Chapter 630: Killing at the Banquet

“He’s here!”
“The mage has arrived…”
…
When Donald arrived, the banquet was far more lively than he had imagined. A group of people in strange attire sat in the main hall, with crystal chandeliers reflecting the blood-red glow of the twilight outside the windows, adding to the splendor of the hall adorned with gold and jewels.
This was the only cabin on the ship that had a small view of the deck through windows. It was usually used for commanding battles at sea, but only used as a banquet venue during such occasions.
The outlaws of the Curse Throat Fleet lacked the refined manners and soft conversations seen at noble banquets. Instead, they joked freely with each other, occasionally telling crude jokes that sparked loud laughter among the crowd.
Seeing this scene, Donald couldn’t help but recall a series of pirate movies he had watched in his past life. It was quite similar to those scenes, though the people here were far more brutal and extreme than pirates.
Uunos, the leader of the Curse Throat Fleet and the one sitting at the head of the table, saw Donald arrive and tapped a bronze cup on the table, producing a clear metallic sound.
When the leader was about to speak, all the noise instantly ceased, as if someone had paused a movie.
Uunos clearly enjoyed the feeling of holding absolute power over everyone’s life and death. After glancing around, he said satisfactorily, “Now that our chief mage has arrived, let the banquet begin!”
With that, the servants brought in dishes one after another.
Due to the scarcity of resources in the Abyssal Seas, the food served was merely meat from a black sea beast and some yellowish, shriveled beans.
Yet this was enough to keep them eating nonstop. Green plants were rare in these murky yellow waters, and even if they existed, many plants in such an environment were highly poisonous. These beans had been purchased at high prices from greedy demon merchants by their fleet. Normally, crew members could only get a dozen or so beans per month, and servants could hardly even see them. Now, a whole small dish was equivalent to several months’ worth, allowing them to feast to their heart’s content.
As the fleet leader, Uunos commanded the large sailing ship, The Reaper, which was located at the center of the fleet.

Every few months, Unos would lead his fleet far from the shores of Yenogu to the borders of this layer, then enter the interdimensional Abyssal Ocean. There, they patrolled the seas in search of more ships to join their growing fleet, while also dealing with all sorts of strange races—mostly abyssal merchants of demonic origin—who exchanged precious jewels and gold from other dimensions for small amounts of salt, dried food, and inferior wine.

As for the meat of those black sea beasts, it was hunted in the abyssal waters; it was as unappetizing as swamp mud, bitter and foul-smelling. But for survival, no matter how disgusting it was, they had to force it down.

After clearing their plates of beans, most people stopped eating anything else, simply sipping the rare wine from their cups, as if expecting something better to be served soon.

Donald, like a noble, took a light bite from his plate before stopping. In fact, everything that entered his mouth was instantly enveloped by divine power and transformed into nothingness, effectively preventing any contact with his mouth. Otherwise, Donald didn’t think he could avoid vomiting after becoming a god!

Under the expectant gazes of others, the final main course was finally served. When Donald saw what materials the huge roasted dishes and soup pots contained, he couldn’t help but frown, his gaze turning icy cold like the polar depths.

“How about our chief mage enjoys the first piece of this delicacy?” Unos said, standing up and extending his hand.

Although Donald knew this was a fleet of mortal slaves who struggled to survive in the abyssal waters far from the coast, gathered together for survival—circumnavigating the coasts to rescue runaway slaves or even those mortal werewolves who refused to obey Yenogu’s vile demands—a single accidentally captured abyssal sea beast could feed the entire fleet for a month or longer. Yet their most common source of food was human flesh. When food became scarce, the crew would isolate and kill the weaker passengers, using their bodies as food for everyone on board.

He had been prepared for this from the moment he boarded, but seeing his own kind, intelligent beings cooked and served as food still filled him with uncontrollable anger. Even as a true god, Donald couldn’t accept cannibalism, let alone such brutal acts of fratricide.

At this moment, all members of the fleet were staring intently at Donald, eager to see the sincerity of this newly joined mage. According to the rules of the Curse Throat Fleet, every new member had to consume a small piece of flesh from a former companion to prove their loyalty and willingness to sacrifice for survival. But the real feast had yet to begin—until some of the newly arrived refugees refused this horrifying meal. Then, the tense crowd would launch a merciless and brutal attack on these “cowards,” killing them and cooking their bodies as the main dish. In such a desperate situation, such actions were understandable; at least Donald could grasp their desire to survive! But turning such acts into a hobby, cruelly preying on one’s own kind, was beyond his acceptance. After Unoth spoke, half in threat and half in invitation, Donald slowly stood up. “I had planned to wait a little longer, but seeing how degenerate you mortals have become, I can no longer resist the urge to purify you all!” As soon as he spoke, everyone present showed anger, hurling insults. If not for the leader’s presence, they might have started fighting on the spot. Unoth raised his hand, and all the crew members fell silent. The ruler of the Curse Throat Fleet looked at Donald with interest and said with a smile, “I didn’t know our chief mage was actually a man of justice. Are you angry at the actions of us sinners? Then shouldn’t I, the King of Cannibals, be cast into the abyss to suffer endlessly in your eyes? Oh, I forgot to mention—we’re already in the Bottomless Abyss. So put away that self-righteous act of yours! If you don’t join us, you’ll end up as food on the table!” After saying this, he stared at Donald, waiting fearlessly for his decision. In his view, his legendary strength made him one of the few formidable figures on Layer 422 of this abyss; the rest were insignificant. Even those powerful demi-god-like creatures under Yenogu, though unbeatable by him, couldn’t do much if his fleet hid deep in the depths. And now, let alone this mere silver mage—even if he were hiding his true strength as a gold archmage, he couldn’t cause much trouble on his own ship. Confident as ever, Unoth never imagined he was wrong, and wrong by a huge margin.

When Donald’s domain expanded, all evil forces were enveloped in a layer of dark sacrificial fire. Although the Demon Hunter’s domain was aimed at demonic creatures, it was not incapable of dealing with other entities, and all chaotic evil enemies suffered from damage boosts and legal suppression. Aside from a few neutral or lawful evil individuals, the rest were chaotic evil creatures that acted like demons, and thus could not escape the damage from the sacrificial fire. Upon seeing Donald’s domain unfold, Unos, the self-proclaimed King of Cannibals and a legendary warrior who controlled the fate of the entire Curse Throat Fleet, realized that the situation was beyond his control. Such a powerful domain left even this legendary rogue powerless to resist; clearly, his opponent was far stronger than him—perhaps a legendary-level mage or even a demigod. Amidst the screams of the people in the cabin, Unos tried to expand his own domain, but it could only be maintained around his body, with its power severely suppressed. Cold sweat appeared on his forehead. “My lord, what is your purpose? As long as it’s within my power, Unos will do his utmost to fulfill it. Please, out of mercy for our fleet’s efforts to rescue those slaves suffering at the hands of the werewolves, spare our lives!” Though arrogant and perverse in nature, the cunning Unos was willing to humble himself and plead to a stronger opponent he could not defeat in order to save his own life. Seeing Unos’s willingness to bend, Donald became even less inclined to let him go. “My followers are kind, lawful, and neutral beings. You lack all three qualities. What use is it to keep you?” By this time, dozens of people in the hall had already turned into ashes in the sacrificial fire, their lives extinguished. As more people died under his domain, Donald could faintly sense the will of the Abyss watching over him, along with a strange yet powerful force attempting to infiltrate his body. He knew this was the erosion of the Abyssal Will—a trap that first grants you great power to make you taste success, then causes you to lose your true nature as you pursue power, ultimately leading you to become a complete Abyssal creature.

However, Donald, who possesses strong internal defenses, can temporarily block the invasion of this force and convert it into pure energy to replenish himself. Yet this indirect theft of abyssal power will eventually be detected by the will of the abyss, triggering its wrath. Meanwhile, Donald will also be somewhat affected by these killings; though it won’t change his allegiance, such situations beyond his normal will is not something he wants to see.