【Interstellar Contract Magician】Ruyuanke

Chapter 271 [Empire] Poisonous Meat

My heart sank, knowing he'd already guessed most of what he was thinking. I quickly waved my hand, trying to interrupt him. "It's just a regular market, nothing as outlandish as you think. They just sell some weird and strange things. I didn't buy anything dangerous."

Wen Ya was not convinced by my explanation. He stood up and his tone became more serious: "Don't try to fool me. Not everyone can go to that kind of place. What are you thinking about? Why do you want to go to that kind of place?" His voice was filled with suppressed anger, but more of worry.

I was speechless and could only lower my head, tightening the space button in my palm, feeling the heavy weight of the strange beast meat inside.

"Why go to the black market? Is there something you want so badly?" Wen Ya's tone was filled with subtle anxiety, as if he wanted to dig out the answer through my silence. His eyes were burning, but also revealed a hint of helplessness and fatigue.

My heart trembled, thankful his speculation ultimately narrowly escaped reality. Black market… that word involuntarily brought back memories of a visit I'd made to a planet belonging to the Orc Alliance. It was even more… indescribable than the mercenary market. The bloody atmosphere, the shabby trade, the chaotic clamor, it was as if all rules and order had been distorted, transformed into another kind of indescribable chaos.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but let out a bitter smile, and lowered my voice a bit: "Black market... not really, I'm not that bold. It's just an ordinary market, not what you think."

Wen Ya's gaze remained locked on me, as if assessing my every word and expression. He clearly wasn't entirely convinced, but he didn't press the issue. He simply sighed, his tone tinged with compromise. "You know how dangerous the black market is. Don't think you can handle everything on your own."

"I didn't go to the black market." I looked him straight in the eye, my tone slightly helpless. "Really, it's just an ordinary mercenary trading point, not as exaggerated as you think."

Wen Ya's frown relaxed slightly, but her expression remained complicated. "No matter where it is, it's better to avoid going there. If you get into trouble in a place like this, the consequences will be more difficult to deal with than you can imagine."

I didn't argue, just nodded, but I felt a bit complicated. Indeed, this mercenary fair had a great impact on me.

Although Wen Ya's guess did not hit the truth, his concerns made me unable to completely ignore them.

"Okay." I whispered, as a compromise and to appease him, "I will be more careful next time and won't take risks easily."

Wen Ya looked at me, as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't. He turned and went back to the studio.

I pulled the exotic beast meat from the space hub, placed it on the kitchen counter, and stared at it for a moment. It was dark in color, with a rough texture, and even faint traces of blood could be seen on the surface, as if it had just been brought back from the kill. Although I knew its origins, my thinking was simple: meat, of course, must be eaten.

I rummaged through the kitchen tools, pulled out a carving knife and a washing basin, and carried the exotic beast meat inside. When I turned on the faucet, the cold water splashed on my hands, giving me a shudder. But the chill was quickly overshadowed by the slightly fishy smell of the exotic beast meat. I tentatively pressed my fingers against it, finding the meat surprisingly springy, even a bit like fresh fish.

"Looks pretty solid," I muttered to myself. The water washed over the surface of the meat, leaving behind some faint blood stains and a fishy smell. I subconsciously frowned. After all, this smell was completely different from that of ordinary meat, and seemed to be mixed with an indescribable wildness.

But it's edible. I picked up the knife and tried to cut a small piece of meat, but the blade slipped across the surface and didn't cut through completely. The meat was incredibly fibrous, and even the tip of the knife made a metallic sound when it entered.

"Tsk, this is quite interesting." I stared at the blade and the cut surface of the meat, wondering what to do with it. There was no way I could just throw this piece of meat into the pot and cook it. I'm afraid it wouldn't be tender even after hours of stewing. I had to think of something, otherwise wouldn't all my hard work be wasted?

The faucet was still running, and I looked at the meat in the basin, suddenly becoming a little more curious about its taste and purpose.

I was looking down, pondering what to do with this piece of exotic beast meat, when I suddenly felt a sense of oppression coming from behind me. Looking up, I saw Wen Ya walking towards me angrily, his gaze like a sharp blade piercing the meat in my hands. His brows were furrowed, his eyes a complex expression of anger and a hint of unspeakable shock.

"How do you have this kind of meat?" He grabbed my wrist and his tone was so cold that I shuddered.

I froze for a moment, then subconsciously put the knife down. "It was just...someone gave it to me. I wanted to deal with it. What's wrong?"

Wen Ya's eyes swept over the piece of meat, and his expression instantly became more solemn, as if he had seen something that shouldn't be there. His voice was filled with suppressed anger: "Do you know what kind of meat this is? How dare you touch it?"

I was confused by his reaction and shook my head subconsciously: "It's just the meat of an exotic beast, right? I plan to cook it and eat it. Isn't that normal?"

"Normal?" Wen Ya's voice suddenly rose, then dropped a few notes, her voice tinged with gritted teeth. "This meat is from a third-grade exotic beast cub! This kind of stuff... did you know it's inherently highly toxic? If handled improperly, even smelling it could be dangerous, let alone eating it!"

He pointed his finger at the piece of meat, his tone even colder: "This kind of meat can only be processed by professionals. What about you? Are you planning to use this ordinary knife and faucet to cook it directly?"

My heartbeat quickened, and my eyes instinctively glanced at the piece of meat. Poison? My palms suddenly felt cold, and a faint tingling tingled at the fingertips that had touched the meat. It seemed as if his tone had frightened me into hallucinations.

"But..." I tried to defend myself incoherently, "I didn't smell any poison, I just felt a little fishy..."

"Fishy?" Wen Ya's tone grew even colder, even carrying a hint of warning. "That's not fishy, ​​it's the smell of poison. It's very faint in the air, but it will gradually corrode the human body. If you didn't have a special constitution, you would have been poisoned just by standing here for so long."

He stared at my face, his eyes darkening once more. "Who gave this to you? Why would someone give you something like this?"

I opened my mouth, unsure how to respond. Nightingale's smiling face flashed through my mind. Was he doing this on purpose? Or was he just giving it to me?