Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 29 Smells bad, tastes good

Theoretically, Mr. Marshall's symptoms were not serious and he could be cured by drinking a bottle of blocker. However, when he saw the ominous liquid in the bottle with bubbles rolling and a pungent smell, he became extremely uncooperative.

“You guys…hahahaha, go think of other, ha, ways…”

Even though he was laughing so hard that he was out of breath, Marshall still extended his hand to Ethan to refuse.

Ethan could only ask his superiors for instructions, but when he turned around, he found that Ivy had already left the bedroom, and Miss Chloe was hiding at the door with her.

Miss Chloe paced back and forth anxiously at the door and tried to come in several times, but was stopped by the pungent smell.

She could only try to convey a message to Ethan with her eyes.

——That’s shit, you can’t pick it up!

Ivy looked at Ethan, whose eyes went dark, with great interest, curious about what action this subordinate who was usually eloquent would take. If it were her, she would probably knock Marshall unconscious and force the blocker into his mouth.

Marshall was transferred from the Imperial Capital United Reserve Bank to be the president of Ximu Town. His uncle was a nobleman in Gear City. His five years of experience as president were used to enrich his professional resume. According to the procedures, he would be transferred to the head office in the Imperial Capital.

It is almost impossible to get such a person who has been used to eating delicacies from land and sea since childhood to drink the blocker.

Ivy has heard that many investigators active on the front line take drugs that reduce their sense of smell and taste for a long time in order to adapt to the smell of blockers and exorcists. This will make them no longer sensitive to smells. The disadvantage is that the damage to the senses caused by the drugs is irreversible, and it will be difficult for them to enjoy food after retirement.

but……

How many frontline investigators can live to retirement age?
"Mr. Marshall, can human senses deceive you?"

"Don't come over here——!"

While laughing wildly, Marshall stretched out his hands and retreated to the corner of the room. He took out a pistol from the drawer and aimed at Ethan, as if he would die together with him if Ethan came any closer.

"Mr. Marshall, I heard that you come from a prominent family. Your ancestor was a high-ranking officer in the Kingdom's army and participated in the tragic apostasy war."

After hearing about the glorious deeds left by his ancestors, Marshall calmed down a little and moved the gun away with trembling hands.

"So, have you heard the story about stinky tofu?"

Ethan spoke in a gentle tone and stopped where he was. His words worked, and even the wild laughter stopped. Marshall was only a few steps away from him, shaking his head at him blankly.

The golden hair on Ivy's head stood up as she listened carefully.

This shows that Ethan had made sufficient preparations on the way here and had learned about Marshall's identity background.

Could it be that this guy is planning to use the family honor to kidnap Marshall?
This is a good idea.

"It was the early days of the Apostasy War. The first king was ambushed by the followers of the evil god during a battle. They fought a seesaw battle in the forest for three days. When they defeated the followers of the evil god, only an empty village was left outside the forest. The soldiers of the kingdom army were hungry and thirsty. They searched the entire village, but only found a local specialty called tofu. Moreover, because it had been left for too long, most of the tofu had already spoiled."

As Ethan continued to talk, the bedroom fell silent. Apart from his story, the only sound was the sound of his even breathing.

Everyone gradually got used to the pungent smell of the blocker.

Ethan went on to say, "The spoiled tofu was inedible, but if they didn't eat anything, they would have a hard time making it back to town, so the first king made a decision. He had people light a fire in the village, boil a large pot of oil, and fry the spoiled tofu in the oil pan. Almost immediately, a pungent smell emanated from the oil pan, and many soldiers questioned whether this food could really be eaten. Amid people's doubts, the first king set an example by tasting the fried spoiled tofu first, and surprisingly found that it tasted quite good.

"Several years later, after the apostasy war ended, the first king revisited the place and recalled his experience in the village. He thought that it was the spoiled tofu that helped the kingdom's army survive a crisis, so he asked the locals to imitate their methods and cook this snack. Because it smells bad but tastes good, the first king named it 'stinky tofu'. Today, stinky tofu lovers prefer the pungent smell, because under the strong contrast and comparison, they can taste the true charm of this snack."

Ivy's expression became more and more solemn, and in the end it was almost identical to Marshall's.

She never expected that the first king of the empire would have such a story!
Ethan observed that Marshall was somewhat shaken, which showed that the strategy he adopted had achieved certain results. He had read the assessment of Marshall by the shelter agency, which said that he possessed the characteristics of those old-school aristocrats and attached great importance to the reputation and honor of his family.

"The full name of the blocker is 'Relaxing Mental Blocker 2.0'. You can tell from the name that it has gone through several updates and iterations since its initial release until now, and only the version you see today is available." Ethan said loudly, "The R&D department of the Containment Bureau has brought together the empire's top scientific research talents. This is the result of their wisdom and hard work. Could it be that these smartest people in the world have never received feedback and don't know that the smell of the blocker is daunting?"

Although these words were directed at Marshall, they made Ivy think.

She had never thought about it from this perspective.

Ethan's image in her eyes suddenly became taller, and every word he said hit her heart like a heavy hammer, making her think in new ways. This reminded her of the mentors of the Enlightenment Academy, all of whom were the most knowledgeable scholars in the empire.

Compared to those people, Ethan was too young. It was hard for her to imagine that someone of the same age could have a temperament similar to that of her mentors.

"The research department certainly knew that, and they knew countless ways to eliminate the odor, but they didn't do it. They could accept the feedback from the investigators and change the taste of the solution, but the smell and appearance must be retained."

Ethan gave Marshall time to digest and think. Seeing that Marshall seemed to have understood something, he continued, "When stinky tofu lovers smell the pungent smell, they think of the glorious years that the first king spent in the apostasy war. Similarly, the research department wants to convey a message to countless investigators who are trying blockers for the first time - this job is not about treating people to a meal. Only those with a willpower beyond that of ordinary people can survive in this industry."

Ethan walked towards Marshall step by step. This time Marshall did not speak. He stared at the glass in Ethan's hand.

Too many thoughts occupied his mind.

He thought of his ancestors, the first king, and the great war of apostasy.

Then, the glass bottle was handed to him.

Ethan's deep voice was like the devil's whisper, "The only question is, are you a determined person like your family's ancestors?"

Marshall's brain worked quickly, extracting several key pieces of information from the complex amount of information.

Yes.

The pungent smell is retained to remind investigators of the work they are doing.

But in fact, the problem of taste has long been solved. Just like stinky tofu, as the times change, it has become a snack accepted by most local people.

Thinking of this, Marshall tilted his head back and drank the blocker in one gulp.

Then, all thoughts stopped.

His vision blurred and his body swayed as he looked at Ethan with only one thought in his mind.

Oh shit!

Damn liar!
"The story just now..."

Ivy walked into the house and patted Ethan's shoulder from behind. She always felt that the scene in front of her was a little weird, which destroyed the heaviness brought by the story just now.

She looked at Ethan, and Ethan looked at Marshall...

Marshall rolled his eyes and stuck out his blackened tongue, leaving only his empty eyes.

This tongue can no longer be used.

She read the subtle message from Marshall's expression.

"I made it all up."

Ethan glanced at the empty glass bottle that fell to the ground and commented, "Not even dogs would drink this stuff."

(End of this chapter)