Hysilens' wine was so breathtakingly exquisite that the Barbarians showed little interest in the food, eating only a few bites as they carefully savored the wine in small sips while chatting with their companions.
Almost every minute, another Barbarian would collapse. Despite coming for a meal, the scene resembled a brawl, and soon the hall was littered with sprawled figures, their snores rising and falling in rhythmic waves.
Seeing this, Cerydra gave up on maintaining order, turned, and left the hall for another room. Hysilens, Cipher, Aria, Douglas, and Feidric were already gathered there.
Cerydra pulled out a chair, hopped onto it with a light bounce, picked up utensils, and casually grabbed a nearby dish, popping food into her mouth.
Before her arrival, the other five had waited silently, not touching a single morsel. Only after Cerydra took her first bite did they begin to eat as well.
In truth, Douglas and the others hadn't even expected to dine with Cerydra. At first, they assumed they would be seated at a separate table with the Barbarians outside.
To put it in perspective, few indeed were those who had the privilege of sharing a meal with the Emperor.
Cerydra dismissed the matter with a casual wave. "Don't fuss over such trivialities," she said. "I despise excessive formality. What's wrong with simply sharing a meal together?"
Despite her nonchalance, Douglas still seemed somewhat restrained. He glanced around at the others: Feidric remained impassive, Aria was her usual cheerful and outgoing self, and Cipher, as a fellow Demigod, naturally felt no anxiety. It seemed he was the only one feeling awkward.
(Actually, Feidric felt equally awkward, but he didn't show it.)
Douglas's gaze fell to the wine goblet beside him. He picked it up and took a large gulp. Having brought the Barbarians into this Magnificent Mansion Spell dimension, he had come straight to this room and hadn't witnessed the chaotic scene outside.
Douglas's thoughts were simple: It's awkward now, but once I'm a bit tipsy, the awkwardness should fade, right?
Just then, Hysilens cautioned, "This wine is quite potent. I recommend taking small sips and savoring it slowly."
Douglas paused, his hand freezing mid-motion. He gazed at the liquid in his glass, took a whiff, and was immediately enveloped by a rich, mellow aroma. "This wine is...?"
One of Okhema's specialties was its diverse array of wines. Having lived there for a year, Douglas had sampled most varieties—except for the exceptionally rare ones like Holy Maiden Wine, which proved impossible to acquire.
Yet even without tasting it, the mere aroma of the wine in his hand left him utterly astonished.
During the banquet preparations, the food had been prepared in the mansion's kitchen using ingredients the group had brought. As they finished arranging the table, Hysilens arrived with a large assortment of wines.
At the time, Douglas hadn't given it much thought, assuming the wines had been teleported from Okhema. But now it seemed that wasn't the case?
Hysilens said, "The God of the Ocean, also known as the God of the Feast, crafts Honey Brew—these very wines—as one of my Authorities. All the wines at this banquet were actually crafted by me."
"Wines crafted by a god?" Douglas straightened up, took a small sip from his glass, and his eyes widened instantly. "Excellent wine!"
"Thank you for the compliment~" Hysilens gently clinked her glass against Douglas's, then took delicate sips herself.
Meanwhile, across the table, Aria watched the two wine drinkers, her curiosity piqued. She glanced around and noticed everyone had a wine glass except her. "Hey, why don't I have any wine?"
Cipher replied, "What's a little girl doing drinking wine? You have other drinks here that are just as delicious, don't you?"
But Aria remained silent, her gaze locked onto Cipher's wine glass. Without warning, she swiftly reached out with her right hand to grab it, but Cipher reacted even faster. Her left hand shot out and gripped Aria's wrist, stopping her movement.
Aria wasn't giving up yet. Noticing Cipher using her right hand to eat, she stood up and reached for Cipher's wine glass with her unrestrained left hand.
But... before her fingers could touch it, Cipher's tail swiftly coiled around the glass, leaving Aria grasping at air once again.
"Ugh~ That's not fair! Sister Cipher, you have an extra hand!"
Even as she protested, Aria kept trying to reach the glass. Cipher, meanwhile, continued to dangle the wine glass in front of her with her tail, swaying it back and forth like a cat toy. Aria came so close each time, yet remained just out of reach.
Simultaneously, Cipher effortlessly continued eating with her right hand. Finally, she used her tail to pull the wine glass to her lips and took a leisurely sip, looking completely relaxed and unhurried.
Aria stubbornly pouted. "Just one sip! I'm so curious about what wine tastes like! Besides, I'm already of age, you know!"
"One sip, just one sip!"
Faced with Aria's full-blown cuteness offensive, Cipher finally relented. "Alright, alright. But just one sip, understood?"
Cipher extended her tail toward Aria, and it had to be said, though she had been waving it around at high speed just moments before, not a single drop of wine had spilled from the glass. Her mastery over her tail was now truly on par with having a third hand.
Aria took the glass from Cipher and took a small sip. She blinked rapidly several times, her expression one of utter astonishment. "This... this is absolutely delicious!"
But true to her word, Aria only took one sip. No matter how tempting the wine was, she honestly placed the glass back in front of Cipher.
Thump.
At the same moment, Douglas across the table finally succumbed. After finishing his entire glass, he collapsed. Cipher glanced at Douglas, then at Aria, a puzzled expression crossing her face.
Aria showed no signs of intoxication whatsoever. This defied logic—even a small sip of Hysilens' potent brew should have produced some reaction in a first-time drinker. How could she remain completely unaffected?
Cipher glanced around the room, her gaze finally settling on Aria's sword, the Paladin Divine Artifact, resting in a corner. The blade seemed to emanate a faint, constant glow.
One of the Divine Artifact's abilities, which had been discovered during Aria's rigorous training, was to grant the wielder immunity to all negative status effects. Cipher knew this well.
What she hadn't expected was that drunkenness would also count as a negative status effect. Moreover, even though the sword was nowhere near Aria, merely displayed across the room, its protective effect was still active.
"Mmm~ This one's delicious too!" Aria exclaimed, taking a sip of her alcohol-free drink, her face lighting up with surprise and delight.
The pleasant dinner soon came to an end. Notably, Feidric didn't touch a single drop of alcohol throughout the meal, even knowing it was divine liquor. The substance seemed to hold no allure for him whatsoever.
Next came bedtime. Despite the twenty rooms available, the group ultimately only used four.
Feidric and Douglas each took a room, while Cipher and Aria shared one, and Cerydra and Hysilens shared another.
As for Feidric and Douglas, it was a no-brainer. Even now, Douglas's snoring was already reverberating through the room, reminding Feidric of his own dreadful days of waking up at 3 or 4 AM to study. Truly terrifying. After using magic to toss Douglas haphazardly into a room, Feidric immediately slipped away.
As for Cipher and Aria, Cipher couldn't resist Aria's adorable charm offensive. Besides, Aria had been undergoing intensive training, and the two hadn't seen each other in a while, so sharing a room seemed perfectly natural.
Finally, for Cerydra and Hysilens, the reason was even simpler. From Hysilens' perspective, what could be more comfortable than cuddling up with another soft, tiny version of herself while sleeping?
If Hyacine was a delightful strawberry shortcake, then Cerydra was an equally delectable blueberry shortcake. At least when they weren't speaking or deliberately trying to appear dignified, the two were equally adorable.
Time flew by, and the next day arrived swiftly. Cerydra and Hysilens woke up simultaneously, dressed, and left their room. When they reached the hall, they found all the Barbarians sprawled out on the floor, snoring loudly like a pile of corpses.
So, they wasted their tents last night, Cerydra thought, sleeping on the bare floor instead.
Dirk, who had fallen asleep earliest the night before, began to stir not long after Cerydra arrived.
His first words upon waking were, "Good! Good wine!"
Then, he turned his head and saw his Barbarian comrades piled up like a small mountain of "corpses." He froze in astonishment for a few seconds. Of course, the rhythmic, continuous snoring proved they were still alive, not actual "corpses," but the sight was still quite shocking.
Cerydra remarked, "If you find the wine too strong, I can have Dux Gladiorum lower the alcohol content next time."
"No need!" Dirk replied instantly. "It's precisely this high-proof liquor that's good! If we all pass out after one cup, it's not the wine's fault—we're just too weak!"
After finishing his rebuttal, Dirk finally realized who he was talking to. He quickly lowered his head to locate Cerydra, then dropped to one knee and exclaimed, "Boss Imperator!"
Cerydra replied, "You don't need to kneel every time you speak to me. I don't really care about height. Just speak normally."
"But..." Dirk hesitated before slowly rising to his feet. Cerydra, trying to meet his gaze, had to crane her neck back. For a moment, she regretted her words.
This is exhausting! she thought. But I can't take it back now. She quickly changed the subject, saying, "Tell me about your clan first."
Dirk didn't hesitate and immediately began his report. The North Wind Clan consisted of 105 members: 49 adult males, 40 adult females, and 16 children. There were no elderly among them.
Apart from the 16 children, everyone else was between 20 and 40 years old—strong, young adults. Whether male or female, anyone given a White Petal could immediately join the battlefield.
Of course, only eleven individuals, including Dirk—the same group who fought Douglas—could independently enter the Berserk State without relying on White Petals.
Cerydra, still puzzled, asked, "Why are there no elderly?"
Dirk explained, "The older Barbarians voluntarily take on the most dangerous missions."
This wasn't coercion but a matter of choice. For instance, in conflicts with other Clans, the elders would charge to the front, drawing the heaviest fire to create survival opportunities for the younger generation behind them.
After all, they were already nearing the end of their lives, gradually losing their combat prowess. Rather than eking out a meaningless existence within the Clan and wasting precious resources, they preferred to expend their remaining strength in a final blaze of glory.
Even more strikingly, if a Barbarian miraculously survived past fifty, becoming virtually incapable of contributing to the Clan and merely a burden consuming food, these elders would quietly slip out of their tents under the cover of night, when everyone else was asleep, and walk alone into the freezing Ice Plains.
Cruel as it may seem, this was the law of survival in the Northern Territory.
Cerydra listened in silence for a moment before saying, "But all these things you've described are from the past. From now on, the elderly Barbarians won't be forced to charge ahead in battle. Old people won't have to leave their clans and wander into the Ice Plains alone. None of that will happen anymore."
"Those old-timers who've contributed their entire lives to the clan should retire in peace at the rear, not compete with the younger generation for glory on the front lines!"
Hearing these words, Dirk trembled violently before dropping to his knees once more, his knees striking the ground with a dull thud. With his head bowed and his voice choked with emotion, he murmured, "Thank you, Boss Imperator!"
Everyone believed the Northerners were cold-hearted, forcing their elders to bear greater risks and watching impassively as their elderly relatives walked alone into the Ice Plains. No, they simply had no other choice!
Cerydra waved her hand dismissively. "Enough with the kneeling, already."
As they spoke, the other Barbarians who had been unconscious gradually awoke. Cerydra announced, "Gather everyone. I have an announcement to make."