Omniscient Cuisine!

Throughout the entire process of the [Herc White Silver Potion] merging into his body, Arthur felt no pain or anything unusual. It was like a drop of water flowing into the sea, unable to stir even a ripple.

But a change had still occurred!

The next moment, a vast stretch of unfamiliar, indecipherable text began flickering before Arthur's eyes. At first, it brightened and dimmed as if its power supply were failing.

But in less than a second, the text became steady and bright.

The utterly unfamiliar writing and strange phenomenon made Arthur frown deeply.

He stared at the unknown text, pondering its meaning. Just then, it rapidly transformed into zeros and ones, then changed again before Arthur could react.

It became the writing Arthur knew best-

[Talent acquired: omniscient cuisine!]

[Omniscient cuisine: understand all things, consume all things. You come, you see, you understand-you have digested the Herc White Silver Potion correctly, unlocking the talent best suited to you. Completing battles, exploration, quests, enjoying fine food, and other such activities will earn you XP.]

"XP?"

Arthur froze for a moment, then understood what it meant almost instantly.

Immediately, Arthur called out in his mind-

Character Panel!

The text before his eyes began cascading downward like a waterfall.

Line after line, column after column, it appeared before Arthur in meticulous detail.

[Name: Arthur Credos (Mo Qishang)]

[Gender: male]

[Age: 17]

[Identity: spirit medium (false)]

[Talents: omniscient cuisine, death intuition, remnant dark serpent]

[Attributes: physique 1.6, spirituality 0.1]

[Combat skills: basic swordsmanship Lv1 (0/1)]

[Support skills: riding Lv1 (0/1), Intimidation Lv2 (0/5), bluffing Lv2 (0/5), Keen Eyes Lv1 (0/1), Reading People Lv1 (0/1)]

[General skills: general knowledge-South Los Lv1 (-/-), general geography-South Los Lv1 (-/-), simple mathematics Lv1 (-/-), speed reading and writing Lv1 (-/-), simple drawing Lv1 (-/-), basic etiquette Lv1 (-/-)]

[XP: 0]

[Equipment: none]

[Items: Medium's Case]

Arthur's gaze swept swiftly over the panel before finally settling on the talents [death intuition] and [remnant dark serpent].

As he focused his gaze, information about [death intuition] and [remnant dark serpent] began appearing before his eyes.

[Death intuition: having experienced death once, you are exceptionally sensitive to it. Whenever it approaches, you will sense it.]

The description was simple and direct. Arthur understood it at a glance.

[Remnant dark serpent] was different, however. Beyond an explanation, it also included an account of its origins-

[Remnant dark serpent: the prolonged and brutal "witch hunts" have ended on the East Coast, but not on the west coast, where they have only grown fiercer. To preserve its legacy, the Snake Sect, with its six hundred years of history, sent some of its most gifted young members away from the west coast. But freed from their elders' restrictions, these young wanderers gradually developed their own interpretations of the Snake Sect's original philosophy after years of extraordinary encounters and setbacks. They no longer traveled together, instead choosing the paths they believed were right-we are born noble, and beneath the moonlight, we march with our heads held high!]

[Effects: 1. Awakening; 2. Shadow Concealment; 3. Serpent Body; 4. Serpent Eyes; 5. Serpent Tongue]

[Awakening: you have awakened a special bloodline. You are now unlike others; physique +0.5, spirituality +0.1.]

[Shadow Concealment: while in shadows or darkness, you gain a +3 modifier to stealth.]

[Serpent Body: your joints can flex and shift like a serpent's. Even your entire body can twist and coil like a snake.]

[Serpent Eyes: meeting another person's gaze with serpent eyes can confuse those with insufficient willpower, or even cause hallucinations.]

[Serpent Tongue: communicate with snakes through hissing and command them to a certain extent.]

(Note: the talent you have acquired comes from a splinter branch of the Snake Sect. Incorporating elements of the voodoo "Notheig" order and the druidic "Telgard" order into the original Snake Sect's foundation ultimately gave rise to a new Snake Sect! In the eyes of traditionalists, your Snake Sect powers have become corrupted. Not only has its philosophy changed beyond recognition, but its powers have changed as well. Yet even after repeated plundering left it incomplete, its strength remains beyond doubt.)

Hiss, hiss-hiss!

As Arthur read the explanation of [remnant dark serpent], spine-chilling hisses emerged naturally from his throat. He took a step back, and the instant the shadows enveloped Mo Qishang, he seemed to vanish from the room. Ordinary sight could no longer catch his figure.

At that moment, the body hidden from ordinary eyes began twisting and coiling like a real snake.

An icy aura spread through the torrential rain.

The lingering flames nearby were immediately extinguished by that chill.

But a moment later, everything returned to normal, and the room's temperature recovered.

Arthur emerged from the darkness with a smile. By now, he had gained a fairly solid grasp of this incomplete talent.

Though the talent was only a fragment, his predecessor's memories indicated that he had already surpassed the vast majority of ordinary people.

In physical fitness alone, no one could compare with him aside from those blessed with exceptional natural gifts, to say nothing of the supernatural powers that came with it.

This was something ordinary people could never hope to attain!

"Bloodline?"

Arthur turned to look at the man who had long since become ashes at his feet, recalling the greed and arrogance in his voice when he had spoken of "bloodlines."

At the same time, he thought of this world's so-called "nobles."

The nobles of this world placed great importance on bloodlines.

The two were very likely connected!

As Arthur considered this, he took the sack from the Medium's Case and began gathering every last bit of ash. It might only be a pile of ashes, but who could guarantee that it would reveal nothing?

Had he not been worried about drawing too much attention, Arthur would have preferred to burn down all of 333 Russell Street.

After all, this was a city, not some deserted wilderness.

So he abandoned that once-and-for-all solution.

Of course, compared with any trouble 333 Russell Street might bring, he was more worried about the man who had already turned to ashes.

Had this man, burned to ash by the backlash, been a loner? Or did he have family, friends, or even an organization?

If so, were those people ordinary, or did they possess "bloodlines"?

If it was the latter, Arthur would have trouble eating or sleeping in peace.

More importantly-

Them!

This fellow deceived Them!

Even the bloodline replacement I underwent might have been part of his scheme to "deceive Them"!

This is a bit troublesome!

Arthur considered it, then shook his head.

He had too little information to deal with it right now. He would be better off thoroughly cleaning the scene first and doing everything currently within his power.

Of course, gaining the strength to protect himself as quickly as possible also had to be put on the agenda.

And that would not stump Arthur-

[Omniscient cuisine]!

Using [omniscient cuisine] to gain XP, then converting it into strength, was what Arthur needed to do at this stage.

As for how to gain XP quickly and efficiently?

Arthur was already ready to start experimenting.

For that, he once again thanked the young man who had been his predecessor. To ensure he could smoothly "inherit the family business" and win wider recognition, his predecessor had sent someone to notify a newspaper reporter before coming to exorcise 333 Russell Street.

Through the window, Arthur could already clearly see the reporter running toward him, his greatly enhanced physique having improved his eyesight as well.

He picked up the bloodstained hunting cap beside him, gave it a few pats, and placed it on his head. Then Arthur straightened his double-breasted black trench coat, picked up the Medium's Case, pushed open the door, and walked out of 333 Russell Street.

The downpour had eased to a pattering drizzle by then, but the standing water still covered the cobbled street beneath his feet.

As he walked, Arthur discreetly shook his sleeve. Lime powder and pieces of white phosphorus immediately drifted from his cuff into the standing water.

When Arthur's shoes stepped through the water, white smoke rose from the puddle behind his heels. As he moved forward, the airflow carried the smoke after him, as though the spirits of legend were lunging at Arthur.

The newspaper reporter, who had just arrived, stared at the scene with wide eyes. He was about to warn Arthur when Arthur stopped, raised his left hand, and snapped his fingers.

Snap!

The snap rang out crisply.

With that snap, a burst of flame appeared behind Arthur.

The flames surged upward, their dazzling light dispelling the surrounding darkness. The white smoke vanished the instant the fire appeared, as though it had been utterly purified.

The newspaper reporter could no longer contain himself and cried out in astonishment.

"My God! This is an exorcism!"

P.S. Long time no see, everyone! Fat Dragon is back~ Please give my new book plenty of love~ There'll be two updates a day during the free period, and a flood of updates once it goes premium~ Please keep supporting me~ Fat Dragon bows in thanks~