Chapter 329: Foie Gras and Monkey Brains

After being pushed away by Adam, the crocodile's natural self-preservation instincts kicked in, and it swam away instead of attacking the boat any further.

At this moment, someone else had arrived at the metal gate, and the crocodile had directed its attention to the newcomer as its next target.

"I didn't think someone would show up so soon after us. Looks like business is going well for this club," Shae remarked as she looked at the boat that was several dozen meters behind them with a perplexed expression. "Are there that many people who are into eating human meat?"

"Don't forget that Sandrise City has an enormous population in excess of 300 million. Back a century ago, even a large nation wasn't guaranteed to have such a huge population."

"Even so, aren't there a few too many of these strange clubs? Were there this many of them 100 years ago as well?"

"Who knows? Perhaps there weren't as many back then," Adam replied as he sat back down on the middle of the boat, then picked up another oar and began paddling as well.

With him and Mole paddling together, the boat was able to speed up quite a bit.

They were drawing closer and closer to the island at the center of the lake, but Adam's mind had drifted elsewhere.

"Do you still remember Area 66?"

"I do. That's the area with all the nursing hubs. Why are you suddenly bringing that up now?"

"Ever since a century ago, the natural birth rate of the human race has been in constant decline, with birth rates in some places dropping to extremely low levels, but birth rates have dropped even further ever since the invention of immortality technology."

"You know about history from a century ago?" Armadillo interjected. "Where did you learn all this stuff?"

"I was wondering about that too. Aren't blank slates supposed to have had their memories completely cleared?" Shae asked. "The installed persona will have all of this general knowledge anyway, so why was all of this information planted in your brain? Who could've gone out of their way to do this?"

"I don't know the answer to that, but can you please not get me off topic? We're about to reach the island soon. What were we talking about?"

"We were talking about why there are so many sick people in the world," Rabbit replied. "And you were just talking about birth rates."

"Ever since the concept of immortality was released by the Gaia Corporation, the natural birth rate reached a true all-time low. Everyone began preparing for immortality, dedicating all of their time, energy, and wealth to themselves, leaving them with no resources to spare for raising children.

“Thankfully, artificial nursing technology has been developing rapidly over the past few decades, so not only has the population not decreased, it's been on the rise. This has also resulted in many children not growing up in a normal home environment. Many of them grew up in non-profit organizations, and some were even raised by machines."

"I see. It's because of these strange upbringings that there are so many strange people."

"That's my theory on the matter. The funny thing is, the environment in Shadow City is even more abnormal, but people don't have to suppress their true nature as much there..."

While Adam was speaking, their boat reached the shore, and thus, the conversation drew to an abrupt halt.

As soon as their boat arrived at the shore, they were immediately approached by a butler and several porters.

"Welcome, esteemed guests."

All of them were dressed in formal clothing, and they were speaking in a very polite manner.

Adam nodded at them in acknowledgment, then followed them into the estate.

The island wasn't very large, but the estate was massive, taking up over half of all of the land on the island.

After entering the estate, they were led through a garden before arriving in front of a hall. In contrast with other buildings, there was a long and sealed-off corridor leading into the hall.

Adam's telegnosis was telling him that there was danger inside. Electronic weapons had most likely been installed in the corridor, which meant that they would be trapped sitting ducks upon entry.

However, this premonition of danger was very faint, which meant that even if there were weapons inside, they weren't there to target his group.

"Please come in."

The five of them were led into the sealed-off corridor by the butler, following which the light around them turned a very strange crimson color.

"Please display your accounts and identification information again."

"Sure."

Adam took a glance at his surroundings, and he presumed that those who didn't pass the identity verification process here were most likely fed straight to the crocodiles.

Thankfully, even though the pawn shop charged steep prices, its ability to gather intelligence was truly unmatched, and Red Spider had provided them with very reliable accounts, so they were able to pass the identity verification checks very quickly.

However, the screening process didn't end there.

After all of their information was verified, the porters approached them with a small trolley used to deliver dishes in restaurants.

The trolley was pushed over to Adam and his group, following which an insulated cover was removed to reveal...

"What's this? A brain?"

Adam looked down to find that a small hole had been dug into the trolley to reveal a mass of white substance. Upon closer inspection, he could see that the white substance was pulsating.

"That's right. This is the appetizer for today, flash-fired brains."

The butler removed the cloth around the trolley to reveal what was underneath.

As it turned out, there was a living person crouched down there.

His skull had been opened up, but he was being kept alive by various different machines.

𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"The inspiration for this dish is derived from the classic monkey brain dish enjoyed by nobility in ancient times. At the time, foie gras and monkey brains were considered to be delicacies of the same level of decadence. The monkey brain must be fresh, and hot oil infused with different seasonings is poured onto the brains to remove its natural rank flavor. At the time, this was an extremely popular dish among the nobility."

The butler picked up a container full of bubbling oil as he spoke, then poured it straight onto the exposed brain.

The man down below only had a chance to let loose a single blood-curdling howl before his life came to an end. The butler then set down the empty container before turning to Adam and his group.

"Please enjoy."

Ever since his awakening, Adam had witnessed more than his fair share of grotesque and gorey scenes, but this gruesome scene still struck him with a sense of discomfort.

The thought of consuming a human brain was naturally one that he was extremely resistant to, but he knew that this was a test, one that he had to pass.

The first test was the electronic identity verification at the metal gate, while the second test was being conducted here.

If he couldn't even eat a human brain, then there was no way that he could be a member of the club.

If he couldn't pass the test, then the electronic weapons in the corridor were most likely going to be immediately activated.

Right as Adam was hesitating about how to proceed, the butler urged, "Eat up! The dish doesn't taste anywhere near as good once it gets cold."

Adam had only just given a nod when three figures rushed past him in a flash, picking up spoons before digging into the brain without any qualms.

As they consumed the "dish", they were giving their own critique.

"Oh, this is very nice! Even more delicious than tuna."

"I don't like it very much. It's quite bland, and its texture is too soft and insubstantial compared with tuna."

"You don't know shit!"

The three psychic mutants were discussing spiritedly among themselves as they quickly finished the entire brain.

Adam's brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this, and he feigned an expression of displeasure and exasperation as he said, "You ate everything again! You guys do this every time!"

"It's alright, Sir. This is just the appetizer, the main course is still yet to come."

After watching the three psychic mutants eagerly devour the brain, the butler finally let down his guard and invited Adam's group into the hall beyond the corridor.

Upon arriving in the hall, the butler departed with the porters to welcome the subsequent guests.

For the first time, Adam was able to see the interior of the Hannibal Michelin Restaurant for himself.