Chapter 614 - 610 – THE OVERFLOWING LINE, THE EMPRESS ARRIVES, AND THE STORY BEHIND THE SECRET AROMA

Toward midday, the scene in Block C of the Culinary District of the Metropolis of Nocture had truly become a sea of people. The line in front of stall number 14, the simple blue-canvas-roofed stall belonging to "Runa," the soft-blue-haired elf girl, no longer merely snaked. It had curled around every corner of the block’s streets and was causing a small jam on the main pedestrian path.

The rich, spice-laden smell of grilled meat, mingled with the aromas of the Deadly Spicy Sauce, the sweet and creamy honey-butter sauce, and the warm black-pepper sauce, rose thick in the city’s hot air. Everyone who passed by was unable to resist the temptation to their noses. Even top-tier adventurers, who normally looked down on street food, now stood in the line too, patiently waiting their turn for a portion of the legendary grilled chicken that was the hottest topic of conversation across the whole city that day.

Behind the glass display counter, Sylvia, still keeping her disguise as the emerald-eyed elf girl, moved with a high level of speed and precision. Her white hand held mithril tongs, turning dozens of skewers and pieces of mutated fowl on the mana-crystal grill. The blue flame burned steadily, sizzling the savory fat that dripped down, while a magic feather brush nimbly spread the secret sauce over every surface.

Although she had worked without a break for hours, not a trace of sweat or fatigue showed on her face. As a Rank 7 Demigod with absolute control over her body and energy, cooking thousands of portions at once felt as easy as blinking.

At a corner of the table, Sol, who had changed into a golden-furred dog, was clearly enjoying his role as the stall’s unofficial mascot. He sat upright with his chest puffed out proudly, his tongue lolling out a little, and his golden eyes sparkled every time a small child or a noblewoman passing by praised his handsomeness. Now and then, some customers gave him a gentle pat on the head or tossed him a small piece of cheese as a reward.

’Wow... life as a pet dog at a street stall isn’t as bad as I imagined,’ Sol whispered to Sylvia through telepathy, sounding very satisfied. ’In just half a day, I’ve received dozens of compliments and free food.’

"Don’t make me cut your meat ration because you’ve gotten lazy about watching the surroundings," Sylvia replied flatly through telepathy, busy wrapping three orders at once into magic bamboo-fiber containers.

’So cruel, Your Majesty the Queen... I haven’t even blinked this whole time!’ Sol protested in his heart, though his thick furry tail kept wagging happily.

Meanwhile, Noir kept to his duty from the shadow on the ground near the stall’s entrance. His invisible presence ensured that not a single pickpocket, idle thug, or rogue Hunter Guild member dared make trouble around their trading area after the incident that morning with the armored young man who had run off in a panic.

At the very front of the line, a burly dwarf who owned a blacksmith shop in the South Block had just received his order of sweet-spicy grilled chicken. He paid with two silver pieces, then bit into a piece of the chicken wing right on the spot. His eyes went wide, his mouth watered, and he let out a groan of satisfaction that made the people behind him even more impatient.

"By the ancient magma furnace...!" the dwarf shouted excitedly. "This flavor is absolutely incredible! The meat is so dense and juicy, and the seasoning goes right into the deepest fibers! Hey, Miss Runa, where did you get fowl meat this good? I’ve never seen mutated birds this big and this flawless in the central market!"

Several other customers around the table nodded in agreement and looked at Sylvia with curiosity. In this new post-apocalyptic world, monster meat was indeed plentiful, but most of it had a strong fishy smell, carrion poison, or fibers too tough to turn into a delicious dish without a complicated and costly alchemical process.

Sylvia stayed calm, serving customers with a friendly smile, just enough of one. "It’s the secret of my family’s wandering kitchen," she answered, short but mysterious, a stock answer that immediately ended any further curiosity from the customers.

Of course, they would never know that the mutated fowl meat being grilled was not ordinary chicken from a local farm. It was the leftover carcasses of the Level 6 Iron-Winged Thunder Eagle and the Peak Level 7 Alpha that had once disturbed the peace of Sylvia’s air journey in the skies over the border of the Tianhua Kingdom. Because it had been kept in her System Storage, which had an absolute time-stasis effect, the freshness, the tenderness of the fibers, and the pure mana content of the thunder-bird meat were preserved at one hundred percent without a second of decay. Using ingredients on par with cosmic monsters as the raw material for street grilled chicken was an act of absolute luxury, one that only a Queen of Death who loved hunting for culinary delights could pull off.

In the midst of serving the endless line, the atmosphere around Block C suddenly went a little quiet. Pedestrians on the main path abruptly drew to the sides, opening a wide way, and some of them immediately knelt in respect.

From the east end of the street, a group of palace guards in silver armor and white cloaks approached with steady, orderly steps. In the middle of the formation of guards walked an elegant woman with long golden hair neatly coiled and decorated with blue crystals, wearing an elegant dark blue gown embroidered with silver. The eight golden wings on her back were folded gracefully, giving off a glow of gentle light that soothed anyone who looked at it.

Sofia.

The Empress of Nocture, who normally spent whole days in the palace’s east tower signing thousands of bureaucratic papers and reports for thirteen million souls, was walking casually, accompanied by two senior military officers.

Sofia’s reason for coming was actually simple. Since that morning, intelligence reports and complaints from the city planning department had been landing on her desk. The supervisors reported that a new culinary stall in Block C was causing severe congestion because of the overflowing human line. And what drew Sofia’s attention even more was a report from a patrol commander stating that the aroma of the food at that stall was very similar to the unique style of cooking usually created by someone she knew very well.

Sofia stopped right in front of the line at stall number 14. The crowd of citizens around her immediately bowed in respect and made way as soon as they realized who had come.

"Empress Sofia...!" several citizens whispered in surprise.

Sylvia, who was brushing sauce onto the grill, slowly lifted her head. Behind her soft-blue hair and disguised emerald eyes, she met Sofia’s clear blue eyes directly.

Sofia looked at the elf girl behind the display counter for several seconds. A faint, almost invisible smile touched the corner of the empress’s lips, a small twitch in her eyes showing that she had recognized at once the aura and figure behind that perfect disguise magic. In this world, no one else had a gaze as calm as the Queen of Death’s.

Sofia stepped forward past the line, ignoring the puzzled looks of the citizens around her. She stood right in front of the stall’s glass display and looked at Sylvia with one eyebrow elegantly raised.

"Well..." Sofia’s soft voice echoed in the sudden silence around the stall. "I received a report that there’s a new stall in the culinary district making the whole city line up for hours. It’s true. And its owner doesn’t even spare a thought for the pile of documents in the palace that’s waiting for her."

Hearing that subtle jab, Sylvia did not feel pressured at all. Instead, she smiled faintly, took a clean bamboo plate, placed two steaming-hot pieces of honey-butter-grilled chicken drumstick on it, and pushed it in front of Sofia.

"Good afternoon, Miss Customer. This is a special order for an honored guest," Sylvia replied in a slightly altered voice. "Please have a taste. The flavor is guaranteed not to make your precious time go to waste."

Sofia looked at the plate before her, then looked back into Sylvia’s emerald-green eyes. She chuckled softly, a small, very melodious laugh.

"Very well, Miss Runa the wandering elf," Sofia replied in a playful tone hidden behind her elegance. "I’ll judge for myself whether the quality of your food is worth your audacity in running away from the palace."

Sofia used the small silver fork provided, cut off a little piece of the grilled chicken, and put it in her mouth.

In an instant, the savory, spice-rich deliciousness, mingled with the sweetness of crystal honey and the tender fibers of high-level monster meat, exploded across her sense of taste. Sofia’s blue eyes widened slightly in surprise. As an empress used to enjoying the finest dishes in Nocture’s grand palace, she had to admit that the flavor of this dish had a completely different, addictive level, with that signature touch of Sylvia’s hand that never failed to pamper the tongue.

"How is it?" Sylvia asked in a faintly teasing tone through private telepathy. ’Does this street cook’s dish pass the Empress’s qualification test?’

’Extraordinary,’ Sofia answered through telepathy, smiling sweetly at Sylvia in the real world. ’But your punishment is still the same: tonight, you have to keep me company and finish half the pile of papers in the east tower study.’

Sylvia gave a small snort inside, pretending not to hear the administrative threat. She went back to serving the next order without a trace of guilt.

Sofia finished her piece, then placed a pure gold coin on the stall table, far more than the normal price of one portion. She looked at the citizens lined up behind her, then smiled warmly.

"This stall has officially been granted a special permit by the palace treasury to operate in this district," Sofia announced, loudly enough for everyone in line to hear. "Enjoy the food, and keep the city orderly."

After saying that, Sofia turned and walked away, escorted by her guards back toward the palace, leaving behind a crowd of citizens cheering in admiration of the empress’s kindness.

On the stall table, Sol let out a sigh of relief and whispered through telepathy, ’My heart nearly dropped out when the Empress came. Lucky she didn’t order us to go home at lunchtime.’

"Focus on your work, Sol," Sylvia rebuked coldly, while a small smile adorned her lips amid the crowd, and the line at the Block C culinary stall resumed, lively once more.