American Horror Story, Starting from Falls Town

Chapter 392 The Lord of the Flies!

"Sheffield, I originally thought that with your personality, you probably wouldn't find a partner before you were thirty. I didn't expect that you would find a handsome guy just a few years after graduation, and a handsome guy who is younger than you."

Hannibal made a joke about Claire, which suggests that the two do have a good relationship.

"I'm nothing like that!"

Claire looked a little embarrassed.

"The truth is, most of the doctoral students in your cohort have already gotten married before they even received their degrees, while you're the only one who found a boyfriend this year."

Claire pursed her lips.

"Isn't it because I got my degree faster? I completed my doctoral credits in just four years, while they took ten. If they don't get married soon, they won't be able to get married at all!"

“That’s right! Sheffield, you’ve come at the perfect time. I don’t have classes this afternoon, so I can cook lunch for you myself.”

Hannibal gave Roy a meaningful look, which made Roy feel strange.

Is he preparing to become a human being?
Claire, unaware of all this, had a sudden flash of interest.

"Great! It's been so long since I've had a meal cooked by Professor Lecter himself!"

Roy opened his mouth, wanting to tell Claire that going to the Lecter's house might mean either eating or being eaten.

But then I thought about it again, and realized that I didn't need to be afraid of an ordinary person.

If Hannibal really wanted to play any tricks, Roy could have just made him an acquaintance as well.

It's a pity that Claire might find it hard to accept, since she seems to respect Hannibal a lot.

Hannibal told Claire and Roy to wait for him in the parking lot, as he needed to pack his things before leaving get off work.

As Roy and Claire walked to the parking lot, Roy couldn't help but ask a question.

"Claire, have you eaten at Professor Lecter's house many times before?"

Claire shook her head.

"No, the only time I had dinner with Professor Lecter was on the day I received my PhD. He took a group of us graduate students to his house for dinner. That meal really impressed me! But for some reason, one of the senior students disappeared during the meal, and we never saw him again."

Okay, that senior student must have been the ingredient for that night.

Roy felt he should still remind Claire.

"Claire, there might be something wrong with your mentor!"

Upon hearing this, Claire paused for a moment.

"Is there a problem? What's wrong, Professor Lecter?"

Just as Roy was about to explain, he saw Hannibal walking over.

"Sorry to keep you waiting! I didn't drive today, may I ride with you?"

Claire didn't think too much about it and readily agreed on Roy's behalf.

"No problem at all!"

The car was still a Bumblebee; Roy was driving, Claire was in the passenger seat, and Hannibal was in the back.

Roy could see through the rearview mirror that Hannibal was staring at his head with a very strange look in his eyes.

This guy, is he thinking of himself as food?
Roy was speechless. If Hannibal dared to attack him later, even if this guy was Claire's respected professor, he wouldn't let him off the hook.

"We've arrived. This is my home."

Hannibal's house wasn't too far from the UCLA campus; it was only a five-minute drive away. It was a high-end apartment in a very good location.

Roy and Claire followed Hannibal into the apartment, which was decorated in a low-key yet luxurious style.

It's clear that Hannibal was indeed quite wealthy.

"Please wait a moment in the living room, I'll have a delicious lunch ready in no time."

With that, Hannibal put on an apron and went into the kitchen.

Hannibal's kitchen was very large, the largest room in his house, which shows that he really loved cooking.

Claire's face was full of anticipation, but Roy's expression wasn't so pleasant.

"Claire, don't eat the food yet. Wait until I've confirmed it before you eat!"

Roy whispered a reminder to Claire again.

"Roy, why is that?"

Claire looked at Roy strangely; she sensed that her boyfriend had become somewhat odd after meeting Hannibal.

"Claire, don't you believe me anymore?"

Claire definitely trusts Roy, after all, Roy has saved her more than once.

So even though Roy didn't give a reason, Claire ultimately chose to listen to him.

Half an hour later, the commotion in the kitchen ceased, and Hannibal pushed out a serving cart with three plates covered by metal domes on it.

"Professor Lecter, is this all so formal?"

These kinds of table covers are usually only used in star-rated Western restaurants; Claire didn't get this treatment when she dined here last time.

"Yes, because we have a distinguished guest today!"

Hannibal looked at Roy with a strange smile on his face.

Roy sensed something was wrong, but Hannibal's eyes seemed to see right through him.

"Sheffield, Black, come on! Every dish has its best time to be eaten, don't miss it!"

Claire remembered what Roy had just said and couldn't help but look at him.

Roy nodded slightly, then led Claire to the dining table and sat down.

Hannibal placed the three plates on the table and then lifted them one by one. Instantly, a cloud of steam wafted out, carrying a strong scent of fresh grass.

Roy and Claire saw a palm-sized piece of tender meat on an elegant plate, drizzled with some kind of brown sauce, on a bed of fresh leftovers, and garnished with some bright red cherry tomatoes.

The dish is excellent in both its visual and olfactory appeal, making it irresistible.

"This is our main course today, fresh veal tenderloin from the Alps. Because I didn't want to keep you waiting, I didn't thaw these three pieces of veal tenderloin. I directly seared them at high temperature with a blowtorch until they were medium-rare, then cooled them with liquid nitrogen to lock in the flavor. Finally, I drizzled some of my own sauce on top. You should try it, it's absolutely delicious!"

Hannibal explained his method of cooking veal tenderloin, leaving Roy and Claire feeling both impressed and bewildered.

However, neither of them touched the dish; they simply stared at it.

Hannibal didn't pay any attention and continued to serve three bowls of thick, white soup to the table.

"This is a seafood soup made with fresh octopus, small mushrooms, and clams, with some special seasonings added."

The bowl of snow-white, thick soup in front of him had a refreshing ocean flavor, making Roy feel as if he were back in the deep sea.

"Yes, it's like playing games with the Kraken underwater during the Deep Freeze event." Claire swallowed hard after smelling it; the aroma was simply irresistible.

Hannibal then served a third dish, a red meat with a distinctive marbling, one side of which was seared to a golden brown while the other side remained raw.

The red meat was also drizzled with an amber-colored liquid, making it look very appealing.

"Pan-fried bluefin tuna is my proudest creation; you must try it."

With three dishes laid out, each person received a veal tenderloin, a bowl of seafood chowder, and a serving of bluefin tuna, which was already quite a feast.

If this presentation were placed in a five-star restaurant, it would probably sell for thousands of dollars, not including drinks.

Hannibal sat down, smiling as he looked at Roy and Claire.

Why aren't you eating? Is it not to your liking?

Roy carefully examined the three dishes and concluded that the bluefin tuna was the safest, since fish flesh certainly doesn't grow on a human body.

Well, that's not necessarily true. The Deep Ones might have something to say.

The seafood chowder was a bit risky because Roy hadn't seen what ingredients Hannibal used, and who knows if it was actually made with seafood.

The riskiest cut is veal tenderloin. After being grilled at high temperatures and then cooled with nitrogen, the meat becomes completely unrecognizable by its texture.

Roy had no way of knowing whether it was calf tenderloin or child tenderloin.

After a moment's thought, Roy gave Claire a look, then prepared to confront Hannibal.

“Professor Lecter, I’m curious whether this veal tenderloin really comes from the Alps.”

Hannibal held his knife and fork, his smile undiminished.

"What, Mr. Blake, do you think I'm bragging? There's no need to worry about that. I've always been very serious about food. I personally verify the origin and source of all ingredients, and there are absolutely no fakes."

You probably hunted all the ingredients yourself, right?

Roy stared into Hannibal's eyes, slowly releasing his aura, but Hannibal seemed completely unaffected, his smile unchanged.

At that moment, Roy sensed something was wrong.

With Roy's current aura, even a slight release of it would be enough to scare an adult to death.

As a result, Hannibal, instead of being frightened by Roy's imposing presence, appeared quite relaxed.

This guy, could it be...

Roy had a bad feeling and was about to pull Claire back when he saw Hannibal tap the table lightly with his knife and fork.

For a moment, the surrounding environment seemed to freeze. Claire sat motionless in her seat, like a statue.

Only Hannibal and Roy remained in the room, free to move around.

Roy was shocked. This level of magic was not something an ordinary person could unleash. Hannibal's strength was definitely above that of a legend.

So the question is, why would someone like that be a professor at UCLA?

“Mr. Roy Black, it’s an honor to meet you! Let me introduce myself. You can call me Hannibal Lecter, or you can call me by another name, Beelzebub.”

(Beelzebub)

Roy's pupils contracted, completely unexpected that Hannibal was the King of Gluttony.

In this way, Roy, one of the seven demon kings of Hell, had seen them all.

However, Beelzebub was really well hidden. According to Claire, Hannibal had been a professor at UCLA for ten years, so Beelzebub may have already come to earth ten years ago.

This predates Belial's arrival on Earth.

Roy had asked Elizabeth before, and Elizabeth said that she came to the human world three years ago after discovering the hellish passage under the waterfall.

So through which hell passage did Beelzebub come to earth?
It's quite absurd that such a small city as Los Angeles has three demon kings and one archangel, especially since there are two demon kings on the UCLA campus.

Why not stop calling Los Angeles the City of Angels and start calling it the City of Hell!
Now that he knew Hannibal's true identity was Beelzebub, Roy's attitude changed.

Well, of the seven demon kings of Hell, Roy only failed to fight Lucifer and Beelzebub; he fought all five of them.

He even personally sent several demon kings of hell back to hell!
So even Belial often had fairy fights in bed, so even if Roy encountered the King of Gluttony, he wouldn't be afraid.

On Earth, Beelzebub might not necessarily be able to defeat Roy!

"Oh, it's the Lord of the Flies! My apologies!"

Beelzebub was originally a god in Canaanite mythology, and at that time his name was Baal, which means "master of heaven".

However, after God appeared, he defeated all the gods in the surrounding western regions with overwhelming power. Most of the gods perished in the war, but some were banished to hell.

Barr was one of them.

After losing the offerings of the faithful, Baal's power rapidly declined, eventually falling to the level of a mere lord-level demon.

During that time, Baal was forced to submit to Belial and become the leader of the seventy-two pillar gods of Solomon.

This situation continued until a major change occurred in Hell.

Baal seized the opportunity presented by the cataclysmic change in Hell, transforming his true form into a fly to gain the power of the sin of gluttony, ultimately becoming one of the seven demon kings of Hell.

Although Beelzebub's original form became extremely ugly after he became a human, and he was also bound to the depths of hell, Beelzebub was at least able to stand on equal footing with Belial.

These stories are some of the secrets about the Demon King of Hell that Roy revealed to Elizabeth when he asked her about them.

As mentioned before, Beelzebub, Mammon, and Asmodeus were all once subordinates of Belial before becoming the Seven Demon Lords of Hell.

Therefore, Elizabeth knew something about how the King of Gluttony and the King of Greed rose to power.

However, Elizabeth never revealed anything about the King of Lust, nor did she explain why she hated him so much.

“Mr. Black, I’ve actually met you before.”

Hannibal's smile remained, as if he were chatting with an old friend.

"Oh? When?"

“Back in March, you came to Los Angeles and had a minor conflict with my cult.”

Roy raised an eyebrow, not expecting Hannibal to suddenly bring up the midnight cannibal train incident. Was he preparing to dredge up old grievances?
"Is that so? Then Mr. Lecter is preparing to avenge your cult?"

Roy was ready for battle, and if Hannibal dared to say yes, he would strike immediately.

“Revenge? No, no, no! I’m not a brainless person like Samael. I have no interest in revenge. Besides, I didn’t even form that order. They’re just a bunch of pathetic people who crave my pity to satisfy their own desires.”

This implies that the actions of the Gluttony Cult were not at Hannibal's behest.

However, Roy did not completely trust Hannibal. Of the seven demon kings, only Lucifer was relatively trustworthy; the others were likely to lie at any time.

"Really? Then what's your purpose in inviting me home this time?"

(End of this chapter)