Chapter 51: The Reborn Empress

...

On the mountain path down.

"My clever assistant. You are quite the trickster, aren’t you?"

Vespera narrowed her almond-shaped eyes. She put one hand on her hip and slung the other over Theo’s shoulder. She grinned without a shred of dignity.

"Not bad. Tricking Silas like that. You are already at eighty percent of my level."

"I wouldn’t call it tricking."

Being shoulder-hugged by his mentor, Theo coughed lightly.

"Humph. You even dare to fool your own mentor?"

"Where is the Crucible? Let me see it."

Vespera wore a knowing look.

Theo smiled wryly. "I really can’t take it out."

Joking aside, just storing it had taken tremendous effort. He hadn’t fully recovered yet. Did she expect him to activate the World Seed again?

Mentor, do you want me to collapse into a pile of bones right here?

"Ungrateful brat."

Vespera wrinkled her delicate nose. Her pretty face sulked.

"Elder. You were seriously considering selling me off earlier, weren’t you?"

"Pfft. Of course not."

Vespera averted her gaze.

"That was just a test. To see if your loyalty to the Ninth Peak is unwavering."

"Elder, you are guilty."

"Audacious! Daring to question your mentor now? Trying to overthrow the natural order?!"

Vespera quickened her pace. Her coat fluttered in the night wind.

Theo sighed. "Elder, how about aged Bamboo Green wine and a whole roasted lamb tonight?"

Theo deployed his ultimate crowd-control skill.

"...How aged?"

"Thirty years."

Critical hit.

...

A short while later.

Mentor and assistant returned under the stars, laden with spoils.

Pushing open the door to the Autumn Water Pavilion, Theo spotted a slender figure seated at their usual dining stone table.

She sipped tea leisurely. A silver blade rested on her lap. Its steel reflected the moonlight.

"I thought you went back to cultivate."

"I haven’t had dinner yet."

Liana stated matter-of-factly.

Theo fell silent. He looked up at the sky.

The moons were dim. They signaled the approaching dawn.

"But... it is almost breakfast time."

"Is it?"

Liana also glanced at the moons. Her delicate brows knit in confusion.

Just what kind of time sense did she have?

Who tells time by mealtimes?

Theo couldn’t even muster the energy to complain as he headed off to the kitchen to cook.

Liana lowered her gaze briefly before turning to Vespera. Her voice was soft but deliberate.

"What happened today at the Armory Peak?"

Yet another event had slipped beyond her expectations.

***

Liana knew there was an origin artifact in the Armory Peak.

In fact, she knew about it because of Vespera.

When the Silent Thunder Sect collapsed in her past life, Vespera paid a tremendous price to wield the Crucible of Genesis.

Later, after Liana went to the central domains, she encountered other supreme artifacts. None gave her the same sense of boundless power.

Origin artifacts represented the absolute limit of human craftsmanship. Beyond that lay only destiny-born relics, like the Imperial Seals of the central dynasties.

That said.

She recalled that in her past life, the Crucible had no master. Vespera barely managed to activate it once before both vanished without a trace.

When Liana took charge of the Sovereign Palace, she inquired about it. She only got unverifiable rumors.

"Elder Vespera..."

There was no response.

Liana looked up. Vespera dozed off in her rocking chair. She let out soft, rhythmic snores.

Not long after.

"Roast beast, coming right up."

Theo emerged with the prepared meat.

He placed it on the grill and began lighting the fire.

The flames cast a warm glow on his face. The reflection flickered in Liana’s cool, distant eyes.

Could it be that he had something to do with the timeline changes?

Back in the gorge, the Aurora Spark seemed particularly drawn to him. Now the Armory Peak’s foundation had moved.

"Give me a hand."

A brush was thrust into her grasp by Theo.

Liana tilted her head slightly in confusion.

Theo brought over an earthen jar. A rich, spicy aroma wafted from it.

Liana understood. He wanted her to baste the meat with the sauce.

"This is my specially brewed Abyssal Glaze."

"It is all yours now."

As he spoke, Theo began slowly rotating the grill.

Liana narrowed her eyes. A faint ripple of emotion passed through them.

In the end, the Reborn Empress dipped the brush into the glaze and embarked on her first-ever culinary endeavor.

Soon enough, Theo handed over the task of rotating the grill to her as well.

The meat sizzled. Its juices dripped into the fire.

Watching Liana meticulously apply the sauce with a serious expression, Theo couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly.

The ice block looked more human when cooking. Less frosty. More alive.

"Maybe I can automate her feeding schedule in the future."

But that thought didn’t last long.

"What is that smell?"

While preparing side dishes, Theo caught a whiff of something burning.

He turned around to find the roast in a tragic state. Half charred black, half raw.

Yet Liana continued rotating it. She was utterly oblivious to the disaster unfolding.

"..."

He shot her an exasperated look. It was burnt to a crisp, and she was still roasting the charred side.

Meeting his gaze, Liana returned it with serene indifference.

"What is wrong?" she asked, as if completely justified.

Turns out the Reborn Empress had flaws after all. She was eternally banned from the kitchen.