Chapter 433 - 432: Steamed Cucumber and Stewed Venison

Chapter 433: Chapter 432: Steamed Cucumber and Stewed Venison

Gray’s body slowly solidified. The junior chefs passing by saw it and all lowered their heads, saying respectfully, "Manager!"

Gray waved its tentacles. Just as it was about to leave, it caught a glimpse of a junior chef carrying a plate of food.

It was the restaurant’s perfectly prepared C-level signature dish: Steamed Cucumber and Venison Stew.

The Master was C-level, and this signature dish was also C-level.

Gray’s eyes lit up. It suddenly knew what gift to give the Master it had just pledged itself to.

It cleared its throat and declared decisively, "Go prepare fifty portions of Steamed Cucumber and Venison Stew. Pack them in keep-fresh containers. They’re for a gift."

"Fifty portions?!"

Regardless of their various forms, the jaws of every junior chef in the vicinity dropped in shock.

If Seraphina Sinclair had seen this, it would have dawned on her. Apparently, jaws dropping wasn’t an isolated incident—it was a standard feature of the Stardust Gallery.

Gray waved a tentacle, its voice booming with magnanimity, "Fifty portions, and not a single one less!"

The junior chefs exchanged glances. One of them summoned their courage and stammered, "M-Manager, our restaurant’s C-level signature dish is limited to twenty portions a day. Fifty portions... that would take two and a half days to prepare."

"Then get it done!" Gray’s three eyes glared. "This is for the Master, and it’s urgent. You’ll all work overtime. Pull an all-nighter tonight!"

"An... an all-nighter?"

"What? You have a problem with that?"

The junior chefs shook their heads frantically. "No problem, no problem at all!"

Gray nodded in satisfaction, a tentacle drawing a circle in the air. "Remember, use the best keep-fresh containers—the kind with the best insulation and preservation. If the Master finds the food cold and unappetizing, I’m holding you all responsible!"

"Yes, yes, of course!"

The junior chefs scurried away to the back kitchen, afraid that if they were a step too slow, they’d get a lash from the Manager’s tentacle.

Gray stood its ground, three eyes narrowed into slits, revealing what could only be described as a benevolent smile.

Fifty portions of the C-level signature dish.

The Master was currently C-level, a stage where one could consume large quantities of food to bolster their strength.

This Steamed Cucumber and Venison Stew wasn’t just made with the freshest ingredients; it was also enhanced with special medicinal herbs from the Stardust Gallery. It was more than just filling—it was fantastic for increasing one’s attribute points.

While the boost wasn’t as significant as that from foods specifically designed for that purpose, its advantage was that it was safe and had no side effects. Eaten in large quantities, the effects would accumulate and gradually manifest.

Fifty portions should be enough to give the Master’s power a nice little bump.

The more Gray thought about it, the cleverer it felt. It couldn’t stop one of its tentacles from twisting into a pretzel shape in the air.

"Oh, right!" It suddenly remembered something and shouted toward the kitchen, "And add a bowl of rice to each portion! Our Stardust Gallery’s signature pearl rice—the kind that’s fluffy, with each grain perfectly separate!"

A muffled "Got it!" came from the back kitchen.

Only then was Gray completely satisfied. Propping itself up on three tentacles, it ambled slowly toward its private lounge.

As it went, it mused to itself:

’Fifty portions of the C-level signature dish, on top of the books I sent earlier... The Master is sure to feel my sincerity, right?’

’Yes, she’s absolutely sure to.’

’And if that’s still not enough...’

The tip of Gray’s tentacle curled slightly, a flicker of determination in its three eyes.

’Then I’ll break out my private savings!’

Having made up its mind, Gray’s three tentacles tapped against the ground even more cheerfully.

’What’s the point of saving up a secret stash for all these years if you’re not going to use it one day?’

’Though I never thought I’d be using it on a human.’

’But! The Master is different.’

Gray thought of Seraphina Sinclair’s expressionless face, of the calm look in her eyes when she’d asked, "And what if there were no Door Key?" The tips of its tentacles couldn’t help but curl again.

’I’ve lived for so long and met so many people,’ it thought.

’Those chosen by the Door Key... some treated me like a tool, others like a slave. Some were polite to my face but guarded against me behind my back as if I were a thief.’

’Only Seraphina Sinclair...’

’She told me to rise, and when I didn’t, she actually just left me kneeling.’

’She said, "You must have your reasons for not speaking." That calmness wasn’t an act; she genuinely didn’t care whether I told her the secret or not.’

’She didn’t care what I said, and she didn’t care if I was useful.’

’It was as if... it didn’t matter to her whether I followed her or not.’

Thinking this, Gray suddenly felt a little hurt.

’I’m one of the Managers of the Stardust Gallery, for crying out loud! I’ve lived for ages, I’ve seen it all! How could the Master see me as nothing more than some street-side takoyaki?’

But then again, maybe that was for the best.

’The Master desires nothing from me, which means my desire to follow her isn’t based on what she might gain.’

Gray’s tentacle twisted into an even more complex pretzel in the air.

’Whatever, I’ll stop thinking about it.’

’Anyway, I’ve made my decision.’

’From now on, if the Master tells me to go east, I will never go west. If the Master tells me to catch a fish, I won’t even think about a shrimp.’

’If the Master gets hungry...’

It glanced down at its own tentacles and silently tucked them behind its back.

’No, not these. This is my favorite skin right now. It’s not just gorgeous, it has lots of tentacles, and they’re all functional. Extremely useful for cooking.’

Gray shook its head and quickened its pace toward the lounge.

’I need to get some sleep, build up my energy, so I can personally deliver it to the Master first thing in the morning.’

’Fifty portions of Steamed Cucumber and Venison Stew... The Master has to at least give me a little smile, right?’

’Just one little smile will be enough.’

Gray thought gleefully, its three tentacles tapping out a happy rhythm on the ground.

「Meanwhile, in Seraphina Sinclair’s mobile cabin.」

She sneezed.

Luna Jacobs looked up. "Boss, are you catching a cold?"

Seraphina Sinclair rubbed her nose, her brow furrowing slightly. "No."

She glanced at the pitch-black night outside the window, then at the roaring fire in the hearth.

’Strange,’ she thought, ’why do I feel like something weird has its eyes on me?’

「The next morning.」

Seraphina Sinclair had just entered the mobile cabin when she heard a strange noise outside the door, like something squirming.

She sat up alertly, her hand already gripping her Water Dragon Roar.

Just then, a familiar voice drifted over.

"Master! Are you awake? I’ve brought you breakfast!"

Seraphina Sinclair: "..."

She stared at the squirming shadow outside the door and suddenly understood the source of her bad feeling from the night before.

Seraphina Sinclair didn’t loosen her grip on the Water Dragon Roar, but she didn’t immediately get up to open the door, either.

A still-drowsy 001 heard the familiar voice and asked with a yawn, "I say, Gray, what are you doing here so early?"

When the door opened, Seraphina Sinclair was greeted by a bizarre sight.

Gray was propped up on three tentacles, while its remaining tentacles held up a stack of food containers.

The containers were stacked one on top of the other, piled higher than Gray itself. The tower teetered precariously, held in balance only by the careful maneuvering of its tentacles.

Behind it followed a line of junior chefs, each holding an equally high stack of food containers, standing in a neat row on the Stone Tablet outside the mobile cabin.