise, "The taste is really good, really good."

The gazes of the other captains were somewhat weird, glancing at Muir in the distance, who was armed with an arrow, then at Pannis before them, unable to guess his intentions. Only Lord Cruel stared at Pannis with a cold gaze, "Didn’t I mention before? It is better for outsiders to stay out of Shadow Hand’s affairs."

"Who cares about your Shadow Hand’s affairs," Pannis retorted scornfully while stuffing another piece of mountain rat leg into his mouth, "I’m here to collect a debt. It was your man who led the puppet to attack us, wasn’t it? The debt you owe, it’s time to repay."

Pannis was brimming with murderous intent and seemed to be targeting Lord Cruel, who instinctively recoiled. In the split second Lord Cruel got distracted, a dagger silently struck him in the waist, from the side. Fortunately, Lord Cruel had been on guard. While he managed to block the attack in time, it still left a deep cut on his waist. Just when Lord Cruel was about to counterattack, the assailant had already maneuvered around the table and appeared behind Indulgence. Now, it was clear that the assailant was none other than the calm and composed Crazy.

"I apologize, Lord Cruel," said Crazy with a slight smile, "Compared to your words, I find their accusations more credible."

Lord Cruel furrowed his eyebrows, slowly putting away his dagger, "So you’ve finally made a choice, huh? But what about Lady Elegance?"

"I mentioned earlier, I am only here as a witness," Elegance responded calmly, "just a witness."

Indulgence laughed enchantingly, rising from her seat and looking directly at Lord Cruel, from across the table, "It seems that the tables have turned, Lord Cruel."

Lord Cruel’s face was a mix of emotions. After a period of silence, he let out a sigh and slumped in his seat, silently staring at the dagger in his hands. This time, Indulgence finally revealed a winner’s smile.

But then, she collapsed, slumping onto the dining table. A dagger had been plunged into her waist from behind, severing her spine.

"You’ve been duped, Lady Indulgence." Crazy appeared beside Lord Cruel again, laughing foolishly,"How could I possibly betray the pact between Lord Cruel and me? After all, Lord Cruel can bring me so much pleasure."(To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to vote for it on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users can visit m.qidian.com to read.)