novelraw Chapter 258 -258-Attending the Banquet — I Feast Like Crazy!
Chapter 258 -258-Attending the Banquet — I Feast Like Crazy!
Evelyn still showed no intention of speaking.
The Supreme Staff swayed gently and continued trying to persuade her.
"Evelyn, no matter what happened, I hope you’ll say it out loud. If you keep everything bottled up, then when you face your mirror self in the future, it will become a tremendous threat to you."
Hearing that, both Caelan and Evelyn could not help but reveal looks of surprise.
Earlier, they had never heard the Supreme Staff say anything like this.
The Supreme Staff let out a soft sigh, then finally disclosed more information.
"You should know that mirrors and originals are, in many ways, complete opposites. That part is easy enough to understand."
"But what you likely don’t know is that a mirror is also the part of your heart that you most desperately do not want to face."
At this point, the Supreme Staff’s tone turned exceptionally grave.
"To put it seriously, you should have heard of the Mind Demon race’s abilities, yes? What I’m trying to say is that the power of a mirror is the ultimate amplified version of a Mind Demon’s gift."
"If there is anything in your heart that you hesitate over or avoid, it may very well become an opening for the mirror to exploit."
"So... my advice is this: before challenging your mirror, leave no regrets behind. Do everything you truly want to do first. Then, when the time comes to face your mirror, you’ll be able to handle it with ease."
The Supreme Staff’s meaning was crystal clear—Evelyn had to resolve the problem weighing on her now, or it would cause major trouble later.
"So that’s how it is!"
A gleam flashed through Caelan’s eyes as he silently etched this crucial point into his memory.
The mirror trial was something he would have to face sooner or later. The more intelligence he gathered now, the more certain he could be when the time came.
Evelyn, on the other hand, unconsciously frowned.
She had originally thought the mirror trial would be a simple battle against herself. But now it seemed she had been thinking far too simply.
At that moment, Caelan spoke up to persuade her.
"Evelyn, I think if you’re upset, you should let it out now. If you keep suppressing it, something’s bound to go wrong."
Evelyn nodded lightly, then leaned back against the soft sofa.
She seemed to sink into thought, her entire being slipping into a state of blank detachment.
A moment later, Evelyn finally spoke. But this time, her voice carried a faint confusion and uncertainty.
"To be honest, I’m not even sure whether it’s because of the environment in the Abyss. I just keep feeling like this place is far too oppressive."
"I don’t like the atmosphere of the Abyss. This sense of corruption... it makes me deeply uncomfortable from the bottom of my heart."
Caelan nodded. Evelyn’s feelings were perfectly understandable.
Although she had been born into a commoner family, she had received sound guidance and proper values while growing up. Her instinctive rejection of the Abyss’s degenerate atmosphere was only natural.
Caelan narrowed his eyes slightly. Then he suddenly stepped forward, gently caught hold of Evelyn’s sleeve, and led her over to the balcony.
He pointed toward the Lower City of Fallen City in the distance. At that moment, the lower district was not brightly illuminated, but submerged in darkness, broken only by a few scattered glimmers of light.
And behind that darkness, who knew how many unspeakable things were hidden?
Just as Evelyn was looking at him in confusion, Caelan’s calm voice sounded softly beside her ear.
"Just as the sun and moon always take turns crossing the sky, this world has light, and so it must also have darkness."
"Look at that Lower City—filthy, backward, full of bloodshed, violence, and crime. But have you ever thought about it? Demons live there too. They survive there too."
"This world has never been simply black and white, so there’s no need for you to paint everything white. Isn’t that right?"
Evelyn froze slightly, then shot Caelan a huge eye-roll.
"I understand all that grand philosophy already."
"I know some things are destined to remain unchanged. Even if someone becomes unimaginably strong, there are still things that can’t be done."
As she said this, a lonely expression surfaced on Evelyn’s face.
But Caelan shook his head gently and patted her on the shoulder.
"It’s not that it can’t be done. It’s just that we’re not strong enough yet."
...
A single day passed in a blur.
In the Abyss, there was never any true distinction between day and night.
However, the demon races that lived there had long since found their own ways of telling time.
Today was the day of the banquet for the higher demons. The leaders of every higher demon race—or Demon Emperors themselves—would be attending in person.
And after today’s gathering ended, tomorrow they would all take part in the Fallen Revelry together.
From what Caelan had learned over the past few days, the Fallen Revelry was not merely a festival for the demon race. He had discovered that nearly one-third of its participants came from the myriad races of the outside world.
In other words, the connection between the Myriad Races World and the Abyss was far closer than Caelan had initially imagined.
Under Jester Tycoon’s arrangements, Caelan and Evelyn rode in a luxurious carriage and arrived at the palace.
At this very moment, a great number of higher demons had already gathered there.
As Caelan observed the crowd around him, he said to Evelyn,
"I originally thought all the faces here would be unfamiliar. But looking at them now, there are quite a few old acquaintances."
Evelyn blinked in surprise and looked at him in confusion.
Caelan gestured with his eyes and lowered his voice.
"Didn’t you notice? That fellow from the Ram Demon race—he wanted to take part in the [Godfiend Trials] that day. In the end, he didn’t even make it past the first stage because of the level restriction."
"And that Shadow Fiend over there kept hanging around in the back, trying to pick up scraps. Did he really think I wouldn’t notice?"
A royal banquet, in truth, was not all that boring.
A lot of the time, it could be treated as an intelligence exchange hub.
Caelan listened in on a few conversations, but after confirming that they were all about internal demon affairs, he immediately lost interest.
So he simply grabbed Evelyn and headed straight for the banquet hall, where they began devouring food to their hearts’ content.
"Try this strawberry cake. It tastes amazing!"
After saying that, Caelan noticed Evelyn was still feeling a little restrained, so he proactively scooped out a large piece and handed it to her.
"Don’t be so tense. Our goal today is simple—eat well and drink well!"
"You have to try this demon fruit too. It tastes absolutely incredible!!"
And so, at the royal banquet that day, an extremely amusing scene appeared.
While the higher demons were seriously discussing matters related to the Fallen Revelry, Caelan and Evelyn entered full storm-sweeping mode, sampling every single delicacy in the hall!
Quite a few higher demons noticed what the two of them were doing.
Only... not a single one of them dared step forward to stop them.
After all, who would want to offend the Lord of Abyss?