Timeline Player

Chi Que raised an eyebrow: "Didn't you say that killing other residents in the city is forbidden?"

The Night of the Hunt—the name itself doesn't sound like a party for kind-hearted people; it's probably going to involve bloodshed.

"But the night of the hunt is an exception," Vincent said. "The strong devour the weak; it's human nature. But when human nature goes too far, it becomes detrimental to the survival of the strong. Therefore, in ordinary times, it's better for the weak to survive."

"At the same time, this also gives the weak a chance to become strong." He paused, then continued, "These are the words of the Duchess, and every night of the hunt, there are always such lucky ones."

"Isn't the so-called celebration at night just a night of hunting?" he asked.

"That was on the sixth night," Vincent said. "The first five nights were relatively safe."

Chi Que nodded slowly.

It turned out to be the case.

He was considering whether or not to pay the blood tax.

From a purely safety perspective, it would naturally be best to keep your distance, but to be honest, he was very curious.

"Alright then," Chi Que said, having made up his mind. "Let's go take a look."

He looked at Vincent, then suddenly remembered he had something else to ask him: "Do you know where I can buy ancient coins?"

Vincent was taken aback: "Why are you asking about that? It's no longer in circulation."

"I have other uses for it," Chi Que said calmly. "Besides, I found out that you used to be an antique dealer. Don't tell me you don't know where you can exchange ancient coins."

The merchant hesitated for a moment, then pulled a cloth bag from his pocket: "If you want it, take it for one hundred blood coins."

The cloth bag contained gleaming silver coins, interspersed with a few rare, golden coins.

"Twenty blood coins," Chi Que countered. "You said yourself that this money is no longer in circulation."

"I could sell it as an antique for more than that," Vincent said. "And it's all made of solid gold."

"Then why don't you sell it?" Chi Que retorted. "Is it because you don't want to?"

"I really don't want to," Vincent shook his head. "For a long time, this bag of money was my solace at night. I held it, fantasizing that one day, perhaps I could return to the world of the living..."

"Stop, stop, stop!" Chi Que interrupted him, not wanting to listen to the merchant's blatant price-gouging tactics any longer. "Then it'll be ten blood coins!"

"Wait a minute! Why has the price gone down?" Vincent protested.

"Because you disgust me," Chi Que said.

Finally, after a friendly exchange between the two, the price of the bag of ancient coins was settled at thirty blood coins.

Chi Que, carrying his money bag, bid farewell to Vincent. He found Vincent's expression, a mixture of reluctance and relief, quite amusing.

As he stepped out onto the street, dusk was already falling; the daytime here seemed to pass quickly, and he quickened his pace.

At the intersection in the old town, he bumped into Mi'er.

"Master Chef," she greeted.

"Found a job?" Chi Que asked casually. He noticed that Mi'er had changed into a relatively neat dark dress with simple white piping, which was different from her previous slightly flashy outfit.

Mi'er twirled around triumphantly, her skirt fluttering slightly. "The Blood Moon Church choir! I can just go report there tonight."

"The Blood Moon Church, the choir?" Chi Que raised an eyebrow. He recalled the church's situation of being suppressed by the Duchess's power in the past timeline, but now it seemed that the church had also submitted to the Duchess.

This is indeed a choice to examine things appropriately, but it also means that the church is probably not as peaceful as it seems on the surface.

The two exchanged information and gained a general understanding of tonight's celebration.

Not only residents participate in the celebration, but some vampires also participate, using the process to enhance their power.

Furthermore, "blood mist zones" will appear in the city, breeding bloodthirsty and ferocious monsters. If you kill them, you can obtain blood crystals or source blood, which are worth far more than blood coins and are priceless.

Mia licked her lips, a hint of longing flashing in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by caution: "However, those monsters are extremely dangerous; even Blood Tax Officers often suffer losses."

Chi Que looked at Mi'er: "At night...does the choir need to stay in the church all the time?"

"Theoretically, yes, you should pray sincerely and sing hymns for the blood moon," Mi'er said with a sly smile. "But there are always times for rest and relaxation, right? What about you, Chef? How do you plan to celebrate?"

"Me?" Chi Que looked up at the sky, where dark red had already stained most of the sky, and the bloody aura in the air was becoming increasingly thick. "Let's find a place with a good view and see how this celebration starts."

The two first went home and had dinner.

Although it can't compare to the deliciousness of seasoning with blood coins directly, the cooking skills after advancing to the azure level are still extremely delicious.

Mi'er ate quickly, seemingly somewhat absent-minded, while Chi Que's gaze kept drifting towards the window.

The dark red color had completely engulfed the sky, and an ominous aura permeated the streets.

"I should go to church now." Mi'er put down her chopsticks and stood up nimbly. Her choir dress made her less carefree and more dignified than usual.

She walked to the door, then turned back to look at Chi Que, a sly smile returning to her lips: "See you tonight. I hope it's in the warm candlelight of a church, not in some bloody alley."

She waved, turned and gracefully disappeared into the gradually darkening street, heading towards the church.

Chi Que did not set off immediately. He first made sure that all the doors and windows were closed tightly, and even the curtains were drawn tightly.

Then he went back to the kitchen.

"A hundred-yuan blood coin..." Chi Que muttered to himself, his fingertips stroking the blood coin.

It is thicker and heavier than ordinary blood coins, almost like dark gold, with a dark red luster flowing on its surface like moonlight.

Simply by holding it, one can almost feel the surging vitality it contains, far exceeding that of ordinary blood coins.

He decided to give himself a special treat.

He took out a small soup pot, poured in water, placed it on the stove, lit it, and it quickly boiled, bubbling and steaming.

The blood-red coin fell silently into the boiling water.

Large swathes of viscous, deep red liquid instantly spread out in the boiling water, releasing a rich aroma.

Chi Que suppressed his impulse and waited patiently.

The deep red soup simmered in the pot, the blood gold coins had completely vanished, and the entire pot of water had turned into a deep, rich color like the finest red wine, with even a few dark golden specks on the surface.

[Special dish detected: Boiled Blood Soup]

[Rank: Iron]

[Effect: After consumption, Flesh and Blood Mastery temporarily increases by four points, Elemental Mastery temporarily increases by one point, effective up to five points. Body recovery ability is greatly enhanced, and perception of blood elements is significantly improved.]

[Those with a spiritual level below seven will experience symptoms of madness after taking this product, which may lead to physical mutations.]

Chef Proficiency +50