The Nineteenth Volume: A Night Feast of Gluttony and Hedonism

  Nine, wild eating sea cucumber's night feast

  Although Gannemelir didn't have the slightest appearance of a wizard, he couldn't be considered a living person either. Naturally, his mansion wouldn't have something like a kitchen. To entertain the teacher who had come from afar, Gannemelir and Ilmuster once again boarded Kalsa's carriage and headed towards the most prosperous commercial district in the imperial capital. However, the current state of the area left Ilmuster extremely surprised and dissatisfied.

  "This is no longer a commercial district, it's become a fortress! " Irumina frowned as she stepped down from the carriage, gazing at the roadblock in front of her. "Barbed wire, abatis, magical traps... and they've even brought out the hail cannon! Are they going to bury landmines too?"

  He still used the tone of teaching students to question Gan Meirill, who had once studied under him. "Has the imperial capital now become so chaotic that it's necessary to fight street battles? Can't you, as the chief executive officer, even maintain order at your own feet?"

  Although nominally the supreme leader of the empire, Ganmely still couldn't put on a bit of airs in front of his own teacher. On the one hand, he humbly acknowledged Ilminster's rebuke, and on the other hand, he showed his credentials and tokens to the soldiers at the gatehouse, asking them to open the fence to let the carriage pass through. In short, his attitude was as good as it could be. However, Ilminster remained extremely dissatisfied, continuing to grumble, until even Kalsas couldn't help but look down on him.

  "Irminister, since you haven't been in the Imperial City lately, don't make wild accusations. Ganmeryll did what he had to do." Karzas pointed at a tall building nearby, "Do you see that house? The one with the big black patch and many wooden patches on it?"

  "I see, it seems like that place used to be a high-end hotel, how did it become like this?"

  "Last month, the Harpist Alliance used carriages loaded with explosives and poison gas to carry out a terrorist attack there. Over six hundred people were killed," Karsas sighed, "including more than twenty members of Congress, and even the head of the Imperial Guard was seriously injured. Several professors from the Academy were also attending the banquet. In the end, not even a single intact corpse could be found. There have been at least thirty smaller-scale attacks in the commercial district recently, resulting in over two thousand casualties, mostly using carriage bombs. So how can the guards not be strict? Not just carriages, but even pedestrians are searched." She pointed to the small gate at the checkpoint, where a long line of citizens were waiting, each with their hands on their heads, waiting for the guards' search. To avoid unnecessary trouble, the guards had arranged for female soldiers to conduct the searches. So the situation was still relatively calm.

  "How can the Harp Hand Alliance be so rampant in the Imperial Capital? Are the City Guard and Intelligence Department just eating white rice?" Irmgard furrowed her brow, "Although the Harp Hand was arrogant before, they rarely acted within the imperial center."

  "Refugees from all sides kept pouring in, the capital's security was getting worse by the day, and even the guards were powerless. Gan Meili finished negotiating with the sentry at the checkpoint and returned to the carriage. "I couldn't possibly order them to be driven away, that would not only fail to report to the opposing country but also trigger a large-scale rebellion, so I can only drag it out like this. But there's not enough food to sustain their lives. These people are an unstable factor, and the lute player is stirring things up again... Teacher, look at that house over there, doesn't it seem a bit strange?"

  "It's no longer just a bit strange, it's like being trampled by an elephant!" Ilmuster stared at the bizarre building in front of him, which was being forcibly pressed into the ground, and couldn't help but break out in cold sweat.

  "That place was originally a high-end pastry shop run by several skilled cooking mages. Those guys, in order to prevent theft, used solidifying magic to make the store more robust than an iron plate. As a result, at the end of last year, the lute player incited the refugees to come here and loot food. Not only were all the goods looted, but even the house was trampled underground! As for the owner, when the security team found him, he had been flattened to the point where he could be used as a sandwich filling... Oh, I'm very sorry, I shouldn't have said that before eating."

  "It doesn't matter." Ilmester waved his hand, indicating that he didn't mind. "Anyway, I don't have much of an appetite either, Karsas, you won't mind either, will you?"

  "…Stop blowing smoke rings at my nose! How come you old smoker haven't died of lung cancer yet?"

  "The scenery is nice and the performance is great, but the food and wine... never mind, it's hard times so can't ask for too much."

  Miss Carlisle's verdict on the arrangements for the welcome dinner to Garmirell, spoken as she hastily stuffed large pieces of peppered roast mutton into her mouth, even stretching knife and fork across to Irlminster's plate.

  As a local snake in the imperial capital for many years, the place recommended by the Chief Executive Officer would naturally not be bad. After passing through the checkpoint, the three of them drove around a bend and arrived at a high-end restaurant that was said to be quite upscale. The boss was an elf from Komanso (a land spirit loyal to the empire), who knew how to create an elegant, comfortable and artistic environment, so he was very popular among the upper-class officials and nobles.

  The restaurant is located on the edge of the commercial district, through

  The floor-to-ceiling glass window offers a view of the rippling Shadow Sea - this is the nearby lake, and turning another angle you can also see the towering Cloud Piercing Blade Mountain Range, with beautiful scenery that's hard to take in. The Shadow Sea not only has beautiful scenery but also provides an abundance of fresh seafood. This restaurant's raw fish slices and small lobsters are very famous, although due to the war, the number made every day has decreased significantly.

  Because the boss is a spirit, the exterior of the restaurant looks like it's made entirely of logs, giving off a very primitive appearance. However, the interior decoration is absolutely not lacking, and can be described as luxurious and grandiose. Every visible spot is adorned with gold, silver, and precious jewels. The halls and corridors are filled with colorful magical lanterns, and even on each dining table, there are vibrant flowers that shouldn't be in bloom during winter, created by magic. Most of the waiters can also perform small magic tricks to add to the excitement, such as setting fire to a well-mixed cocktail or freezing fruit juice into flavored shaved ice.

  However... "These things can't fill my stomach, bring the menu to me quickly!" Karlsef, who was tortured by the school cafeteria, put on a napkin without waiting for the waiter's service and urged the dishes to be served one after another, completely like a starving ghost. This made the diners look at him sideways, and even Eru Meister felt ashamed to be with this guy.

  Although it was a high-end consumer venue, the war and famine also left their mark here. In the luxurious banquet hall, the orchestra's performance of traditional music was still as beautiful and lyrical as before, with half-elf dancers wearing sexy leaf skirts jumping around with steel pipes, while second-rate magicians recklessly threw all sorts of flashy spells (there were too many magicians who had escaped to the imperial capital, and the competition was fierce). However, when the three of them opened the elaborately decorated ancient-style sheepskin menu, looking at the content that couldn't even fill a page, each of their faces still showed an expression of being cheated.

  "Is that all the dishes you have, and no seafood either?" Karl Sasse pointed to the simplified menu with his finger and asked the waiter discontentedly.

  "Sorry, it's still winter." The waiter pointed to the frozen sea outside, which looked like an ice rink, and showed a helpless smile. "For safety reasons, the security team prohibits arbitrary ice fishing, and our store didn't get a fishing permit, so..." He bowed his head and apologized, "I'm very sorry to disappoint you all."

  This must be a way for the guards to make extra money, Kalsa and Ilminster exchanged a glance, came to a conclusion in an instant, and then turned their eyes together to the Chief Governor who was hosting this time, making Ganmeril's heart feel a chill.

  "Ah, both of you are first-timers here, so I'll just order for us. Gannemeri stuttered and looked down at the parchment menu, then stuttered even more violently as she saw the outrageous prices behind each dish. "Is this robbery? The price hike is too ridiculous! Ah, never mind, teacher, I can afford it. Waiter, bring them two servings of pepper salt roasted lamb chops, two fruit salads, and also..."

  The chief executive officer looked up at Karl Sasse and saw that the other's eyes were not pleased, so he quickly lowered his head again. "Two more roasted squab, two servings of creamy mushroom soup, two servings of mixed vegetables..."

  He looked at Carl Sagan with pleading eyes again, but the female professor still made a disappointing gesture. Ganmery had to continue reading in a choked voice, "Also one roasted suckling pig, one pot of braised beef, two black pepper sausages, two chicken wings, and two fried meat pies, should be enough."

  "Drinks, apple cider." Since it wasn't his own money, Karl Sasse continued to order on his own, "What? None? Then grape wine. Also sold out? What else is there? Forget it, just prepare a small barrel of beer for each of us. And also one large pot of coffee, one bottle of iced orange juice, one plate of almond cookies, one plate of handmade chocolate, and one large plate of egg white omelette..." Karl Sasse, who had been malnourished for a long time, was clearly determined to squeeze out the last drop of oil from Ganelle's bones to fill his own empty stomach, apparently planning to order everything on the menu.

  "Professor Karsus, have mercy!" Ganmirel could no longer maintain his gentlemanly demeanor, bowing his head with hands clasped together. "If I say any more, I'll have to go back and get my checkbook."

  "Hmph, how petty. Fine, that's it then. I want a large serving of butter cake as the main course, and make sure it's fresh." Karl Sasser tossed aside the menu with an air of dissatisfaction, "Hurry up with the food, I'm starving."

  "Sir, the previous orders were for your friends. Would you like to order something else for yourself?" The waiter, who had just made a big sale, was in a good mood and continued to ask the Prime Minister politely.

  "I'll just have a cup of red tea." Gan Meirei weakly waved her hand, for the first time feeling grateful for the special physiology of being an undead that didn't require eating.