"Depriver"

"' Glutton?' Lumian said with great approval, 'Quite apt.'"

Ludwig ignored his veiled sarcasm and proceeded with his brief introduction:

"In this Sequence, hunger truly became part of our bodies, leading to a great deal of evolution around it."

"What kinds of evolutions are there?" Lumian was worried that Ludwig would only say one sentence about the "Vagrant" Sequence, just like he did with the "Glutton" sequence, so he took the initiative to ask.

Ludwig paused for several seconds to swallow the food in his mouth.

Then, he popped a small piece of Lemon Cake into his mouth and mumbled, "Internal organs that are better at digesting food and absorbing energy, Teeth that are stronger and more powerful, a bite force and appetite that far exceed normal limits..."

"This helps us obtain different energies from food more efficiently, without worrying about being affected by toxins, Virus, and bacteria that may be present in the food."

"So, even if it's highly poisonous, as long as you treat it as food and eat it with your mouth, you won't die from poisoning?" Lumian suddenly felt that Ludwig would be a perfect "assistant" to the "Apothecary."

Ludwig took a sip of Milk and shook his head:

"You can't exceed a certain limit; many ' Glutton ' have died because they ate whatever they wanted."

"Didn't you eat anything indiscriminately?" Lumian scoffed inwardly.

At the same time, he sighed to himself:

This guy is quite honest; most of the time he really does act like a child, and he even forgot to protest when I added more questions.

Ludwig put down the Glass Bottle of Milk and picked up a box of cookies.

Amidst the clicking sounds, he continued, "The one corresponding to Sequence 7 is ' The Gourmet '."

"At this level, we will have stronger digestive and eating abilities, and we can distinguish which Ingredient are edible, which are inedible, which Ingredient can bring about special changes, and which Ingredient need to be paired with other Ingredient."

Lumian thought for a moment and said, "Extracting relevant information from the food we eat is one of the abilities of a ' Gourmet '?"

This ability helped Lumian a lot.

"Mmm." Ludwig, wearing a thick yellow cotton Nightcap, nodded obediently.

He did not elaborate on the corresponding abilities.

"While the ' Gourmet ' is quite useful, I sense that you still lack sufficient combat ability within this Sequence. Hmm, perhaps the ' Vagrant ' would provide some street fighting skills," Lumian commented from his own perspective.

Ludwig didn't bother to argue, nor did he care; nothing was as important as the delicious food he was eating and the food to come.

He peeled a round candy, put it in his mouth, and his expression revealed a hint of enjoyment:

"Further up, which is what you call Sequence 6, is called ' Cook '."

"I thought you were Bartender," Lumian joked.

Ludwig thought about it seriously and said, "' Cook ' has a broader scope; it's not just about making cocktails."

Lumian nodded thoughtfully:

"The ability of a ' Cook ' is to use special Ingredient to create dishes, Pastry, drinks, and cocktails with magical effects?"

This is an ability that Ludwig has demonstrated many times.

Ludwig unconsciously revealed a smug expression:

"Yes, each ' Cook ' has different specific traits and abilities because of the different Ingredient they have obtained and the different foods they have made."

"What these Cook have in common is their excellent ability to handle Ingredient, including how to find the weak points and techniques such as cutting, chopping, and slicing."

Only upon reaching the "Gourmet" Pathway in this Sequence can one truly possess combat capabilities... However, similar to "Contracted One," the actual combat strength of "Cook" depends on their own combinations, with a very high ceiling and a very low floor... Thinking of "Contracted One," Lumian asked curiously, "Are there any limits to the number of permanent effects that ' Cook ' can obtain through different magical foods?"

As for the negative effects, Lumian, who has eaten "Icy Lemon Fish Fillet," has firsthand experience with them:

Depending on the Ingredient and the final product, magical dishes or cocktails can have different negative effects, but overall they are significantly weaker than those of the "Contracted One."

"No," Ludwig shook his head quickly, "As long as you fully accept hunger and Greed, there will be no upper limit to quantity."

This is... the upper limit is frighteningly high... but it also means that the number of negative effects is also unlimited. Even if each one is far less than what the "Contracted One" brings, the cumulative effect will lead to a qualitative change... Lumian pondered for a while, then looked at Ludwig had almost finished his meal, and said, "When we first met, the one I saw you Rat, were you a ' Glutton ' or a ' Gourmet '?"

Ludwig did not hide anything:

"' Gourmet '."

Indeed, he kept commenting on the dishes I treated him to afterwards... Lumian thought for a moment and said, "During the Batins Black Insect incident, you returned to the ' Cook ' level?"

Ludwig grunted in agreement.

"We were so close to it to begin with; eating a Batins Black Insect would have been enough."

"What's the next Sequence?" Lumian steered the conversation back on track.

Ludwig diligently dug into his memories:

"They are ' Depriver '."

"' The Depriver '?" Lumian immediately thought of the "Deprivation Bullet" he had obtained from Yebus.

Was this obtained through a trade with Evil God Cult via the "Gourmet" Pathway?

Ludwig thought Lumian wanted him to explain the abilities of the "Depriver," and recalled, "' Depriver ' can Deprivation a target of one to three abilities for a certain period of time. If it subsequently consumes a part of the target's flesh and blood, it can permanently gain one of the abilities, while the target will permanently lose it unless he drinks the Potion again or kills me, no, the corresponding ' Depriver.'"

"When we reach the ' Depriver,' our diet will become much broader. Many things that were previously inedible will now be edible, and things that were previously impossible to eat will now be edible."

"For example?" Lumian wasn't sure if his associations matched what Ludwig really meant.

Ludwig looked at him and gave two examples:

"A certain degree of Corruption, as well as energy bodies such as Fireball and Lightning."

"You can eat some more dangerous things now, and you can even eat things that shouldn't normally be food..." Lumian thought of an enemy he encountered at the "Hostel," and also of something Ludwig had just mentioned, and asked for confirmation, "Does the ability to process Ingredient also include these Ingredient?"

"Yes," Ludwig very frankly.

Lumian took the matte "Deprivation Bullet" from the "Traveler’s Bag" and placed it on the table in front of him:

"This comes from the ' Depriver '?"

Ludwig's eyes lit up instantly:

"Yes."

He said urgently, "Can I... can I take it as a prize? I don't need the Beyonder Characteristic!"

"I think the Beyonder Characteristic are more valuable than that," Lumian said, deliberately trying to get information out of her.

Ludwig looked sad and said with great reluctance, "But you can only choose one."

"I can't actually consume Beyonder Characteristic right now; I can only use them to make some food."

"I see..." Lumian looked at Ludwig, organizing his thoughts as he asked, "How much more do you need to eat to recover to ' The Depriver '?"

"It gets harder as we go on. We can't just rely on quantity anymore; we need more suitable and higher-energy food." Ludwig pointed to the "Deprivation Bullet" and said, "I need to eat at least two hundred of these bullets to revert to being a ' Depriver '."

Lumian laughed, and asked in Demon’s Whisper, "How about just devouring the ' Depriver ' who made this bullet?"

"It will recover immediately!" Ludwig's eyes brightened.

Lumian widened as he said, "You don't seem to have a strong ability to take the initiative yet. I can help you acquire these kinds of items and capture the corresponding Beyonder, but you need to listen to me, accept my command, and develop sufficient tacit understanding before I become Half-God."

"This is my promise. Do you want to complete this deal?"

Ludwig hesitated for a long time before reluctantly nodding and saying, "Deal."

Whew, calm down... This is just the beginning of "taming," not the end. There's still a long process ahead... Lumian suppressed his smile and asked curiously, "Whom did you follow back then?"

"You don't need to tell me your Honorific Name, just pick any noun to refer to you, like ' Great Mother '."

Ludwig was stunned.

His expression shifted several times, then suddenly tears streamed down his face, and he whimpered like a child:

"I... I don't remember! And the book"

"I forgot, I forgot everything!"

Hearing his cries, Lugano put on a thick coat and came out of the guest room.

The "Doctor" spotted Lumian immediately and asked, bewildered and puzzled, "Why is he crying?"

Is this still the terrifying cannibal from "Dream Festival"?

Lumian smiled:

I showed him the food but didn't give him any.

"Okay..." Lugano looked back and forth between the two of them with a puzzled expression, then Rationality chose to retreat back to his room.

Because of his brief appearance, Lumian remembered an item and had a dangerous thought.

He took out Ombella's Umbilical Cord Remains from his "Traveler’s Bag" and began to "consult" Ludwig, who was gradually stopping his sobbing.

What dishes and cocktails can it be used to make?

The Umbilical Cord Remains left behind by the "Great Mother" Divine Child was originally thought to be only suitable as a material for spellcasting or Auxiliary Ingredient for making Charm, Mystical Item, and Beyonder weapon. However, Lumian now thinks that the "Gourmet" might have a different opinion.

Ludwig gazed at Ombella's Umbilical Cord Remains, licked his lips, and said, "It can be used to make three kinds of food with different magical effects."

"A certain food can completely cure infertility."

"No need for that," Lumian asked with amusement. "What about the effects of the other two foods?"

Ludwig explained professionally, "It gives you a stronger self-healing ability, but it's still not as good as a ' Vampire '."

"There's another one..."