Having received the female wedding ring, Lu Luo headed straight for the castle hall. Upon entering, a soldier handed him a nameplate inscribed with the words "Candidate." Looking towards the castle again, the midnight Red and White Castle seemed to awaken from its slumber. The great hall of the castle was vast, with ornate candelabras, flickering candlelight, warm fireplaces, and shimmering silverware. Everything appeared to be waiting for the arrival of people like Lu Luo.

By now, the banquet hall was laden with exquisite dishes. Although Lu Luo had not seen most of them before, he could tell that a lot of effort had been put into their preparation.

"The scale of this banquet hall!"

[There's something off about this food. I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing.]

Upon seeing this prompt, Lu Luo's brow furrowed slightly, but he said nothing.

Besides him, there were several other people standing here. They were all quite young, most around his age, with the oldest appearing to be about thirty. These people, like Lu Luo, were continuously surveying their surroundings and, incidentally, observing each other, because any one of them could become a future competitor. Indeed, upon entering the hall, Lu Luo had confirmed that these were all competitors. Some appeared nonchalant, others visibly tense, and still others seemed confident. Observing these different expressions, Lu Luo did not rush into the banquet hall but chose to stand at the entrance and ponder quietly for a while.

I wonder if old Kuding the lizardman's words from before were a reminder. If they were, then besides the reminder about time, Kuding also told me to make more preparations. This nuptial ceremony was prepared by the Nightmare Demon for its mother, Qiu Guling, so the main bride must undoubtedly be Qiu Guling. This is inevitable. Considering the entanglement between Qiu Guling and Ludie has lasted seven years, this must be the time for it to end. However, I also vividly remember the Nightmare Demon mentioning in the letter that Qi Xinzhu would also become one of the brides. If she is indeed "one of them," and if Qi Xinzhu is arranged to be a bride, can I assume other brides will appear besides her? Moreover, if the tradition of the Twilight Ceremony is followed, then there must be both brides and grooms. The brides have been predetermined, so these men appearing in the Nightmare Demon's castle must be here to be selected as grooms. I, Lu Luo, am one of the groom candidates. The upcoming sixteen hours will likely be crucial for becoming a groom. Back to the original question: how can one become a groom?

One thing I can confirm now is that the groom needs a wedding ring! And formal attire! And most likely a goblet too!

With this thought, Lu Luo took out the brass ring he had just acquired.

"A woman's ring, one of the tokens of marriage. Have I already taken a step ahead just by entering? Heh!"

Lu Luo chuckled as he surveyed the groom candidates in the room. In a corner, he spotted Gu Fangyi and Zhou Kai! But the distance was too great. As Lu Luo walked, he used the Observer to scrutinize everyone present. To his surprise, he did not find Ludie among these people.

It's somewhat expected, though, as most of those present are within a specific age range. The Nightmare Demon likely did this deliberately, though its exact purpose is unclear to me. However, one thing is certain: there shouldn't be anyone here powerful enough to break the rules with brute force. Ludie's presence would be too out of line.

Realizing this, Lu Luo laughed self-deprecatingly. To the Nightmare Demon, we're probably just a bunch of toys. No need to take ourselves so seriously.

"Ludie's bride is the predetermined Qiu Guling. This wedding game was originally held for him and Qiu Guling. So they are the protagonists of this nuptial ceremony; perhaps they've already met somewhere in the castle!"

Approaching the dining table once more, the Observer presented another prompt.

[These foods are quite special. The materials don't seem like ordinary things. Worth trying to touch.]

"Special material! That's the second prompt about it," Lu Luo muttered.

With the Observer's prompt, Lu Luo proceeded toward the dining table, the aromatic food making his mouth water. He glanced at the servers: all strikingly beautiful Harpies, Third Tier Humanoid Species. All the Harpies were naked, covered only by a thin layer of feathers that did little to hide their seductive forms.

Even though the groom candidates around maintained composed façades, some couldn't help but engage in simple interactions with these temptresses. Then, in the dark, one of the Harpies stealthily bit through the neck of the man before her.

[This person is dead.]

"I know," Lu Luo murmured.

Lu Luo also stopped one of them, and the Harpy immediately turned towards him.

[Her measurements... almost like Qi Xinzhu's.]

However, I'm not particularly interested in these feathery creatures. Besides, the women I associate with are of much higher quality.

"Hey, hey, Miss Birdy, stop your writhing. It's rather disgusting," Lu Luo said. "I want to ask you something: is the food here edible?"

The Harpy server clearly hadn't expected Lu Luo to say such a thing. Disgusting? She was a bit angry. Is this man even interested in women? Though irritated, she still flashed a seductive smile at Lu Luo.

"Doesn't sir want me? As long as we're somewhere private, anything is possible, you know!"

I sized up the Harpy. I dabbled in things like that in my past life; honestly, it was just for the thrill. Not in this life. I've cleaned up my act; I'm a respectable person now. Places like the Wasteland need me to save them. Exotic Species—scram!

"Thanks, but no thanks," Lu Luo said. "I have an aversion to too many feathers. Your body has too many, and they look like chicken feathers, which I really can't stand."

"These are eagle feathers!" the Harpy server retorted angrily.

"Close enough. Just tell me if the food here is edible or not."

"This food was prepared for you, so of course you can eat it. However, you can only taste one dish. And when you do, you'd better be careful, you know!"

Be careful? So, there's something wrong with the food? Is it poisonous or harmful? Or maybe it contains Netherflame? Honestly, scenarios like these don't scare me much. I might not be completely immune to toxins yet, but even if not, resisting ninety-five percent of it shouldn't be a problem.

The Observer had reminded him twice that there was something unusual about the food, which meant there really was.

"Well then, I'm going to eat!"

As Lu Luo's finger touched one of the dishes, the Observer's notification appeared.

[Meat chunks of the Heaven-Swallowing Serpent, Seventh Tier pure Exotic Species flesh. Consumption can greatly enhance strength.]

HOLY CRAP! No side effects?

Lu Luo immediately picked up the chopsticks and fork from the table, spearing a chunk of the Heaven-Swallowing Serpent meat and putting it into his mouth. But before he could chew, the Devourer acted first, perfectly disintegrating the meat chunk.

[You have devoured a meat chunk from the Heaven-Swallowing Serpent. Your strength has increased by 0.1.]

"This…"

'Shocked' wasn't enough to describe what I felt. I knew Eighth Order Calamities were powerful, but I hadn't expected an Eighth Order Calamity to be this generous. To think they'd serve us food that can directly improve our strength?

"Only one chance, can't waste it!"

Without another word, Lu Luo picked up the plate and started eating voraciously, drawing sideways glances from those around him.

Is this guy under the influence of some mind-altering ability? many were thinking. In such an unknown environment, with unfamiliar food on the table, very few dared to eat it directly.

However, nothing abnormal happened to Lu Luo after his feast, which piqued some people's curiosity. If Lu Luo can eat like that without any issues, perhaps we can try as well? Could this food have some special effects?

One of them cut a small piece of a plant that resembled broccoli and put it in his mouth. His expression first turned strange, then began to contort. His body tensed, and his clothes instantly burst at the seams!

ROAR!

In just a few breaths, the person had transformed from a normal human into a massive, fully-fledged Humanoid Species. Fortunately, the individuals here were quite strong; a few Transcendents working together easily dispatched him. Impacts of Holy Radiance, Qi He, and Dark Energy continuously bombarded the aberration's body. Soon, the aberration crashed heavily to the ground, completely disintegrated by the energy.

People continued to arrive. As Lu Luo surreptitiously ate, the Observer kept gathering intelligence on everyone present. There were 62 people left. Apart from Zhou Kai, every one of them was extraordinary. Second Tiers were few, Third Tiers were the most numerous, and there were even some Fourth Tiers. Among them was someone Lu Luo knew: Qi Gefei, a member of the Knight of Justice!

However, I didn't go greet Qi Gefei. We weren't close, and we'd fought a few times. No need to try and get friendly now.

He hadn't yet met up with Gu Fangyi and the others when the castle's main gates slowly closed. The old lizardman, Kuding, who had greeted them earlier, walked into the center of the hall. He bowed slightly towards Lu Luo and the others, then gestured towards the stairs leading to the second floor with both hands as if holding something aloft.

A black horse, wreathed in flames, emerged!

"Nightmare Demon!"

The people here exclaimed in surprise. Although the Nightmare Demon had only appeared recently, it was already the most talked-about entity in the East Ring. Its previous confrontation with Qiao Xing had also earned the Nightmare Demon significant attention in the East Ring. There were even rumors of Nightmare Demon figurines; many people had made doll-like figures of the Nightmare Demon to keep in their rooms. The Nightmare Demon was powerful and beautiful, an entity many Transcendents in the East Ring aspired to defeat and conquer.

Most of the people here were between Second and Fourth Tier in strength. Under normal circumstances, they could only admire and look up to the Nightmare Demon from afar. But now it was different; they were meeting the Nightmare Demon in person, and this encounter sent a severe shock through their minds and spirits.

[Don't look at it! It's using its power!]

Lu Luo's lips trembled slightly.

"I don't want to look either, but this creature... it's captivating! The moment I involuntarily glanced at it, I couldn't look away. What do I do now?"

Lu Luo was panicking a little. It wasn't just that he couldn't look away; his body was starting to stiffen. His heart pounded in time with the Nightmare Demon's stride, his breathing synced with its Netherflame. Just then, Lu Luo felt a power emanating from his core, helping him resist the Nightmare Demon's influence.

[Your Sequence A-00 Unbeliever is taking effect. You are very superstitious, so the Nightmare Power cannot entice you.]

Lu Luo's scalp tingled, but his eyes gradually grew fierce. His previously immobile body could now subtly move. He clenched his teeth slightly.

"It's just a horse. It can't be that bad..."

Lu Luo finally shifted his gaze away, returning his attention to the food before him, and continued to eat. This seemingly ordinary action appeared quite conspicuous in the banquet hall at that moment. The Nightmare Demon naturally saw Lu Luo eating and stamped its hoof, making a sharp sound.

"Welcome, everyone, to my mother's nuptial ceremony," the Nightmare Demon's voice resounded. "This will be a moment worthy of remembrance for the rest of our lives. All the Exotic Species and humans of the East Ring will witness their nuptial ceremony. To celebrate this grand moment, we need a prelude to this ceremony, along with some interesting diversions. For instance, I have chosen some beautiful brides for you, and what you need to do is... fight for them!"

The crowd of over sixty people watched the Nightmare Demon intently, all except for Lu Luo, who kept his head down, continuing to eat. The Nightmare Demon smiled at the sight of Lu Luo engrossed in his food, then addressed Lu Luo directly:

"My brides are the most excellent, most beautiful beings. But being so beautiful and excellent, what kind of person truly deserves them? That's why I have brought you here. You are all elites of the East Ring, handpicked by me—talents that I especially appreciate and like. All the games and clues I've placed inside the castle. The person who finds the token will become the groom matched with a bride! In addition to winning a beauty, you might also receive a small token of my appreciation. For example, Netherflame? Or perhaps a nightmare? Who knows! Hehehe. Alright, the banquet begins. Kuding, it's all yours."

After the Nightmare Demon had finished, it left with a booming laugh.

"As you command, my master." Kuding bowed towards the Nightmare Demon's departing figure and then turned to the groom candidates gathered here. The original count was sixty-two after one death, and Kuding's next words confirmed this.

"I am the host for this Twilight Ceremony. My name is Kuding. Since you are all victors of a sort, let's play an interesting game for winners, shall we? This is the banquet hall, and a banquet means eating. There is a great deal of food on the table, all of which is very valuable. Two candidates have already tried it, so of course, it mustn't go to waste."

"The game is simple: the minority's choice overrules the majority's. Currently, there are sixty-two people here. The first one to grab a spot at the main table gains the right to ask a question. The questioner can ask a yes-or-no question, and the others will answer. If you choose yes, place your candidate token in your left hand. If you choose no, place it in your right hand—and don't let others see, okay! The answer chosen by the minority wins; the answer chosen by the majority loses. A tie is void. Winners receive a portion of food, which has been carefully prepared by Lord Nightmare Demon for you, so eat with confidence. The questioner automatically counts as a winner, enjoys the food, and moves on to the next round. Anyone who damages items in this hall is automatically a loser. Losers must eat one serving of food from the table. Losers who wish to rejoin must eat two servings of food from the table. Losers who want to leave the nuptial ceremony must eat two servings of food from the table. Each round of answering lasts sixty seconds. After each question concludes, there is a twenty-minute break to eat. When only five people remain, the game ends, and the victors will receive a token from the nuptial ceremony."

While Lu Luo and the others were still digesting the game rules, Kuding the lizardman knocked on the table.

"Now, the game begins!"

It's starting already?

Several candidates with considerable strength and quick reactions charged directly for the main table. During their swift movements, some already began to clash. However, they all carefully controlled their force, as no one wanted to damage anything and become a loser.

I didn't pursue the right to speak; otherwise, with my strength, I'd likely have a good chance of getting it! I headed straight for Gu Fangyi and Zhou Kai. The food here is a big problem. If one eats the wrong thing, Zhou Kai should be fine; he's in his Exotic Species form and can rely on his plant state to survive. But Gu Fangyi can't. There's a high chance he'd be in direct trouble. So, I need a two-pronged approach: help Gu Fangyi win as much as possible, or if he fails, tell him which dish is safe to eat.

"Brother Gu, Brother Kane!" Lu Luo called out.

"Brother Luo!" Gu Fangyi responded.

"You're here!" Zhou Kai added.

The three nodded at each other. With Lu Luo by their side, both Gu Fangyi and Zhou Kai felt much more at ease.

BANG! The sound of a table shaking came from the end of the long table. The plates on it swayed but, fortunately, did not fall off or break. The few candidates vying for the main seat breathed a sigh of relief. If we failed to secure a spot and were also declared losers, that would be terrible.

The three looked towards the main table where a man with a horse-like face had already seized a position. He scanned the others with his narrow eyes and immediately began to ask, "Hehe, who would have thought it'd be me? My first question is very simple: are you all here to attend the nuptial ceremony?"

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