The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight streamed through the ivy-covered windows into the Aqua Deer Squad's base, Sesk, having finished washing up, walked downstairs, drawn by a fragrant aroma.
His pointed nose twitched slightly as he mumbled, "What did Walter make today? It smells so good! Uncle Jie Kai actually didn't cook for once, that's great~ At least I won't have to fly out on my broomstick to buy breakfast first thing in the morning."
Sesk was somewhat pleased. The dining table in the hall was already full of people eating, and after a quick scan, he seemed to be the last one to sit down.
"Seriously, Francis, you didn't call me for breakfast, I almost missed it!" Sesk complained, grabbing his cutlery from the side. He sat down in an empty chair at the table, looking at the food, which seemed quite novel.
It wasn't the traditional breakfast of bread and roasted meat; these were dishes he hadn't seen much of.
Thick rice mixed with soup, not the usual cooked rice, more like rice soaked in water. Several small dishes, exuding spicy and sour aromas, were placed beside it. At the other end of the table, there was also strange bread... white and soft-looking, completely different from the usual golden-brown, hard bread.
The unfamiliar food made Sesk a little hesitant to start, but when the aroma wafted over, and he saw everyone, including Captain Rill, eating with gusto, he relaxed. He spooned a bowl of porridge from a ceramic bowl, picked up some side dishes, and began to eat.
The taste was peculiar at first, but not difficult to accept; in fact, it was surprisingly delicious. He reached for a "bread," took a bite, and juice burst out—the bread had a filling... Sesk's eyes lit up.
After that, he, like Francis, who hadn't responded, focused on the food on the table, devouring it frantically.
Minutes later, satisfied burps echoed through the hall.
Sesk, content, leaned back in his chair. Everyone else had also finished eating, and there was almost nothing left on the table. He turned to the side and asked, "Walter, what do you call this you prepared this morning? It's really delicious... How come I've never seen you make these before?"
"Still holding out on us, huh?"
Walter, dressed in a sharp suit, wiped his mouth. "Today's breakfast wasn't prepared by me."
"Not you?" Sesk was stunned. Thinking Walter was joking, he chuckled, somewhat teasingly, "Could it be that Uncle Jie Kai made breakfast today?"
"Don't be ridiculous."
As his words fell, no one around him refuted, and the atmosphere grew quiet.
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
"Eh—could it be, he really made it?" Sesk's eyes widened.
Fragil looked at Sesk seriously and nodded. "Although I also find it a bit strange, today's breakfast was indeed prepared by him."
Just as she spoke, Jie Kai and Bai En walked in from outside, carrying food that hadn't been on the table—noodles.
"Huh? Why are you all eating so fast today?" Looking at the leftovers on the dining table, Jie Kai was somewhat shocked. He turned his head to look at the noodles he was holding. "I was going to ask if you didn't like these, if you wanted to try the noodles I cooked."
The white noodles were coated in a glistening, rich broth, with green vegetables and large, pan-fried, fragrant cutlets. Even just by looking at them, one could tell they tasted excellent.
This... was utterly incomparable to the boiled bug soup he made yesterday; it was like heaven and earth. But these were made by the same person?
Sesk didn't know if he was dreaming or if Uncle Jie Kai had suddenly been possessed by a spirit.
As he pondered, the guys at the dining table, already full, sat up straight again, their expressions serious. "Please give me some."
In the face of delicious food, there was no possibility of resistance.
Sesk also raised his bowl. "I'm not full yet either—"
Jie Kai, popular for the first time because of food, was extremely happy. He distributed what he had to everyone, standing there foolishly grinning, completely forgetting that he hadn't eaten himself.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
After a busy morning, Bai En sat down, ready to eat his noodles, but stopped because of the persistent gaze from beside him.
The owner of those bright, curious eyes was Nancy, the girl who had taken half of his fried rice last night.
Bai En naturally held a grudge about this.
He covered his bowl with his hand, slowly twisted his body, and guarded his food. But the gaze behind him was like a shadow, so he couldn't help but ask, "Do you want some too?"
Nancy glanced at the noodles in the bowl. Uncle Jie Kai's bowl earlier wasn't enough to share, and by the time it got to her, there was none left. She hadn't tasted it either. Noodles coated in broth, indeed... she still wanted some. After some hesitation, she nodded.
Bai En reluctantly divided the uneaten noodles into two portions, even the meat cutlets were split evenly.
Although he was reluctant to part with the delicious food, the feeling of his magic, "Chef God's Kin," constantly increasing his magic power was quite good. The wish power he received from the Aqua Deer Squad members was continuously transforming into his own magic power... "You made this breakfast, didn't you?" Nancy suddenly asked.
Bai En slurped his noodles and shook his head. "I just gave a little guidance in the kitchen; Uncle Jie Kai did most of the work~"
Even though he had participated a lot.
There was no other way. For a stubborn guy who couldn't tell sugar from salt and only knew how to stew vegetables with water... even just standing by and guiding him took a huge effort, and some things he had to do himself... Hearing this, Nancy probably understood why Uncle Jie Kai had transformed from a culinary killer into a top chef. It turned out he had a teacher by his side.
After breakfast, the golden sunlight slanted across the sofa. People were playing cards, reading manga, sleeping... The relaxed members of the Aqua Deer Squad presented a stark contrast to the prim and proper Nancy.
Bai En also sat quietly on the sofa, resting. Having woken up before dawn, he hadn't rested well.
"Does anyone want to come paint with me?" Rill, holding a paintbrush, happily invited his squad members, but no one in the room responded. No one wanted to compete with a Captain, even if it was under the guise of painting.
So, Rill, with a heartbroken expression of being abandoned, slipped out alone.
"Um..." Nancy weakly raised her hand and asked, "After joining the Magic Knights, don't we have any missions or things to do?"
"Just staying idle at the base like this? Won't it..."
The members of the Aqua Deer Squad all looked at her, and Nancy eventually put down her hand, embarrassed.
"There won't be any problems, and it's always been like this."
Fragil put down her cards and answered the question. "Most Magic Knights' missions are directly assigned by the Wizard King to the Magic Knights Squad Captain, who then assigns the appropriate personnel to carry them out."
"The Aqua Deer Squad is one of the more special among the nine Magic Knights Squads."
"Because most of the former members of the Grey Deer became Imperial Knights for the Wizard King, the Aqua Deer Squad has not had many members in recent years. Additionally, Captain Rill, due to his young age and personality, hasn't received special attention from the Wizard King, resulting in fewer assigned missions. This has led to us always being very idle..."
"That's right, that's right." Gu Sen grandly threw down a four-of-a-kind (four Aces), announcing he was 'out' while adding, "We haven't been on a mission for a long time."
"The last time we finally got a mission, the bored Vice-Captain and Eric took it, so I estimate we'll be resting for a long time again."
Sesk also mumbled, "If it's a mission, it'll probably be a month or two from now, right?"
"Eh?!"
"This is much better than the Green Mantis. With so many members, they have more tasks, from dealing with the remnants of the Spade Kingdom to chasing petty thieves in the city... You wouldn't want to spend a lot of effort just to catch a small thief on a hot day, would you?"
"And don't worry, even without missions, there's still a salary."
Regarding joining a slacker team, having nothing to do, yet receiving a free salary, what should be done?
The girl seriously pondered this question.
"If you're really bored, you can play cards with me, or take a nap... Of course, if you want to practice magic or clean, no one will stop or disturb you."
"As long as it doesn't affect others."
This was the final advice from the senior members of the Aqua Deer Squad to the junior members.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
At noon, after finishing lunch in cooperation with Uncle Jie Kai and harvesting a wave of wish power, Bai En took the flying broomstick he received upon joining the squad and left the base.
The magic power in his body, like a stream, had been compressed to the verge of a breakthrough. He estimated that in about a month, his magic power would break through, and by then, the magic power in his body should be enough to rival the elites among the royalty and nobles.
Riding his flying broomstick, Bai En headed south to the Royal Library in the Royal Capital. As a Magic Knight, he could freely borrow books from it.
Tall bookshelves stretched from the floor to the ceiling, piled high with books of all sizes and colors. To borrow books from higher shelves, one had to use a ladder.
Magic was forbidden inside the library.
There weren't many people here; only a few figures could be vaguely seen in the spacious interior. Bai En purposefully searched for books, looking for the remaining materials that met the requirements for refining and tempering his "Kitchen Utensils."
The books in the library were specially categorized; books of similar nature were mostly grouped together, making it much easier for people to find them. Unfortunately, he didn't have the wisdom of the Queen of Hearts, otherwise, he wouldn't be here.
Time passed slowly, and the shadows under the bookshelves lengthened. Bai En tentatively confirmed the materials for all kitchen utensils except "Slayer."
Afterward, Bai En went to the largest forge in the Royal Capital. The hot breath from the crimson furnace emanated from within, and he felt the intense heat before even entering. This was also the Royal Capital's largest material shop.
He was received by the forge owner, a muscular man with the same hairstyle as Uncle Jie Kai and a reddish beard on his jaw. The staff called him Boss Eugene.
Eugene took the list of materials Bai En handed him, then looked at the Magic Knights' cloak on his shoulder, and replied, "We do have refined iron here. As for the others, many I haven't even heard of."
"Hmm... I do remember you asking for basalt. While we don't have it here, I know where to find it."
After Bai En skillfully paid for the information, Eugene revealed the details.
"In the Common Realm... a town called Mohart, I think."
Eugene pondered seriously, "Yes, Mohart. Although the Clover Kingdom is rich in resources, when it comes to mining resources, it's far inferior to the Diamond Kingdom. This town called Mohart is adjacent to several important domestic mining areas, and basalt is among the minerals dug out there."
Listening to Eugene, Bai En suddenly realized something. If he was looking for weapon materials, it might be much easier in the Diamond Kingdom. Unfortunately, he didn't know anyone from the Diamond Kingdom now, and he couldn't go there.
He wondered if he would have a chance to meet anyone from the Diamond Kingdom later... After spending all his money to buy half a catty of refined iron, Bai En went to an unmanned corner. He drew Slayer from his grimoire. The moment Slayer touched the refined iron, the iron flowed like silver liquid, enveloping the blade.
After being tempered with the original material, the ironwood tree trunk, and a large amount of fine iron, the materialized blade had completed one-half of its tempering. If a slash were unleashed by Slayer now, its power would probably be twice that of Bai En's usual slashes.
The direction for the material of the second kitchen utensil, basalt, was also found.
Bai En, who should have been happy about these two things, suddenly couldn't bring himself to be. After working hard for half a year, his pockets had returned to their pre-liberation state overnight, and anyone would feel a little empty inside.
Next, he still needed to make money.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
From Nancy's conversation with the Aqua Deer Squad members that morning, it seemed that the Magic Knights wouldn't have many tasks or missions in the coming days. Instead of idling at the base, it would be better to work privately and earn some money.
So, in the afternoon, Bai En left the Royal Capital and rode his flying broomstick all the way to Jika, a bustling and diverse market street in the Common Realm.
With his excellent cooking skills, Bai En was hired as the head chef at a restaurant called "Jasmine" on an hourly wage and quickly introduced his signature dishes.
And on that day, the Jasmine Restaurant, which had always had mediocre business, slowly began to improve. He thought his part-time job would go smoothly, but unexpectedly, on the third day of entering the restaurant, trouble arrived.
And the person who caused this trouble was someone Bai En was quite familiar with: Grace Uleia, his opponent during the Magic Knights selection exam.
The guy whom the examinees called "Bloodthirsty Ghost Wood," but who was slammed into a wall by Bai En's single strike and ultimately failed the Magic Knights selection.
He wondered if it was intentional troublemaking or a chance encounter...