"Do you really have a lot of hands?" the chef asked.
"I have quite a few, though they aren't very fresh," Bai Mu replied. "It depends on whether you want them or not."
"Freshness doesn't matter," the chef said. "As long as they are human hands, they will do. But don't even think about deceiving . I despise being tricked more than anything."
"I never lie," Bai Mu stated. "The question is, what can you offer in return? You should know that the master of this house hasn't paid yet."
"That depends on how many hands you can provide," the chef said. "Naturally, I will trade you sothing good for them."
"Alright, get ready then. I'll give the hands over to you right now. There will be quite a few, so keep your eyes peeled." Bai Mu retrieved a jar from his inventory. Inside sloshed a dark green, translucent liquid.
Outside the room, the four people listened to the conversation between Bai Mu and the chef.
Just as they were wondering what Bai Mu planned to use for the trade, their expressions changed the mont they saw the item.
[Na: Boor Bile]
[Type: Consumable]
[Quality: Rare]
[Effect: Throwing the bile summons a zombie horde at the impact location that lasts for thirty seconds. The Zombies will relentlessly attack any character covered in the bile until death.]
[Note: BOOM!!!]
"Oh my god..." Scattered Fireflies gaped, her mouth hanging wide open.
Great Northern Wilderness was startled. "Is this thing really going to work?"
"Judging from their conversation, it seems... it really will." Misty Rain was equally shocked by Bai Mu's bizarre ingenuity. "How did he even get his hands on an item like that? Is his inventory so kind of magic pouch?"
"I am ready. Give the hands," the chef declared, raising his cleaver.
"Sure." Bai Mu tossed the Boor Bile.
His target was the chef himself. Although this entity was invisible, he clearly possessed a physical form—Bai Mu had nearly been caught by him just monts ago. The green jar shattered against the chef, splashing the bile across a patch of smoke and vaguely outlining a humanoid silhouette. The chef's tone suddenly spiked into furious indignation: "What are you doing! How dare you trick ! I'll make you..."
Before he could finish his threat, a hoarse, guttural screech erupted from the shattered puddle of bile.
The sound was incredibly familiar to Bai Mu, Misty Rain, and the two brothers, Great Northern Wilderness and Nancheng Port. It brought back fond mories of driving and fighting Zombies together during the Journey of Death.
Soon, the first Zombie summoned by the bile materialized inside the kitchen.
It was a severely decayed Zombie reeking of putrid death. Through its festering flesh, one could see drooping intestines and stark white bones. The grotesque sight gave Scattered Fireflies a massive fright. Fortunately, Bai Mu's throwing accuracy was impeccable. Since only the chef was coated in the bile, the Zombie lunged madly at him.
A few seconds later, seven or eight more Zombies were summoned, swarming the chef in a tight circle.
The once spacious and grand kitchen suddenly beca incredibly cramped.
"Oh, Satan. These hands are indeed not very fresh." The chef's tone took a sharp turn, shifting from wrath to sothing more akin to pleasant surprise. "But, yes, they will barely suffice."
The seemingly ordinary cleaver was tossed into the air, where it suddenly split into dozens of identical blades.
Hovering in midair, they sliced through the approaching Zombies as easily as chopping vegetables.
It was a dazzling display of skill. Whenever a Zombie closed in on the chef, the cleavers would slash off its arms. Human hands fell like chopped firewood, stacking neatly upon the stove.
'This chef's combat power is truly formidable,' Bai Mu thought. 'Judging from the diary's contents, the witch only inherited this house after signing the contract.'
'The chef likely existed long before the new witch arrived. His true form seems to be sothing akin to a kitchen demon.'
'It is a good thing I avoided a conflict with him. Winning against him in a straight fight would probably be impossible. Still, as long as he is not provoked, he would likely just chop off a Player's arms and let them go.'
Bai Mu used his Camcorder to record this scene. In the last Script, his Reporter class experience had barely increased. He was eager to unlock his next Reporter skill, so he wanted to uncover the truth behind the Haunted Manor as fully as possible.
"My, these hands are certainly full of vigor."
The chef sighed in admiration as he watched the armless Zombies continuing to snap and bite at him.
"But I do not dislike lively hands."
With that said, the cleavers decapitated the Zombies one by one, leaving them permanently dead on the floor.
The thirty seconds quickly passed. Bai Mu did a quick count. On average, the bile summoned one to two Zombies per second, leaving over fifty Zombie corpses in the kitchen. Putrid black blood pooled across the flagstone floor, bodies were piled like small mountains, and severed heads rolled into the corners, their features locked in grueso snarls.
Only the severed hands were left perfectly arranged on the stove.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven..." The chef counted, then declared, "Excellent! I am finally no longer short on hands! You... you did a fine job."
Speaking to Bai Mu, the chef grabbed a ladle from the counter and fished a key out of a boiling iron pot.
[Na: Door Key]
[Type: Item]
[Note: An ancient key that seems capable of unlocking a certain door.]
"Just a key is not enough to pay for your hands," the chef noted. "I shall serve you a bowl of soup as well."
The chef pulled out a bowl and scooped out a ladle of broth from the pot that was stewing so unknown at.
[Na: at Broth]
[Type: Consumable]
[Quality: Rare]
[Effect: Permanently increases Strength by 2 and Agility by 2, and restores all Health.]
[Note: An unknown at broth possessing an unbelievable flavor. It is said to be an incredibly precious delicacy even in Hell.]
"Drink it. You are one of the rare few humans to ever enjoy such a delicacy." The chef offered the broth to Bai Mu.
Without any hesitation, Bai Mu took the bowl and downed the broth in one gulp. The Health restoration effect wasn't of much use to him at the mont, but the four basic attribute points would take effect imdiately.
He didn't care what kind of at it was; the benefits were tangible. Other than "Billy's mory," this was the second ti he had obtained an item that permanently increased his base attributes rather than providing a temporary buff. Naturally, its rarity was quite high.
Besides, the taste truly was subli. Even after finishing the bowl, he found himself craving more.
"A single bowl of broth doesn't seem quite enough to pay for all these hands," the chef mused. "How about this: you may ask one question, though I can only answer what I know."
Because the "hands" Bai Mu provided exceeded the chef's expectations, he had earned a bonus piece of intelligence.
"Can I ask it a bit later?" Bai Mu inquired.
"I still have to clean the kitchen. Just look at the state of this place," the chef grumbled. "If you don't ask now, I will assu you are forfeiting your chance." It seed he wouldn't be able to explore the rest of the Ancient Manor and return to the chef later. Bai Mu thought carefully about what piece of information was the most crucial.
The bloody letters? The diary? The witch? Or a way to escape the mansion?
He had to choose just one of these questions.
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