Cori amazed at the power of teleportation admired the convenience it brought them. "If I can teleport, I will never be late for a single class!" thought the little golden slime as they conveniently teleported to Hall of Silvanus' dining hall. A small child, adorned in a white cloak, greeted them with a cheerful disposition. Cori was once again impressed by the meticulously planned schedule. "Your Grace and Mr. Cori, my name is Teddy. I'm your happy-go-lucky bear-kin guide for today," the guide announced with a bow and proceeded to guide them to their designated table with a generously spread of fruits, vegetables, honey and wine.
Although the duchess was hungry, facing the healthy array of food, she could not help but felt something amissed. "Is this what you normally eat?" she probed.
"Well... we try not to eat meat... However, we had some baked fish today, would you like some?" Teddy asked.
"That's fine. I just recalled I have an urgent report to submit, and would not be able to join your scrumptious spread," she apologised to the small guide. "In fact, I shall entrust Cori in your good paws and return once I have resolved my business. Please enjoy your luncheon without me," the duchess explained and promptly give them the slip in a flash.
Teddy looking slightly disappointed, took out a mysterious black box that smelled like shit, "Awww I was hoping to get her to try our new product. Mr. Cori will you try it instead?"
Cori even with his excellent sense of smell was not able to detect it untill Teddy brought it out. With nowhere to run nor hide in the forested cafeteria surrounded by megalithic structures, he asked reluctantly, "Erm... what is that? It smells really bad... maybe we can eat the normal food first?"
"Sure! You want fish?" Teddy asked excitedly, impressed that he could smell it.
"Is that box 'the fish'?" Cori wondered apprehensively.
"No, it's a fruit we cultivated. We haven't try it yet. It would be our honour if you try it first." Teddy grinned mischieviously.
At this critical moment, Cori was compulsed to make a dire decision since his arrival to this world. The pungent, mysterious fruit laid innocently on the table, challenging him to choose between life or death both resulting in total humiliation. Cori sat in front of the food in deep comtemplation, "Should I eat the weird cultivated fruit first or have a proper meal first. No one in their right mind would eat something that smelled like something that came out of the rear. Except maybe dogs and rabbits...."
"Please~" Teddy pleaded with his big brown watery eyes.
"Bro, wrong target bro, I am not your father or mother, do you think this would have an effect on me!" Cori thought to himself and replied, "Fine! Just one."
Teddy happily rejoiced with his new guinea pig. "Sucker! Hee hee," he thought to himself and opened the box to reveal a spikey golden fruit. "Because of its colour and its thorns, and its ability to repeal the forest creatures, we called it King of the fruits!" Teddy proudly proclaimed while pinching his nose.
As the smell permeated through the air, some trainees left in a hurry and some who had an inkling on the unfolding spectacle, gathered at their table to witness the historical event. Teddy split the fruit with a knife, revealing the golden coloured flesh hidden in the husk of the fruit. "Why does it look like poop?" the crowds wondered.
With onlookers eagerly anticipating, Cori skillfully used a fork to extract the poop-shaped flesh, proceeding to courageously consume the seedless portion in a single bold bite.The cafeteria resonated with an echo of both disgust and surprise on that very particular day.
Despite the look and smell of the fruit, Cori could feel the soft and mushy texture of the custardy sweet fruit. "Instead of naming it as King of fruits, they should name it king of troll. It's not bad at all as long as one can overcome the psychological barrier," Cori discovered. Turning to Teddy, Cori encouraged, "Give it a shot! It's quite delicious!"
"Thank you Mr Cori, since you are the guest, you can have the rest," Teddy politely declined.
"No, you really ought to give it a taste!" Cori insisted cheerfully, playfully feeding Teddy the poop-like flesh. However, despite Cori's good intentions, Teddy succumbed to his own psychological trauma and fainted after consuming it. In a light-hearted jest, Cori chuckled, "Teddy, did it taste so heavenly that you saw paradise?" Assuming Teddy was just being dramatic, Cori laughed until the realisation struck - Teddy had genuinely fainted. Cori, in a state of desperation, waved the poop-like flesh under Teddy's nose, hoping the potent ammonia smell would rouse him from his unconscious state. To the astonishment of the onlookers, it proved effective.
"Oh god! Mr. Cori, put it back! I still need the remaining portion for evaluation," Teddy exclaimed, awakening with a start at the sight of the dreaded fruit. Upon observing Cori's daring feat with the fruit, rumors started circulating that the pungent fruit possessed the extraordinary ability to resurrect the dead.
After the filling meal, they strolled through the forest lit by fireflies, glow-worms, luminescent plants and flourescent fungis. "You know, the philosophy of our hall teaches us to work with nature without destroying it," Teddy elaborated, "You can see our cottages are all naturally formed. In our hall, our druids fashioned whatever the trainees need out of living vines and stones- as long as our resources allowed. If you receive our Lord's blessings, you can even communicate with the forest and its creatures. And if you are lucky like me, you can even create your own fruit!"
"Okay..." Cori replied, imagining the possibilities. "So what other facilities does your hall have?" Cori asked.
"Well, nature is our teacher. Whatever we asked, will be given. What more could you ask for?" Teddy replied happily.
"How big is this place?" Cori wondered.
"Hmmm.. we never measured" Teddy replied, "but it is pretty big. Okay, here we are at the entrance, the duchess should be here soon."
Cori looked around him realising that he was in the middle of a stonehenge. Soon the place filled with mist and the forest disappeared along with it.
"There you are Cori, did you enjoy the tour?" the duchess asked.
"Your Grace, I was left with more questions than answers." Cori answered.
"Nevertheless, let's proceed to the next Hall." the duchess said, teleporting them away from the lichen fields.