Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 224 (Patreon)

Chapter 224: Only the Dead Understand

Creating illusions on the tongue is what flavors disguised with 'lies' do.

Happiness Mushrooms contain two substances that have opposing effects: one is a poison that can take a person to hell, and the other is a hallucinogen that can transport a person to heaven.

Going to heaven also means falling into hell.

These two substances are inseparable; with today's technology, not only has no antidote for the mushroom's poison been developed, but it is also impossible to extract the hallucinogen that can deceive even the tongue.

If technology could achieve this, then the hallucinogenic substance that affects the taste center in the brain would become a valuable commodity.

In other words, to taste Happiness Mushrooms, one must pay with their life; it's a flavor between life and death.

The Black Cat is Luo's Nen beast, unaffected by the poison. When it saw the Happiness Mushrooms, its whole heart was captured.

It didn't care if others could eat them or not; after seeing the mushrooms disappear from the bag, it ventured out into the rain to gather mushrooms and firewood.

"Do you seem... quite familiar with Happiness Mushrooms?" Geru asked Luo.

The newly awakened Daihu came over in a daze, oblivious to the significance of the missing mushrooms.

"I know a little." Luo's resigned gaze returned from the departing Black Cat and met Geru's probing eyes.

"Luo, are you also a Poison Hunter? You must have passed the Hunter Exam last year!" Daihu found an opportunity to chime in.

Hearing Daihu's words, Geru's eyebrows twitched slightly as she watched Luo in silence.

The topic of Poison Hunters and the Hunter Exam piqued her interest.

"A Poison Hunter... sort of," Luo said ambiguously. Professionally, it's not unusual to hold multiple jobs; it's just a matter of prioritization.

With his ability to decipher the White Smoke font and God's Hand ability, becoming an excellent Poison Hunter was not difficult for Luo.

His battle with Geru the previous night, if anything, was a lesson in toxin combat.

Using the God's Hand ability, he could inject various poisons into an enemy's body, a chilling thought.

Poison, like firearms, is an external means for the weak to confront the strong, but when the powerful use poison, it becomes even more terrifying.

Hearing Luo's response, Daihu looked as if he expected as much, and eagerly asked, "Then, do you have any leads on the poison of Happiness Mushrooms and Misfortune Toads?"

Realizing his abruptness, Daihu hesitated, but the words were already out.

Geru fell silent, just watching Luo.

Sanbica Norton, who had woken up and was washing up, did not join the conversation and had not spoken to Geru and Daihu so far.

"The poison of Happiness Mushrooms is incurable, while the poison of Misfortune Toads can be countered with its saliva shell," Luo shared what he knew.

Daihu and Geru were taken aback.

As of now, the poison of Happiness Mushrooms was indeed incurable, and so was that of Misfortune Toads; no one had yet proposed the so-called "saliva shell" antidote method.

Moreover, everyone in the field of toxins believed there was a connection between Happiness Mushrooms and Misfortune Toads, including Daihu and Geru.

If the poison of Happiness Mushrooms was incurable, and Misfortune Toads had a unique antidote method, was there still a connection between the two?

However, that depended on whether Luo's claim was accurate.

"What is a saliva shell?" Geru asked impatiently.

"The membrane shell formed by the saliva of the Misfortune Toad," Luo explained.

"Membrane shell?"

"After mating, the female toad returns to its nest, consumes a large amount of food, and then secretes saliva, forming a hard membrane shell around itself until just before giving birth, when the shell breaks. This membrane shell is the antidote."

"Do you have any basis for this claim?" Geru asked gravely.

"No," Luo replied casually.

Geru's grave expression softened slightly. "Then how can you be sure this is the antidote method for Misfortune Toads?"

Luo pondered for a moment, his expression turning serious.

Seeing Luo's seriousness, Geru and Daihu held their breath, waiting for his explanation.

Just then, Sanbica finished washing up and came out.

"Because..." Luo said seriously, looking at them, "I'm capricious."

"What?"

Geru and Daihu were puzzled.

Seeing this, Sanbica rolled her eyes, thinking Luo was fooling people again and walked to a chair to pick up a book.

"Simply put, if you believe it, it exists; if you don't, it doesn't." Luo smiled. His basis was the White Smoke

 font, a universal identification system, and he didn't care whether Geru believed it or not.

Geru's complexion, already not very fair, darkened a shade as she realized Luo was spouting nonsense.

She looked at Luo with a face that said, 'I'd be a fool to believe you.'

"Whether you believe it or not, I do," Luo stated.

Daihu, however, believed him; his eyes sparkled as he looked at Luo.

If it weren't for the rot spider incident, he wouldn't have been so convinced.

Seeing Daihu's unwavering belief without any basic testing, a trace of scorn flashed in Geru's eyes.

Hearing Luo's whimsical answer, Geru's enthusiasm diminished. She planned to wait for Biscuit Krueger to return, greet her, and then leave, no longer engaging in the conversation and walked directly to the chair.

Daihu, however, was different; his enthusiasm was high, pestering Luo with questions, a fervor that Luo found hard to resist, forcing him to respond reluctantly.

After a while, the Black Cat returned with a large bundle of Happiness Mushrooms and firewood to the stone house.

"Luo, hurry up, I want mushroom soup!"

The Black Cat dumped nearly a hundred Happiness Mushrooms in front of Luo, clamoring loudly.

Geru and Daihu looked at the mushrooms scattered on the ground; these were deadly, incurable poison mushrooms, but in the eyes of those seeking death, they were symbols of happiness.

Because, unlike ordinary poisons, Happiness Mushrooms allowed one to die happily, not in agony.

"Shut up!" Luo glared at the clamoring Black Cat.

The Black Cat, still hoping to enjoy a good meal, obediently shut its mouth.

"Sanbica, let's have mushroom soup for breakfast," Luo suggested, holding up the Happiness Mushrooms and looking towards Sanbica, who was reading by the window.

"Okay," Sanbica replied, looking up and nodding at Luo.

Seeing Sanbica had no objections, Luo began to prepare, leaving the fidgeting Black Cat and the stunned Daihu and Geru.

"Wait, do you really want to eat Happiness Mushrooms?" Geru frowned.

Luo didn't respond, throwing the wet firewood into the stove, secretly extracting the moisture from the wood, lighting a fire, and then cleaning the mushrooms, waiting for the water in the stone pot to boil.

After the preparations were complete, Luo turned to Geru and Daihu and asked, "You haven't eaten them before, right? I'll share some with you."

While washing the mushrooms, he had already separated the poison but retained the hallucinogen that could affect the tongue.

The Black Cat wanted mushroom cream soup, but Luo was making plain mushroom soup because only this clean preparation could maximize the fake flavor of Happiness Mushrooms.

Although Luo lacked interest in this fake flavor, he wanted to try it.

"The poison of Happiness Mushrooms is incurable; eating them will kill you," Daihu said timidly.

"You're crazy," Geru responded bluntly.

Luo didn't get angry; he just shrugged and focused on the water in the stone pot, not bothering to explain the underlying reason to them.

The flavor of Happiness Mushrooms is one that can only be experienced by paying the price of death, a flavor that the living can never understand.

Because, to date, everyone who has tasted them is already dead, and even the most professional food critics cannot describe the flavor in words.

This special toxic dish that won't poison and kill a person could only be presented by Luo, and if Daihu and Geru missed this opportunity, there would never be a second chance.

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