Chapter 46: The Tyrant’s Downfall and the Foodie’s Revelation

Zhang Luan would never attempt something destined to fail. In his previous life, no one had ever truly completed this mission, with both factions ultimately ending in utter defeat. This time, he had no intention of allowing the task to conclude in failure. A mere tyrant? No problem at all; he could eliminate him.

Having achieved his objective, Zhang Luan didn’t hesitate. He took a sip of the fish soup, triggering the [Supreme Delicacy] buff, then pulled out the Bow of Finality and aimed it at the heavily made-up woman.

The woman felt a sudden tremor in her heart, a fierce sense of crisis exploding in her mind. She had a premonition that her magical barrier would never withstand the arrow still nocked, and if it struck her, then…

‘She would die?’

The woman cursed the gloomy youth under her breath, gnashing her teeth.

“Damn him! It’s all that brat’s fault for ruining my plans!”

She rolled onto the ground without a care for her image, a surge of magic kicking up clouds of dust. She hoped to use this to obscure Zhang Luan’s vision and evade the arrow.

Watching her movements, Zhang Luan merely smiled. He drew the bowstring back slightly, then, as if casually, shot the arrow towards the sky.

Within the dust cloud, the heavily made-up woman saw Zhang Luan’s action and instinctively felt a surge of delight. She secretly mocked him, thinking he was merely a man who could only strike a pose, easily losing his target to a bit of dust and unable to kill her.

But just as she prepared to unleash her strongest magic, that distant sense of crisis suddenly resurfaced within her. Before she could even process it, an energy arrow abruptly appeared before her exposed abdomen, piercing through with a sharp *sizzle*, leaving her thoroughly chilled and her spirit soaring.

“Wh-why…”

She looked at Zhang Luan in disbelief. As a battle-hardened mage, she had paid a hefty price to acquire the passive magic, Crisis Premonition, specifically to stay alive.

But where had this arrow come from?

A sudden possibility struck her, her pupils constricting sharply. She desperately tried to cast one last spell.

She had to warn the Tyrant that this Holy Son possessed the power of space and time! He must be killed the moment he entered South Faction City! No future troubles could be left behind!

Yet…

“My… my magic?”

She stared blankly at her outstretched hand, having poured all her strength into trying to cast a communication spell, but for some unknown reason, not a single drop of her magic remained.

“No… impossible!”

She tried to continue, but it was too late.

The heavily made-up woman died with wide, unwilling eyes. Her final thought was:

South Faction City was about to face disaster.

Having dealt with the heavily made-up woman, the youth still writhing in chili-induced agony gradually fell silent, his body stained chili-red as he collapsed into the small river.

[Obtained Skill Book: [Magic Net]]

[Obtained Skill Book: [Hermit]]

The rewards for eliminating these two individuals were considerable. The two skill books were a direct result of his extraordinary luck. The items dropped by the woman were nothing special—just a Magic Net, restricted to magic-users. However, the gloomy youth had given him a pleasant surprise.

[Hermit]

Effect: Consumes energy to briefly enter an invisible state for one minute, reducing presence and attack hit rate by 10% for 10 seconds. Cooldown: five minutes.

****

This wasn’t a skill that directly boosted combat power, but it was incredibly useful. A sudden disappearance could completely throw enemies into disarray. Moreover, with the ability to turn invisible, accomplishing certain tasks became significantly easier.

For instance, the Goblin King’s secret chamber?

He slapped the skill book onto himself, and after a moment, the method for using the ability materialized in his mind.

He released a small amount of energy, and his wrist gradually vanished, the effect beginning to spread throughout his body.

“The speed is a bit slow… Tsk, it’s a little weaker than I imagined. Thankfully, I also have the [Smoke Screen] skill. These two should work well together.”

He deactivated the skill and turned to look at Yanate and the bandits, who were still fiercely engaged in battle. Although it would still take some time, the overall situation was decided. Without the heavily made-up woman’s legion ability, those bandits were no match for Yanate. Several charges shattered their formation, drastically reducing their combat effectiveness.

Zhang Luan dismissed the thought of intervening and returned directly to the magic-powered carriage.

Senluo, who had been trying to protect him, hesitated upon seeing this, then followed him inside. He sniffed the aroma in the carriage and instinctively swallowed.

Zhang Luan raised an eyebrow, placing the now-warm pot beside him and patting it.

“Want some?”

“C-can I?”

Seeing Senluo’s expectant eyes, Zhang Luan smiled.

“No.”

Senluo froze, then gave an awkward laugh, retracting his outstretched hand.

Seeing his discomfited expression, Zhang Luan felt his mood brighten considerably. He found a large plastic plate under the magic-powered carriage’s seat and placed it on a small table inside, then used chopsticks to transfer some fish meat onto it.

“It was just a joke. I can’t eat it all anyway. Wait for your master and the others to return, then you can all eat together.”

Senluo’s eyes immediately lit up; he didn’t quite hear the latter part of the sentence. He grabbed a plate and began to devour the food.

The moment the fish entered his mouth, a warm current instantly swept through his limbs and bones, an indescribable sense of bliss erupting deep within him. He narrowed his eyes, thoroughly enjoying every bite.

As a child from an ordinary family, he had never tasted anything so delicious before.

This exquisite flavor surpassed his imagination, making it impossible to stop.

He instinctively grabbed another plate and continued to feast, completely oblivious to Zhang Luan’s peculiar gaze.

‘Hiss, is this guy actually a foodie?’

Zhang Luan was somewhat surprised. In the future, Senluo would become the Ancient Dual-Blade Wielder, appearing as a cold and aloof male god. Back then, he had never shown any interest in gourmet food, nor did he lack control over his appetite. This was truly unexpected.

However, he didn’t intend to interfere. He opened the window and poured out the remaining contents, then casually rinsed the pot with water. The Spicy Pot’s self-cleaning ability activated, leaving it spotless.

Just as Senluo finished his last plate, he leaned back in the chair, eyes half-closed and humming contentedly, completely disregarding proper etiquette.

When Yanate returned to the magic-powered carriage with his group, having dealt with all the bandits, he saw Senluo in this state and then glanced at the empty plates. His expression immediately turned grim.

“Was it delicious?” Yanate asked, his face stern.

Senluo hadn’t quite registered who had spoken, and he replied without any thought for his image:

“Ah~~ It was incredibly delicious, I’ve never had anything so good before!”

Upon hearing his reply, Yanate’s expression grew even darker. He sneered, then continued:

“Heh heh, that’s truly wonderful. You’re wasted training with us. When we return to the temple, you can go to the kitchen and research how to eat well.”

“Ah~… Huh?”

This time, Senluo finally reacted, quickly sitting upright and opening his eyes.

“Ah, no! I…”

He wanted to explain, but Yanate wouldn’t listen. He had already decided to teach the fellow a lesson once they returned to the temple, to make him understand what proper etiquette and respect meant.