Watching Xiao Yi follow Maria with delight in his heart, the crowd couldn't help but sigh.
"Alas, Brother Xiao Yi still doesn't know that the child to be born is himself."
"Speaking of which, how exactly is a grown young man supposed to be born? I can't even imagine it."
"Maria said she would make Brother Xiao Yi a family member in the gentlest way, but then she said she needed to go to the kitchen? What's the connection between these two?"
"... Holy shit! I just had a crazy idea!"
At that moment, Xiao Yi remembered something and asked Maria:
"Right, Aunt Maria, what about the true perpetrator? Shouldn't we prioritize that matter right now?"
"There's no hurry on that," Maria replied. "After all, no one can leave this Western-style mansion, so the killer who murdered my Xiao Ni cannot escape. We can look for them anytime; your matter is more important right now."
"Is that so? No one can leave this place?"
Xiao Yi's eyes widened slightly as he thought, could it be that Maria had locked all the doors here? Without the keys, one couldn't leave.
No wonder Nathan kept saying he wanted his help to convince Maria, presumably to get the keys to the door from her; otherwise, he would have run away long ago.
However, Xiao Yi wasn't in a hurry to bring this up.
He figured that after becoming a family member, it would be easier to speak about such things, and Maria would be more accepting.
It wasn't long before the two arrived in the kitchen again.
The Professor's body still lay there, silent and limp.
"Ah..." Seeing the Professor, Xiao Yi suddenly remembered something, "Speaking of which, we haven't taken care of the Professor's body yet, letting him lie here and catch cold."
Maria waved her hand and said, "It's fine. Let's let Xiao Ni keep watch here for now."
While saying that, Maria walked over to the Professor's body and knelt down. She put her hands together, seemingly praying, and said to the Professor:
"Xiao Ni, your last unfinished task will be taken over by me. I will complete your final mission and ensure Xiao Yi becomes part of the family under your witness."
As the ritual to become a family member was about to begin, the viewers in the live stream grew increasingly tense.
"Damn, the body's getting cold, but it sounds like something Brother Xiao Yi would say."
"In the presence of her deceased husband's body, the wife becomes a family member with another man... if you look at it from another angle, it's seriously ambiguous."
"Fast forward to 'Hannibal, watch closely, this is how Maria uses it'!"
"Can you guys not have a sense of tension! Is this Dragon Country live stream some adult site comment section? What's with this atmosphere? Looks like we need to take some strict measures! It's time to crack down hard on this misleading sentiment!"
Then, Maria stood up and said to Xiao Yi with a smile:
"Wait here for a moment. I have to do some preparations. This was something Xiao Ni used to handle. I've only watched from the side and have never done it myself. I might not do it well, so please bear with me."
"No problem," Xiao Yi replied.
At the same time, Xiao Yi also couldn't help but wonder inside, what the Professor used to do? Could it be that it wasn't about cooking?
At that moment, Maria pulled out a cleaver as long as a forearm from somewhere and started sharpening the knife.
The somewhat grating sound of sharpening filled the kitchen, altering the atmosphere somewhat.
Xiao Yi, who had been a bit disappointed, breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Maria sharpening the knife.
So they were going to make food after all.
But the viewers in the live stream reacted completely differently from Xiao Yi!
"Holy crap! She's sharpening the knife!"
"I knew it! I knew it! Their so-called ritual of becoming a family member is to process Brother Xiao Yi and then cook and eat him up!"
"What? Eat him?! That's..."
"How can you give birth after eating? Your logic doesn't make sense."
"What's there not to understand? Eating and giving birth, and eating and excreting, is just a difference of one hole!"
"Damn! That makes so much sense I can't even argue with you!"
"I can't handle this... I'm feeling queasy..."
"Oh my! She's going to cannibalize!"
The viewers in the live stream were convinced that the so-called birth referred to just that, and they couldn't help feeling a sense of panic.
But seeing the anticipation on Xiao Yi's face, they couldn't help but feel anxious.
But to everyone's surprise, the next words from Maria were beyond all expectation.
Maria looked at the gleaming knife and showed a satisfied smile.
"The sharpening is done. Xiao Yi, wait a moment longer, I'll make you some delicious food right away."
"Okay," Xiao Yi nodded obediently.
And the viewers, once again, were stunned.
"... Ah?"
"What? Is it really just about making food?"
"The guy who said eating leads to birthing, come out and get a beating! Damn, you almost made me puke out my meal from last night."
"This..."
But before the audience could discuss further, the next scene again left everyone shocked.
They didn't hear what Maria was saying but just saw her whispering something, as if she were praying.
The next moment, as if appearing from thin air, Maria's hand held a black, gelatinous substance.
That gelatinous mass looked like a plump worm, about the size of a person's forearm, and was covered with irregular barbs all over its body.
Not only that, it wriggled like a snake, exuding an indescribable sense of disgust.
"... Hm!?" Xiao Yi was also taken aback seeing that object and quickly asked, "I won't have to eat that, right?"
"Yes, you do," Maria smiled and replied.
"This..." Xiao Yi's face showed difficulty, "The dietary customs here are a bit too avant-garde for me, can I not eat it?"
"I'm afraid not," Maria shook her head and explained:
"This is an 'instant body.' It's essential for you to become one of our family members. Normally, the ritual to become a family member involves the 'instant body' consuming all parts of you that carry consciousness—your brain, your nervous system, your spinal cord, your organs. Then, the 'instant body' enters my body to grow.
Once the 'instant body' has grown into a brand new you, you can be born from my stomach. Only then do we truly become family.
However, that is quite painful, as throughout the process your consciousness is awake. The feeling of being eaten away slowly is quite unpleasant."
"..."
Hearing Maria's words, the viewers finally understood what the so-called birth truly was.
They fell silent.
The reality was more complex and more terrifying than what they had imagined!
Xiao Yi was also silent, as he didn't understand at all what Maria was talking about.
"...?"
Xiao Yi slowly typed out a question mark.