Qi Gefei was quite speechless. Just eat your food! Why bother scaring me? Am I, a Knight of Justice, so easily frightened?

It's only been a few months since I last saw this guy, and his strength has become even more outrageous.

"Wait, Lu Luo, are you here to gain the power of the Nightmare Demon as well?"

Lu Luo stopped in his tracks and turned around, extending a finger.

His gesture was somewhat inexplicable, and just as Qi Gefei was feeling puzzled—

BUZZ!

A purple Netherflame ignited at the tip of Lu Luo's finger. This Netherflame was pure and stable, not like the chaotic, drifting state of the Netherfire he had previously.

Qi Gefei's eyes seemed transfixed by the essence of the Netherflame; his expression was very complex.

"Have you already obtained it?"

Lu Luo shook his head.

"Qi Gefei, I'm not sure whether you've abandoned your faith or what your situation is. But don't think of me as so lowly. Oftentimes, what you desire is insignificant to me."

Qi Gefei frowned slightly.

"I haven't betrayed my faith; I just need more powerful strength, that's all. Since you don't need the power of the Nightmare Demon, then why are you here?"

"Is that even a question? This is the Twilight Ceremony. I'm here, of course, to become the bridegroom."

"To become the bridegroom?"

Qi Gefei had an odd look on his face. He clearly remembered from the swordsmanship classes that Lu Luo and Qi Xinzhu were a couple. How come he's now here to become a bridegroom? Then what about Qi Xinzhu... wait a second.

"Is Qi Xinzhu here?" Qi Gefei suddenly asked.

"Yes, Qi Xinzhu is here."

"How can you be so sure?"

Lu Luo's expression was a bit exaggerated, but a hint of purple flashed in his pupils—this was the second time he had used Nightmare Power.

Although he used very little of the Netherflame's essence, the effect was quite significant.

A trace of a smile appeared on Qi Gefei's face; he felt he had discovered Lu Luo's weakness. Or perhaps not a weakness, but a point of leverage: the bride, Qi Xinzhu.

But what he didn't realize was that, in the midst of his contemplation, he had already been subtly influenced by the Nightmare Power.

"Lu Luo, since you're unwilling to cooperate with me, that's fine. We can each look for our own opportunities. My goal is the power of the Nightmare Demon. I currently have an item for the Twilight Gifts, and I may get even more later. How about we make a trade?"

Watching Qi Gefei walk step by step into his rhythm, Lu Luo feigned hesitation.

"A trade? What kind of trade do you want?"

"If you obtain Netherflame, or other powers of the Nightmare Demon, I'm willing to exchange the groom's items with you! I have no interest in the bride at all, and I am willing to help you and Qi Xinzhu have your happy ending together. You said yourself that you disdain the power of the Nightmare Demon. This trade is very fair."

Lu Luo stared at Qi Gefei for a while, as if confirming the truth of his words. After a long moment, Lu Luo nodded.

"Fine, I agree to your trade. I will find a way to obtain the source of the Nightmare Demon's power. I also hope you don't die; otherwise, our deal would be meaningless."

After hearing Lu Luo's words, Qi Gefei smiled and pointed at his own head.

"In the Nightmare Castle, it's wisdom, not force, that counts. I'll survive just fine. Your strength may be formidable, but it's often useless here. I also hope to see you alive at nine o'clock tomorrow morning!"

After saying this, Qi Gefei left. Lu Luo stood still for a while.

[Hey, Lu Xiaoluo, don't you think the way he pointed to his head and said that it's about wisdom here was particularly silly and cute?]

"It's always good to leave others some room when dealing with people, so you can meet again on good terms in the future. As for something like stupidity, it's better to see it and not point it out!"

Lu Luo found Qi Gefei's words quite agreeable; wisdom was indeed vital here.

But physical strength was equally important! Of this, Lu Luo was certain.

Just because the Nightmare Demon was Eighth Order didn't mean all his subordinates were Eighth Order too; Suding was merely a slightly stronger Fifth Tier.

If he could advance to Fourth Tier, then he was confident he could contend with these game managers without using any extra powers!

This was very important.

That's why the kitchen was his first step!

...

Since the dining plates on the table would be taken away by harpies, all Lu Luo needed to do was follow them to find where the plates were washed. From there, it shouldn't be too far to the real kitchen!

[Gurulu, First Tier Exotic Species. Abilities and attributes not worth mentioning.]

Watching these dishwashing Gurulus, Lu Luo focused his attention on the Invisible Harpies emerging.

They wouldn't return immediately but would head to the innermost room, retrieve some new food, and walk to the great hall to replace the old dishes.

[A life form is approaching rapidly. Channel unknown, definitely not visible to the naked eye.]

WHOOSH! A dark figure stood behind Lu Luo. It was a very large Invisible Harpy.

When Lu Luo turned around, his face was right in front of her three breasts.

Good heavens! She had three breasts—it was deformed and somewhat terrifying!

"Sir, this is not where you should be. If you'd like, we can change to a different location," she said.

[Harpy Witch, Fourth Tier Humanoid Species...]

The Observer's prompt hadn't finished when Lu Luo's Fenrir was already unsheathed!

CLANG!

The glorious Sword Qi directly shattered the physically weak Fourth Tier Humanoid Species, damaging some decorations in the corridor as well.

The commotion of the fight immediately alerted the castle soldiers and other Invisible Harpies.

Soon, a wave of Exotic Species appeared where Lu Luo had just struck.

Meanwhile, Lu Luo himself was wedged against a pillar in the corner, using the Observer's extreme visual range to find a blind spot, keeping himself hidden.

The Nightmare Demon once said that it particularly enjoys playing games, and its castle was designed with games in mind. If it's a game, the castle can be treated as a game instance. The Invisible Harpies must be fixed, mobile NPC minions. A Lord like Suding should be a BOSS. Each area should have such regional BOSSes. The Harpy Witch I encountered just now must be a patrol monster, the kind that causes unexpected trouble, like a '110'. With BOSSes, minions, and '110s', attacking and killing might attract more monsters. If caught, even stronger and tougher Exotic Species might appear. This mechanism is a bit troublesome!

[The Exotic Species have left. Duration was precisely ten minutes.]

A ten-minute safety window, huh? I see.

Lu Luo slid down from the pillar, timing his move with the gap as the harpies carried away the plates.

He approached the door of the second-to-last room, from which a strong smell of blood emanated.

Before he even entered, a huge cleaver flew out from within.

THUD!

This was no kitchen knife; it was a Bone-Slicing Blade, covered with Netherflame. It was identical to the Deformed Chef Lu Luo had encountered at school.

Attacked just for standing at the doorway? That force and attack speed are considerable. Is this the vegetable chopping area?

Lu Luo didn't leave. Instead, he reached out and grabbed the flying Bone-Slicing Blade.

The Netherflame on the blade gradually flowed into Lu Luo's palm, restoring the large cleaver to its original state.

Netherflame, huh?

Clutching the Bone-Slicing Blade, Lu Luo entered the chopping room, Netherflame igniting on his own body.

And his Netherflame was even purer.

This time, the butcher in the kitchen didn't continue attacking him.

Instead, he stared nervously at Lu Luo—or more precisely, at the Netherflame on Lu Luo—and said in a gruff, muffled voice, "You took my knife."

So Netherflame can signify status within the Nightmare Castle! That's interesting.

[The items on these butchers' tables are quite interesting. You could touch them to see what they are!]

There were three butchers in the room. However, with the Observer's hint, Lu Luo immediately focused his gaze on the butcher in front of him.

Lu Luo looked at the butchers: monsters with massive bodies but disproportionately small heads. They weren't exactly ugly, but they certainly weren't good-looking.

[Butcher, Fifth Tier Humanoid Species, possesses Nightmare abilities. Attributes: Strength 190, Agility 65, Constitution 120.]

Not a Lord-level Fifth Tier! Clearly a notch weaker. No, the gap is more than just a notch; this level of strength would probably be crushed by the old lizardman, Suding! And with only these attributes, Lu Luo wouldn't be afraid of it at all! However, fear aside, dealing with three ordinary Fifth Tiers simultaneously might require an instantaneous burst of full power.

Hearing the butcher's question, Lu Luo didn't hand back the Bone-Slicing Blade directly. Instead, he countered, "How can you prove this knife is yours?"

After Lu Luo's question, the sounds of chopping meat and vegetables in the room ceased. The other two butchers also turned their gaze towards Lu Luo. They, too, were pondering how to prove the knife belonged to the first butcher.

The butcher thought for a moment; the question seemed rather difficult for it. After a while, it seemed to have a joyful realization and stated to Lu Luo with great certainty, "They are butchers, and I am too. They have knives, so I should have one too!"

[That answer is well-reasoned and evidence-based!]

Lu Luo almost laughed. If they weren't Lords, a Fifth Tier Exotic Species actually possessing such a low level of intelligence was truly pathetic.

"Their knives are in their own hands, but this knife is in my hand. If you want it, trade the meat on your table for it!"

The butcher glanced at the chunks of meat on its table and, without hesitation, agreed to Lu Luo's terms.

"Okay!"

It tossed a huge slab of meat towards Lu Luo, who simultaneously threw the Bone-Slicing Blade to the butcher.

Lu Luo knew well that when dealing with such dim-witted Exotic Species, it was best not to get fancy. They might lack brains, but they knew how to chop.

If it were just one, Lu Luo would have definitely attacked directly. But dealing with three at once was too risky. Since a trade was possible, it was certainly more effective than fighting.

[Dragon Spine Meat! This must be the meat of a Red Dragon. Dragons are considered perfectly mutated forms among animal-type Exotic Species. They usually mutate from creatures like lizards and possess very high nutritional value, capable of enhancing Strength and Constitution.]

Without a word, Lu Luo extended his Devourer in front of the three butchers and consumed the Dragon Spine Meat.

[You have consumed Dragon Spine Meat for the first time. Your Strength has increased by 2.2, and your Constitution by 1.4.]

The effect of this meat! It's truly amazing!

As Lu Luo marveled, he turned to the second butcher and spoke directly, "I want what's on your chopping board."

"I have a knife, so I won't trade with you."

"That's a real shame!"

The butcher ignored Lu Luo, and Lu Luo didn't bother looking for any more openings.

He walked to the door and closed the chopping room's door.

This action caught the attention of the three butchers. However, their minds weren't sharp; after a brief glance, they turned their heads away again.

Lu Luo calmly walked to the center of the three butchers, intense steam gradually beginning to emanate from his body.

"What are you doing?" one of the butchers turned its head.

Facing the butcher's question, Lu Luo replied naturally, "I'm not disturbing you here, am I?"

The butcher turned its head away again.

"Indeed, you are not."

Lu Luo looked at the three butchers with their backs to him and smiled. Sneak attacks weren't exclusive to villains, after all.

The moment the butcher's words faded, he struck.

Steam Fourth Gear, Thunder Slash.

Thunder Breath—Ring Slash!

A ring-shaped, lightning-infused Sword Qi erupted instantly.

SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT!

The three butchers were sliced in half by Lu Luo's single strike, but his movements didn't pause.

Fenrir Type VI activated, steel wires guiding the short blades to pierce through the skulls of two butchers.

Meanwhile, Lu Luo himself used his main sword to cleave the head of the last butcher.

The slaughter erupted in an instant and ended just as quickly; the entire battle lasted less than five seconds.

Lu Luo hid on the ceiling of the room for a full minute, but no castle reinforcements appeared. This gave him a new understanding of the castle's defense mechanisms.

Sound and line of sight both affect the triggering of defenses. I closed the door, blocking both sound and visibility. And since the chopping room is supposed to be noisy anyway, no one came? So, the question is, if I kill all witnesses, does that count as a perfect infiltration?

As Lu Luo pondered, he extended the Devourer's tentacles.

[You have devoured a Fifth-Tier Exotic Species Butcher and gained 2,000 energy points.]

The three butchers yielded Lu Luo 6,000 energy points, equivalent to that of a single Fifth-Tier Lord.

Sure enough, when it comes to leveling up, farming minions is always faster than fighting BOSSes.

Lu Luo additionally obtained a serving of vegetables and one of fruit.

He absorbed everything with the Devourer, bringing his attributes to: Strength 105, Agility 102, and Constitution 103.

To be honest, eating these things now is a bit of a waste. Once I break through to Fourth Tier, I'll be able to use energy points to boost attributes directly. The benefits of consuming these items would be greatest when my three core attributes reach 200. However, I'm a pragmatist. I've always believed that one must be strong enough in the early stages to even talk about the late game. Enhancing my attributes now gives me a greater advantage. There will be plenty of opportunities for attributes later.

...

After clearing the chopping room, Lu Luo opened the door and, after carefully observing the surroundings, stepped out.

He then headed towards the deepest part of the corridor—the real kitchen.

Upon entering, Lu Luo saw many chefs wearing white hats and aprons.

[Chef, Fifth-Tier Humanoid Species, possesses Nightmare abilities. Attributes: Strength 155, Agility 75, Constitution 120.]

These chefs, like the butchers before them, were Fifth Tier, though their attributes were slightly weaker than the butchers'. However, they looked like they might be smarter, as their heads were a size larger than the butchers', about the size of a gourd.

At this moment, there were no dishes left in the kitchen; it seemed the required replenishment for the dining hall had been completed.

The chefs here all stood at their stations, neither speaking nor resting.

Netherflame enveloped Lu Luo, granting him a special status that allowed him to walk unhindered towards the depths of the kitchen.

When he reached the back kitchen, a group of chefs was surrounding a monkey-like creature, massaging its back, kneading its feet, bowing and scraping.

The moment Lu Luo saw the monkey, he noticed something that distinguished it from the other creatures.

There was no Netherflame on this monkey!

[Nightmare Head Chef - Ling Jia, Sixth-Tier Lord, abilities unknown. Attributes: Strength 220, Agility 395, Constitution 65.]

As Lu Luo entered the back kitchen, Ling Jia instantly looked towards him.

"Aha, another wretch cursed by Netherflame! You lot, dominated by the Nightmare Demon, what is it you seek from Ling Jia this time? Secrets? Knowledge? Or perhaps a method?"

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