Chapter 16: Dinner Party

"Your body is very interesting..." 

After examining Nicola's body briefly, Reed said.

"Although your body is made up of light elements like us, you can utilize wind elements to create physical weapons. This is something no other angel can do... Would you let me research you for a few days?"

"No...I can't!" 

Nicola's body shuddered as she felt Reed looking at her like a lab rat. 

She now deeply regretted summoning the Condensation Sword in front of Reed, it was like walking into a tiger's den.

"Then can I borrow that sword for a few days at least?"

Seeing Nicola's firm refusal, Reed looked disappointed, but she did not give up and set her sights on the Condensation Sword again. Her eyes were very sharp and she quickly noticed its extraordinary nature, immediately asking Nicola for it.

"No...this sword is very dangerous!"

Seeing Reed staring fixedly at the Condensation Sword in her hand still, Nicola's body trembled again, nearly losing her grip. She quickly dispelled the physical state of the sword. 

"Let's not talk about this now. Let's go eat first, we can discuss more after the meal."

Seeing Reed's eagerness, Nicola was afraid she would stab herself with the sword immediately in the name of "experiment". This was no joke.

"Alright...remember to give it to me after the meal!" 

Seeing no choice, Reed could only retract her gaze and nod at me.

"Then let's go quickly. I still have experiments to do..."

"This is..."

I was looking forward to this dinner. I didn't want it to end so quickly. Her words made me feel hopeless.

"Let's go! I'm starving!"

Cyra couldn't wait any longer. Seeing everyone had arrived, she hurriedly urged us to leave, even pretending to rub her belly, though she could not feel hungry.

The rest of us followed Cyra leading the way back without hesitation.

"You're finally leaving? How rare!"

When we returned to the lobby, the four-winged angel Mona was still at the counter. Seeing Reed walking among us, she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Yes, just going out for a meal. I'll be back later. Don't touch my books." 

Reed nodded slightly in response, then gave her a few more instructions.

"Ok...Ok!"

Watching us walk out of the door, it took Mona a long time to respond.

"You've been in the library for so many days. Don't you pay attention to personal hygiene at all? Aren't you afraid of body odour?" 

I frowned. I felt Reed's learning attitude was a bit crazy. Although I didn't smell anything unpleasant from her, I still couldn't help asking.

"We are no longer humans now. Our bodies are completely made up of light elements, including bodily secretions like sweat. 

Hearing my question, Reed gave a very professional explanation. 

"So when they leave the body and are discharged externally, they will revert to dispersed light elements and dissipate directly into the air in a short time without leaving any trace. Also, angels have a very slow metabolism. With multiple factors combined, as long as we don't get too much dust in very dirty places, even if we don't bathe for years, we will be cleaner than humans who don't bathe for a day. So naturally there won't be any body odor."

She sounded so reasonable that I was at a temporary loss for words to refute. But she did not stop there and continued thinking aloud.

"Based on this theory, it can be deduced that blood leaving the body will also disappear by turning into light elements in a very short time. But I haven't been injured yet. I'm considering trying it out one day..."

"Don't!" 

Afraid that she would come up with more strange ideas, I hurriedly stopped her. 

"You don't need to try this anymore. I've been injured outside several times already. I can prove that the blood does turn into white light and disappear after leaving the body."

"Oh, is that so... But if I don't see it with my own eyes, I still feel uneasy..."

Reed looked hesitant, seemingly unwilling to give up so easily. 

I deeply suspected that she might experiment on herself. But I didn't know how to persuade her further, I could only hope nothing bad will happen.

In the private room on the second floor of the "Human World Restaurant".

"Please wait here for a while, esteemed angels. Call me again when you have rested well and are ready."

After speaking, the light elf waiter left the private room.

"Rest? Are there so many procedures for eating in a private room?"

I asked Cyra doubtfully. She was probably the most familiar here. 

"I'm not sure either..."

She smiled helplessly and said, 

"I just heard other angels mention that dining in private rooms provides the best experience."

"Best experience?" 

I was even more confused. It was just a meal, wasn't it? How did experience even get involved? Were there additional performances or something?

But the waiter did not come back after going out. We waited for a very long time but no food was served.

"What are we doing?" 

Reed asked expressionlessly. She was very unhappy about this kind of wasteful waiting.

"Why is the food still not here? I feel hungrier and hungrier..."

Cyra lay limply on the table and said weakly. 

"So hungry I barely have any strength left..."

"How can that be possible? Shouldn't we angels never get tired in Edemmere?"

I thought she was exaggerating again and wanted to refute her, but strangely, I also started feeling hungry myself. 

"How can I feel hungry? What's going on here? Could it be..."

Nicola touched her belly and suddenly realized something. She got up and walked outside the room. 

"Just as I thought! The light elements in this room have been blocked."

After carefully sensing the difference inside and outside the private room, she walked back in and said,

"Could it be...the so-called best experience refers to cutting off light elements to make angels experience hunger, so the food tastes even better?"

I suddenly understood the mystery behind this. I couldn't help but feel amused. An utterly normal experience in the outside world became a luxury enjoyment when brought into Edemmere, exclusive to private rooms.

"It does seem to be the case." 

Reed got up and pushed open the room's wooden window. Through the pitch-blackness outside, she agreed with my view. 

"So the 'rest' the waiter mentioned earlier refers to waiting for us to feel hungry!" 

Cyra suddenly realized too. She immediately called out loudly to the door, 

"Waiter, we can serve the dishes now!"

"Have the esteemed angels rested well?"

The light elf waiter walked back in shortly after. 

"Yes, you can serve the dishes now." 

Nicola nodded. Then we saw the waiter clap his hands outside the door. Several other waiters suddenly appeared at the door, walking in one by one carrying dishes. The last male light elf held a bottle of wine in his hands.

"Did you order wine?" 

I whispered to Nicola quietly. 

"It's included as a complimentary in their private room package." 

Nicola shook her head at me and said.

"Also, I feel like wine should be had to liven things up for this dinner gathering, don't you think? Moreover, I'm very curious about the wine sold in Edemmere..."

"I guess you're right. But don't drink too much, be careful not to get drunk again." 

I reminded her worriedly. Recalling her binge drinking and raging drunken behaviour last time, it made me feel a slight headache coming.

"Don't worry, I used to be high society. I would never do something so crude as binge drinking."

Nicola asserted firmly. 

"Liar..." 

I deeply doubted her words. I turned to continue watching the waiters serve dishes.

"Poached phoenix tail bird egg."

"Misty spinach soup." 

"Lizard meat steak."

"Stuffed chicory."

...

They were all some strange-sounding dish names. Everyone had a serving. While some dishes looked decent enough, whether they tasted good remained to be seen.

I was disappointed to see the waiters were uniformly light elves, mostly male at that. Not an angel waiter in sight that I was hoping for. 

"There may be another implication that people don't want to hire you as a waitress..."

I whispered to Cyra. Combined with the extremely deferential attitude those light elf waiters had shown us earlier, it seemed less likely that they didn't want to hire, but more like they didn't dare to.

"Whatever the reason, the result is still the same." 

Cyra could only sigh helplessly at me. 

"Alright, I'll pour the wine instead of you." 

Seeing the last waiter about to pour wine for us, Nicola stood up to stop him. 

"Please enjoy your meal slowly, esteemed angels..."

After all the waiters bowed deferentially and exited the private room one by one, Nicola poured wine into each of our glasses.

"It was not easy. The last time we gathered was at the KTV private suite in Aurora Entertainment. And now after parting ways, only four of us survivors remain..."

Holding her glass, Nicola made some remarks, then spilled the wine in her glass onto the floor. 

"Let's dedicate this first glass to those classmates who have passed on..."

Seeing her actions, the three of us instantly had grave expressions on our faces. We also stood up and poured the wine in our hands onto the ground. 

Unlike us, Cyra was a Church follower. She made the sign of the cross over her chest and closed her eyes to murmur a short eulogy prayer. 

"May God forgive you all, just as you have forgiven others. From dust you come and to dust you shall return. May your souls rest in heaven! Amen!"