After everyone had been drinking together, Herta suddenly raised a hand and halted the banquet.
Wait.
I still have one more appetizer dessert.
A cake I made myself.
Come on—have a taste~
As she spoke, her eyes kept drifting toward Lin Yi.
Lin Yi immediately sensed danger.
When Herta had arrived earlier, she had been strangely calm despite being dragged away from her research. That alone had already made him suspicious.
Now he finally understood why.
With Herta's practical ability, she could make a cake that was exquisitely delicious.
She could also make one that was absolutely horrifying.
And this one...
It looked beautifully decorated.
It carried a faint scent of cream.
There was no strange odor.
Everything about it seemed perfectly normal.
Which only made it more suspicious.
Lin Yi silently prayed.
Where is Aha when you need him?
Maybe Polka Kakamond could suddenly appear and destroy the place...
Herta smiled sweetly.
Since you were the one who invited me, Lin Yi...
You should have the first piece.
To witness our friendship.
She cut a huge slice and placed it in front of him.
Then she leaned close and whispered by his ear.
You have to finish it all~
Lin Yi steeled himself and took a bite.
Instantly—
Extreme sourness crashed into him.
Then came dry, astringent bitterness.
Then a lingering aftertaste that felt like suffering itself.
It was as though every hardship in life had been compressed into a single mouthful.
Thanks to the bodily control granted by his Abundance power, Lin Yi showed no reaction at all.
He immediately shut down his taste nerves.
Then he calmly continued eating.
While swallowing, he secretly burned the cake away in his throat with Phase Spirit Fire.
Why had he not disabled taste beforehand?
Because he had been curious just how terrifying Herta's cake could be.
After finishing, Lin Yi calmly picked up the knife, cut another slice, and handed it to Ruan Mei.
Can't let me suffer alone.
Ruan Mei took a bite.
Her hand paused for the slightest moment.
She looked at Lin Yi.
Then at Herta.
But she maintained perfect composure and even took another small bite, as though carefully savoring it.
Meanwhile, Lin Yi had already cut another piece and placed it before Screwllum.
Screwllum sensed danger immediately.
But curiosity won.
He chose not to disable his taste simulation at first.
The moment he tasted it, his core nearly trembled.
The flavor was so strange that raw data alone could never have reproduced it.
Without a word, he turned off the taste program and continued eating.
Scientifically speaking, the cake was harmless.
Only the taste was catastrophically terrible.
Yu Qingtu had been busy pouring drinks and noticed nothing suspicious.
She took a bite.
Her expression passed through a thousand emotions in an instant.
She immediately realized she had been tricked.
But since the others had not all eaten yet, she forced a smile.
Delicious.
Give me another slice.
Lin Yi grinned and actually handed her one.
Her glare clearly promised that he would never drink good wine from her again.
Lin Yi did not care.
It was too late to stop now.
At last, he pushed the remaining slices toward Herta and Abyss Silkall.
Come on, Herta.
You worked hard making it.
You should taste it too.
Herta narrowed her eyes.
She knew exactly what ingredients she had thrown into it.
There was no way everyone could eat it so calmly.
Unless...
By some impossible coincidence...
The ingredients had reacted together and become delicious?
Curiosity won.
She took a bite.
Immediately, she spat it out.
HAHA—karma!
Water! I need water!
How did all of you endure that?!
Only then did everyone reveal their methods.
Lin Yi had disabled his taste nerves.
Ruan Mei had adjusted her hormonal responses to alter taste perception.
Screwllum had turned off taste simulation.
Yu Qingtu had endured it through alcohol-trained resilience.
Lin Yi suddenly looked around.
Wait... where's Stephen?
From the side, Stephen Lloyd replied calmly.
I was testing my new invention that lowers my presence.
It worked well, but could not last long.
Lin Yi slowly smiled.
No way you escape.
Herta immediately brightened.
Good thing this second slice hasn't been touched.
Stephen's expression changed.
What are you two doing—?!
Gulp.