novelhk Page 291
Page 291
"Accidents?!" Jennifer exclaimed in surprise, then paused and quipped, "How many times?"
"It wasn't that kind of basic mistake!"
Latis waved his hand, quickly trying to save face, and said:
"Once, because I tossed the wok too hard, the flying food smashed the ceiling; another time, I was stir-frying over high heat, and the wok's fumes were so strong that they dried out the vegetables that were sitting next to me... and then..."
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Jennifer covered her face, sighed, and complained:
"It's not exactly a basic mistake, but... as expected of you, Lazi, cooking is like a battle... Never mind, I'll just make a few dishes myself!"
Latis opened his mouth, watching Jennifer's retreating figure, who was chuckling to herself as she left. He couldn't help but clench his fist in frustration, muttering resentfully:
"What a mistake! I actually have a lot of cooking theory to offer! Damn it, even if I haven't eaten pork, I've seen pigs run..."
He took a deep breath, pinched the cheek of the robin beside him who was secretly laughing, and walked into the courtyard to begin to think seriously.
"My previous failures were mainly because I always pursued making traditional Dongguo cuisine and wasn't familiar with those special techniques. Yes, that must be it! Dongguo cuisine emphasizes the chef's personal skills, so why don't I just make a simpler Western dish? I want to prove myself!"
Suddenly, he noticed the large tank nearby and his eyes lit up when he thought of the more than fifty "algae fish" inside.
"Oh right, I'll just make some simple fried fish, okay? With my special seasoning, it'll definitely make everyone cry from the spiciness... and cry from the deliciousness!"
Without hesitation, Latis grabbed the large vat and ran straight to the kitchen.
……
That night.
"Is the boss still not done?"
Frico closed the "Knowledge Handbook," looked at Jennifer across the table, and asked in confusion:
"Miss Jennifer, when you came out just now, did you see how the boss's progress was?"
“I don’t know. He was acting a bit suspiciously, muttering something about ‘the Dragon King returning.’” Jennifer fiddled with the roses already arranged in a vase, scratched her head, and said:
"They're probably researching some new recipe."
"Sigh, the Elf Lord is going to have to put up with this again after he returns." Frico shook her head helplessly, rubbing her forehead, and looked at the robin who was blinking silently beside her, asking:
"Miss Robin, if you're hungry, feel free to start eating. The boss certainly won't mind."
"It's alright!" the robin said with a big smile. "I want to eat with my brother!"
“Oh…” Frico, a shrewd office worker, twitched her brow. For some reason, she seemed to sense something was wrong again.
However, before she could figure out exactly what was wrong, Latis came out of the kitchen carrying a large bowl of food.
Boom!
The huge vessel with its lid on landed on the table, almost shaking the entire table.
"Wow, this is so lavish!" Jennifer exclaimed in surprise, and quickly asked, "Lazi, what did you make?"
"Uh...it's a bit hard to describe..."
Latis wiped his sweat slightly, looking a bit guilty, glanced at the people around the table, coughed, and said:
"Although there was a slight mishap during the frying process—I didn't expect the 'Algae Fish' to burst with juices after being deep-fried at extremely high temperatures—I managed to retain a small portion of the fish to show that it's a dish made with fish."
Jennifer and Frico exchanged a glance, their hearts skipping a beat, and they couldn't help but swallow hard, saying:
Anyway... let's take a look first.
"Okay, okay..."
Latis took a deep breath, gripped the lid, and slowly lifted it open.
The minced meat, fried into a fish paste, lay murky and spread out in the basin, forming a dark, swampy mess as it was stirred with various seasonings.
Above that swamp, the head of a fish that had miraculously survived was stuck diagonally into the fish sauce, its mouth slightly open, its empty white eyes silently gazing at the night sky.
"What, what is this?!"
Jennifer suppressed the urge to unleash a purification spell and asked with a strained expression.
Latis sighed softly, silently tilting his head back to gaze at the silver moon in the sky with a melancholy and profound look. After a long while, he whispered:
Its name... is "Looking Up at the Stars"...
After a long silence, the room erupted in unison, filled with uproarious laughter.
As the only person in the Mage Territory who wasn't smiling, Latis finally began to have some doubts about his culinary career.
……
Finally, the robin finished the entire plate of "Stargazing" by himself, and amidst Latis's tears of emotion, he uttered the words "Delicious."
Chapter 293 Each Person's Night
The not-so-long day has come to an end.
Although this was just a small family dinner compared to the banquet held when the Mage Tower was completed, it was still cozy enough. Even without Latis's masterpiece, there were still five dishes and a soup, which was more than enough for four people.
Cooking more dishes wouldn't be a bad idea, but since Artemis and Yashutia hadn't returned yet, everyone felt it wasn't time to truly enjoy themselves.
Jennifer was surprisingly good at cooking, but according to her, she was first-rate at cooking meat dishes and only third-rate at cooking vegetarian dishes, because she didn't like vegetarian dishes, and as a powerful knight, she found life meaningless without meat.
Latis paused for a moment and then smiled with relief. After all, Squirtle is still a turtle, and it's normal for turtles to be carnivores... It's also normal for a little knight like Jennifer, who takes the initiative to attack, to be a carnivore...
"Anyway, I'm going home now! When Lady Artemis returns, I'll ask her to reserve a room for me in the mage territory... but not now! I don't want to do anything underhanded behind her back!"
Jennifer subconsciously fiddled with the flower branches by the courtyard gate, a hint of hesitation appearing on her face. Clearly, she was unsure how Atelier would treat her.
Strictly speaking, they had never officially "fought" before. Even after exchanging beacon addresses, Jennifer only briefly informed Latis each day, under a certain tacit understanding, whether she had encountered any danger.
Now that she had taken the opportunity of carrying out a mission with Lazi to express her feelings for each other, she felt that she could no longer pretend that nothing had happened. Whether it was war or peace, she would openly and honestly face the challenges that were to come.
However, since she was the newcomer, Jennifer still wanted to make amends to Artemis. As the young lady of Hines City, Jennifer wanted to openly ask Artemis to share Latis's love with her, a point she did not deny.
Aside from these complex emotions, Jennifer actually felt a sense of closeness to Artemis. As a member of a floating island family, she had naturally heard about the fall of Herod City, and considering that the newly risen Hynes City might also be fraught with danger, she felt a secret admiration and pity for this survivor of Herod.
Latis scratched his head, unsure himself. Although the other world didn't have strict moral concepts, the elves actually revered faithful and enduring classical love. For example, the highly praised legend of Mildor had left a deep mark on human society...
Now that he has accepted so many girls' confessions, even if Ate is willing, what will she think in her heart?
He sighed with a slight headache. He knew that for Art, being with him was probably the most important thing, but Latis had no idea about the psychological changes she had gone through. This made him unsure of how to try to comfort Art.
However, he decisively abandoned the idea of using Titan blood as a shield. Although he did indeed have many wings, he genuinely loved each and every one of them and felt completely worthy of their feelings for him. Trying to gloss over the matter with excuses would be both contemptible and demeaning to his own feelings.
"Anyway, just leave it to me."
Latis patted his strong pectoral muscles and said:
"After all, it was all my fault... Now that things have come to this, the Bull Warrior has no choice but to take off his mask! I want it all!"
"That guy is so greedy!"
Jennifer shook her head helplessly. Based on her understanding of Latis, this answer was entirely expected, so she was not bothered by it.
"Alright, we'll talk about it later! Actually, I'd rather take responsibility for liking you myself. Honestly, I'm a Knight of Light!"
She chuckled, reached out and touched Latis's pectoral muscles, then patted his shoulder and said:
"When Master Herod hosts his next formal banquet, I'll bring my new apprentice over for a free meal! Oh, and before then, you can also come to the mansion for dinner if you'd like. I'll make you Holy Light Turtle Fish Head, Handmade Holy Sword Beef Balls, and Holy Water Stewed Meat!"
"...These dish names sound like they're going to cast a purifying spell on my stomach," Latis couldn't help but mutter.
"Love the world!"
Jennifer struck a pose reminiscent of casting a divine spell, then stole a glance at Frico and the robin lazily resting under the flower trellis, winked at Latis, and whispered:
"Of course, I can also cook noodles for you."
"?"
Latis gave a look reminiscent of an old man using a cell phone on the subway, and said with an overflowing urge to complain:
"Stop fishing for me, the fish here are already very wary... Mmm!"
But he was caught off guard and Jennifer bit his lip.
"Okay!"
Half a minute later, Jennifer released her mouth with satisfaction, clapped her hands, turned around happily, and waved, saying:
"I've made up for what I said I owed you temporarily when the mission ended. If you think it's not enough, come to the Hines Mansion to collect the interest!"
Watching Jennifer stride away with her brisk and nimble steps, Latis shook his head with a mix of amusement and headache. Every girl around him had such a distinct personality; how could he possibly let go of any of them?
"There are more and more people to protect, so I need to hurry up and become stronger!"
He took a deep breath, glanced back at his peaceful and serene mage tower, and decided to stay up all night to grind out another new spell.
……
……
[Jennifer: zaimazaima?]
[Nightly: No mole, we can start.]
[Jennifer: Just returned to Londia, what's the amateur warlock been up to lately?]
[Nightly: Autumn is here, I'm preparing for exams.]
[Jennifer: If I remember correctly, the exam season at Green Ivy Academy is in late autumn, right?]
[Ye Ye: Yes, but Ms. Yin assigns me seven worksheets every week.]
[Jennifer: ? ? !!! ...How terrifying! So, how's your writing coming along?]
[Ye Ye: Oh ho ho, I can only say he died a little more peacefully...]
Jennifer: I'll sprinkle some holy water on your grave next spring...
[Night after night: I cried, but you still care about me.]
Jennifer: ...to prevent you from coming back to life.
[Ye Ye: ? ...I don't want to live anymore, give me back my gratitude!]
[Jennifer: Haha, let's stop with the awkward stuff. I need to talk to you about something. Are you still accepting commissions?]