Persuaded by Fu Zhu, Robin finally decided to temporarily set aside the matters on Penacony and wholeheartedly immerse herself in the victory feast.
Several system hours later, all preparations for the feast were complete. Fu Zhu called everyone to a carriage that had been specially cleared out for the occasion.
Stelle, who was already starving, was the first to hear the call for dinner. Taking the lead, she walked to the front of the group and grasped the door handle, pulling it open.
The moment the carriage door was cracked open, a mixed aroma of various foods nimbly slipped through the gap and into everyone's noses, causing them all to subconsciously stop and take a deep breath. Instantly, they felt their entire beings become refreshed!
No one present was an ordinary person. Aside from Stelle, who paid it no mind, the others couldn't help but exchange looks of surprise. This food was no simple fare!
Just by smelling it, they felt their very souls soothed. Black Swan felt this effect most keenly; she could even feel the spiritual damage she had sustained over the past few days being faintly repaired!
'What kind of food could be so magical?' they all wondered.
With this curiosity in their hearts, they flooded into the carriage as soon as Stelle fully opened the door.
Inside, a massive round table was set before them, on top of which sat a transparent, rotating glass tray. Over a hundred different exquisite dishes were arranged on the tray. It was clear that the aroma they had smelled earlier emanated from them.
In addition, surrounded by the hundred-plus dishes, more than a dozen bottles of wine were neatly arranged in the center. Compared to the fragrant food, they seemed somewhat low-key and reserved.
At least from their appearance, they were far less impressive than the famous brands of red wine they had seen in the outside world.
Fu Zhu smiled as he sat down, looking at the dumbfounded crowd. He spread his hands and gestured. "Although these dishes are kept at a constant temperature forever, I won't say it won't get cold, ahem… hurry up and sit down, don't let the food get cold."
This little joke from Fu Zhu amused everyone, and they each quickly picked a spot to sit. However, it was at this point that things started to get a little strange.
Using Fu Zhu as a reference point, the men had all subconsciously sat on the opposite side of the table from him. This left quite a few empty seats on either side of Fu Zhu, and the only ones yet to be seated were Stelle, March 7th, Herta, Hysilens, and the other women. They looked at each other with strange expressions, and no one made the first move to sit down.
Tribbie, not sensing anything amiss, was about to sit right next to Fu Zhu to have a nice chat, but she was stopped by Cerydra.
Tribbie looked down in confusion at the frowning Cerydra. "Cerydra, what's wrong?"
"Something's not right. There's killing intent!"
"Huh?"
Tribbie scratched her head in confusion and looked at the others, but she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.
Just then, Rider (Murata Himeko, who had been summoned as a Heroic Spirit by Fu Zhu) casually walked over and sat down right beside Fu Zhu.
"What killing intent? Madam Cerydra, you haven't picked up some strange side effects, have you?"
However, the moment she sat down, she felt a chill run down her spine and the hair on her arms stand on end. She shot up from her chair as if propelled by a spring, her eyes filled with terror as she turned to look at the other women behind her.
Holy shit, did someone just direct killing intent at me?
Although she hadn't exerted herself much in the war for Amphoreus, it wasn't to the point where she wasn't even allowed a seat at the table, right?!
Or was it because of the seat she had chosen?
Rider hesitated for a moment, then sat down one seat over. But the moment she did, that faint killing intent washed over her again, though it was slightly less intense than before.
Helpless, Rider had no choice but to stand up again, move another seat over, and sit down. But the killing intent persisted.
And so, Rider began to repeatedly sit down, stand up, and move to another seat. She continued this until she had moved to the furthest possible seat, at which point the feeling finally vanished completely.
After finally settling down securely, Rider shot Fu Zhu a look of pity.
Just how many romantic entanglements have you gotten yourself into? This is enough to start another Holy Grail War!
The remaining women exchanged a look. March 7th and Bronya were the first to take the seats on either side of Fu Zhu, followed by Hysilens and Herta.
March 7th secretly glanced at Hysilens sitting next to her. The heart that had been at ease was now on edge again. She glared at Hysilens with a hint of lingering fear and warned, "You're not allowed to pile food on my plate this time! I'm on a diet!"
Hysilens chuckled and nodded.
"Alright."
But soon, March 7th discovered that even without Hysilens piling food on her plate, she was still eating quite a lot!
She was shocked to find that the dishes Fu Zhu had made were simply too delicious!
March 7th took a piece of honey-glazed ham with her chopsticks. After chewing and swallowing, she immediately felt a warmth spread through her entire body. It was the kind of comforting feeling one gets after turning on the air conditioning to 16°C in a room and snuggling up under the covers!
The others also noticed something was amiss after taking a bite. Herta and Screwllum's reactions were the most pronounced!
Especially Screwllum. He looked up at Fu Zhu in astonishment. "Mr. Fu, these dishes can even be consumed by Intellitrons?!"
As an Intellitron, he had actually tasted something!
Screwllum had originally attended this victory feast just for the atmosphere. As an Intellitron, he lacked many of the senses of a normal person. He never expected that at this moment, he would be able to taste food just like a normal human being. It was simply unbelievable!
On the other side, Herta was equally shocked. She discovered that after eating the food, her damaged body was recovering at a steady pace.
"These dishes can even heal injuries!"
The others also immediately took a bite to taste for themselves, letting out gasps of surprise.
Fu Zhu smiled at the astonished crowd and pointed a finger at the various bottles of wine in the center.
"Don't be in such a hurry. This is just the beginning. Have some wine, and you'll feel something even more amazing."
Everyone turned to look at the bottle Fu Zhu was pointing at. Herta was the first to spin the tray, taking it and looking at the name on the bottle.
[Mojang Red Wine]
Herta immediately uncorked the bottle, poured herself some, and took a sip from her glass.
[Experience Boost: 1:30]
In an instant, Herta felt her mind explode. Her thoughts raced, and her mind became clearer than ever before. She could even feel her own power slowly growing stronger. The feeling was as intoxicating as a dream.