Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 1039 - 504: The Scammer’s Straw

Seeing Luo Jun about to lose his temper again, Qin Huai quickly calmed him down and then proceeded with the formal process. He first introduced the situation of various spirits to Gong Liang and then presented his own gaming system, which even surprised the well-informed Scammer.

There was surprise, but not much.

Gong Liang mentioned that during his leisure time, he also reads a bit of everything—fantasy, urban, supernatural—and during his daughter Gong Baozhu's high school years, when she was obsessed with romantic novels and bought many paperbacks, Gong Liang would occasionally sneak into her room to borrow some romance novels to read.

In Gong Liang's words, if he could be a spirit, it was logical for Qin Huai to be the protagonist of a system novel.

Qin Huai almost burst into tears upon hearing this. He wanted to hug Gong Liang and have a good cry, feeling grateful for the Scammer's high level of acceptance.

The novels over the years hadn't been read in vain!

After Qin Huai finished his background introduction, it was Gong Liang's turn to talk about how he failed his tribulation and his experiences at the Silk Factory in earlier years. Shi Dadan still had an unfinished side task related to the truth of Xu Nuo's death. There were many spirits related to the spinning mill on Qin Huai's side—Shi Dadan, Gong Liang, and Wang Gen Sheng were all involved.

Shi Dadan was confused, Wang Gen Sheng was familiar with Xu Nuo but hadn't awakened yet, and while Gong Liang and Xu Nuo did not seem to have much interaction, as the leading salesman at the Silk Factory, he surely knew the famous spendthrift son from the neighboring spinning mill, Mr. Xu's son.

Gong Liang might be able to provide some new clues or insights.

Gong Liang understood the process well. Seeing Qin Huai finish his part, he knew it was his turn. After taking a sip of iced water and clearing his throat, he was about to speak, but Qin Huai raised his hand to stop him.

"Mr. Gong, wait a moment, Zhao Cheng'an isn't back yet. I'll give him a call to hurry him up."

Qin Huai had Zhao Cheng'an come up with an excuse to take Wang Gen Sheng away, and Zhao Cheng'an indeed found a good reason, using Wang Gen Sheng's favorite Crab Shell Cake to lure him.

Now that the person was taken away, Zhao Cheng'an was missing.

Qin Huai spent a lot of time making coconut-filled mooncakes, waited for them to cool, stuffed them into Gong Liang's mouth, and let him wake up—this took a few minutes. Earlier, the basic process introduction had taken half an hour, long enough for Shi Dadan to enjoy an afternoon tea of about 5 pounds, yet Zhao Cheng'an still hadn't returned.

Qin Huai dialed Zhao Cheng'an's number, and Zhao Cheng'an picked up in a second.

"Hey, Qin Huai, what's up?" Zhao Cheng'an's voice sounded a bit muffled, as if he was eating something.

"Where are you? Why aren't you back yet?"

"Ah, do I need to come back?"

"...Gong Liang has already woken up, don't you want to come back and hear the story?"

"Give me 5 minutes, I'm already at the entrance of Yunzhong District. I'll be right there!"

Although Zhao Cheng'an had picked up Chen Sheng's unreliable personality after waking up, he still managed his time well. He promised 5 minutes, no more, no less, and arrived at Luo Jun's house precisely 5 minutes later.

When he entered, he was holding a bag of osmanthus cake.

Qin Huai: ...Seriously, you actually went to buy osmanthus cake at Uncle Wang's district entrance?

Zhao Cheng'an placed the osmanthus cake on the dining table: "I always heard them say that Grandpa Wang's osmanthus cake at the community gate is quite tasty, so I bought a big bag especially, but the taste is just so-so, not as good as mine."

Shi Dadan naturally took a piece from the bag and tasted it, nodding: "It's okay, but not as good as what Qin Huai makes."

Qin Huai: "…The lady selling the osmanthus cake only charges 5 bucks a box, we shouldn't have such high expectations."

With everyone present, Gong Liang took another sip of iced water, paused, and began to tell his story.

He started from the first life.

As a Scammer, Gong Liang had the ability to talk and lie woven into his very bones. Scammers don't possess any extraordinary abilities; they can't breathe fire like Bi Fang, nor do they have the auspicious beast buff that Dang Kang and Wen Yao Fish do. They're not even on par with small birds like Qu Jing or plant spirits like Chen Huihong.

Qu Jing can cut his flesh to cure amnesia and hunger, while Chen Huihong, as long as she doesn't act recklessly in chaotic times, can survive by consuming her own tree bark. Compared to these spirits, the Scammer seems very unspirit-like. Besides having a silver tongue, exceptional observation skills, and the ability to lie convincingly and persuasively, it has no peculiar characteristics.

Because of this, a Scammer must enter the world to succeed in its tribulation. Normally, if a Scammer manages to live a prosperous and peaceful life through its eloquence, it can succeed in its tribulation.

Gong Liang's first life was during the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic period—a turbulent time, but also an era full of opportunities for the Scammer. According to Gong Liang, that era was numb, feudal, and stifling with dogma, but it was also vibrant, rebellious, with all sorts of ideas and people.

When Gong Liang discovered that the world was different from what he had imagined and that the times seemed to have changed, he did not hastily claim he understood this complex world after casually reading a few books like Luo Jun did. Instead, he spent years learning, observing, and integrating into it. After a few years of cautious living, he felt it was a time to showcase his abilities.

Then reality taught Gong Liang a lesson.

Luo Jun could arrogantly face everything because he had the capital for his arrogance. Gong Liang wanted to showcase his abilities, but he lacked the ability to preserve his wealth.

Gong Liang started with a small business and quickly made his first pot of gold through a good reputation and decent relationships, but was soon targeted by local gangs. After being coerced and threatened, he was nearly killed.