Climbing the mountain had already exhausted all of one’s physical strength and energy. Moreover, the Austerians weren’t so concerned about formalities.
Without any pleasantries, the group got straight to the point… which meant started dining.
The sumptuous meal that had been prepared in advance was served without any delay… Of course, “sumptuous” was described from the perspective of the Austere-Winter Continent.
Generally speaking, the meal was somewhat alright compared to what Annan had at the Grand Duke’s Mansion, but the quality was quite limited.
Besides the six followers of Annan, there was also the viscount’s son, who was about 8 years old, and his wife with auburn hair and blue eyes at the dining table. In total, ten people sat at the round table, filling it to capacity.
There were three vegetable dishes: one boiled, one steamed, and another mixed with fragrant mushrooms. In addition, there was a plate of baked beans, a plate of fried sausages, a dish of steamed sausages filled with rice and blood, a bowl of boiled beef with little seasoning, a bowl of spicy beefsteak chopped into small pieces, and a pot of stewed lamb.
The staple food was a thick stack of leavened pancakes—somewhat resembling thicker Crispy Chinese Pancakes, which could be eaten with butter, jam, or caviar, or used to wrap around the steak.
…For the players, this was not considered a sumptuous meal.
Mainly because the flavors were too bland.
It was either steamed, boiled, or stewed. The dishes were unsalted, while the stewed lamb had too much salt.
Described in the words of Wandering Child — this lamb tasted as if it had been seasoned with a salt bomb, concentrating all the salt from the previous dishes into this one. There was so much salt that the lamb soup had even begun to taste somewhat bitter.
This culinary skill made the expressions of the players quite subtle.
Citalopram only ate a little, barely touching the food. Annan and Zoya didn’t eat much either. As for Zorgen, he didn’t even take a bite — he didn’t even take off his scarf, he was acting like Kakashi [1].
On the one hand, Suuankou was genuinely hungry, and on the other hand, he reluctantly ate more meat as a sign of respect… However, the Wandering Child kept eating sausages and steaks with wine. These sausages and steaks were probably the only two relatively normal dishes on the table.
Although this steak had no salt at all, it was somewhat spicy.
—This was no longer a question of good or bad culinary skill.
Something was definitely wrong.
However, the expressions on the viscount’s family were quite normal; they ate with apparent relish. The child could even be described as wolfing down the food, consuming the completely unsalted beef and the overly salty lamb without changing his expression, as if partaking in a strange meat-eating ritual.
This even began to make the players wonder if perhaps the taste preferences of the Austerians were somewhat unique…
Had it not been for Lin Yiyi and Longjing Tea, who had eaten several meals in the country and stated very confidently on the forums that this could not be the case, they might have really believed it.
After the meal, the group followed the viscount to the study.
On the way, the viscount still showed no signs of anything amiss.
He also enthusiastically introduced the decoration of the house to Annan.
“Does it feel completely different from the South? Your Majesty?”
Viscount Dolgoruky said with a smile, “In the Frangell Province, there are some elven traditions that have not yet been abolished… This includes the artistic and aesthetic style of the elves.”
The viscount’s residence was decorated in a unique way.
In any one of the corridors, there was no sense of symmetry between the left and right sides—when the left side had wooden walls adorned with paintings, the right side would either have marble statues, a mosaic of pieced-together stones, or a stone wall carved with verses of poetry.
The chandeliers in the rooms were as if playing Sudoku— the number of chandeliers varied completely from room to room. The floors were exceptionally plain, while the ceilings were as transparent as crystal… Overall, the viscount’s residence was filled with a strong sense of asymmetry.
“Due to the presence of the Twin Towers in the south, people regard symmetry as beauty. However, northerners often prefer asymmetry—unless necessary, they cannot tolerate something that is too symmetrical.”
“On your way here… when you leave the subway station, you should also see the houses on both sides of the street.”
“Yeah.” Annan nodded in agreement, “The houses on both sides of the street have completely different decorative styles. And they are scattered without any apparent rule.”
Even if not aligned — complete misalignment, too, could be seen as a form of symmetry.
If one were to make an analogy, it would be like a novice playing a city-building simulation game, placing buildings wherever they wanted. The space utilization was poor. On just one street, there were three fire stations, with two of them situated less than a hundred meters apart.
It was an architectural style that could drive someone into obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Or, perhaps a style that was too asymmetrical could also satisfy someone with OCD? Or maybe this in itself was a kind of OCD…
“This is indeed the architectural style of an elf city.” Annan replied.
He had indeed seen an elven city—it was from the ghostly form of the elf, Miss Boffis, in the place where she resided.
Of course, Annan didn’t iterate his thoughts fully.
—The city of elves? Even from a modern point of view, it was quite an advanced aesthetic.
It was a gorgeous and colorful city.
Asymmetrical megastructures over a hundred meters tall, filled with postmodern artistic style, featured more than twenty types of creatures turned into colorful crystals. Walls were adorned with semi-transparent, luminous decorations. There were gigantic arches and tunnels. If one had to describe it, ‘psychic punk’ would probably be an apt summary.
Upon seeing that kind of city, the great sense of shock one experienced was such that the [asymmetry] was a detail that one would come to realize was “indeed so” only upon reflective consideration afterward.
To summarize the architectural style of the elf city in one word, that would be “flashy”.
It was too shiny, especially at night. The colorful neon brilliance brought by magic energy rendered the entire city like a computer case filled with LEDs, with incredibly severe light pollution.
“The Elven City I know is exactly like this.” Annan said so calmly.
Of course, I don’t agree with that.
“Of course, Your Majesty.” Viscount Dolgoruky said proudly, “The elven tradition we pursue is not just that.”
“What else?”
“This is what I am going to show you now—the [reason] that justifies the treason charge I have.” The viscount said seriously.
That was the first time he mentioned his “crime” after meeting Annan.
Annan narrowed his eyes slightly.
Zorgen, who had been following him, clenched his right hand slightly.
Annan raised his head and looked at the viscount.
He said slowly, “Since you took the initiative to mention this, I think… there should be something in this room that can convince me.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.” The viscount smiled calmly, “Then the question is… do you know what the elves worship?”
“—Serpent.” Annan replied without hesitation.
“Correct, but not entirely. The more accurate term would be… the [Serpent that is not a Serpent].”
The viscount put his hand on the doorknob of the study and pushed it slowly.
“Its name is the Beast of Change—”
“That is the [Worm].”
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