Just thinking about it made Huai Shi shiver uncontrollably.
"Isn't it the same with the Current Circumstances? You can accept Coral Cloud, so why can't you accept a change in the sky?" Raven calmly retorted. "Relax a bit. At worst, just pretend it's a new texture pack."
"But why has it become like this?"
"The entire border region of Dongxia is like this. To be precise, the borders of the whole of Asia are shrouded by this endless sea. Every now and then, floods sweep in from the sky, submerging everything... and then reconstruction begins, waiting for the next deluge."
"It's even worse in Rome. It's said to have sunk into the Earth's crust, and the fires in the Middle East still haven't been extinguished. The cities of steel are built over flames and lava..."
Raven sighed. "This is the proof of departure from the Current Circumstances, Huai Shi. There's no need to worry about other dangers in such a relatively stable place like the Border, but don't think about returning to the cradle. Be tough, show some manliness. It's just a sea, right? Pretend it doesn't exist."
Though that's what was said, such a huge thing couldn't possibly be ignored.
Huai Shi almost forced himself to look down, trying to forget about it, not to worry that the ocean above might suddenly crash down, and resolutely kept walking forward.
Right beside him, a portly fellow traveler saw his rigid demeanor and couldn't help laughing. He scratched his armpit, chuckling amidst his own body odor.
"A new face, eh, young man? You look quite capable. Are you also a contestant in this session's demon extermination competition?"
"Hmm? Ah, yes."
Huai Shi carefully slowed down a bit, hoping to avoid the suffocating body odor, but soon realized that it was even worse behind him and had to grit his teeth and speed up.
"Ha, when the time comes, just bring it on!" The portly man grinned broadly, full of fervor. "I won't lose to you!"
Unfortunately, his physique didn't suggest he was capable of slaying demons or casting out evil spirits. He even carried an Iron Pot on his back, looking more like a chef.
Thankfully, soon enough, the portly man slowed down and started chatting and laughing with a few companions whose faces were shiny with grease. Their enormous bags, heavy footsteps, and robust builds all served as reminders to Huai Shi that these were formidable opponents.
It wasn't long before Huai Shi arrived near the amusement park-like lights and saw the surging crowds within the opened iron gate.
Not only were there Dongxia Men, Yingzhou People, and people from Myanmar, but one could also see plenty of Caucasians and Black people walking among them, their eyes fierce and expressions stern, vigilantly watching their fellow contestants.
However, their attire was rather odd, giving Huai Shi a sense of something not quite right.
Even more bizarrely, right outside the gate, the noisy square was filled with street stalls, where all sorts of peculiar-looking individuals loudly hawked bizarre goods.
"Look over here, check this out! Vintage thirty-year-old canned herring—disgusting to smell and to eat! Limited quantity, first come, first served!"
"Authentic soybean juice and premium folding ear roots! Come take a look, we have everything! Don't miss out!"
"Freshly rotten durian..."
"Genuine Green Hair Poison Wine, specially brewed with Goblin leg hairs, recognized as an infernal intangible cultural heritage of Hell! Drink it today, Dad, and you'll have an inheritance tomorrow!"
"Freshly cooked curry-flavored Abyss snail noodle soup!"
"..."
"My god!"
Huai Shi was struck by the oncoming stench and stumbled backward, nearly vomiting, his face pale. Raven looked at him, puzzled. "What are you dazed about? Go buy some!"
Huai Shi was dumbfounded. "Buy what?"
"Your ingredients!" Raven asked. "How can you join the demon extermination contest without fresh ingredients?"
"Are these crappy things supposed to be for exorcising demons?" Huai Shi felt he was going mad. "Do I need to chant some scriptures too?"
"..."
Raven stood still, staring blankly at him, and after a long time, uttered hesitantly, "I know what's wrong now."
"Hmm?" Huai Shi was puzzled.
"Did you misunderstand from the start?" Raven sighed. "The demon extermination contest I mentioned... the 'extermination' part... it's not that kind of 'extermination.' It's 'Chef,' as in a cook."
"What the heck?"
Huai Shi turned around in a daze, looking in the direction of the gate, at the sign.
There, on the sign, a line of strange characters kept shifting until they finally settled into Dongxia script.
[The 107th Chef Demon Contest East Asia Regional Preselections · Dongxia Event]
"Please prepare, contestants."
A deep voice boomed from the loudspeakers, laced with a trill as if from a forked tongue. "In ten minutes, entry for the competition will officially begin. Please maintain an orderly line and refrain from arbitrarily violating the safety regulations on the field. Offenders will incur a curse from the Owners of the Great Mob."
"..."
In his stunned silence, Huai Shi stiffly turned back to face Raven's innocent expression and swallowed hard. "It's still possible to leave now, right?"
"—And, due to the excessive number of contestants withdrawing this year, the organizing committee has decided that any invited individuals who fail to participate will be collectively punished."
The strange voice from the speaker shouted loudly, "These cowards will be cursed by the judges to eat dog-shit-flavored curry and curry-flavored dog shit for the rest of their lives!"
In the awkward silence, Raven looked at Huai Shi with pity.
"...I think not."
"Fuck!"
Huai Shi, utterly hopeless.
.
.