Storm of Gods

Chapter 230 Dark Cuisine
Miss Aries and Mr. Leo both cast admiring glances at Li Xin. True masters always speak so calmly and succinctly. Mr. Cancer next door pursed his lips.

“Ahem, Lion, you’re new here. The Round Table is usually our sharing time unless there’s something special going on. It can be about our understanding of hidden forces, or problems we’ve encountered.” Christian drew everyone’s attention back to him. “Do you have any questions?”

Christian looked at Miss Aries and said, Estella lowered her head slightly. For the past few days, she had been troubled by the emotion of being slapped by her father. Being hit and confined to her home were nothing, but she just couldn't get out of this emotion. However, this emotion was not easy to share, and no one could help her.

Barty looked at the Gemini man, seemingly wanting to say something but then remaining silent.

"Ahem, I've recently encountered something quite sensational that I'd like to share with everyone, and I hope you can help me analyze it," Li Xin said with a smile. "A murderer nicknamed the 'Visceral Demon' has appeared in the capital of Montaleta. He removes the internal organs of his victims. There have been over a thousand victims over this period of five or six years. After investigation, it has been confirmed that the true culprits behind the Visceral Demon are two factions, but these two forces seem to be hostile..."

Li Xin briefly introduced the case of the "internal organ demon" and proposed the hypothesis that the second body disposal exposed the first.

Miss Aries, Mr. Leo, and Mr. Cancer listened quietly, while Mr. Leo's body trembled as if he had thought of something.

“Logically, Number Two should be the one to punish evil and promote good, but I feel something is off about him,” Li Xin said.

"It's very simple. Number Two has ulterior motives. If it were simply about punishing evil and promoting good, or even exposing Number One, there would be no need to dissect people, let alone use such sophisticated methods. He's doing this to cover himself up, expose others, and at the same time, to reveal something to the outside world through this behavior. He's reminding you," Christian said calmly.

In an instant, Li Xin's mind lit up. As expected of a Cancer, he was truly intelligent. "What is he implying?"

"What can so many people be used for? Cults need live sacrifices, but they mainly use the heart. There may be evil gods who like other parts, but they don't need such sophisticated techniques. Most cult members are very crude and don't have that level of sophistication," Christian said calmly.

Christian's words really hit the nail on the head for Li Xin; both of these internal demons possessed an obsessive precision and taste.

“Could it be…eating…” Barty said slowly.

The round table fell into a deathly silence in an instant. Estella's heart churned. This wasn't the real thing; otherwise, she might have vomited.

Li Xin frowned, and one sentence made his skin crawl and his hair stand on end: "Why would you think that?"

Bati was silent for a moment. “At the annual Easter, Rada can offer his best part to the chief deity, Men. If accepted, it is the highest honor, and he will be redeemed and enter the cycle of reincarnation, becoming a Registrar. This ritual is called blood offering.”

The lion's words silenced the other three.

“Ahem, Mr. Lion, such rituals are all considered heretical in the Dao Yuan Continent and are not allowed,” Li Xin said.

“Mr. Lion, every citizen of the Dao Yuan Continent has been blessed by the supreme will and given life. Reincarnation is rebirth, and everything in the past has been canceled out,” Estella said.

Hearing about Mr. Lion's experiences, her own inner turmoil suddenly seemed insignificant.

Bati remained silent, his heart filled with intense turmoil. He had begun to question everything about the city of Diva, but he knew even more clearly what he had been like before. If he hadn't died once, if he hadn't joined the Round Table, he would never have dared to question anything.

“If what Lion said is true, then it should be related to the Gourmet Association. I’ve heard that an evil branch has emerged in the Gourmet Association, Dark Cuisine. We can investigate along this line of thought,” Christian said calmly.

"Mr. Cancer, you are truly knowledgeable, thank you!" Li Xin said sincerely. As expected of Mr. Cancer, he never disappoints.

Christian didn't find any joy in it. He didn't need Gemini's praise; in fact, the guy seemed a bit superfluous. The Aries girl he cared about seemed to be still lost in her own emotions.

"Gemini, don't thank me. Hurry up and speed up your divine relic progress to set an example for those who come after you. Not long after you opened your first star, Leo came in. It's very likely that the opening of his life star is related to the arrival of subsequent members," Christian reminded him. Now his divine relic has opened its third life star and is moving towards the fourth. Taurus's third life star should be just one step away. Miss Aries is a chosen one and has already opened her second life star and is moving towards the third. Leo is a newcomer and has the ability to resurrect, so he obviously has more potential. Only this Gemini knows a lot of things he shouldn't know and does nothing he should do.

In an instant, a long rant appeared in Cancer's mind, but on the surface, he remained calm and composed, maintaining a refined and elegant demeanor.

"I'll try my best," Li Xin said with a wry smile.

Christian ignored the Geminis and focused his gaze on Miss Aries. He hesitated, wondering if he should ask her something. Miss Aries seemed to be in a bad mood, probably because she was having some problems. But if he asked directly, would it seem like he was being too forward?

“Miss Aries, you’re a little quiet today, which isn’t like you usually do,” Li Xin said with a smile. “Don’t let my story spoil your mood; it was just a discussion.”

As the princess of Montaleta, Estella always thought that Heldan was the most beautiful city in the world. She also saw the story of the visceral demon in the Hexbird newspaper. But wasn't Antony already sentenced to death by his father? Why is the real culprit that the Twins said is still there? Not only is he still there, but there are two of them, or even two forces. And the number of victims is not the dozens reported, but thousands.

“Gemini, why don’t you seek help from the Earth Mother Goddess Church? The Church’s power is immense.” Estella had complete faith in the Church.

“Both of these forces may have demigods behind them, and given their hidden presence, the Holy See may also be in trouble,” Li Xin said tactfully.

Is it really impossible? Not necessarily, but we can't expect the cardinals to investigate this every day. Preachers don't do this; it's the job of enforcers, unless the survival of the Vatican is threatened. "Even a demigod can't contend with the Pope's power," Estella said.

She had heard her older brothers say that the Pope's power was among the top in the entire Dao Yuan Continent. After all, the Pope's power level originated from the faith of the church, and the Earth Mother Goddess Church was definitely one of the largest churches in Dao Yuan.

Li Xin couldn't answer this question. Barty was more like a bewildered child, whose past world only had the Triad God.

“That’s not how it is, Miss Aries,” Christian said gently, as if to soothe Estella’s emotions. “The more powerful a demigod is, the greater the constraints they are subject to, especially for someone like the Pope of the Earth Mother Goddess. He has been in power for a long time and probably rarely appears in public. Of course, his power is beyond doubt, but this case is far from enough to warrant his intervention.”

Christian abruptly stopped there, leaving Li Xin and the others, who were still eager for more, looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Mr. Cancer, can you tell me why?" Estella asked curiously, because she had only seen the Pope once and had never seen him again, saying that he was in seclusion to pray for blessings.

Christian raised his chin slightly, paused for a second, and said, "This involves the secrets of the gods and cannot be discussed publicly."

Everyone looked regretful, but also somewhat impressed by Mr. Cancer's erudition.

Christian was starting to feel a little hopeful. He had laid the groundwork for this long, so surely Miss Aries would come looking for him soon?
“There’s not much time left, Lion. The last part of the roundtable is a private discussion time. You can extend invitations for private conversations at this time, and the others will leave,” Christian said.

If you can't say it publicly, you can say it privately; the two of you can say whatever you want.

Perhaps because there was no Taurus man, the time passed a little faster than usual.

Miss Aries didn't move. At this moment, Barty stood up, looked at Li Xin and said, "Sir, I have encountered some problems and would like to ask for your advice."

Miss Aries stood up. "Then I'll leave the rest of the time to Mr. Gemini and Mr. Leo. I look forward to seeing you again. Goodbye, Mr. Gemini, Mr. Cancer, and Mr. Leo."

The other three also stood up. "Goodbye, Miss Aries."

Then Christian also left the roundtable, leaving only Li Xin and Batty.

"Mr. Barty, is the wooden fish ready?" Li Xin asked with a smile.

Barty scratched his head sheepishly, "Sir, I made one, but for some reason it doesn't seem to be working."

This is a bit tricky. "Here's what we'll do: we'll leave first, and then you can bring the wooden fish over and keep it with you. Remember to focus your attention on it when you come in, and you'll be able to bring it in."

“Yes, sir.” Barty nodded.

The two also disappeared from the zodiac star chart, and after everyone disappeared, the zodiac star chart in the vast space also disappeared.

When they reappeared in the void, they were in a different location. Li Xin and Badi reappeared in the star chart, with Badi now holding an exquisite wooden fish.

Li Xin looked at it... and thought, "This is much more exquisite than the one I made."

"Let me try." Li Xin took the wooden fish and small wooden mallet and started tapping them.

The moment that wondrous sound appeared, each time it eased Barty's heavy mind, as if it could remove the shackles from his body—an indescribable mystery.

"Mr. Lion, is it working?" Li Xin asked.

"Sir, it works so well, it works so well, it's amazing! Why does it work so well in your hands but not for me?" Barty asked curiously, with a hint of admiration in his eyes. Could it be that the Geminis are actually walking gods?

"Try it again." Li Xin handed the wooden fish back to the lion.

Barty took the wooden fish and imitated Li Xin's rhythm, striking it one by one. Each strike resonated in his heart, bringing a sense of ease, though not as pronounced as when Mr. Gemini struck it, it was certainly effective.

"Sir, it works!" Batty said with delight.

"That's good. Let me know if you have any problems." Li Xin stood up, and Barty also stood up. Their figures disappeared from the round table, and as they vanished, the zodiac compass also seemed to disappear for a moment…

(End of this chapter)