Three graceful maids, wearing thin gauze dresses, approached the banquet table. They held a dish that was tightly sealed.
To attend to Baron Christine, the dish was served to her by a muscular young man wearing very little fabric.
Seeing the dish approach, the three nobles couldn't help but swallow, leaving only Visari feeling puzzled.
Seeing Visari indifferent to the upcoming dish, Viscount Lister smiled and explained:
"This is a treasure presented by the foreign mage, You Yu, the supremely delicious meat of a magical beast."
Although he felt somewhat indifferent internally, Visari still decided to politely praise the dish's deliciousness:
"For Viscount to praise it so highly, it must be a rare delicacy in the world. It seems my tongue is about to be satisfied."
Viscount Lister smiled and nodded, then ordered the attendants to open the plate.
A rich aroma of meat, mixed with the scent of oil, burst forth, instantly filling the entire hall and captivating everyone present.
There was also a faint wisp of fruity, smoky fragrance, washing away any potential greasiness.
Visari cast aside his previous indifference and stared intently at the delicacy before him.
This was a meat steak of an indistinguishable type. The surface of the meat had patterns like molten gold, showing its crispy exterior. A few drops of amber juice dripped from the side of the magical beast steak, making Visari's throat twitch.
Cutting the steak with a dining knife, hot juice burst forth. The outer crust offered just the right subtle resistance, while the internal texture conveyed a soft yet incredibly elastic feel.
Taking a bite, what first enveloped his mouth was surprisingly the sweetness of berries and a rich floral aroma. In an instant, the sweet and delicious meat juice dominated his taste buds.
As Visari continued to chew, the magical beast meat could simultaneously present the tenderness of top-grade Wagyu beef and the chewiness of deep-sea octopus tentacles.
Unconsciously, Visari had finished the entire steak, but besides satisfaction, what lingered in his heart was an even greater emptiness.
It was as if a traveler who had been thirsty in the desert for three days had only drunk a bottle cap's worth of water; the brief satisfaction brought even greater thirst.
But the next moment, the anomaly in the Fungal Crown Lineage brought Visari back to his senses.
A type of cell he had never seen before was gradually eroding and replacing Visari's original cells, starting from his stomach.
No, not never seen before, this was a component of that magical beast meat!
Visari quickly focused his mind to communicate with the lineage. A preliminary investigation revealed that this type of cell would gradually fuse with the consumer's original cells, forming a form of mutual symbiosis.
After symbiosis, the cells would gradually spread to the non-symbiotic parts until the consumer's entire body was filled with these special cells.
After discovering that this type of cell did not have the ability to kill him within seven hours, Visari breathed a sigh of relief.
Once these cells were tamed after seven hours, Visari would be able to thoroughly study their properties and effects.
Soon, Viscount Lister also recovered. He sighed with satisfaction and regret.
"Truly a supreme delicacy! It's a pity that mage can only offer a small piece of magical beast meat each time. Otherwise, I would gladly spend any amount of gold!"
Seeing that the three nobles seemed completely unaware, many thoughts flashed through Visari's mind.
Ever cautious, Visari decided to probe them carefully.
"This magical beast meat is indeed delicious, but after eating it, my body seems to have changed a bit."
Viscount Lister stroked his beard smugly and explained:
"Naturally. According to that mage, there is a residual magical power within the magical beast meat. This power will seep into every part of the body, strengthening it."
Baron Christine also chimed in: "Just as Viscount said, every time I finish the magical beast meat, it feels like I've become a few years younger."
Hearing that their explanation roughly matched his own feelings, Visari suppressed the surprise and doubt in his heart.
But to truly understand the truth of the matter, it would be best to get in touch with the provider of the magical beast meat—Mage You Yu.
After considering his words, Visari asked: "Lord Lister, what is the background of this Mage You Yu, that he can obtain such mysterious magical beast meat?"
Viscount Lister pondered for a moment, "This mage's full name is very strange, it seems to be 'Words of Courtship'. I use 'You Yu' as a shorthand according to his wishes."
"According to him, their group of mages has the ability to travel between foreign realms, and this magical beast meat was obtained from a foreign realm."
Visari nodded to show understanding and further asked:
"Viscount, may I ask if you could introduce me to this mage?"
Viscount Lister glanced at Baron Joe Sak beside him and spoke with a slight smile:
"An introduction is certainly possible, but for a certain reason, this mage may not necessarily agree to meet you. As for the reason, let Joe explain it to you."
Joe Sak shook his head helplessly: "Visari probably doesn't know this, but when I was riding a horse years ago, I was struck by heavenly lightning, and my lower body became paralyzed as a result."
"When this mage appeared before Viscount Lister, the Viscount's first thought was of me, so he invited this mage to my territory."
"This Mage You Yu is quite a warm-hearted person. After seeing my paralysis, he gave me a solution."
"He said that if I consumed the magical beast meat for a long time, one day I could stand up again. I was very excited at the time, so I invited him to sign the ancient oath passed down in my family with me."
Viscount Lister seemed unable to hold back and burst into laughter:
"Visari, guess how the Sak family's ancient oath is signed?"
Visari was still completely bewildered. Today's banquet had overturned all his previous assumptions about nobles.
Viscount Lister said with a profound expression: "According to the Sak family's ancestral teachings, when signing an alliance, to ensure sincerity, both parties need to reach out and grab the other's most vulnerable part—"
Viscount Lister paused, then added: "Testicles."
As soon as he finished speaking, even Baron Christine and Baron Salvas across the table burst into laughter.
Viscount Lister added: "That Mage You Yu wasn't very old either. When he heard Sak say that, he was so scared his face turned pale."
"It's strange to say, but he instantly disappeared from the spot at that moment. He must have used their foreign realm travel spell."
Viscount Lister shook his head regretfully: "If it didn't seem impossible to catch him, I would have long ago cast a Blood Curse on him to make him supply us with magical beast meat long-term."
Joe Sak also had a regretful look: "If we could have signed the ancient oath with him, we could even enjoy this level of deliciousness every day now."
"Alright, the opportunity has been missed. Now we can only first maintain a friendly relationship with the mage."
Viscount Lister ended this regrettable topic. He turned to Visari and said:
"The three of us cannot leave. How about I have a younger relative from my family show you around Padua and also help you choose a good location to open a clinic?"
Visari nodded. As a college student who often stayed in his dorm, he was indeed not very familiar with Padua.
