26: The power of cooking

Karl's voice still echoed in his ears.

He had just said that the experimental field had sprouted.

Shen Xiaochuan felt a surge of joy.

He put down his pen and looked toward the doorway.

Lilith and Lilia stood by the door, holding a wooden tray, their steps hesitant, as if they dared not enter.

"Come in," Shen Xiaochuan said.

The two lowered their heads and walked in slowly, placing the tray gently on the table.

A bowl of rice porridge, a plate of toasted flatbread, and a small bowl of stew.

"Main God, please have a taste," Lilith whispered, a hint of anticipation on her face. "This was made with the new wheat flour."

"We tried three times," Lilia added. "The heat was more stable this time than yesterday."

Shen Xiaochuan picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful of porridge, and put it into his mouth.

Just as he swallowed, his wrist suddenly felt heavy.

He looked down at his right hand—his knuckles were tight, and the veins on the back of his hand were slightly bulging. It was no illusion; there was definitely something unusual.

He put down the spoon and opened the combat power interface.

The numbers jumped: 128 → 135 → 142 → 163 → 167.

It stopped.

He stared for three seconds and closed the interface.

"Bring another portion of raw meat," he said.

Lilia immediately turned and left.

Five minutes later, she returned with a piece of Black Rock Giant Bear meat. It was square, thick, and uncooked.

Shen Xiaochuan took a bite.

The combat power interface flickered slightly: +3.

He spat out the residue and wiped the corner of his mouth.

"Cook a portion," he said. "Use the same method you used to stew the bear paw last night."

Lilia nodded, took the meat, and walked away quickly.

Shen Xiaochuan waited for seventeen minutes.

She returned with a bowl of braised meat. The soup was brownish-red, with oil droplets floating on the surface.

He finished it all.

The combat power interface jumped: +18.

He closed the interface, looked up, and asked, "When you cooked before, did you ever notice—that after eating your food, strength would increase?"

Lilith shook her head. "No one has ever measured it."

Shen Xiaochuan frowned. "Then when you cook, do you feel anything?"

Lilia thought for a moment. "Yes. Last time I finished chopping three hundred catties of meat, my hands weren't sore."

Lilith smiled. "Me too. I finished scraping fifty Wind Wolf hides, and my eyes weren't blurry."

Shen Xiaochuan nodded.

He opened the drawer, took out twenty catties of wind wolf meat, and wrapped it carefully in linen cloth.

"Take this."

The two were stunned.

"Main God..." Lilith's voice trembled slightly.

"From tomorrow on, the kitchen will be under the direct management of the workshop," Shen Xiaochuan said. "You are Imperial Chefs."

Lilia opened her mouth. "We... can we stay?"

"Yes."

Lilith's eyes turned red, but she didn't shed any tears. She hugged the cloth bundle tightly to her chest and whispered, "Thank you, Main God."

"Go."

They turned and left.

Shen Xiaochuan did not move.

He opened the Faith Mall and searched in sequence: cooking, recipes, buffs, nutritional conversion.

No results.

He clicked on the System help page again and entered: "Does food affect combat power?"

A prompt popped up: [The current version does not have the dietary buff module enabled.]

He closed the page.

Whispers from the Believers came from outside the door.

"He really gave them twenty catties of meat?"

"Did the Main God take a fancy to them?"

"Shh—didn't you see Ling Feng circling the kitchen three times this morning?"

"So what? Can a stove block a blade?"

Shen Xiaochuan stood up and walked out of the Main Hall.

In the open space of the living area, dozens of people gathered in a circle.

Lilith and Lilia stood in the center, holding the coarse cloth bundle in their arms.

Someone laughed out loud.

Lilith's fingers dug deep into the linen cloth.

Lilia hung her head, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Shen Xiaochuan walked over and stopped beside the two.

He didn't speak, just raised his hand and tapped lightly on the Void Realm.

A light screen suddenly unfolded, suspended in mid-air—the combat power record was clearly projected: 128 → 167.

The numbers jumped clearly.

The crowd fell silent abruptly.

"You can choose not to believe," Shen Xiaochuan said. "But before the next expedition, I will have those who have eaten their food stand on the left, and those who haven't, stand on the right. We shall see the truth on the battlefield."

No one answered.

Anna walked from the direction of the infirmary and stopped outside the crowd.

She looked up at the light screen, then at the meat bundle in the sisters' arms.

She didn't go forward, but turned and walked toward Karl, who was by the registration desk.

"Uncle Karl," she said, "the Main God just rewarded the two cooks with twenty catties of wind wolf meat."

Karl was looking down, keeping accounts, without raising his head: "I know."

"Why do you think... that is?"

Karl put down his pen and looked up. "The experimental field sprouted yesterday, and combat power rose by thirty-nine points today. The Main God always calculates things clearly."

Anna pursed her lips and stopped asking.

She returned to the infirmary entrance and leaned against the doorframe.

The night breeze was slightly cool.

She looked toward the kitchen—the light was still on.

Lilith and Lilia were no longer in the open space; they had already entered the kitchen, and the door closed gently.

Anna raised her hand, her fingertips brushing the badge of light on her chest.

She didn't pray, just stood there quietly.

Shen Xiaochuan returned to the Main Hall.

He spread out a piece of paper and picked up a pen to write: "Provisional Regulations of the Dietary Department."

Article 1: Imperial Chefs are of the same rank as blacksmiths, carpenters, and healers, and enjoy the same resource quota.

Article 2: Best dietary contribution is evaluated monthly, rewarding ten faith points and five catties of wind wolf meat.

Article 3: The area within thirty steps around the kitchen will be patrolled by Ling Feng twice a day.

After writing, he stamped it with his divine seal.

Footsteps sounded outside the door.

Anna walked in, stopped in front of the table, and said nothing.

Shen Xiaochuan looked up. "Something up?"

"The infirmary is short on salt," she said. "It's needed for pickling medicine."

"Go get it from Karl."

"Main God," she paused, "those two girls... have never touched anything dirty."

Shen Xiaochuan's pen paused slightly.

"I know."

"Before they handle ingredients, they wash their hands seven times; the knife for cutting meat is scorched with fire every time it is used."

"Hmm."

Anna did not leave.

Her gaze fell on the regulations on the table.

"The Main God trusts them."

"I trust the data."

Anna nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait," Shen Xiaochuan called her back.

She turned back.

"Tomorrow morning, everyone in the infirmary will receive their first meal from the kitchen."

Anna blinked. "All of them?"

"All of them."

She didn't thank him, just nodded slightly and exited the hall.

Shen Xiaochuan continued to write.

He turned to the next page and wrote a new title: "Effectiveness Comparison Table of Beast Meat (First Draft)."

First line:

Thunder Horn Beef—stewed for two hours, peak buff 18 points;

wind wolf meat—simmered in soup, peak buff 22 points;

Red Feather Chicken—stewed for three hours, peak buff 15 points;

Black Rock Giant Bear meat—soaked in spring water and double-boiled to remove poison, peak buff 31 points.

After finishing, he put down the charcoal pen.

Outside the window, the kitchen light was still on.

He heard the sound of an iron pot being touched lightly.

Clang.

Another sound. Clang.

Shen Xiaochuan stood up and paced to the window.

He saw Lilia standing in front of the stove, left hand holding the edge of the pot, right hand holding a spatula, stirring the golden corn kernels in the pot.

Lilith crouched in front of the furnace, adding firewood.

The firelight flickered, reflecting on her face.

Shen Xiaochuan did not knock.

He retreated to the table and opened the farming progress schedule.

In the "West Bank of Yuling Lake" column, he drew a circle.

Note: Tomorrow morning, check the growth of the first batch of wheat seedlings.

He closed the notebook.

A light knocking sound came from outside the door.

It wasn't knocking on the door.

It was with knuckles, two short and one long.

Shen Xiaochuan looked up.

Lilith stood at the door, holding a coarse ceramic bowl with both hands.

"Main God," she said, "freshly brewed porridge. I tried a new heat."

Shen Xiaochuan took the bowl.

The rim of the bowl was warm.

He took a sip.

A warmth slowly welled up in his stomach.

The combat power interface popped up quietly: 167 → 168.

He looked up.

Lilith was still standing there, not having left.

She looked at him, her lips moving slightly.

Shen Xiaochuan put down the bowl.

"Say what you have to say."

She took a deep breath.

"Can we... learn to read?"

Shen Xiaochuan looked at her.

Three seconds later, he opened the drawer and took out a blank notebook and a charcoal pen.

"Come to the Main Hall tomorrow morning."

Lilith didn't reach out.

She stared at the notebook, not moving for a long time.

Shen Xiaochuan placed the notebook and charcoal pen gently on the table.

"Go back first."

She nodded, stepped back, and turned to leave.