Above the Blood Moon

The interior of the Mirror Lake Club banquet hall was even more luxurious than the exterior, with magnificent chandeliers, soft and thick deep red carpets, abstract artworks on the walls, and potted plants imported from other planets in the corners.

Big Yellow stood half a step behind Choklee, his optical sensors scanning the entire space with maximum precision, and then his display screen began to frantically scroll through a stream of data.

[Advanced prosthetic detected: Bionic Skin Type 7 (full body coverage), market valuation: 800 Covenant Credits]

[Advanced prosthetic detected: Nanomuscle fiber bundles (limb enhancement), market valuation: 500 Covenant Credits]

[Advanced prosthetic detected: Quantum computing-assisted brain (intracranial), market valuation: 1200 Star Alliance Coins]

[Advanced prosthetic body detected: ...]

Every piece of data almost gave Da Huang's processor an internal orgasm.

It looked at the mechanical arms that gleamed with metallic luster, and the bionic skin with its glowing patterns.

Each of these is a top-of-the-line model, and each represents wealth.

What's even more frightening is that some of these modifications are not even purely functional.

A woman around fifty years old walked past them. Her left arm was completely transparent, with pale golden liquid flowing inside. Countless tiny specks of light floated in the liquid, slowly rotating with her movements.

[Detected: Decorative liquid optical prosthetic body (purely for aesthetic purposes), market valuation: 300 Covenant Credits]

Big Yellow's mechanical fingers trembled slightly.

It almost wanted to rush up and rip that arm off to see how the internal structure worked. Why not use that money to buy fuel or missiles?!

But its reason immediately suppressed the impulse.

An emoticon popped up on the panel:

[ಠ_ಠ]

Then it quieted down and stood motionless behind Chokri like a well-trained guard robot, as if all of this was commonplace to it.

The priest stood on the other side of Choklee, his entire body shrouded in a black robe, his breathing steady, his gaze sweeping across the entire banquet hall through the shadow of his hood.

Jockley was also watching. His gaze shifted from the various guests to the setup of the venue, and he almost couldn't help but gasp.

This is fucking luxurious! Compared to the ruins town, this place is heaven. He'd never seen at least a third of the food here before.

But Jockley quickly calmed down. After all, he was an Earthling. In the information-explosive era before his transmigration, he had scrolled through "mute" videos, "slow-motion" videos, and various short video platforms. He had seen videos of Michelin-starred restaurants, private clubs, and top-tier banquets.

To put it bluntly, these are just upscale restaurants with nicer decor and better ingredients.

What truly caused this contrast was what he saw and heard in the town of Remains over the past twenty-odd days.

When you're used to seeing nutritional pastes, synthetic protein blocks, and rotten meat, the impact of seeing these dishes that exude the aroma of real food is indeed quite significant.

It's like someone who has been thirsty in the desert for three days and suddenly sees a bottle of mineral water. Even if it's just a very ordinary brand in the supermarket, you'll feel like it's some kind of elixir.

Jockley adjusted his breathing to make himself appear more composed.

Meanwhile, in a room on the second floor of the Gear Tavern, Daikiri and Margaret were sharing a view through Choklee's glasses, watching everything in the banquet hall.

Daikiri's voice clearly showed the sound of him swallowing saliva.

"Holy crap, that bread, damn, looks way better than the bread at that old man Lia's bakery on the street..."

He was referring to a pastry at the corner of the long table. Margaret sat beside him, a cigarette between her fingers, the smoke rising slowly into the dimly lit room.

She looked at the food in the shared video, and her Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, but she forced it down. She didn't want to lose face in front of Daiki.

Margaret took a deep drag of her cigarette, letting the nicotine stimulate her brain, and then spoke in that sarcastic tone.

"You bumpkin, that thing is called a donut, it's a dessert, not bread."

Daikiri turned his head

Have you ever tried it?

Margaret's hand stiffened for a moment, and the ash from her cigarette fell from her fingertips to the ground.

"...Haven't you ever seen it before, even if you haven't eaten it?" Her voice was a little weak, but it quickly hardened again.

Daikiri stared at her for two seconds, then grinned.

"That means you've never eaten it before."

Margaret broke down; she stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray and said through gritted teeth.

"Shut your mouth, stare at the screen, and don't fucking get distracted!"

A screen also sat in front of him, displaying the same shared image. As he looked at the exquisite dishes, the expensive decorations, and the elegantly dressed guests in the banquet hall, his expression was much calmer than that of Daikiri and Margaret.

"It's just that the decor is a bit luxurious," he told himself. "It's just that the food is a bit more refined..."

He had indeed seen some.

A few years ago, when he was still at Ares, he attended the branch's annual meeting. He had seen similar scenes then, although they were not as large or as high-class.

He also tried one or two of those expensive-looking foods, and they did taste quite good.

Art took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and then spoke to Jockley through the bone conduction communicator.

"You can take a few things, as long as it doesn't exceed 20 Star Alliance Coins, I'll reimburse you."

His voice was calm, as if 20 Star Alliance Coins were just a small amount of money to him.

But what happened next was beyond the expectations of the three of them.

In the shared video, after hearing what Yate said, Jockley did not show any joy or hesitation. He did not even respond, but simply turned his head slightly and waved to the service staff standing not far away.

It was a young man in a black and white uniform with a standard smile on his face. He immediately walked over and bowed slightly.

"Sir, is there anything you need?"

Chokley gestured to a type of pastry in the center of the long table in a languid tone.

"Get me one of those, and one of those too, and a little bit of the green salad, oh, and a glass of wine."

His fingers tapped randomly on the long table, as if he were picking flowers in his own backyard.

The waiter skillfully carried the silver tray and picked up the food one by one according to his instructions. In the end, the tray was piled with seven or eight kinds of food, each of moderate portion and exquisitely presented.

The waiter poured another glass of wine, a pale golden liquid, in an exquisitely cut crystal glass, with fine water droplets condensing on the outside of the glass.

"Sir, do you need anything else?"

Jockley shook his head.

"That's all for now."

The waiter bowed slightly and followed behind him with a tray.

Chokley walked to a corner of the banquet hall, where several deep red armchairs were placed, separated by semi-transparent screens to form relatively private little spaces.

He chose a sofa in the far corner and sat down. The waiter placed the tray on a low table next to the sofa and gently set down the wine glass.

Enjoy your meal.

After saying that, he quietly stepped back.

Riat, the man in the Gear Tavern, stared at the screen, feeling his heart pounding. How many Star Alliance Coins would that be? It definitely wouldn't be less than 20 Star Alliance Coins!

Damn it, that guy Jockley is really shameless. He said he'd reimburse 20, and this guy just ordered a whole bunch of stuff.

Art's hand was already reaching for the gun at his waist. He had decided that once the mission was over, if Jockley dared to come to him with the bill for reimbursement, he would shoot the kid dead.

But just then, a line of text popped up on Big Yellow's panel and was transmitted to the communicators of the three of them via encrypted signals.

At such formal parties, guests are not required to pay; they simply indicate what they would like to eat. All expenses are covered by the organizer. This is basic social etiquette.

An eerie silence fell over the tavern.

The three people looked at each other, all with the same expression on their faces: they were devastated.

"Damn," Daikiri muttered, "So that's how it can be done..."

Margaret remained silent, bent down to pick up the cigarette butt, and stubbed it out in the ashtray. Her movements were a little stiff. Art took a deep breath and leaned back against the bar.

In the corner of the banquet hall, Jockley sat on the sofa with his legs crossed.

He first picked up the glass of pale golden wine, gently swirled it to create an even coating on the glass, and then brought it to his nose to smell it.

The aroma is fruity with a hint of oak.

He took a small sip.

It has a smooth texture, moderate sweetness, and a slightly spicy aftertaste. It's a good wine, but nothing special. Compared to the world's top wines, it's not fundamentally different.

He put down his wine glass and began to savor each dish one by one, his movements unhurried and deliberate, chewing each bite carefully.

Big Yellow stood to his left, still motionless. After all, as an AI robot, it had no desire for these foods. But Jockley noticed that the priest's gaze fell for a moment on a small bowl of ice cream on the low table.

Then he looked away.

Jockley sighed inwardly. "I'm sorry, Father," he thought silently. "As security personnel for me, an interstellar merchant from the Olympus Ring, you cannot eat anything."

This is the rule, and also part of the performance.

He continued eating until he had finished all seven or eight items on the tray.

Finally, he put down his fork, picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth, then folded the napkin in half and gently placed it next to the tray. The server immediately came over and silently took away the tray and cutlery.

Jockley picked up his glass again, leaned back on the sofa, closed his eyes, and began to rest.