Chapter 14: The Bride of the Enigmatic King (14)

The Silent One looked bizarrely eerie, "..."

Damn it!

He didn’t even bother to see who first took out this damn—(censored)—prop and used it!

"I can’t control myself..." Bang!

"If you tear that thing off, I wouldn’t have to smash the wall!" Bang!

"It’s fine, we’ll just leave."

Tang Mu displayed great magnanimity.

"You can stay here and dig through the wall at your own pace." She even thoughtfully closed the door to Room 01 for the Silent One, to help reduce the noise.

"We’re leaving now, bye~"

*

Meanwhile, on the upper deck.

More guests had arrived, all dressed in the antique attire of the Qing dynasty. The men wore robes with flat sleeves and slits on both sides, while the women were dressed in Manchu gowns.

Before them, the dining tables had all become round pearwood tables, and they themselves sat on matching stools.

The headless ghoul chef, lacking the help of his brother, could only shuttle up and down the stairs, carrying tableware by himself.

But even with all his frantic work, the guests remained dissatisfied.

"You’re becoming increasingly disrespectful toward us!"

A guest spoke gloomily, "The last time I came, all the tableware was already prepared."

"My apologies, my apologies," the headless chef said anxiously, "One of our chefs was killed by a player, so we’re shorthanded and the work is rougher..."

"I don’t want to hear your excuses," the guest growled menacingly. "I only care about results. The result is, we’ve been sitting here for half an hour and you still haven’t finished setting the table!"

The headless chef was sweating profusely, speechless.

"Call the Granny Ghoul and the Old Ghoul here."

Granny Ghoul greeted the guests respectfully, "Esteemed guests, please remain calm. Regarding the shortage of kitchen staff, we already have a reasonable solution."

"And what is that solution?"

"We’ll let the players help serve the food," she replied with a peculiar smile. "Just as we did when we cooperated before."

The guests were immediately delighted.

They decided, for now, not to eat the headless chef.

It’d be far better to save their appetites for the players, would it not?

"Ding ding ding!"

At that moment, a shrill bell rang out across the ghost ship.

This was the signal ordering all players on the ship to assemble.

Granny Ghoul, holding a megaphone, announced, "There’s been a change. The guests for the wedding banquet of the Bride and the Ghoul King have already boarded ahead of schedule. All brides and woodcutters must come to the upper deck, pair up as newlyweds, and toast the guests, while also taking charge of their food and drinks."

"You must gather in the kitchen within ten minutes. I will assign the delivery tasks. If you don’t make it in time, be prepared to be eaten by the Silent One!"

"The guests are your gods. In their hands are clues you need to reach the far shore of the River of Forgetfulness. If you successfully pass this round, Granny Ghoul will congratulate you in advance—the progress of ‘The Ghoul King’s Bride’ scenario will reach 60%."

It was that same chilling, nails-on-blackboard voice.

Nearly half of them had died, and the progress still hadn’t passed halfway.

No wonder this B-level dungeon had such a reputation.

The players, hearing this broadcast, felt relieved to have escaped the Silent One’s slaughter.

Yet, what they didn't know was that it was only because Tang Mu had controlled the Silent One, they were still alive now.

It was not luck that spared them.

"One, two, three… twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two."

"Twenty-two in total." When she finished counting, Granny Ghoul was very dissatisfied.

Last time, only twelve were left by this stage.

Yet this group still had so many!

Worried about her own performance metrics, Granny Ghoul felt nothing but dislike and resentment toward Tang Mu.

But Tang Mu’s abilities made her impossible to dispose of easily.

"This time, there are eight tables of guests. Each table will be assigned to two people. You may divide yourselves as you wish."

"As for the kitchen… since we lack enough chefs, six of you must cook. The chefs must prepare dishes that satisfy the guests. If the guests aren’t pleased, they’ll get angry!"

"Now, you may choose by volunteering or by vote who will be chefs."

"I’ll volunteer," Wang Qing raised her hand first. "I’ll be a chef—I can cook."

She tugged at her teammate, Wu Hao.

But Wu Hao couldn’t cook, so he didn’t follow her cue.

"I’ll be a server."

When Wu Hao announced his choice, Wang Qing shot him a fierce glare.

But what else could he do?

Didn’t you hear Granny Ghoul say that if the guests weren’t satisfied, you’d die? Who would dare risk that?

The players took turns declaring their roles.

When it was Tang Mu’s turn, Granny Ghoul’s gaze fell on her.

Tang Mu raised her hand. "I’ll be a server."

Her cooking was notoriously terrible, so she wisely chose to be a mere attendant, a job that required no skill.

But both Xue Fen and Joseph chose to be chefs.

It seemed their culinary skills were not bad.

"Since everyone has made their choices, let’s get to work."

A portion of the dishes had already been prepared in the kitchen.

Expecting something bloody or grotesque, the players looked closer—only to find perfectly ordinary dishes like steamed mandarin fish and braised pig’s trotters.

The servers were momentarily stunned.

It was as if they could hardly believe their own eyes.

"Now that you’ve got the food, what are you waiting for? Go serve it!" Granny Ghoul’s sharp bark jolted the players from their daze.

They had no choice but to pick up the dishes and head back to the upper deck, delivering them to the guests, table by table.

The first to serve was a young man named Jiang Xiuwen.

He was not yet twenty—a college student with a fresh, boyish face, almost childlike in appearance.

He’d joined the game just to win the latest iPhone.

Jiang Xiuwen had thought that if he won, he could buy whatever he wanted.

But once inside the game, he realized the competition was brutal and the death toll high. He wasn’t even sure if he’d survive to the end.

Jiang Xiuwen was assigned to Table 02, occupied by an old man smoking a long-stemmed pipe, one eye missing.

The old man wore a long queue in the late Qing dynasty style.

His face was long and drawn, his whole person emanating an aura of death.

The hand that palmed his pipe had yellowed nails.

From the outside, he looked far more normal than the usual monsters—not at all inhuman.

"Hello, here is your food," Jiang Xiuwen stammered as he handed over the dish, eager to leave the table as quickly as possible.

But with a mere tap of the pipe’s bowl on the tabletop, the old man froze Jiang Xiuwen’s legs to the floor.

No matter how he struggled, he couldn’t move.

Jiang Xiuwen was terrified, his whole body trembling. "Sir… no, Grandpa, is there something you’re dissatisfied with?"