I have to admit, based on looks alone, the Vicious Claw Wyvern meat was quite deceptive. At the very least, it looked perfectly normal.
Except that the clearly defined muscle fibers indicated a complete and utter lack of fat.
Burnice, being the first to arrive and completely unsuspecting, unhesitatingly grabbed the small knife Andrew had left on a nearby table, sliced off a piece, and immediately shoved it into her mouth.
And Piper, having come from the same custom workshop as Caesar, was only a step behind Burnice. Before Burnice could even react, she also grabbed a skewer and stuffed a large bite into her mouth.
The next moment, there were two people frozen on the spot.
Burnice, who had tasted Andrew's cooking before, never imagined the flavor of this thing would be so diabolical.
As the Vicious Claw Wyvern meat entered their mouths, the previously cheerful Burnice and the nonchalant Piper's expressions changed in an instant. They looked down at the skewers in their hands in disbelief.
The bizarre taste made both of them feel as if their own mouths no longer belonged to them.
How could it be so disgusting?!
What in the world is this stuff!!!
At this point, the past—having fallen into the trap—could not be changed. But the future—tricking others into the same trap—was still in their hands!
If I spit it out now, I'll be the only one who suffers!
Their minds racing, the two of them exchanged a glance and instantly reached a silent, unspoken understanding. Simultaneously, they composed their faces, acting perfectly normal as they refrained from spitting out the meat, all under the surprised gazes of the onlookers.
After all, Andrew was a celebrity in Blazewood, and their every move as they tasted the meat had been watched by many.
But for some reason, no one stepped forward to stop them.
As Burnice's cheeks puffed out more and more, her strategy became clear! To avoid tasting it any further, she had stuffed all the meat into her cheeks, and her chewing motions were just an empty pantomime!
Piper, on the other hand, took a different approach. She used the tip of her tongue to press the roasted meat against the roof of her mouth, forcibly holding it in place with minimal contact to prevent any further exposure!
Just as the two, now united in their cause, were showing off their respective skills, Lighter and a freshly cleaned-up Caesar arrived late.
Noticing their slightly stiff movements, Caesar asked with confusion:
"What's wrong, Piper? Is there a problem?"
It must be said that when people are up to no good, their potential is limitless.
Maintaining a straight face, Piper, even while pressing the meat to the roof of her mouth with her tongue, managed to reply in a slightly muffled voice:
"Nothing, what could be wrong? It's just that Andrew's skewers are so good, I'm just savoring the flavor carefully."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
Beside her, Burnice also nodded with a solemn expression, as if certifying the absolute truth of Piper's statement.
Caesar and Lighter exchanged a glance. Although they didn't spot anything wrong, a faint sense of unease crept into Caesar's mind.
A woman's intuition was screaming at her.
And behind them, Piper and Burnice's faces were filled with the grim determination of someone about to drag others down with them, along with a wicked smile that trembled unconsciously.
"It's really that good?"
Caesar's face was full of suspicion. A suddenly energetic Piper was a low-probability event.
But a dead-serious, not-at-all-crazy Burnice? That was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.
If the sun hadn't risen in the west this morning, or if the world wasn't about to end, then she was most likely gearing up for something big.
However, Lighter, the newly crowned undefeated champion who had only recently been recruited by the big boss, was a newcomer and didn't know Burnice as well as Caesar did.
He had no idea what an uncharacteristically composed Burnice signified.
Without overthinking it, Lighter was the first to take the skewer Piper handed him. He sniffed it, confirmed there was no strange smell, and confidently took a bite.
But the moment it entered his mouth, he understood why the two in front of him were suddenly smiling so brightly.
His casual gesture of fixing his bangs froze. In the next instant, the hand that was about to brush through his hair changed its movement and instead pushed up his sunglasses.
The slightly slipped sunglasses were pushed up to completely cover his eyes, making it impossible for anyone to see his expression.
The hand holding the meat trembled slightly.
That trembling hand betrayed the strain beneath his forced composure, and his previously smooth and stylish movements became incredibly stiff.
But under the somewhat nervous gazes of Piper and Burnice, he managed, with some difficulty, to say to Caesar:
"That's right, the flavor is really good. Very fragrant."
Saying this, to add credibility, the three of them simultaneously stuffed another piece into their mouths.
The atmosphere relaxed. The other two immediately shot each other a look of wicked conspirators. They had successfully added one more accomplice to their scheme.
Seeing that even Lighter said so, Caesar's suspicions vanished. Maybe she really was just overthinking things today.
Under the watchful eyes of the trio, she recalled the delicious skewers from last night's meal set. The memory of that taste made her eagerly stuff a large handful into her mouth.
The instant she chewed twice, a mask of agony appeared on Caesar's face. The other three, who had been holding on for dear life, simultaneously spat out what was in their mouths.
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!"
"Agh!"
"Urk!"
"Ah!"
Four sounds rang out in unison. Andrew, who had just returned, saw four new stains on the freshly cleaned floor. All his effort from just a moment ago had gone to waste in a single round trip.
"What the?! What's wrong with you guys?! I just cleaned this floor!!???"
Jane, disguised as Kerri, watched the interaction between them and became completely certain of one thing:
So, these people are all definitely idiots.
Sighing, Jane watched Caesar grabbing Piper and shaking her relentlessly, and Andrew carefully scraping all the meat off the bones. She felt her trip here had been entirely pointless.
After all, people who interacted like this really didn't seem like bad guys.
The lively atmosphere brought a faint smile to her lips. Hidden in the shadow of a building, she watched the group with an amused expression.
In the end, despite Caesar's repeated demands, the meat was not thrown into the trash.
No matter how bad it tasted, it was still dragon meat. Wouldn't it be great to take it back and use it as fertilizer for the field at the Silver City base? Simply throwing it away would be too much of a waste.
With the meat of an entire Vicious Claw Wyvern as nourishment, the growth rate of the plants in the field would surely be greatly accelerated!
After using a Nulberry to save the taste buds of the four, and then a Deodorant Bomb to disperse all the other smells, Andrew led them to the area Blazewood had assigned to him.
After a brief introduction, Jane looked at the members of the Silver Squad sitting together in a circle. The sight of thirteen identical-looking girls made her eyes widen in surprise.
"They... they are?"
Belle, who was prepared for this, let out a laugh and said:
"Oh! They're citizens of New Eridu, just your average, ordinary dodecatuplets."
Ordinary... dodecatuplets? What part of that is ordinary!!
However, after seeing them take out their ID cards from their pockets, and secretly using a device in her waist pouch to verify their authenticity, Jane let go of her suspicions and didn't dwell on it.
Dodecatuplets, while rare, were not unheard of. The human record for multiple births was quintdecaplets, after all.
As an undercover agent, Jane didn't even consider the possibility of them being clones.
After all, the internal report she had seen stated that all the clones had been confirmed dead. Not to mention, they all had citizen IDs.
No matter how high-ranking an official in New Eridu was, it would be impossible to forge so many IDs that could pass verification in such a short amount of time.
The entire Sons of Calydon crew had temporarily lost all desire for activity due to the Vicious Claw Wyvern meat, and were forced to collapse onto the sofas.
Even Burnice was sprawled out next to Caesar like a boneless heap, continuously pouring fuel drink into her mouth while muttering under her breath:
"My tongue... it's unclean... I must rescue my tongue and return it to the embrace of the god of fuel drinks!"
And Caesar, slumped in the center of the sofa, had eyes that were completely vacant, her pupils having lost all focus as if devoid of hope.
Okay, that description might be a bit too poetic. Rather than vacant, it was more like she had been utterly defeated.
Meanwhile, Kerri, who had also eaten the meat, seemed largely unaffected. She even had the energy to see how Andrew was handling the stew that had been simmering on the stove. Seeing Jane approach, Andrew said:
"Don't worry, this one is definitely not a culinary disaster. You can relax and rest at one of the tables outside."
-----
🎉 We Smashed It! Our Goal is Achieved! 🎉
🔥 Fresh narratives are ready for you now! 🔥
We didn't just meet our 80-supporter target—we blew past it and hit 90! As promised, enjoy 5 extra installments for every saga! 📚✨
✅ Unlock up to 40 early installments for ALL our stories!✅ Get your hands on unique content and regular alerts!
The publisher is going wild! I'm prepping to launch 4 brand-new titles (or possibly more!) before the year concludes!
Help us reach the next milestones:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Complimentary Chapter for everyone🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 further installments for ALL SAGAS!
Our next big aim is 140 Supporters!
A huge thank you for all your incredible backing! ❤️
👻 P - Walnutchan