Little Pink Starfish

It was already past midnight. In just over three hours, the sun would rise. Technically, it should’ve been bedtime.

Although most demons usually slept during the day and partied at night, Yuan Yuanyuan still felt like it was about time to go to sleep. After all, even back when she worked at the tavern, she’d be finishing her shift around now and heading home.

But the humans clearly didn’t see it that way… at least not according to what she smelled the moment she pushed open the hotel doors—a rich, mouthwatering aroma filled her nostrils, immediately jolting her sleepy expression under that oversized hood awake with a mental “biu”.

She heard footsteps behind her—soft and numerous. Likely the rest of the demons and humans following her inside. Yuan Yuanyuan’s hearing was sharp. Those tidy, synchronized footsteps were the demons’, while the excited but repressed whispers were clearly from the humans.

She stared at the long white beard of the old man in front of her. Honestly, she’d been staring at that snowy puff of beard the entire walk over, like in a dream. But now, she was really awake and desperately sniffing the air.

What is this… it smells so good, so good, so good… There’s meat… and bones!

“Our esteemed guests have come a long way. We’ve prepared a welcoming banquet to wash away the dust of your travels,” said the human representative beside them. Yuan Yuanyuan didn’t dare make any big movements, just peeked ahead through the gaps.

And immediately, she was stunned by an indescribably bizarre feeling.

The hotel lobby was filled with banquet tables. Every table was stacked with dishes and wine. There must’ve been at least a dozen long banquet tables laid out in the hall, not to mention the private rooms in the back. From what Yuan Yuanyuan could see, every light in the hotel was on. She didn’t know how many private rooms there were, but clearly the place was packed.

This hotel was actually one of those very modern, European-style ones. The decor leaned heavily Western—ornate chandeliers and all. Yuan Yuanyuan actually liked this kind of European aesthetic.

But it seemed the humans, wanting to be good hosts, had tried to “accommodate” the demons’ potential discomfort in unfamiliar surroundings (or maybe, Yuan guessed, it was just them being clowns). So they’d modified this perfectly fine European-style hotel with all sorts of “demon-friendly” décor…

For example… a massive, creepy statue standing right at the entrance.

Yuan Yuanyuan finished complaining internally and glanced to the side—only to flinch again.

A deep crimson candle, dark like dried blood, engraved with who-knew-what symbols… what the hell had this candle been through?

And the decorations? Cold weapons that looked way too real, disturbing murals of the Hundred Demons Parade…

Wait—hold up. That mural… wasn’t that painted by someone she knew?

Yup. It was. A pretty famous painter, and one of the few artists she actually knew personally.

Damn, that guy painted this kind of thing too?

Yuan Yuanyuan tilted her head, not sure what genre this was supposed to be. Maybe she was just too uncultured to say.

But from the perspective of a half-demon with limited experience like herself, she could only think—

This was a banquet cobbled together entirely from human imagination, trying to be “authentically demonic,” and offering “the warmth of home.”

Ahem… Surely not, right?

Before she could speculate further, the white-bearded old man in front suddenly moved. Yuan Yuanyuan snapped back to attention and followed him in.

She didn’t dare wander off, and just followed behind him until they reached one of the long tables. The old man took the main seat, and Yuan Yuanyuan sat to his left.

The moment she sat down, a synchronized sound of seats being pulled out echoed behind her.

The sound was extremely organized. Yuan Yuanyuan glanced back slightly—rows of demons were taking their seats one by one.

The scene was so tidy it felt like a movie set.

The demons filled in the seats in order, and when one table filled up, the rest moved to the next without being told. The discipline was so strong that the humans watching secretly sucked in a breath. Even Yuan Yuanyuan herself did the same.

Not a single person sat in the wrong place. No chatter, no chaos.

Yuan Yuanyuan quietly tried to recall if they had rehearsed this back on the ship… but no, she had no memory of that at all.

Maybe it was practiced before boarding?

The hotel had felt relatively spacious before, but once they were all seated, it suddenly felt full. By the time all the demons were settled, they filled nearly a third of the entire space.

Some demons didn’t sit. Instead, they stood quietly behind the seated guests.

Yuan Yuanyuan took a glance—it was a group with particularly ethereal appearances… ghostly vibes, to say the least. Actually, let’s just call them ghosts.

They took their seats silently. Ten or so of them took up an entire table.

This group had always been a controversial bunch—humans considered them demons, while demons considered them human. And among themselves, some leaned more toward the demonic, some more toward the human.

Yuan Yuanyuan had read about the complex ties between these “ghosts” and demons in historical records, but this was her first time seeing such powerful ones in person—their presence was as strong as any great demon.

Their table was the strangest—set with incense burners and red candles. Yuan Yuanyuan couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of her mouth when she saw it.

She turned back. Most of the demons were now seated, and Yuan Yuanyuan noticed something was off—the number was wrong. Only fifty or so had taken seats. Including the ones standing, there couldn’t have been more than three hundred total…

So where were the rest?

Were they waiting at the entrance?

Actually, there was a strange seating pattern on the demon side. Behind every great demon stood about one to five subordinate demons. Visually it looked crowded, but the seating count was the same as elsewhere.

Yuan Yuanyuan realized those standing behind must be their subordinates. She glanced around and spotted a few familiar faces—like the white-dressed girl she saw on the ship, now wearing a demon-style outfit that matched the great demon in front of her. She stood silently, head down.

There was also the cat-eyed boy—his father was seated in front, and he too had come in the capacity of a subordinate.

When all the demons and ghosts were settled, the humans began taking their seats.

Once most of the guests were seated, a few spots drew the most attention—particularly the seat closest to the host on the demon side.

…Which was exactly where Yuan Yuanyuan was sitting.

All at once, the whole hall was whispering. With her sharp hearing, Yuan Yuanyuan caught things like:

“Who is that?”
“Why is there just one person sitting there?”

She was the only one on the demon side sitting alone. Every other great demon had people standing behind them—except for her.

All eyes subtly drifted toward her table, making her seat the sudden center of attention.

And that lone demon, sitting so close to the front, dressed in a big black cloak with her face hidden, hood drawn low like some kind of medieval black mage…

Yuan Yuanyuan—the center of attention—was freaking out.

She hadn’t even come with any real status. Just sitting at this kind of banquet made her nervous enough. And now, on top of that, she was the only one sitting alone? How had she become the main character all of a sudden?!

It was like… being the bald patch on a middle-aged man’s head.

You notice it. Instantly.

She was dazed. If she had known, she would’ve dragged Si Qun with her. That idiot wouldn’t even know what was going on. Or maybe dragged Liu An… anything to avoid becoming this visible.

Now she was worried. Under this much scrutiny, what if someone recognized her?

She had picked this outfit on purpose… surely they wouldn’t?

She glanced toward the old man next to her—he had two attendants behind him, one in black, one in white, looking like the classic “Black and White Ghosts.” The one in black stood out—clearly a ghost-demon hybrid.

But even they weren’t as eye-catching as Yuan Yuanyuan.

The old man caught her subtle glance and smiled kindly before turning back to chat with the human leader beside him.

Apparently, he wasn’t going to expose her… which left her no choice but to bow her head and start eating quietly.

The situation was… weird. Everyone knew demons loved to party. On the ship, they were constantly drinking like lunatics. So as soon as the banquet started, the demon side quickly became the loudest and most cheerful.

Yuan Yuanyuan watched the demons beside her down drinks happily—while she nibbled quietly alone. With so many eyes still sweeping her way, she didn’t dare eat too aggressively. She just poked at some garnish in front of her—carrots, bok choy, and those decorative purple orchids…

She looked like someone sentenced to eat a salad at a barbecue.

Just then, the white-bearded elder next to her, while chatting with the human leaders, casually pushed over a dish.

Huh? For me?

Yuan Yuanyuan blinked at the old man. He didn’t look back, just continued speaking.

She looked down at the dish—a small silver bowl.

Inside was something like steamed egg custard. The chef’s skill was excellent—smooth and flawless without a single bubble. Golden yellow on the outside, and in the center, a ring of dark red floral garnish—whatever that was.

It was beautiful. The yellow part was clearly the egg custard. The red flower in the center was… unknown.

She scooped a bite with the small silver spoon and tasted it—sweet, soft, and sticky.

Delicious.

Wait, is this a northern dish? Since when did the north make sweet egg custard? As a fellow northerner… why the heck is there such a big difference?

She ducked her head, scooping another bite along with the orchid garnish, happily digging into the sweet, floral egg custard.