Famine 214: Pirate Banana Split

A heavy scent of blood drifted through the air.

Dismembered limbs crawled along the road, drowned ghosts shuffled forward, moving with the crowds; other entities repeated the same actions over and over, hands crawling up the walls—each step accompanied by a headbutt toward some empty direction…

It was a veritable parade of a hundred ghosts.

This time, they walked into the brightly lit Candy Town.

Rong Bei’s back tensed, ears catching faint screams from nearby shops.

The tide of monsters halted at the edge of Candy Town, all of them standing still.

Pairs of bloodshot, inhuman eyes lifted, scrutinizing this town so utterly different from anything before.

The Christmas trees at the entrance glimmered with lights, storefronts opened their rolling doors with shiny new signs, and the air carried a strange, cloyingly sweet scent.

[Click…one…]

At the forefront of the horde waddled a pseudo-human with a neck twice as long as a normal person’s.

Its neck bent at an unnatural angle, its face twisted in a grotesque smile, eyes shining with a bone-chilling gleam.

Slowly, its neck rotated, sweeping a single finger over the face of every vendor.

It was like a countdown to death.

“W-What’s it doing…” a frightened stall owner beside Rong Bei asked, swallowing hard, legs shaking.

It was the same muscular mercenary who had maliciously knocked into Rong Bei earlier.

Exactly as they had been struck speechless before Bian Xu earlier, now, faced with a truly terrifying high-grade anomaly, they were scared out of their wits.

Not just them. All who had fought monsters for long enough had a survival instinct: stay as far from this curse as possible. Cold sweat stood out on their skin.

@Jinjiang Literature City

A strange silence descended.

Only Rong Bei held steady. He propped himself on the table, his mind involuntarily leaping to a thought—

For distorted-limb anomalies, they commonly designated targets using their mutated physiology.

He wasn’t threatening anyone; he was just… watching.

Or perhaps…

A bold idea surfaced.

Rong Bei took a deep breath and called out, “Are you asking what one coin can buy you?”

The pseudo-human made no sound, tilting its head slightly.

Rong Bei waited a few seconds, still no reaction. Gritting his teeth, he drew a line with a single hand, turning on the charm. “Come here, then. My banana split is exactly one coin.” @Jinjiang Literature City

Creak, creak…

The pseudo-human eyed him with its bent neck.

Bananas were piled nearby, ready to be snapped apart with a flick of the knife.

With swift, practiced motions, Rong Bei peeled a banana, slicing it evenly, laying out the pieces in a crescent-moon-shaped wooden bowl.

He scooped up two large, round balls of chocolate ice cream, full of rich, bittersweet cocoa aroma, and set them on the banana. With a small spoon, he sprinkled on chopped almonds, chocolate bits, and cocoa cake crumbs. Then he drizzled on chocolate sauce in a zigzag.

A piping bag of liquid chocolate in hand, he gave the bag a shake, then carefully squeezed to let the chocolate jet out like the venom from a dart, drawing a flourish across the plate—a beautifully crafted pirate flag.

A quick freeze on the iced plate, and it was instantly set.

Rong Bei picked up the edible chocolate flag and stuck it into the banana boat.

The pseudo-human twisted its neck, never taking its eyes off him the entire time.

Rong Bei slid the dish forward. “Please.”

The atmosphere froze.

One second. Two. Three…

Suddenly, the pseudo-human lunged, collapsing the distance in a fit of wild speed—distorted limbs lashing out, arms and fingernails three times a person’s length thrusting forward!

“Watch out!” Next door, Yi Zheng screamed in warning.

The sudden violence sent everyone into a panic. Players screamed; some reflexively blocked with both hands, swords leaping from their sheaths, knocking over their own stoves.

No good—guessed wrong!

Rong Bei felt his hair stand on end, ready to retreat,

But it was far too late!

With the force of an avalanche, the pseudo-human rushed up—faster than thought,

…and snatched the banana split right out of Rong Bei’s hands.

[Ding! You have received [Coin of Wishing Carrying Sorrow] x1!]
@Jinjiang Literature City

[Current income: 150 points.]

The notification blasted in his ear.

Other players: “……”

Rong Bei: “…………”
Why so impatient.

Banana, chocolate ice cream, and the pirate flag, all laid out in the crescent wood bowl, with a lovely little flag perched on top—so exquisite that one almost hesitated to eat it.
Even the tiny spoons and banana forks were shaped like oars.

Oh! Oh!

The pseudo-human stood there in the midst of the ghostly horde and the lights of Candy Town, flipping the dish in its hands, studying it from every angle, admiring it for a long time.

Only then, amid the hungry stares of his peers, did it lower its head, pick up an oar-shaped spoon, and dig in.

The farm’s products had been transported in a short-term insulation box, softened just enough to reach that perfect, creamy texture. The ice cream was top-quality gelato—silky, rich, balanced with that subtle cocoa bitterness—layered and full-bodied. The chocolate sauce pooled with it,

not to mention the freshly sprinkled chocolate bits.

Long ago, Si Zhiyan had decreed that the best wares be prioritized for the wounded battle heroes who could no longer work. Rong Bei, as a result, had received the very best ingredients the Farm had to offer.

The almonds had been perfectly roasted, crisp and fragrant, blending beautifully with the dish.

The bittersweet aroma of good cocoa was just enough.

And then, beneath the ice cream, sliced bananas at precisely the right size, swirled in chocolate sauce, perfectly ripe—the kind that’s about to go overripe, but hasn’t. Fragrant and sweet.

[Ah…! Ah!! Delicious!! Delicious!!]

The pseudo-human was rapturous, giving a sharp, gleeful scream, wolfing it down in delight, so excited it shook and shivered in bliss.

It even twisted its neck into the shape of a heart for Rong Bei as it ate.

[You!! Good!! Very!!]

[More!! I! Want more!!]

It greedily swiped a coin from another ghost’s hand and tossed it into Rong Bei’s money pouch.

[Ding! You have received [Coin of Wishing Carrying Sorrow] x1!]
[Current income: 300 points.]

Boom!

The whole crowd of ghosts exploded.

Before anyone could react, a horde of monsters surged forward, trampling and scrambling for position.

It made sense—a famous influencer shop suddenly opening many new windows would make everyone cautious, hesitant to follow the new trend.

But if someone made the first move? It was a different story!

Was that really the logic here? How did he know the monster was looking for this?

The many stall owners stared at Rong Bei’s stand in shock.

No, that wasn’t the point…

The point was—how many ghosts?!

Three hundred? Four hundred? Nearly a thousand? …No, more still!

Even greater numbers flooded in from behind, joining the end of the queue.

Though those at the back hadn’t witnessed the pseudo-human’s taste-test, still…

If every other stall stands empty and only one has a long queue, everyone will join the line!

In the blink of an eye, the line before the banana split stand grew endless—countless anomalies swept forward in waves, overwhelming the storefront.

You couldn’t even see where the end of the line was.

Rong Bei hadn’t time to say a word, forced into full action, his twin blades slicing bananas so fast they left afterimages.

A basic Pirate Banana Split cost only one coin; if you wanted the strawberry-flavored “Bloody Pirate Ship,” two coins—with icy, sweet strawberry preserves; the “Sunset Pirate Ship,” with tinned orange slices and juice, cost a little more, coming with fresh oranges and a burst of juice…

It was clear that tonight, Rong Bei would have no shortage of customers.

His earnings depended only on his speed—and his stock.

And his speed was beyond doubt; truly, a speed-specialized player. As for his inventory…

Everyone recalled the glimpse of his overflowing crates at dusk, and silently fell quiet.

…It defied the imagination.

The crowd of ghosts queuing had already stretched so far you couldn’t see the end. Yi Zheng next door was first to react, quickly waving and calling out:

“I’m open too! Dwarf Balls here! Seven flavors of dwarf takoyaki on each plate—a whole set for just one coin!”

Plenty of ghosts had hesitated, fearing they’d miss out—at her words, their eyes lit up and they hurried her way.

Other players woke up too, quickly shouting:

“Snow White’s Caramel Apples! Crispy, juicy, Snow White apples! Sliced to order! Um… or eat them whole!”
“Grandma’s Venison Stew—three coins for a whole roasted haunch! Small portions available, just one coin each—come take a look!”
“……”

But the rest had missed their moment.

Not as many ghosts gathered at their shops, though still a considerable number. With curiosity, anomalies wandered Candy Town, sampling fare from every open shop.

The only catch was… the shop had to actually be open.

The red-haired mercenary shoved the muscular one, voice shaking: “Go on, do something…! Stew, stew…!”

The muscular mercenary backed away, stammering, trying to hide behind his friend. “W-why don’t you?!”

“Chicken! We’ve seen anomalies before!”

“Who’re you calling chicken?!”

“…”

Standing before their shopfront was a weeping, blood-covered man with flayed features, crimson muscle exposed. He frowned at them, waited a while, and, getting no welcome, turned and left.

What’s the point if you don’t sell anything? Might as well get in line for the banana split.

Hope I can get there before dawn…

……

……

On the castle’s upper terrace, Si Zhiyan reclined on a lounge chair with Bian Xu; both held bowls of Pirate Banana Split, chatting and laughing as they scooped up ice cream.

In their ears, the receiver buzzed with a relentless stream of system prompts—

[Ding! Visitor satisfaction +3]
[Ding! Visitor satisfaction +9]
[Ding! Visitor satisfaction +2]
[Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!]
…

For the entire night, the prompts never stopped. By the end, they were so rapid as to become a jumbled cacophony—no definite numbers, only a constant din of “ding ding ding ding.”

“No wonder everyone’s hooked—chocolate sauce and ripe bananas are a perfect pair!” Bian Xu stretched, satisfied.

Si Zhiyan agreed. “Fun, delicious, and portable—this is exactly what amusement parks should serve.”

They chatted idly until the sky brightened with the first rays of dawn.

Sunrise arrived.

The sun crested the horizon.

Night was over.

Tilting his ear to listen at the receiver, Si Zhiyan caught the latest system broadcast from [Amusement Park]—

[Ding!]
[Current visitor satisfaction: 72,769.]