The monkey's words made Lu Luo pause for a moment; it did not refer to the Nightmare Demon as its master, nor did it show any respect.

A person dominated by a Nightmare Demon? Is it referring to me? Does it imply that it's proud of not being dominated by a Nightmare Demon?

A Soxth Tier Lord-level Exotic Species, resisting the Nightmare Demon?

Lu Luo looked toward Ling Jia, whose hands, feet, and neck were all shackled with very special chains. The chains constantly emitted purple flames, a signature ability of the Nightmare Demon.

These chains have a Nightmare Demon on them and show an energy response; they're not fake.

If they aren't fake, then it means this monkey is indeed imprisoned here by a Nightmare Demon. That shouldn't be possible, though. With the power of a Nightmare Demon, wouldn't killing a Soxth Tier Lord be easy? If this monkey truly resisted the Nightmare Demon that much, then the reason it's still alive must be that it has some special quality. Some quality so special that even a Nightmare Demon wouldn't want to kill it?

Lu Luo thought about the food on the table and the apparent identity of Ling Jia as the head chef, and began to analyze Ling Jia's abilities.

Maybe it's very intelligent, intelligent enough to use Exotic Species ingredients to make special food?

"You cloaked in Netherflame, what are you really looking at?"

Lu Luo did not respond, but continued to scrutinize it as if he wanted to see through Ling Jia completely. However, Lu Luo's inspecting gaze clearly irritated Ling Jia.

"Hey, kid, what's the meaning of that look? Ling Jia is a noble Elder of the Exotic Species. Don't overstep your bounds."

After finishing its words, Ling Jia snarled at Lu Luo, but when it moved too far from its original position, the Netherflame chains around its neck tightened, choking Ling Jia and making it retreat backward.

Lu Luo raised an eyebrow. So it's chained up. Then I can feel at ease.

He positioned himself just out of Ling Jia's reach and looked somewhat provocative.

"I'm just civilly watching a monkey!"

Civilly watching a monkey +1.

Ling Jia was stunned. Civilly watching a monkey? Is he calling me a monkey? It could be imprisoned, exploited, but to be called a monkey, who could bear that?

"I am the Soxth Tier Lord-level Exotic Species Ling Jia, the sage of East Ring, a being all Exotic Species must respect. You need to understand what you're facing!"

Lu Luo nodded as if suddenly enlightened.

"Oh, a being all Exotic Species must respect, imprisoned here by a Nightmare Demon? How pitiful. I wonder how you manage your bowel movements while confined here, if you clean yourself afterward. And yes, you really do look very much like a monkey."

Ling Jia bared its teeth at Lu Luo in frustration, but being bound by chains, it could only rage impotently. Just as it was about to spit at Lu Luo, Ling Jia suddenly stopped.

"Kid, you just said 'Nightmare Demon'?"

Ling Jia noticed that although Lu Luo was cloaked in Netherflame, when describing the Nightmare Demon, he hadn't referred to it as his master or as the venerable Nightmare Demon.

This was important information. It meant Lu Luo wasn't one of the Nightmare Demon's people. Was it deliberate? Sent by the Nightmare Demon to pry information from it?

Lu Luo smiled. It looks like this Ling Jia really has some issues. At least for now, it doesn't seem to be masquerading as a prisoner!

"Have you finally noticed? Calling yourself a sage, but your reaction is so slow."

Lu Luo's words angered Ling Jia, but this time it didn't continue to argue with him. Just as Lu Luo knew Ling Jia was special and was observing it, Ling Jia, through the brief exchange, was also discovering Lu Luo's unique nature and began to observe him anew.

"Interesting lad! Do you want to gain advantages from me? It's a pity, but I have nothing I want anymore. Your plan, I'm afraid, isn't going to be easy!"

Lu Luo glanced at the chefs around him. There were a total of 19 chefs, all of them Fifth Tier. Although these chefs' attributes were not as good as a butcher's, the difficulty of Lu Luo's battle would double if they had brains.

How am I supposed to kill all 19 Fifth Tier chefs?

Lu Luo even felt that if he got into a stalemate, it was very likely he wouldn't be able to defeat this group of chefs since they were all Fifth Tier. If he didn't finish them off, it would draw the attention of other guards. Therefore, in this place, the use of force was already no longer an option. To get the special food from Ling Jia, this unique castle NPC, outwitting it was the only way.

After outwitting it, then I can slowly plan the rest...

Outwit for the food, break through to the Fourth Tier, then wipe them all out in one swoop?

Uh, could we beautify this process somehow?

The warrior, through wisdom, acquired the power of the Exotic Species, and ultimately used this power to defeat the Exotic Species!

Yes, that sounds much better.

Is this Soxth Tier chef imprisoned here also part of the games arranged by the Nightmare Demon?

After pondering for a while, Lu Luo put away the playful look on his face and solemnly said to Ling Jia, "Mr. Ling Jia, hello. I've come here with a purpose, as you must have guessed. I need food that can rapidly increase my Dark Energy. Do you have any here? If so, could you give it to me?"

Ling Jia let out a strange laugh. "KYEHEHEHE, yes, but why should I give it to you?"

"I can help you escape from here. Isn't the taste of imprisonment unpleasant? I'll help you out, and you give me something. This is a fair trade."

"Fair? I don't see anything fair about it." Ling Jia turned its head dismissively.

Lu Luo was not concerned about its attitude, as this was all just the bargaining between the two sides.

"An Exotic Species claiming to be wise, imprisoned here as a chef, must be suffering a lot? I can help you get out. Shouldn't you take good advantage of this opportunity? Of course, you could first give me some food that enhances Dark Energy. Consider it as a payment of interest in advance, to make me stronger. That way, I can better do things for you."

Lu Luo's cunning words could not tempt Ling Jia; it scoffed at him. "Hey, you want to take things from me without doing anything? Your talk of getting something for nothing is truly shameless. Moreover, a creature dominated by Netherflame—you dare to discuss this with me? Do you still possess the dignity and will of the Exotic Species? Being an Exotic Species, don't you ever dream of breaking through your limits and aspiring to become supreme, like the Tentacled Colossus?"

Look at how it speaks. The host believes himself to be human; how could he possibly have the dignity and will of the Exotic Species? And I think the host prefers human girls over becoming a gigantic whale. The host would surely refuse such a transformation.

Recently, Observer has become more understanding!

But Ling Jia's words still surprised Lu Luo. The Tentacled Colossus was brought up; its tone really was too grand. He realized that Ling Jia might actually know some useful information.

So, how much of what it said was true, and how much was false? The first possibility is that it truly was imprisoned by the Nightmare Demon and is serving here as a head chef. The second possibility is that it is a servant of the Nightmare Demon; it's pretending, it's deceiving Lu Luo. The third possibility is that it indeed was imprisoned, but at the same time, it's also deceiving Lu Luo.

After carefully considering the potential outcomes of these three scenarios, Lu Luo felt more inclined toward the first one. However, none of these could be ascertained for certain. The only certainty was that Lu Luo, wanting to gain something that could enhance his Dark Energy, seemed to have only one option: Ling Jia. Now, if he wanted to break through to the Fourth Tier in the Nightmare Castle and possess the strength to clash head-on with the Lords of the Exotic Species, he would have to negotiate with Ling Jia!

"People often use 'crafty' to describe a fox, but sometimes, a monkey can be even craftier than a fox. If the opponent is very crafty and their actual strength far surpasses yours, then you need to present something equally valuable."

Something equally valuable!

Lu Luo nodded slightly and stretched out his right hand, controlling pure Netherflame in his palm. The surrounding chefs immediately bowed their heads in humility upon seeing the Netherflame in Lu Luo's hand.

"Elder."

Ling Jia also looked at Lu Luo with some confusion. "Are you a controller of Netherflame? A new Master of the Nether Source?"

To be honest, Lu Luo didn't know what Master of the Nether Source meant, as neither the Observer nor the Devourer had provided a clear definition. If the Seed of the Nether Source was on par with the Nightmare Demon's Netherflame, then why was his own Netherflame so weak? If the Seed of the Nether Source was under the Nightmare Demon's control, there were also no warnings from the Observer and the disk. Therefore, Lu Luo guessed that the Seed of the Nether Source must have broken away from the Nightmare Demon's system and had become an independent source of Netherflame. His own Netherflame was very weak. The main issue was that he was too unskilled. He also lacked a concrete understanding of this power.

Although Lu Luo had many speculations in his mind, facing Ling Jia, all he could do now was maintain a confident facade.

"It seems that shackles and imprisonment haven't caused your mind to rust. Monkey, I've already told you what I want. Don't you desire freedom?"

Ling Jia's gaze flickered a few times, then it revealed sharp fangs. While it outwardly resembled a monkey, its teeth certainly did not.

"Trying to tempt me? You have no idea what the Nightmare Demon is doing. After today, I will be free! So, your conditions are meaningless to me!"

Free after today? Does that mean after the dark ceremony, the Nightmare Demon will take definite action? But this is the Nightmare Castle. Never mind anything else, just the Exotic Species in the kitchen alone... Add on those harpies coming in and out, and it will be enough to keep Ling Jia busy. Not to mention it's currently wearing those Netherflame shackles that at a glance seem quite extraordinary. Under these circumstances, how can Ling Jia dare to say it will be free? Is the Nightmare Demon planning to release Ling Jia proactively? With its personality, how could it possibly let go of something it has in its clutches? Could it be...

"When you eliminate all the impossibles, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

The most improbable outcome? The Nightmare Demon will give up the Nightmare Castle after today?

Lu Luo was somewhat shocked at this conclusion. Why would it abandon such a complex castle, with such intricate settings? It doesn't make sense at all!

Although it felt highly implausible, seeing Ling Jia looking so confident, Lu Luo thought that Ling Jia must not have experienced the psychological pressure of human rhetoric, so he decided to teach it a lesson.

"Monkey, you don't think that just because the Nightmare Demon gives up the Nightmare Castle, you'll be able to safely leave, do you?

"I originally thought you had some brains, but surprisingly, you harbor such naive thoughts.

"Right before the Nightmare Demon leaves, with just a slight flicker of thought, it can annihilate everything here.

"Do you not have the slightest clue about the immense gap between you and the Nightmare Demon?

"So it's not that you'll be free after today.

"Rather, your chance at freedom is only left for today.

"Or to be precise, you've got less than seven hours left! The seven hours while I'm here."

Having said that, Lu Luo glanced at the clock on the wall, noting it was already past 2 o'clock.

"Alright, only six hours and 43 minutes left," Lu Luo added.

During his speech, Lu Luo and Ling Jia had drawn very close to each other, so close that, if Ling Jia were to suddenly lash out, it could even bite Lu Luo's neck. In fact, Lu Luo did this deliberately to demonstrate his confident demeanor. And even if Ling Jia really did attack him, he wouldn't care.

Ling Jia only has a strength of 220 along with the shackles of the Nightmare Demon. In such a state, it can't possibly kill me. Forget an instant kill; without the aid of Dark Energy, it's questionable whether the restrained Ling Jia could even bite through my fully defended skin.

"'Today is my last chance to escape!' Such words... Kid, you really dare to say them!" Although Ling Jia nodded with a smile, its eyes began to waver.

Lu Luo certainly noticed its hesitation and continued, "Now, the Nightmare Demon is invested in this Twilight Ceremony. It has no time nor energy to watch over you or everything in this castle. So indeed, this is your last chance. Whether you cherish this opportunity to leave or choose to stay and await death, it's all up to you."

After finishing his say, Lu Luo stood still, quietly awaiting Ling Jia's response. The kitchen of the Red and White Castle, while large, didn't offer many places to scavenge from. If Ling Jia still refused to deal with him by then, there wouldn't be any reason to stay here anymore.

The atmosphere grew tense, and he silently counted down five numbers in his mind.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

When time was up, Lu Luo turned and walked away. If he couldn't get anything useful from Ling Jia, then there was no point in wasting more time here.

As Lu Luo was about to leave, Ling Jia called out to him. "Wait! To let me out, you need Witch Ellie's key, which is on the second floor. Bring me the key, and I'll give you what you want!"

Lu Luo chuckled. "And what about my interest?"

"Stop joking, there's no interest. I won't make anything for you before you bring the key."

"Mr. Ling Jia is truly a monkey with principles! Well then, wait here for my good news, Mr. Ling Jia."

"Wait a moment."

"Is there anything else?"

"Witch Ellie exists to help the Nightmare Demon collect knowledge. She fancies things she's never encountered before. So, if you want to persuade her, you need to present her with knowledge she has never seen before. And this knowledge has to be interesting to her, or to the Nightmare Demon."

Lu Luo's brow furrowed slightly. This information is indeed an important reminder.

"Thanks for the reminder, I've got it."

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