Through the gaps in the hedge, were the three humans: Gary Stew, Huang Jian, and Hong Jian. In front of Gary Stew was that frying pan he used to defend himself against Alwin's barrage of Spirit Blasts. Sitting below it was a campfire. That Gary Stew was going to fry his friends! Or maybe sautéed, braised, or seared them. All of which were horrible options!

Standing next to him were the two young masters', their red and yellow robes still stained from Alwin's escapades. They stood next to Gary, their arms crossed as they tapped their feet. The unfortunate placement of brown stains on their robes prevented them from resting their arms comfortably against their bodies. Instead, they held their forearms parallel to the ground, trying to avoid the soiled areas.

Those humans weren't important. What was important were the two monsters lying on the ground right next to the campfire. Uchronia and Gus were there, but they were unconscious and hopefully, the type that could be woken up from. From this distance it was impossible to tell, all that he could see were pieces of strings binding their body, along with an apple shoved right into their mouths. It was a miracle Gus wasn't aroused by the sweet taste of apple peel nudged against his tongue.

They were safe. For now. All the more that the Goblin Force Five should ambush them right this instant! The humans were distracted, so let's go! If they weren't going to do something, then Alwin would. He began preparing a Spirit Blast, once that attack came flying out of the bushes they would have no choice but to attack now.

Within his core, Alwin had just shoved the paper mache Spirit Blast within his mental oven. Just a few more seconds and his Spirit Blast would be dry and ready. A bonk on his head disrupted his concentration. The Spirit Blast within his Core collapsed. Great, now he had to start all over again, but who was the meanie that ruined it?

Lin was shaking her head. So that was who broke his focus. If he could scream at her for doing that he would, but first, he'd scream at her for not going after the humans. Now if only that stupid brute of a goblin would let him go! Seriously! His hand was sweaty and gross!

There was only one solution, he'd just have to cast a Spirit Blast faster than she could thump him. Alwin was back in his mental Core, prepping a new Spirit Blast, when another whack interrupted him.

His rage was boiling. He made another attempt at creating a Spirit Blast, but he barely got his mental hands to start working, when another bop on his head forced a lapse in concentration, causing his work to crumble before him. Now, he couldn't even conjure up those mental hands to do any work. Lin just kept tapping his head with the tip of her staff. Not the kind of tapping that he'd get used to. Sometimes she went fast, sometimes she went slow, sometimes the whack was barely noticeable, and sometimes it was so hard that he was sure that Lin thought he was a human.

Fine! He'll play her little game. Alwin was going to observe the scene playing out in front of him, but with one little caveat, he wasn't going to enjoy any of it one bit. After this whole saga was over, he was definitely going to hit her with a Spirit Blast. Then right after that, he'd complain to Milvus, about how she stopped him from saving his squad. That'll show her.

Time to see what was so important that Goblin Force Five had to sit back and watch.

"Hey, could you guys scoot back a bit?" asked Gary Stew, rummaging through his bag. He pulled out a chef's knife, a foldable table, a wooden cutting board, and bottled herbs, plants, and mushrooms.

"And why should we listen to you, Gary Stew?" asked the red and brown robed Hong Jian.

"What do you mean why? I'm just asking you to move back a bit. It's not like I'm asking you to defend me against a bunch of magic attacks flying out from the bushes."

"How dare you! If the disciples were here, we wouldn't need your help" said the yellow and brown robed Huang Jian.

" If we had our weapons we wouldn't need your help either," said Hong Jian.

"Dude... I have a frying pan," said Gary Stew. "And it's not my fault that your disciples died. I mean you guys know the risk of hunting monsters, then there's the Monster Army and all that."

"It is your fault! Because of your outlandish stories, you led us on a wild goose chase for a nonexistent Muffin Monster!" shouted Huang Jian.

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"Yea, that's on you, not me. Not my fault, you two failed listening comprehension. But, seriously just stand back a bit. I don't want your... smells, to funk up the food."

"Fine!" Huang Jian shouted. The two young masters' shuffled back roughly ten paces. "Is this good enough?"

"Yup, thanks."

Gary wrestled with the stubborn folding table, finally snapping it open with a grunt. He spread out his tools: a worn wooden cutting board, his chef's knife, a collection of herbs in glass bottles that gave a soft clink as they settled, a couple of plants—one that Alwin recognized as the Forest Glimmer—and lastly a handful of mushrooms.

"You should reconsider joining our Crimson Gold Sect. Such talented Daoist Chefs are few and far between," said Huang Jian.

"A no's a no. Stop asking me. And remember, you guys owe me a reward after I escort you back."

"You are making a foolish mistake, Gary Stew. A—"

"Dudes... y'all keep using the same looming threats, saying that I won't make it far. It's not going to work and I've already said no. Just let me cook in peace, sheesh."

"Very well, Gary Stew. At least indulge us. What are you planning to make?" said Hong Jian.

"Finally, an actually worthwhile conversation topic. I'm thinking of preparing Furball Meatballs wrapped in Leafling Leaf Tail. I'll call it Forest of Beginnings Wrap Balls. I've foraged a bunch of mushrooms and plants from the forest and with the monsters we have here, this dish will capture everything the Forest of Beginnings has to offer."

"Amazing! Who taught you how to utilize such unique ingredients brimming with Spiritual Energy?" asked Huang Jian.

"Spiritual Energy? You mean mana? The system taught me I guess? I've got this skill called Chef's Intuition. I just see an ingredient and I get a feeling then I just follow that feeling."

"Impossible! There must have been a Master Daoist Chef that taught you," said Hong Jian.

"Well, there wasn't. I've just been relying on Chef's Intuition. That's how I got this bad boy." Gary picked up a plant that looked just like a Forest Glimmer, except that it was smaller and significantly brighter. If it were dark out right now, he was sure that the plant alone would be able to illuminate the area. "No idea what it is, but my skill was just screaming at me to take it. Hopefully, when the skill evolves, it'll give me descriptions on what to do with the ingredients or something like that."

"Impossible!" shouted Huang Jian.

"What? Skills evolving? I'm pretty sure they do."

"Not that! It's what you have in your hand. How did I not notice it before? The Enchanted Glimmerbloom. You've found an Enchanted Glimmerbloom! We must have it," said Hong Jian.

"This thing?" Gary lifted up the plant to his face, giving it a good whiff. "What's so special about it?"

"That plant is brimming with Vitality, a single stalk holds more energy than a hundred Forest Glimmers. To waste it on a dish is preposterous," said Huang Jian.

"So it's valuable? But, why's it valuable to you?" Gary grinned.

"With that Enchanted Glimmerbloom, we'd be able to ascend to the second stage. Any problems we would encounter during the tribulation could be easily mitigated with that plant," said Hong Jian.

"Huh, neat. So how much are you willing to pay for this plant?" Gary's smile was getting wider by the minute.

"After you escort us back to the Crimson Gold Sect, we will work out a deal with you, along with your rightful rewards for bringing us back to the sect," said Huang Jian.

"Sounds good to me. Told you Chef's Intuition is awesome."

"Yes, yes! Your ability is astounding," said Hong Jian.

"I know it is. Back to cooking!"

Gary placed down the Enchanted Glimmerboom on the folding table, on the opposite side of the other plants and mushrooms that he had harvested—none of which Alwin recognized. There were brown mushrooms, white mushrooms, mushrooms with big caps, and mushrooms with small caps. It was a mushroom hater's worst nightmare. Apart from the Forest Glimmer, all of the plants looked the same to him—a bunch of leafy greens that probably tasted disgusting. Vegetables suck!

The glass bottles filled with spices that Gary set up next to his cutting board were so tempting. The moment he cracked one open, its scent wafted through the air, traveling downwind toward him. The smell alone was enough to cause him to salivate. Alwin didn't know what he would do the moment Gary started toasting them. Their fragrance would intensify to the point that he was glad that he was currently being restrained by that large Goblin, if not he'd run up there to have a taste of the spices rather than save his squad. But, still, when could they carry out the rescue mission?

Gary Stew started by chopping up the mushrooms: trimming the stem, then placing vertical and horizontal slices to create small uniform pieces. Next, he tackled the vegetables, his knife flashing through several impressive techniques that made Alwin’s eyes widen in surprise—not because he was impressed by his knife skill, but because he recognized the techniques he performed. Julienne, chiffonade, and even chiseled cuts. What a bunch of useless information. Why would he ever need it?

"That's all of the prep work done. Now to move on to the stars of the dish." Gary spun the knife he held in his hand, strolling over to the unconscious Gus and Uchronia.

"Move out," said Lin.