novelraw Chapter 249: Do you know how to cook?
Chapter 249: Do you know how to cook?
The portly chef was a coward in life, so much so that a feral cat leaping out from a graveyard had literally scared him to death.
His lingering desire was simple: to continue living, even if that meant existing as a ghost.
So, when the Hell Warriors commenced their massacre in Cangshan City, the portly chef took his chances by plunging into one of the ubiquitous ghost wells scattered across the Horror World.
If any architecture was common in horror world, it had to be these wells. It was said that Hades, the creator of this horror world, had gathered souls from various dimensions and funneled them here.
While ghosts possess a near-infinite lifespan, they still require some ghost energy for sustenance, albeit a negligible amount.
To solve this problem, Hades, in a union with the land of the Horror World, used his cosmic blood to spawn a unique soul creature: the Xiao fish.
The Xiao fish roam in the earth created by Hades’ blood, born from the coalescence of countless souls plunging deep into the underworld to absorb ghostly energies. They exist in a perfect equilibrium, neither increasing nor decreasing, undying and forever matching the count of departed souls.
Should you kill a Xiao fish, no matter the method, another will be reborn in the depths below.
It is only when a ghost from the Horror World is completely extinguished that a new Xiao fish will be spawned anew in the underworld. This particular fish has become a staple diet in the Horror World, providing the ghost energy required to sustain the many ghostly inhabitants.
As a result, wherever there are ghosts in this horror world, there will be ghost wells.
Even in the bleak, deserted urban areas, these wells are excavated everywhere. The portly chef escaped his grim fate by diving into one such well.
However, the massacre led by the Hellish Warriors wasn’t to be thwarted by a mere ghost well. Shortly after, the chef was yanked out from the well’s depths by two grotesque dwarf ghosts.
Just as he was on the cusp of death, a mysterious system notification resonated in his ears. He had been selected by the Mist System and would now serve as the chef for Dining Hall No. 9.
Being a Mist Instance Chef, or for that matter, a staff member of a Mist Instance, is a highly unique occupation. One not only operates their own Dining Hall but also manages their personal dashboard.
Mist Instance Chef: Alistair
Industry: Dining Hall No. 9
Strength: Ghost Emperor
Funds: 27 Billion
Lifespan: 2 Days 21 Hours (100 million in funds can be exchanged for 1 hour of life)
Talent: Bestowal
Bestowal
Description: A forbidden ability granted by the Guardians, endowed with extraordinary special effects and functionalities.
Attributes:
Primary Bestowal: Grants specific food items special abilities, satisfying hunger for a single meal after consumption. Consumes either ghost energy or reserves of 10,000 points when the skill is used.
Intermediate Bestowal: Bestows special abilities upon certain foods that satiate hunger for an entire day. Requires ghost energy or 50,000 points from reserves to use.
Advanced Bestowal: Imbues specific foods with powers that satiate hunger for five days. Consumes either ghost energy or reserves of 100,000 points when utilized.
Super Bestowal: Enhances certain foods to satisfy hunger for eight days. Requires either ghost energy or 150,000 points from reserves to activate.
Ultimate Bestowal: Confers unique abilities to certain foods that eliminate hunger for fifteen days. Consumes either ghost energy or an astonishing 1 million reserve points.
Beyond these talent abilities, the interface was as straightforward as it could possibly be. This immediately made Alexander understand why the portly chef was so voraciously greedy for ghost energy.
Ghost energy cannot be converted back. Regardless of how much ghost energy has been amassed, it can only be spent within the Mist Instance. It’s neither tradable nor withdrawable.
Normally, the common currency circulating within the Mist Instance would be useless to Alistair, given his Ghost Emperor-level strength. Yet his inexplicable greed for ghost energy is perplexing.
Initially, Alexander speculated that perhaps all chefs in the Mist Instance had taken on tasks to earn ghost energy, merely to meet some performance objectives. Or maybe Alistair was an entity similar to the hellish warriors.
However, Alexander now finally understands: the Mist Instance is practically designed like a feudal lord trapping slaves.
The Mist Instance selects the most cowardly ghosts afraid of dying and assigns them the role of chefs.
Astonishingly, ghost energy serves the purpose of purchasing lifespan.
Therefore, Alistair has no choice but to diligently work. To survive, he must toil incessantly, his daily thoughts consumed with accumulating more ghost energy.
Compared to the monosyllabic hellish warriors, Alistair has the advantage of regular communication with participants. This makes it noticeably easier for him to gather their ghost energy.
Yet, the Mist System itself is undeniably peculiar—almost as if the entire setup of this Mist Instance is inherently strange and eerie, desperately scraping up all the ghost energy from participants who enter.
These participants, in turn, are among the upper echelons of ghosts in the horror world.
In other words, the Mist Instance is voraciously plundering the ghost energy resources of the horror world. But ironically, this plundering is inconsequential for the overarching system of the Mist Instance.
In Cangshan City alone, with its hundreds of millions of residents, even the most ordinary old woman in the simplest of cycles possesses at least soldier-level strength.
What, then, is the purpose of these Mist Instances? Why go to such lengths? Alexander senses that there must be a reason yet undiscovered.
"No wonder Alistair is so fond of ghost energy; he’s buying his life with it! But, this guy is seriously cutthroat," Edward remarked, glimpsing at Alistair’s dashboard that Alexander had shared.
It turns out that the effectiveness of the food items in the Dining hall had nothing to do with the dishes themselves; their properties are granted by the chef’s talents. With five kinds of dishes, each evidently corresponds to a level of talent.
The first kind, the ordinary dish, is priced exorbitantly at 100,000 in the cafeteria. But with a mere morsel and 10,000 units of ghost energy, it can be produced. A tenfold profit! And the profit margin only escalates from there.
The last kind, infused with one million units of ghost energy, sells for a staggering five billion!
"Excessive profits? I think it’s reasonable," Alexander shook his head and said, "The selling strategy is rather crude. First of all, the dishes lack diversity. If a common dish is a stew of cabbage and tofu, then the VIP dish should at least be of state-banquet level."
"The price differentiation is also inadequate. An ordinary dish for 100,000 is one thing, but a VIP dish for 10 billion? At that price, even most Ghost Emperors would hesitate. Those who are willing to splurge 10 billion wouldn’t mind spending another 10 or even 20, 30 billion. What they seek is status, distinction, something with real utility!"
Saying this, Alexander headed directly toward the dining hall kitchen. Edward was only half-understanding, but he knew one thing: Alexander was about to take action again!
Reaching the kitchen, Alexander glanced at the ingredients, which were just as he had seen before—cabbage, tofu, meat, chives, eggs, and so on.
Without giving the ingredients a second thought, he reached into his storage and took out a small gadget he had acquired earlier.
Artifact: Red-Garbed Katie
Description: A long time ago, an ancient and mysterious paper-craftsman fashioned worldly objects out of paper to pay homage to the deceased.
This craftsman had a daughter, called Katie. Not only was Katie an extraordinary chef, but she was also remarkably beautiful, luring customers to the shop just for a glimpse of her grace and allure through the window.
But Katie fell for a singer. Ignoring her family’s disapproval, she eloped with him, leaving the town behind. Soon, they were accosted by bandits.
To save his own skin, the singer offered Katie to the outlaws. On the day of the wedding ceremony with the bandit leader, Katie showcased her extraordinary culinary abilities, plunging the bandits into revelry.
By the next day, everyone in the bandit camp was found dead—victims of food poisoning.
In the bandit leader’s tent, they discovered Katie’s body next to a blood-stained paper, its writing indecipherable.
The red paper was brought back to the town. Using it, the paper-craftsman crafted an exquisite replica of Katie, naming it Red-Garbed Katie.
Effect: Summons a Red-Garbed Katie to serve you. She possesses the rank of Ghost General and has a special talent called Enchanting Battle Dance.
Enchanting Battle Dance: Who can resist dancing with a beautiful female ghost? When Katie dances, the morale of all allied forces soars, filled with battle fervor.
This artifact was a gift from the Hurricane Prince during an instance at the City Lord’s Mansion, capable of summoning a top-tier chef at will.
Alexander threw the paper figure skywards. It soared, unraveling a stream of ghostly energy that transformed into a red fog. The fog contracted quickly, revealing a stunning young woman dressed in a red gown and chef’s hat.
Curled up, she opened her eyes slowly, lashes trembling. Her face still bore a trace of bewilderment. After glancing around, her eyes fell on Alexander.
"Master, what would you have me do? Please command Katie at your leisure," she whispered softly.
Standing up, Katie was a vision of enchanting beauty. The oversized chef’s hat only served to accentuate her red maid outfit and angelic face. It was an irresistible charm, but Alexander’s eyes never wavered from hers.
"Do you know how to cook?" he asked.
"Ah?" Katie was evidently surprised. The summoner before her was neither enamored by her beauty nor concerned with her ability to bolster a large army of ghosts.
There were no lewd intentions. Instead, he simply asked if she could cook.
Though she only possessed the power of a General-level ghost, her beauty was unparalleled—a true vision of loveliness!
Yet, astonishingly, Alexander seemed to dismiss her appearance, focusing solely on her culinary talents.
This slight made Katie feel humiliated. Puffing out her cheeks in indignation, she said, "While I may only be of General rank, I am no ordinary general! Typical generals are mere mosquitoes before me—one slap and they’re gone. Even those of Prince-level might not be my match!"
After her declaration, Katie looked triumphantly at Alexander and Edward, expecting to see astonishment on their faces, a tribute to her capacity for challenging those beyond her rank.
However, Edward merely nodded and said, "Oh," offering no further comment. A General? Capable of challenging beyond her rank? Weren’t these mere trifles?
Alexander furrowed his brow slightly but stuck to his original inquiry. "Can you cook?"
Katie, growing increasingly agitated, pulled out her trump card. "I have the special talent of Enchanting Battle Dance, which can significantly boost the power and fearlessness of a ghost army!"
"Impressive," Edward gave a thumbs-up, though his enthusiasm clearly lacked sincerity. Compared to Alexander’s newly-acquired musical instrument, which directly boosted combat power by 50%, her morale-boosting abilities seemed trivial.
"Aren’t you supposed to be a superb chef? If you’ve turned into a ghost and can’t even cook anymore, what’s the point? That’s quite mediocre," Alexander expressed his disappointment.
"I can cook, of course, I can cook! Did you summon me just to cook?" Red-Garbed Katie no longer addressed him as ’Master.’ She fixed her eyes on Alexander, grinding her teeth.
"Absolutely," Alexander and Edward said in unison. "If we’re not summoning you to cook, what else could it be for? To wage wars?"
Astonished, Katie watched as Alexander swiftly took out pen and paper, scribbled down a menu, and handed it to her. She held the menu between her fingers, utterly bewildered.
So these two had really summoned her just to cook? Had the world of horror and chills grown so affluent that even for a meal, they needed to resort to summoning artifacts?