Chapter 350: A Feast of Rocks, Poison, and Questionable Snacks

Elyn’s POV

The staff wasted no time.

The moment Zorathys gave his order, the demons disappeared into the kitchen, and within minutes, the large table before us began filling with food.

One platter after another was placed down.

Then another.

And another.

I stared.

At some point, I lost count.

There were dishes made from things I was fairly certain did not exist anywhere outside the Demon Realm. Some were steaming, some glowed faintly, and a few looked as though someone had taken pieces of the earth itself, seasoned them and decided they were perfectly acceptable things to eat.

I was about to comment on it when my stomach betrayed me.

A loud rumble echoed through the restaurant.

I froze.

So did everyone else.

Azerion looked at me.

Then at my stomach.

Then back at me.

A slow grin spread across his face.

"You’re hungry too."

I cleared my throat.

"I didn’t say I wasn’t."

Zorathys glanced at me with a smug expression.

"Interesting."

"Don’t."

"I said nothing."

"You were about to."

His smile widened.

But I ignored him and turned toward the staff member who had been standing nearby, waiting to see whether we needed anything else.

"Could you please explain some of these dishes to me?" I asked. "I’m still not very accustomed to the food here, and there are so many things I don’t recognize."

The demon’s face immediately brightened.

"Of course, Your Majesty!"

He looked almost delighted that someone had asked.

He stepped toward the first platter.

"This," he announced proudly, "is called Emberstone Karth."

I looked down at the dish.

It was a fish.

At least, I thought it was a fish.

Its skin was so dark that it almost looked black, with faint silver lines running across its body like cracks in polished stone.

"This is a Gravelfin," the staff explained. "They live in the underground rivers beneath Golemhold."

"Underground rivers?"

I looked at him.

He nodded enthusiastically.

"Very deep ones. They feed on mineral deposits and Lunacite fragments, so their flesh becomes dense and rich with minerals."

I stared at the fish.

"So... the fish eats rocks?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

I looked at Azerion.

He was already staring at the fish with renewed interest.

Of course.

The staff continued.

"The dark skin is poisonous, and there is also a small poisonous organ near the spine. We remove both before preparing it. Then we scrape away the mineral stones that grow beneath the scales."

I blinked.

"Stones grow beneath its scales?"

"Yes."

That explained absolutely nothing.

"After that, we coat it in crushed emberleaf, iron-thyme and bitterroot before roasting it slowly over a deep fire."

He pointed toward the bowl beside it.

"Then we pour fresh Velinfruit juice over it near the end of roasting. The juice sinks into the flesh and gives it a slightly sweet, smoky flavor."

I leaned closer.

It actually smelled delicious.

"That sounds good."

The staff beamed.

"It is one of Golemhold’s most famous dishes."

Brixton nodded. "I like it a lot."

Azerion immediately reached for it, but Rin slapped his hand away.

"You haven’t even been offered any, you thief." She said.

"I was just inspecting it, you raven." He hissed at her.

"You were stealing it." Rin argued.

"I was inspecting it with my mouth." Azerion replied.

"Your mouth was nowhere near it."

"It was getting there."

The staff moved on as though this sort of conversation happened every day.

"This next dish is Stonefire Roc Roast."

He pointed toward a large platter holding several roasted birds.

Their feathers had been removed, but the meat still carried a faint reddish glow beneath the crisped skin.

"Roc birds are raised in the upper caverns. We stuff them with crushed emberroots, salt crystals and ground thunderseed, then roast them inside heated stone chambers."

"Thunderseed?" I repeated.

"It gives the meat a slight tingling sensation."

I raised an eyebrow.

"A tingling sensation?"

"On the tongue."

"That sounds dangerous."

"It’s very safe."

He paused.

"Usually."

I decided not to ask what usually meant.

The birds were covered in a dark, glossy sauce that smelled smoky and sweet.

"After roasting, we brush them with molten bassel cherry reduction and crushed firepepper."

I nodded slowly.

That actually sounded incredible.

I was beginning to understand why Zorathys had brought us here.

Or at least, I would have understood if I believed for one second that he was actually hungry.

The staff moved toward another platter.

These were smaller pieces, almost like little biscuits.

Except they glittered.

I leaned closer.

"Are those... shining?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

He picked one up carefully.

"They are called Lunacite Spark Bites."

Azerion’s head immediately snapped toward him.

"They’re made with Lunacite?"

"Only tiny amounts," the staff explained. "The Lunacite is softened, crushed and mixed with sweet stoneberry paste before being baked."

I stared at the sparkling snacks.

"These are particularly popular among young demons." The demon said.

Rin smiled, her eyes taking on an almost shining look, if that made sense, and mind you, it only made her look even scarier.

"They shine." She said reverently.

Ah, I should have known that was why she looked that way. Anything that shone was appealing to Rin, and I did not doubt for a second she could steal the whole plate.

Azerion and Vaelory immediately turned toward her.

"They’re not jewellery," they said together.

Rin rolled her eyes at them.

The staff continued explaining the food.

There were Ironroot Dumplings, made from a soft, mineral-rich root that apparently grew in caves and tasted surprisingly sweet when cooked.

There was Molten Hearth Stew, a thick soup prepared inside heated stone pots with chunks of underground root vegetables, fire mushrooms and tender cave beast meat.

There were Crystalback Rolls, thin sheets of roasted root wrapped around spiced meat and sprinkled with crushed salt crystals.

There was even something called Deepforge Honey, which wasn’t actually honey at all. It came from enormous cave insects that lived near volcanic vents, and apparently it had a smoky sweetness that made it highly prized.

I was fascinated.

Every dish seemed to tell me something about Golemhold.

Their food wasn’t delicate in the way food from the human realm often was. It was hearty, earthy and heavily influenced by the land beneath their feet. Even their sweets involved minerals, crystals and things that probably shouldn’t have been edible.

I picked up one of the Lunacite Spark Bites.

And it glittered between my fingers.

"It’s pretty."

"It is also delicious," the staff assured me.

I took a small bite and my eyes widened.

It really was sweet.

Not overwhelmingly sweet, either. There was a faint earthy flavor beneath it, followed by something almost like caramel.

"This is actually really good."

The staff looked extremely pleased.

"I am glad Your Majesty approves."

I took another bite.

Beside me, Azerion had somehow acquired one.

Then another.

Then possibly a third or maybe a fifth. I had no idea because the plate was empty, and normally I would have suspected only one demon, but there was someone else with us that I suspected. And though she didn’t eat food like this, she didn’t resist anything shiny... Rin. And she was looking extremely guilty right now.

I didn’t even bother and then turned to the other children.

"Dig in."