Now That It's Come to This, Might as Well Eat First

Leaves so thin they were nearly translucent were affixed to the windowpanes, allowing the morning sunlight to filter softly and warmly into the room. A refreshing fragrance of wood drifted throughout the bedchamber. A cool breeze blowing in from the courtyard gently stroked his body, sending a sudden chill through him that coaxed his eyes open. What caught his attention was not the European-style furnishings with their modern flair. Rather, it was the mirror not far away, reflecting a handsome face whose cool, emerald-green eyes could not hide a dazed drowsiness. It looked cold enough to keep people a thousand miles away, yet at the same time seemed completely harmless. He raised a hand and touched his cheek. The black-haired, green-eyed youth in the mirror mirrored the gesture precisely. "Where is this...?" Lanqi murmured. It seemed he had transmigrated. That familiar reflection was someone he knew inside and out—a character from Bramble Lionheart, the new game his company was developing. As the game's art director, he had been leading his colleagues in a ritual cursing of the lead planner's mother when his vision suddenly went black, as if his brain had disconnected. The next time he opened his eyes, he was met with everything before him now. At the same time, a flood of memories rushed into his mind, and he strained to make sense of his current situation. Immediately, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper. Because he hadn't... transmigrated into some hero with limitless potential or a heinous arch-villain. Instead, he had become a minor extra who dropped dead at record speed in a side story, Rise of Talia. Aside from being good-looking, filthy rich, and not particularly bright, this youth named "Lanqi" had no notable traits whatsoever! Because the character art for the key figure "Talia" had been assigned to him, he had also drawn all the characters tied to Talia's storyline, including Lanqi. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine he would end up as the nobody Lanqi... Well, silver lining: Out of pure professional pride, he had made Lanqi exceptionally handsome. Resting his chin in his hand, he couldn't help but ponder. "Come to think of it, why did this rich young master drop dead in the first place...?" Although he worked in the art department, he had played the game and had access to character setting documents. Before long, it came back to him— Someone was going to come after "Young Master Lanqi's" life. And that someone was none other than the protagonist of the side story, who was also slated to become the game's late-stage main villain—Talia, the last princess of the demon race. At this point in time, although the great demon Talia had yet to rise and merely appeared to be a destitute refugee girl, her strength was already formidable. To survive in the human realm, she had been doing her best to disguise herself. Only when pushed to the brink would she be unable to suppress her violent and ferocious nature. And in the side story, Lanqi was the very first human to push Talia into a blind rage after she was forced into exile. The trigger for their feud was that Lanqi had shot down Talia's scout familiar, a dark carrier pigeon, treating it as game. When Talia tracked down Lanqi two days later, the clueless young master not only refused to apologize, but also showered the beggar-like Talia with vicious mockery. He even threatened to roast the rest of her familiars and throw her a suuuper-awesome barbecue party! In the end, Lanqi, having courted death with flying colors, got exactly what he asked for: Talia instantly obliterated him, causing him to burst like a pinata into a massive pile of gold coins and surrendering his family's treasured ancient relic, the Hymn of Compassion. That plundered wealth became Talia's indispensable seed money on her quest to restore the demon nation. In a sense, our living bodhisattva Mr. Lanqi was truly Talia's greatest benefactor. "I refuse to be Talia's top donor!" Sitting on the bed, Lanqi clutched his head as if waking from a nightmare. Calm down. Think positive. Things aren't actually that bad. Now that he knew the grudge between Lanqi and Talia, all he had to do was avoid it entirely! Don't provoke this demonic boss, send her safely out of his family's territory, and everything will be fine! At this very moment, in this brand-new world, Lanqi felt a long-lost surge of drive and enthusiasm! This had to be good karma from being a law-abiding, virtuous citizen in his previous life. From now on, his wonderful life as a wealthy young master began! Financial freedom, no more overtime! Wealthy and powerful—an absolute dream! Right at that moment, a soft knock on the door interrupted his train of thought. "Young Master, are you awake? You asked me yesterday to wake you early..." Hearing movement inside, a timid female voice drifted in from outside the door. "I'm up," Lanqi answered and swung his legs out of bed, nearly tripping over a pile of liquor bottles at the foot of the bed the moment his feet touched the floor. He paused. Right. Ever since his predecessor reached the age of adulthood at sixteen last month, he had picked up a terrible drinking habit. That was why his memories of the past month were so fragmented. It seemed the previous Lanqi often threw drunken tantrums and did foolish things while plastered. He wondered if Lanqi picking a fight with Talia in the original plot had happened because he was drunk out of his mind. Alcohol really is the root of all evil, Lanqi reflected. Lamenting to himself, Lanqi changed into fresh clothes. The moment he stepped out of the bedroom, he noticed a maid trembling beside the door. The maid seemed to have had no choice but to carry out the spoiled young master's orders, yet she was terrified of facing his wrath for waking him. "Thank you for your hard work," Lanqi said in an even, gentle tone. "Huh?" A look of utter shock crossed the maid's face, a squeak escaping her lips. She seemed to be trying to gauge Lanqi's mood today. Coming to her senses, she hurriedly said to Lanqi, "The master is already waiting for you in the dining room." Lanqi nodded. He knew that his predecessor's parents were still alive and well; he was not an orphan. However, they were so busy managing the chamber of commerce that in recent years they had practically adopted a hands-off approach with Lanqi. Even his father being home these past few days was a rare occurrence in his predecessor's memories. Pondering this, Lanqi walked down the mansion's corridor. Without exception, every servant flinched, bowed deeply, and scurried away as if fleeing for their lives. Looks like my predecessor caused quite a lot of trouble for the people around him on a daily basis, Lanqi sighed inwardly. Although he didn't have many memories of his drunken stupors, his predecessor seemed prone to violent rages and smashing things when intoxicated, so it was only natural for the servants to be terrified. ... Soon, Lanqi arrived at the dining hall. He saw a middle-aged man seated at the far end of the long dining table—Lanqi's father. "You're late again today." His father didn't seem inclined to scold him; he merely stated a matter of fact. "I'm sorry. I won't drink anymore." There was no longer any need to wallow in self-destruction. Lanqi was very content with the life of a wealthy young master. He had only one life goal: to live a leisurely, peaceful, and worry-free life. "Sit." All the servants in the hall were visibly stunned by Lanqi's attitude. After a brief moment of surprise, his father gave a nod. "All right." Lanqi looked at the sumptuous food on the table—none of which fit his concept of breakfast—and took his seat. For some reason, he felt something was off. Involuntarily, he looked up and stared at a cooked dish in the center of the long table. —Lying on the platter was a roasted pigeon, its skin crisp and golden-brown. It had been evenly glazed with an intensely fragrant seasoning, carved yet still arranged in an impeccable presentation. "This is..." With a strange expression, Lanqi slowly raised a finger toward the pigeon and asked. The more he looked at it, the more he felt an uncanny sense of déjà vu. His father didn't reply immediately, and the servants standing in the distance looked at Lanqi in bewilderment. Today's Lanqi seemed utterly bizarre to them—in short, astonishingly gentle. "It's the pigeon you shot and brought back yesterday. The servants prepared it for today's breakfast per your instructions," his father looked up, glanced at Lanqi, and said flatly, "You were too drunk last night. Don't you remember again?" Lanqi: "¿?" Yesterday? The pigeon I shot down? Instantly sensing that things were horribly amiss, Lanqi quickly extended his fork toward an unfamiliar dish, pretending to be composed. Even though the roasted pigeon on the platter was completely unrecognizable in its cooked state, a careful examination of its shape and silhouette finally left Lanqi utterly certain: this was indeed the great demon Talia's pigeon. After all, Talia's familiar had also been drawn by his own hands. "Are you feeling all right?" Lanqi's abnormal behavior couldn't escape his father's eyes. "I'm fine. Just the aftereffects of heavy drinking. Alcohol really ruins people." Lanqi offered his father a smile and continued eating breakfast. Glimpsing the tragic state of Talia's familiar, Lanqi felt a lump in his throat. You absolute bastard of a predecessor... Turning someone's familiar into this. And then planning to mock her like that on top of it. If she didn't kill you, she'd be unworthy of the title of Demon Sovereign! Lanqi couldn't help but wonder: could this pigeon, crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, still be saved? The answer was no. In that case, the most rational course of action was crystal clear. He had to thoroughly destroy the evidence, pull himself together, and nurse his hungover body back to full health. And so, he finally reached out, picked up a pigeon leg, and put it into his mouth. Biting into the crispy roasted meat infused with savory salt and rich fats, a marvelous flavor exploded across his palate. Deeply satisfying. He'd feed the bones to the dog later. ...