Chapter 377: Gains and Losses, the Trek Begins

Chapter 377: Chapter 377: Gains and Losses, the Trek Begins

The fragments of her memory finally clicked into place.

’It was... the God of Cuisine!’

Seraphina Sullivan suddenly understood.

She understood how she had survived.

Her heart filled with shock and gratitude.

’He descended and saved me!

Not only did He save me, but He also took a wisp of will from the Fiend God that attacked me... refined it into a piece of candy, and had me eat it!’

’So... this Demon Eyes Talent.

And the gentle, strange Energy in my body, plus the change in the tips of my hair... are all these changes from that candy made from the Demon God Will?!’

The revelation left Seraphina Sullivan unsure whether to laugh or cry.

On one hand, she was sincerely grateful for the God of Cuisine’s help and gift.

On the other hand, the nature of the gift was truly astonishing.

’He directly seized part of another Divine being’s foundational rules.

And converted it into my own Talent!’

’Such methods... truly befitting the ancient and domineering God of Cuisine.’

’It seems that although my experience in the Zombie Kingdom was fraught with peril and I nearly died,

it was a blessing in disguise, leading to an unimaginable reward...’

Seraphina Sullivan stroked the golden strand at the tip of her hair, which felt both cool and warm to the touch.

She felt the faint Power residing in her eyes, a Power completely different from before.

Her feelings were complicated.

Crisis and opportunity always went hand-in-hand in the apocalypse.

And this time, it seemed she had luckily survived, caught in the crossfire of a game between Divine beings.

She had also unexpectedly obtained a fragment of true "divinity."

The path ahead would perhaps become even more unpredictable because of this new Power.

And also... more worth looking forward to.

Seraphina Sullivan needed time to familiarize herself with and master this gift from the "Fiend God."

She had to integrate it into her own combat system.

After carefully examining the changes to her body,

Seraphina Sullivan began to take stock of her gains and losses from the Zombie Kingdom expedition.

After the joy came the unavoidable list of losses.

This made Seraphina Sullivan sigh in spite of herself.

’Sigh, the Fiery Sunflower that was fused with my Guardian God, and the Life Leaf Brooch... they were all destroyed by that damn Demon God Will...’

The thought of these two items made Seraphina Sullivan’s heart ache.

Although the Guardian God was essentially an Ability,

its vessel—

the highly sentient Fiery Sunflower—was a precious spiritual plant she had obtained early on.

It had been with her for quite some time.

More importantly, it had provided crucial Spirit Defense and area protection, and now it was completely gone.

The Life Leaf Brooch was an excellent life-saving item.

It could provide powerful Life Energy for Healing at critical moments, and now it too had turned to ash.

Both were extremely practical and rare support items, companions even.

Their loss could only be described as devastating.

’But there’s nothing to be done about it...’

Seraphina Sullivan shook her head.

She suppressed her feelings of regret.

She was incredibly lucky just to have survived an attack of that magnitude.

The destruction of her items was an almost inevitable price to pay.

’Still, it wasn’t a total loss.’

Seraphina Sullivan turned her attention to the positive side.

’The Slave Whip I got from Solomon Ennis is a powerful Control item with a very unique Effect.

Although I’ll need to be extremely careful when using it, it might prove to be surprisingly effective in certain situations.’

This piece of loot helped offset some of her losses and also diversified Seraphina Sullivan’s combat options.

...

One day later, the time for rest and preparation was over.

Seraphina Sullivan’s RV upgrade was also complete.

Seraphina also learned what Sean Chandler’s compensation had been—a one-time, life-saving measure just for himself.

As expected of a King of Fortune.

But since he was one of her own, Seraphina Sullivan was no longer indignant about it.

The evacuation of Vorlag City’s Safe Zone One

officially began, shrouded in a complex atmosphere of reluctance and solemnity.

The massive column of survivors resembled a long, slowly writhing dragon.

They left the temporary home they had only recently established.

Vehicles, trailers laden with supplies... all formed a bleak tableau of an apocalyptic migration.

Not everyone was willing to leave their homes behind.

But under the directive of the Central Safe Zone and the pressure of an unknown cataclysm due in a month, most people had no other choice.

Sean Chandler drove the RV, its "Steel Fortress" upgrade now complete, near the front of the convoy.

From the outside,

other than its paint job, which seemed deeper and smoother,

and the faint metallic glint on its sharp edges, the RV didn’t show any overly dramatic changes.

But Seraphina Sullivan could clearly feel that every inch of the vehicle’s body possessed a structural integrity far beyond what it had before; its defense was on a completely different level.

Seraphina Sullivan and Flora Sullivan were sitting inside the vehicle.

She had also called Dexter Luther and Matthew Dawson into the RV.

The spacious, upgraded interior had more than enough room for them.

Ever since their return, the two of them had not fully recovered from the blow of losing Chloe Lewis and Morgan Brooks, and their spirits were low.

"The temperature outside... it’s really stabilized."

Matthew Dawson said, gazing out the window at the gradually melting snow and the withered, yellow earth it revealed.

His tone was a bit detached. "It feels like we’re back to before the cataclysm... It’s a shame it’s only for a month."

"Yeah,"

Dexter Luther said, hugging a throw pillow and curled up in the comfortable seat, his eyes still listless.

"I don’t know if this journey will go smoothly.

I hope... there are no more surprises."

His words were tinged with exhaustion and anxiety about the unknown.

Seeing the two of them still lost in their grief,

Seraphina Sullivan knew that mere words of comfort would be useless.

She changed the subject, trying to distract them with something more practical.

"Don’t dwell on it for now. The most important thing for us is to rest up and recover."

As she spoke, she gestured for Flora Sullivan to take out some ingredients.

Then, she focused her mind and held her hands over the ingredients.

She activated Magic Cuisine!

A soft, mystical light flowed from her palms, enveloping the ordinary ingredients.

With no stove and no cookware, under everyone’s astonished gaze,

the ingredients were seemingly processed, combined, and cooked at high speed by an invisible, deft pair of hands.

In the blink of an eye, plates of steaming hot, fragrant, and delicious-looking dishes materialized on a small, hastily set-up table!

Golden, crispy roasted chicken; rich, fragrant stewed meat;

crisp, verdant stir-fried vegetables; and bowls of fluffy white rice.

The aroma instantly filled the cabin.

"Come on, eat something first.

You need a full stomach to have the strength to face what’s coming," Seraphina Sullivan said, ushering them over.

Dexter Luther and Matthew Dawson stared at the magical scene and the tempting food before them.

A flicker of life finally returned to their numb eyes.

They silently picked up their bowls and chopsticks. The warmth and flavor of the food seemed to dispel some of the chill in their hearts.

Seraphina Sullivan took a bite of food herself, but her mind was on other things.

As she recalled the memory of the God of Cuisine descending and turning the Demon God Will into a piece of candy,

Seraphina Sullivan gained a deeper understanding of and higher expectations for her Magic Cuisine Talent.

With a mere wave of his hand, that ancient being had transformed something as "formless," "insubstantial," and even "conceptual" as a Divine being’s will into an "edible" piece of "candy" that could grant someone a Talent!