Chapter 383: Cooking Together [2]

"Ooh, what is this oil?!"

"Oh, this?" Soren held up the small glass jar filled with a thick, amber-red liquid. "It’s Flamehorn Essence."

"Wait, Flamehorn?" Zura’s eyes lit up instantly. "You mean that rare magic beast living near active volcanoes?"

"The very same." Soren nodded, carefully uncorking the jar and pouring a small splash into the warm pan. "While it heats up, let’s prepare the meat and the rest of the ingredients."

He reached into his inventory and pulled out a thick slab of meat, its deep crimson surface threaded with thin black lines like veins of cooling magma.

"Wait, let me guess!" Zura leaned closer, her eyes narrowing as she studied the meat. "This is fire dragon meat, right?"

Soren raised a brow, a bit surprised by her reaction. "You know it?"

"Of course," Zura said, puffing out her chest slightly and nodding proudly. "I’ve had dishes made with it a few times before. But..." Her expression hardened as if she recalled a terrible memory. "Every time, it was bland and hard to chew. The texture was like rubber, and the flavor was practically nonexistent. I only forced myself to eat it because the benefits were good for my cultivation."

"Is that so?"

"Mm. And..." She pinched her nose and stepped back a few paces. "I don’t remember it smelling like this either. Are you sure this is the real deal? You didn’t get scammed, right?"

Soren chuckled softly, shaking his head at her reaction. "Don’t worry, I’m confident in my eye for quality. It’s definitely the real deal."

"Then why does it stink so much?" Zura asked, still holding her nose with one hand while gesturing toward the cutting board.

"The smell comes from those black lines," Soren explained, pointing his blade at the dark veins running through the crimson flesh. "They’re called magma veins. They store the dragon’s residual fire mana, along with the impurities and toxins its body couldn’t expel while it was alive. That’s where the odor comes from. We have to remove them carefully without damaging the rest of the meat or spilling too much blood."

"I see, but," she stared at him, narrowing her eyes, "why are you fine? Can’t you smell it?"

"What do you mean I can’t?" Soren gave her a wry smile. "Honestly, with my senses, I’m probably smelling it ten times worse than you are. But I’m the chef, so I don’t have much of a choice."

"Ah, right, forget I asked," Zura muttered, shaking her head. "I keep forgetting you’re built different from the rest of us. So... we’ll leave all of that to you!"

She quickly distanced herself again, retreating to the far side of the kitchen and even putting up a small barrier around herself. Ryan chuckled softly from around the corner, having already positioned himself as far away as possible. Ethea giggled at their antics and hugged the plushie tightly, saying, ’Fighting, dear!’

Soren’s lips twitched. They had already left the barrier surrounding the working space, so there was no need to go that far away, right?

"...Let’s just finish this as soon as possible."

With a sigh, he adjusted his grip on the knife, focused his attention on the dark streaks running through the meat, and got straight to work.

’...Endure it, Soren.’

’This is nothing...’

’...Think about your sister...’

The suffocating odor clung relentlessly to the back of his throat, making his nose twitch nonstop, yet his fingers remained dead steady as the blade traced the dark veins. Five grueling minutes passed before the final streak lifted free, prompting him to instantly freeze the discarded impurities into solid ice and stow them away with a flick of his wrist.

’Malakor, can you get rid of these and the smell, please?’

’Leave it to me, Master.’

’Thank you.’

Soren smiled faintly as Malakor whisked the frozen waste away, dissolving the trapped reek until the surrounding air became clean and odorless. Reaching into his storage, he then pulled out a small diffuser jar filled with crushed Star-Anise Blossom, uncorked it over the counter, and released a sweet aroma that swept away the stale emptiness and lifted his spirits.

With the air restored, he gently washed the good parts of the meat and then sliced it into a few smaller parts. He then stepped out of the barrier, picked up the bowl of prepped Ashgold Onions, and slid them straight into the shimmering Flamehorn Oil.

Whoosh-!

Hisss-!

The oil reacted instantly, flaring up in a burst of orange flame. Soren then picked up the skimmer and stirred the onions, moving them around so they cooked evenly. He waited until they turned crimson, and without breaking his rhythm, he fetched the prepped Ember Carrots and Scarlet Sunfruits and slid them directly on top of the onions.

He kept stirring, mixing them with the onions, and watched as the sunfruit’s red flesh deepened to a darker crimson and the carrots softened at the edges. Once they reached the exact texture he wanted, he laid the clean slices of Fire Dragon meat right over the sizzling base. The crimson flesh seared against the intense heat, releasing a rich and strangely mouthwatering aroma.

’Good, but let’s do our best not to repeat yesterday’s mistake...’

He recalled how he half-burned the fire dragon meat during yesterday’s practice and heightened his senses to control the mana and essence. After a minute, he smiled in satisfaction, then picked up a pinch of crushed Crimson Salt and dusted it evenly over the surface to lock in the juices and bring out the meat’s savory depth.

Drawn back to the station by the intoxicating scent, Zura, having long since dispelled her barrier, cautiously stepped up beside him.

"Okay, now that smells incredible," she said, craning her neck to peek inside the pot. "Need any help?"

Soren gave a brief nod, his eyes still fixed on the sizzle inside the pot. "Hold on a second." He glanced toward the far side of the kitchen. "Ryan, could you prepare another jar of Dawnwater?"

"Ah, yes!" Ryan called back, snapping out of his spell and hurrying over to fetch the water.

Soren turned toward Zura, giving the sizzle inside the pot a careful glance. "Could you strain the water from the rice pot over there? It should be just about ready."

"On it!" Zura nodded eagerly and turned on her heel to tend to the boiling Aureole Rice.

With his hands free, Soren reached into his spice pouch and selected a pinch of crushed Sunspice and ground Groundnut Bark. He dusted them lightly over the searing top layer before sliding the skimmer underneath each slab, turning the meat over so the seasoned side locked into the direct heat of the pot’s bottom.

A few minutes passed as the rich fragrance deepened into a savory, roasted aroma. Once the meat was fully cooked, Soren signaled Zura, took the Aureole Rice from her, and spread it evenly over the sizzled base without packing it down.

Ryan stepped forward right on cue, handing over the fresh pitcher. Soren took it with a word of thanks and slowly poured the Dawnwater along the rim until the liquid rose to meet the exact level of the rice line.

Leaving the pot to simmer on low heat, he moved back to the main prep counter and reached into his inventory for the next ingredient: a round, glowing head of Inferno Cabbage. He laid it flat on the counter. Taking his paring knife, he carefully sliced around the core, loosening the leaves one by one without tearing their crimson veins. Each leaf held a faint, naturally warm sheen that flexed smoothly beneath his fingers.

Once he had a clean stack ready, he brought them over to the pot. Reaching for the Crimson Salt again, he seasoned the rice and water mixture before lightly dusting the broad leaves on both sides to soften their outer toughness.

Working quickly before the steam could escape, Soren arranged the leaves across the surface, meticulously overlapping each one to form a seamless thermal dome directly over the layer of rice.

With the pot sealed beneath the cabbage leaves, he grabbed the lid and fitted it tightly to lock in the steam. He then wiped his hands on his apron, turned to face the group, and let out a breath.

"That’s the prep done," he said. "Now we just wait."

"Huh? It’s already over?" Zura blinked, looking almost disappointed. "I thought there’d be more fire and excitement."

"The main part is done," Soren said while wondering why she was so disappointed. "We’ll have to wait about half an hour or so for it to cook properly. But in the meantime, we can prepare some salad to eat together."

"Oh!" Zura’s eyes lit up. "I can help with that!"

"I can do it myself." Soren shook his head and paused before adding, "If you’d like to help, you and Ryan can set the table."

"Then... Ethea and I will prepare the table," Zura said, already moving toward the cupboard. "You two stay here and call us when the time comes."

"Alright, we’ll call you when it’s ready."