chapter 18
The true effect of the Magical Seasoning revealed itself-everyone who drank the broth was paralyzed and unable to move.
The broth in the pot was almost gone. Eric’s stomach bulged as he collapsed to the ground, unable to move.
A flicker of panic crossed his face, but it quickly disappeared.
His expression became smug and arrogant again. “I don’t know how you did it, but once the drug wears off, you will still die.”
Tu Nan shook her head, walked up to him, and looked down at him from above.
[If I kill you before that happens, wouldn’t that solve everything?]
The Prince froze, as if amused, and couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Kill me? Haven’t you tried already?” Every bit of Eric’s demeanor was full of confidence. “You can’t kill me at all. Even if you cut me into a thousand pieces, I’ll still revive. As long as I don’t die, the Wedding will never end.”
Tu Nan pondered for a moment.
Emma stepped forward, pulled out her kitchen knife, and started chopping at Eric.
But no matter how many times she hacked, no matter how deep the wounds, Eric’s injuries healed rapidly.
He closed his eyes, simply ignoring it all, quietly waiting for the numbness to subside.
Tu Nan drew out the Dagger and suddenly let out a quiet laugh.
When the Mermaid handed her the Dagger, she had only said: use this Dagger to kill the Prince, then smear his blood on your legs, and you will become a Mermaid again, regain the protection of the Sea, and escape the Wedding.
The System’s description of the Dagger also confirmed that it could kill the Prince.
But why hadn’t the Prince died when she stabbed the Dagger into his heart?
She could only think of one explanation-the heart was not the Prince’s fatal weakness.
So, where was his fatal weakness?
Tu Nan squatted down, holding the Dagger, and with her free hand gripped Eric’s chin.
Eric, who had just been smugly closing his eyes, suddenly snapped them open, a trace of panic flashing across his gaze.
“What are you doing?”
Everyone knew the Prince was a gourmet, with an unusual obsession for fine cuisine.
What is most important to a gourmet?
Without question, it is his tongue.
During the day, the Prince was always graceful and composed, but when a servant served him a cup of boiling hot tea, he lost his temper. At the time, Tu Nan found it odd-such a tiny thing, why was Eric so furious?
Grace explained that he had extremely high standards for anything that entered his mouth-which was true, but the most crucial point was that the scalding tea would burn his tongue and cause him pain.
To test her theory, Tu Nan specifically had Emma make a pot of boiling hot broth. When all the Ghosts rushed to the pot, not one of them cared about the boiling temperature.
To ordinary people, boiling broth might be unbearable, but to Ghosts, it did no harm at all.
Except for Eric-
He actually suppressed his instincts and tried to cool the broth, though it didn’t help much. The boiling broth still pained him.
Because his tongue was his fatal weakness!
Tu Nan always liked to hypothesize boldly and verify carefully.
Now was her chance to prove her theory.
She pried Eric’s mouth open, and, under his terrified gaze, raised the Dagger and brought it down without hesitation.
“Ah!!!” Eric screamed in excruciating pain.
Clutching his mouth, now tongueless, he could no longer speak-only emit anguished wails from his throat.
“The effect of the Magical Seasoning finally wore off. The Ghosts nearby, no longer paralyzed and suppressed by Eric, bared their ferocious faces and closed in on her.
They stretched out their arms, each one eager to tear her apart.
As they approached, the System began to blare alarms frantically.
[Current Pollution Value: 29%…36%…48%…
Warning, warning, Pollution Value is rapidly increasing.]
Tu Nan forced down her nausea and smeared the blood flowing from him onto her legs.
[Current Pollution Value: 55%
Warning: When Pollution Value exceeds 60%, you will fall into madness.]
Her legs became scorching hot, the flesh beneath her skin struggling as if controlled by something, desperately trying to draw closer.
The Sea was right beside her. Before her legs could fully fuse, Tu Nan gritted her teeth, enduring immense pain, and ran toward the Sea.
As long as she jumped into the Sea, these Ghosts would no longer be able to harm her.
[Current Pollution Value: 59%]
With a splash, Tu Nan leapt into the Sea at the very instant the Ghosts lunged to pin her down.
Her once slender legs felt unprecedentedly light and free in the water. She lifted her legs slightly, only to see a massive Fish Tail stir up a wave, its golden fins refracting a rainbow of colors beneath the sunlight.
On the shore, the Ghosts, having lost their target, turned their gaze to the Prince, who was screaming in agony on the ground, and swarmed to surround him.
[Congratulations, Player, for completing the mission and surviving past the Wedding.
Exiting Instance… Exit successful!]
After a dizzying whirl, Tu Nan found herself once again in the dimensional space where she had first entered the Instance.
“You actually came back alive?” Mr. Crow glared at her in obvious displeasure, his beady eyes spinning, “What a pity.”
Tu Nan gave a fake smile. “All thanks to you.”
Mr. Crow raised his head and snorted, “Since you came back alive, I won’t hold your rudeness against you. Aren’t you Chinese the most particular about etiquette? Remember to be polite when you see me in the future.”
The urge to kill the Crow was growing stronger.
“May I ask, Mr. Crow, can I draw my reward now?” Tu Nan continued to fake a smile.
Players who clear the Novice Dungeon have a chance to draw a Talent Skill. The strength of the Talent Skill is closely tied to whether the Player can clear future Instances.
Mr. Crow conjured a giant Roulette Wheel.
For once, Tu Nan felt a bit of anticipation.
If she could draw a powerful attack Skill, she would finally have the means to protect herself in future Instances.
She placed a hand on the Roulette Wheel and gave it a strong downward swipe. The wheel spun rapidly, and under Tu Nan’s tense gaze, the pointer gradually landed on a slot.
[Congratulations, Player, you have obtained: Fairy Tale Compendium (Bound Item)
The most beloved (crossed out: most hated) Fairy Tale Compendium in the entire Fairy Tale World makes its grand debut.
As the universally adored Fairy Tale Compendium, it possesses the fine qualities of loving gossip and shamelessness.
The Fairy Tale Compendium enjoys eating the private belongings of fairy tale characters and will spit out related Skill Cards according to the Player’s needs.
There is a chance of producing dud cards.
Note: After the Fairy Tale Compendium consumes an item, it needs time to digest. It cannot consume again until digestion is complete.]
A thick book suddenly appeared out of thin air and flew into Tu Nan’s arms.
Before Tu Nan could recover from the shock of this utterly bizarre item description, the Fairy Tale Compendium began to bounce up and down in her embrace.
“I’m hungry, I’m hungry!”
The Fairy Tale Compendium flipped open its pages by itself, revealing a giant gaping mouth lined with sharp teeth, snapping open and shut. Drool dripped onto her chest, emitting a foul stench.”