Novels2Search

41. Cooking Time

Elisia woke up in the morning with a comfortable feeling. She looked at her body, her jacket had slipped off from body and hung behind the door. Some of her items were also on the dressing table. Elisia tore away the blanket and got off the bed. Her feet moved to bring Elisia to the dressing table.

“Did Vivi do all this?” she muttered.

She looked in the mirror to fix her hair, which was still smooth today, despite being away for a year. In fact, the scent of roses mixed with daisies could be smelled when waving her hair.

“My appearance has changed since last year. I kind of doubt I've been lying in Glomouth for a year.”

Elisia remembered that she had no dream last night. She didn't know if it was because of fatigue or something else, but the dream didn't seem to land in her sleep last night. Her memory was back, and it hurt a lot.

“I have to focus on my goal! All for the sake of my parents and my kingdom!” Elisia said loudly.

Accidentally, Elisia found a sticky note on the left of the mirror. She took it. The paper asked Elisia to come down, with Vivi as the writer. Elisia walked to the door. After the door opened, silence greeted her.

“I'm sure everyone is already downstairs.”

Elisia walked out of the room while thinking about her past. Elisia tried to forget about it for a while to focus her mind. He checked the nearly neglected stats during yesterday's mission.

Elisia Naumann

Level 20 (200/2500 exp)–Vanguard

Max HP : 1208 /1208

Stamina : 730/730

Skill Point (SP) : 220/220

ATK : 510

DEF : 301

RES : 15.9%

Agility : 45

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Skills

Active Skills

1. Molten Flame (level 7 (Max level))

SP Requires : 36

ATK +75% and every attack gains 40% chance to ignore 20% Enemy DEF.

Duration: 31 second

2. Duetto (Level 5 (0/800))

SP Requires : 20

ATK +50% and burst a Fire that can attack 3 targets within 2 metres range. When hit the enemy, decrease 24% RES to them for 5 second.

Duration: 20 second

3. [Unknown]

(Unlocked in Level 25)

4. [Unknown]

(Unlocked in Level 40)

5. [Unknown]

(Unlocked in Level 50)

Passive Skills

1. Sixth Sense (level 5 (Max Level))

Can see the level, full statistics, and all skills of other characters, including their weakness

Duration: Passive

2. Overheat substitution (Cannot be upgraded)

When 2 or more enemies within the radius 5 metres; ATK +10%, DEF +15%, and RES +5%. Deal 40% damage to enemies that attack you. When against a hostile enemy, ATK +100%, DEF +50%, gain 80% physical and art dodge, and reduce 40% Critical damage that attacks her.

Duration: Passive

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By checking the stats, Elisia could forget some memories that had stuck in her head. After descending the stairs, she saw Upgrade was eating. The girl approached him.

“Upgrade, where is everyone?” Elisia said suddenly.

“Hah, they're outside!” Upgrade answered loudly in surprise.

“Sorry to surprise you! I thought you didn't hear me.” Elisia pulled up a chair beside Upgrade. “Is this our breakfast menu?”

Province came out of the kitchen and approached Elisia. She got Elisia a portion of [Fried Rice], completed with an omelette. Province touched both Elisia's cheeks so that her face was facing the woman's face, and a smile broke out from her. After that, Province returned to the kitchen.

Elisia felt the warmth of mother from Province. The woman reminded her of mother, who had also given her such a morning smile. Elisia ate the simple food with gusto and love. After a portion of [Fried Rice] finished, Elisia got up from the dining chair and took the plate to the kitchen. But Upgrade forbid it. He snatched Elisia's plate to stack with his plate.

“Let me take it for you. I remembered that Risk asked you to meet him in the room over there.”

Elisia glanced at the room near the dining table, glowing and open. She approached the door and opened it. Risk and Scott were chatting while playing cards. Elisia's presence made them stop and clear the game.

“Good morning, My Princess! Please sit here!” Scott led Elisia.

“Come on, Scott! She doesn't want to be called that,” Risk replied.

“It's my habit to call the royal family by a good name.” Scott poured Elisia a drink. “Drink it, please!”

Elisia was holding the glass filled with dark red water. She inhaled the water; it smelled like strawberries. Elisia drank it straight away. Finally, Elisia could taste a fruit-flavoured drink, after a journey spent with plain drinking water.

Scott spread out the map on the table. He had also outlined some paths with markers. In Elisia's view, there were five places that became her focal point. The places looked like storage buildings or some kind of warehouse.

In addition, Scott also issued several sheets of paper containing information about regional borders again. Elisia thought that they would discuss their escape plan to the next region.

“So these are the five places you talked about last night?” Risk asked.

“Yes. These five places are the locations of advanced devices storage that we can use to cross the borders. Unlike the Tanin region, which is poor and slum, the Runga region has reached a higher level of science in terms of technology,” Scott explained.

“Are those devices valuable enough to be stored somewhere like on a map?” Elisia asked.

“Yes. If you have these five devices, you can rule the Runga region. But, the security is tight, and it kept the exact location secret. I think we should also have the technology to find it.”

“I think I know someone who can make it all happen, and he's with me on the journey,” Risk replied.

Scott silent for a moment. “Zach?”

“No. Upgrade and Dao!”

“They are very skilled at designing electronics. This bracelet is an example,” Elisia continued.

Scott nodded and smiled. He wrote a plan on a blank sheet of paper. Elisia looked at the route map of the Runga region, which saw the border between Runga and Mandalay. Before heading there, Elisia had to complete all the missions in this Region, as depicted on the map.

“Well. We will continue this conversation later. Elisia, you can go to Province or to anyone. Risk and I want to playing cards again,” Scott said.

“Okay. Thank you for showing me this map.” Elisia left, leaving the two men who started shuffling cards again.

Thank to the map, Elisia knew where she was going after this. As before, he had to get used to this region first. Runga seemed that very different from Tanin. A more futuristic city, advanced equipment, and new partners would decorate her adventure in this region.

Elisia walked to the back door to meet her other friends. She passed the kitchen and saw Province was washing the dishes. Elisia felt compelled to approach her for help. Just about to approach her, Province twisted her head.

“Elisia, is there anything I can help you with?”

Elisia silent with her eyes glancing down. Her two index fingers pressed against each other. Province wiped her hands and walked over to the little girl.

“Is Scott bothering you? I'm sorry for my husband. He really likes that.” Province touched Elisia's right cheek.

“No. I just… want to help you,” Elisia answered quietly.

“Hmm…, you don't need to help me. The princess can't let her hands get dirty,” Province replied sarcastically.

“But I'm not a princess anymore, not in the kingdom.” Elisia walked over to the kitchen table filled with groceries. “You want to cook some food for this afternoon?”

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“Sure. I will cook a lot of food today, to welcome the main guest in this house.”

“May I help you? I want to know how to cook,” Elisia said excitedly.

“Eh, didn't your friends teach you how to cook? You're lucky to have met me. Let's choose an apron first.”

Province led Elisia to the door near the kitchen. The door opened, various aprons hanging inside. The woman asked Elisia to choose the kitchen clothes she liked. She shifted them one by one. The choice fell to a dark brown apron. She showed it to Province.

“Oh my, you like brown, don't you? Fine, let's put it on!”

Elisia put on the apron. She tied the apron straps around her waist and straightened her front. Now Elisia had looked like a chef. Province smiled happily when saw the girl posing gracefully.

“Ouch, you remind me of being a teenager!” Province walked to the washtafel. “Now, let's wash your hands clean! Hand hygiene is the most important thing in cooking.”

Elisia washed her hands. “Then, what’s next?”

Province smiled. She taught Elisia how to wash vegetables without damaging them. The girl washed it by gently stroking each leaf and vegetable stem, as Province had taught her. After that, she washed solid vegetables like tomatoes and eggplants.

After that, they took kitchen utensils such as knives, graters, meat hammers, and iron containers. Province also took the meat out of the fridge. Elisia felt hungry seeing the fresh and cold red meat. Province took a meat hammer, then pounded the meat.

“This aims to make the meat a little soft when cooked. Actually, you can also boil it for longer or soak it in pineapple solution, but pound it like this so that the meat softens quickly,” Province explained. “Want to try it?”

Elisia nodded. The woman gave the hammer. Elisia pounded the meat slowly. The meat gave off a characteristic smell of blood with a hint of coldness. Meanwhile, Province was mixing some spices.

“If it's soft, put it in the iron container!” Province ordered.

Elisia put the meat immediately in the iron container because she thought it was soft enough. Then she saw Province mixing the spices in a small container. The pungent smell wafted into her nose, making her sneeze.

“Sorry to make you sneeze. I just mix in black pepper to spread over the meat. This mixture can improve the taste of the meat to be more delicious.”

The spices had been mixed. Province took a container of meat. She sprinkled the mixture over the meat while brushing it gently. Elisia smelled the meaty aroma. Then, Province shifted the container and cut the scallions.

From the food ingredients, Elisia didn’t know what dishes to make for the lunch menu. In fact, Province paused for a moment after chopping the scallions. She walked over to the kitchen table to get some water.

“Elisia, you can leave the meat until the spices absorbed,” Province said.

Elisia approached Province. “Miss Province, I mean, Vivi. What are we going to cook today?”

“That’s secret. We don't need to know the name of the dish, as long as we can make it.” Province put down the glass. “This dish is also on the menu at our small restaurant.”

“Restaurant? What is a restaurant?” Elisia asked, confused.

“Oh, you don't know a restaurant? Oh my, princess!” Province held his forehead. “Restaurants are places to eat. You can buy food depending on what it served there.”

“So it's called a restaurant?” Elisia thought. “Then, what kind of food do you sell at your restaurant?”

“So many foods, and most of them are local food menus in Runga, such as honey fried chicken, beef in soy sauce, and rabbit satay.”

“So, the lunch menu will be beef in soy sauce?” Elisia confirmed.

“That's right, and that's Scott's favorite food,” Province replied.

The situation became silent for a moment. Elisia looked at Province's young-looking face with clean skin. The girl felt like she had met Province before. In her memory, she still remembered the faces of several people in the palace. But Province looked familiar to her.

“Vivi, are you…” Elisia's words were cut off as Province approached the container of meat. She followed her.

“Now, we will process the spinach leaves into spinach stir-fry vegetables. It's also one of our favorites at our restaurant because it uses a secret ingredient from my family.” Province showed how to cut spinach leaves.

Elisia watched carefully. She didn't think about trying it because Province's hands were very skilled and fast. Elisia was afraid to mess up the spinach chunks and made it taste bad.

While cooking, Rhino passed the kitchen to get a drink. Elisia saw it and smiled at her. The man approached Elisia and Province.

“Wow, you guys are cooking? I wish I could help, but Upgrade is refining Dao outside.”

“It's okay, big man! Cooking is my responsibility. Do what you want to do,” Province replied.

“Was Dao broken? What happened?” Elisia asked.

“Upgrade said that the hinge shaft stuck. His legs were difficult to move. So, he disassembled his legs,” Rhino answered.

“Wait a second!” Province turned around. “You dissected your friend's leg?”

Elisia ran in front of Province. “Aahh…, I'll explain about that later! Now, let's just focus on cooking!”

“Yeah, I'll go back to the backyard and won't bother you.” Rhino hurried off without looking back.

Province resumed her cooking, saying nothing. Elisia breathed a sigh of relief. After that, Province prepared a large skillet on the stove. Province asked Elisia to check the meat. Elisia looked at the flesh, which had turned brown in color. The smell was also getting stronger.

“Vivi, looks like the meat is ready. The smell is good,” Elisia said.

“Good. Keep the meat for a while. Let me finish this stir-fry!”

Elisia watched Province put spinach and sliced kitchen spices into a large frying pan. Province's dexterity in stirring dishes was extraordinary. Province's action amazed Elisia in the kitchen until cooking oil splattered on the kitchen wall.

The smell had already pierced Elisia's nose, made her sneeze. The girl walked to the back door to escape the scent. With a sneezed nose, Elisia looked at Upgrade and Rhino. They scattered several iron components around them. Dao also seemed to had lost his right leg.

Elisia wanted to approach them, but she was still cooking with Province. She was afraid that she would look for her and scold her. Finally, Elisia returned to the apartment. Right after Elisia turned around, Rhino saw Elisia.

“Elisia, what are you doing there?” Rhino said.

Elisia stopped and turned around. “Hmm…, I just looking for some fresh air. I have to go back.”

“Elisia, if you meet Risk, tell him 'Treatment'!” Upgrade exclaimed.

“Okay.” Elisia walked back into the kitchen.

Elisia questioned the word 'Treatment' addressed to Risk inwardly. In her memory, Risk was also The Infected with Kryptida like her. Perhaps the word referred to an infectious condition in her mentor's body. But why did Upgrade never check her condition?

Arriving in the kitchen, Elisia saw Province cutting vegetables again. She immediately came over and saw it. Province turned when she heard Elisia's footsteps.

“Elisia, where are you from? I just started chopping onions to mix in meat dishes.”

“I'm out for a bit. The smell of the food made me sneeze,” Elisia replied.

Province chuckled. “I can feel it. If you get used to it in the kitchen, you won't be sneezing.”

Seeing Province cut the onions made Elisia want to do it, too. However, the woman seemed to enjoy the deed. She didn't want to interrupt the bright purple-haired woman's cooking fun. Province turned and handed the knife to Elisia.

“Try it, but watch out for the smell!”

Elisia accepted the knife hesitantly. Province pushed her body against the table, right in front of the onions. Province moved Elisia's hands to cut the onion into big pieces. Elisia could feel the hand swing and the knife cutting the vegetables into large slices.

“You know, onions have a very strong smell. Someone can cry if they cut it because the smell can make the eyes sting. As a princess who is in the kitchen for the first time, you are very strong against it,” Province said with praise.

“I don't think so. My eyes watered and itchy.” Elisia wanted to take her hand off the knife.

“Oh, you don't rub it with your hands! Wash your hands and wipe your eyes with water!”

Elisia went to the washtafel to wash her hands and face. Her sore eyes healed slowly. The girl was silent for a moment in the washtafel because of the pungent smell of onions. It really hurt her nose, but she couldn't stop. When she did it, so she had to finish it.

Elisia came back with a wet face. “Can I chop the onion again?”

“Oops, I think I cut the last onion slice!” Province put the knife on the table. “Then you help me put all the ingredients into the pan.”

Elisia nodded. After she put the onions into the pot, Province prepared a new, smaller skillet. She poured cooking oil on it, and the fire was lit. Province asked Elisia to take the meat. After that, the girl put the meat into the pan. They inhaled the aroma of meat after touching the hot oil.

“We will cook it for a while until it turns brown, then we will add the ingredients,” Province said.

The meat was already showing a change in color after cooking for a minute. Elisia took all the ingredients that were already in the container. Province received the container and put everything in the pan. She also took a bottle of soy sauce and poured some into it. Province's shrewd hands stirred the ingredients into one meal.

Elisia was curious about Province's stats. She also remembered that she hadn't used the [Sixth Sense] ability in the day. Elisia tried it in Province.

Province

Level 34 – Archer

Max HP : 1134/1134

ATK : 678

DEF : 235

RES : 0%

Agility : 50

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Skill used:

Cooking Master.

Allow her to cook everything.

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Weakness:

Melee Attack

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Province's stats surprised Elisia. The girl thought that Vivi was just an ordinary person, but it turned out to be an archer. This made Elisia curious about her abilities, especially since she was like Scott, who was also an archer. Elisia would ask that later after cooking.

After a few minutes of stirring the ingredients, Province scooped the dish a little at the end of the cooking spoon. She licked it and nodded. Province also gave the spoon to Elisia.

“Try it!”

Elisia touched her fingertips on the dish and licked it. The sweetness of the soy sauce mixed with the spicy taste of the onions and other ingredients swayed Elisia's tongue. Elisia felt like she was walking in a beautiful grass garden while watching the sunset. The most delicious dish that had ever thrilled her tongue. However, she felt familiar with this taste.

The cooking activity was over. Province and Elisia hung the apron by the kitchen door. They sat at the kitchen table while sipping water. Cooking in the kitchen seemed to exhaust, and it covered Province in sweat.

“As many chefs say, if you don't sweat while cooking, you're not doing it right,” Province said.

Under these circumstances, Elisia wanted to inquire about Province's status as an archer. She was curious about Province's stature, that looked like a woman who liked to cook, but had the ability of an archer. But, her tongue became moaned. She doubted that this question would offend the Province.

“Vivi, I want to ask you something.” Elisia asked her.

“Hah? What do you want to ask, sweetie?”

The call made Elisia nervous. Her tone of voice when calling her was like her mother. Her face was red, and it tightly shut her mouth.

“Oh my, sorry to make you blush like that. I didn't know that being called 'sweetie' would make you like that. I used to call the little kids around here by that name.” Province rested her head on her left hand. “Ah, if only I had children!”

Elisia couldn’t continue her words. Her tongue was already groaning. But curiosity could have killed her. So Elisia forced herself to ask.

“Vivi, is it true… you're an archer?”

Province surprised and turned her head. “Huh, what? How do you know?”