Chapter 1596 Alan Incoming <TOC> Chapter 1598 Drenched in Fragrant Sweat
Translator: SumTLMan
The bonfire in the courtyard was still burning vigorously. Coral leaned on Gank’s shoulder, directing him to continuously turn the meat that was dripping with honey on the fire.
Before long, a rich aroma of meat began to waft through the air.
Coral took a few sniffs, and once she was certain the meat was well-cooked, she handed it to Angel with a shy smile, saying, “This is for you.”
Seeing that Angel accepted it, Coral smiled contentedly. However, when she turned around, she noticed that Alan, the chubby boy sitting across from Angel, was staring at the meat in Angel’s hands, seemingly lost in thought.
Slightly irritated, Coral hesitated for a moment before taking a large-boned piece of meat from the grill and handing it to Alan. “Don’t covet what’s in someone else’s mouth… Take this, considering you’re a friend of Angel’s.”
Alan hesitated for a moment before reluctantly taking the meat from Coral and biting into it after some hesitation.
Upon taking a bite, Alan made a disgusted face. Although he didn’t spit it out, he clearly had a hard time swallowing it.
Squinting her eyes, Coral asked coldly, “What, not good?”
Subconsciously, Alan nodded his head, “It’s terrible.”
This was probably the first time Coral had received negative feedback, and she was at a loss for words, her eyes wide as saucers and pointing at Alan.
At this moment, Leon stepped in to salvage some dignity for Coral. He took a piece of meat from Gank’s hand and bit into it, saying, “The taste is as wonderful as ever. What’s not good about it?”
Realizing that he’d misspoken, Alan looked around and noticed that aside from Angel, everyone was glaring at him. After pondering for a moment, he decided to double down: “It’s terrible all around. Just let me do it!”
As he spoke, Alan took a disposable spatial capsule from his pocket. With a gentle squeeze, an incredibly exquisite oven materialized before him.
Murmuring an incantation, Alan produced a hind leg of a Highland Pig out of seemingly nowhere, and placed it directly on the oven.
It appeared he was preparing to grill some meat.
Coral, standing nearby, sneered, “Grilling meat without any seasoning? Even the most refined oven can’t salvage a bland dish.”
However, her skepticism was short-lived. The next moment, she was rendered speechless.
Alan clasped his hands together, eyes closed, as if in prayer. A few seconds later, a flame blossomed in front of him.
Calling forth fire is a spell almost every wizard knows. What stunned Coral wasn’t the ordinary-looking orange-yellow flame, but the enchanting, honey-like aroma it emitted.
“Sweet Fire?” Coral murmured softly. Just then, a gentle breeze wafted from Alan’s hands. Unlike any ordinary wind, it carried the delightful scent of fresh milk.
Angel took a deep breath, visibly satisfied but his expression remained unperturbed. “Sweet Fire and Butter Breeze,” he remarked nonchalantly.
Coral had thought she was mistaken, but after hearing Angel’s words, she knew she wasn’t… Turning to Alan, she asked, “Are you an apprentice in gourmet magic?”
As Alan was busily crafting his signature grilled meat, he spared a moment to nod at Coral, “Yes.”
Angel chimed in at that point, “Alan is from the Candy House and is currently an employee at the Butterfly Bar.”
“Butterfly Bar?” Coral looked at Alan in disbelief. How could she not know of the Butterfly Bar? It was another pilgrimage site for gourmet wizards, second only to the Barbie Restaurant. It was also the place where all other wizards longed to dine.
Angel looked at Alan and said, “I remember when I first met you in the Purification Garden, you mentioned that you specialize in grilling meat at the Butterfly Bar?”
Alan nodded, his face beaming with pride, “Yes, I’m now in charge of all the grilled meat at the Butterfly Bar.”
Upon hearing this, Coral’s face turned slightly red.
Coral’s own grilling style was a blend of techniques from her former tribe and those she learned from an imitation bar, Butterfly Pub, in the underground marketplace. This pub was a knockoff of the authentic Butterfly Bar, and a rather poorly executed one at that.
Realizing that she’d been practicing her craft based on a cheap imitation, she felt embarrassed in the face of the genuine article… Considering this, Alan’s simple comment that her meat was “terrible” seemed incredibly diplomatic.
Soon enough, Alan finished grilling the hind leg of the Highland Pig. He quickly sliced and plated the meat, offering it to Angel and Coral, “Please try the grilled meat I’ve prepared.”
Coral silently accepted the dish, her salivary glands kicking into high gear just from the aroma.
The olfactory illusion the dish conjured made her feel as if she had stepped into a veritable gourmet utopia.
As she took her first bite, Coral’s eyes widened in astonishment. She felt like she had been granted close-up access to this heavenly realm of flavors — Whiskey Mountain, Scented Trees, Honey Springs, Milk Rivers… and the lush landscape made of tender grilled meat. Coral felt as if she were unabashedly sprawled on the ground, savoring every morsel of the flavorful meat, tinged with the deep red hues of seasoning.
It was satisfaction, unlike anything she’d ever experienced.
Coral remained lost in the afterglow for some time, feeling as if her inner energy had undergone some sort of cleansing ritual.
By the time she snapped out of it, she found a pool of drool before her and her cheeks were flushed hotly.
Looking around, she noticed that Leon shared her same expression, giving her some comfort in knowing she wasn’t the only one who had lost face. Angel, on the other hand, simply had a slight smile at the corner of his lips, clearly savoring the gourmet experience.
After all, Angel now lives in the same estate as Gloria. Even though Gloria doesn’t cook often, whenever she does, Angel manages to scrounge up something to eat.
So, when Angel tasted Alan’s grilled meat, he naturally appeared much more composed.
Only when everyone was fully awake did Alan ask, “Did it taste good?”
Alan was inquiring of everyone, but Coral felt as though the question was aimed at her. She awkwardly said, “It’s certainly better than what I make. I misunderstood you earlier; you should’ve told me you’re a gourmet apprentice, then I wouldn’t have…” embarrassed myself.
Alan, however, didn’t mind Coral’s unfinished sentence and instead smiled broadly. Making delicious food and having it appreciated is what he loves most.
Angel: “The taste is really good. But you showing off this skill as soon as you arrived means you need something from me, right? Well, for the sake of the grilled meat, I’ll consider any reasonable request.”
Angel brought the conversation back to its original point, which allowed Coral to breathe a sigh of relief. She didn’t want to linger on the topic of grilled meat. That said, the meat Alan grilled was really delicious. Coral glanced at the grill, which still had plenty of meat on it. Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, she surreptitiously extended her hand toward the grill…
Alan looked at Angel: “The reason I came to see you is actually to ask if you could help me get in touch with Lady Barbie.”
Angel: “Gloria?”
Alan nodded: “I heard from Sunisha that Lady Barbie is currently in Sky Mechanical City and resides in the Phantom Master’s estate. I don’t dare go near there, so I thought I’d come here to see if I could get in touch with you.”
Angel: “That’s a simple matter; Gloria is indeed at the estate. I can contact her for you right now. But may I ask why you’re looking for her?”
Angel wasn’t particularly interested in prying into the details, but since he was going to contact Gloria, he needed some sort of reason.
With a sigh, a look of concern appeared in Alan’s eyes: “Actually, it’s not for myself. It’s for… Carvelyn.”
About ten minutes later, the grand entrance to Bliss Pavilion was swung open.
Gloria hurried in, with Shirley trailing behind her.
With a beaming smile, Shirley greeted everyone, “Hello, everyone! How about I perform a little spell for you all?”
A sense of wariness filled the room as everyone looked at Shirley. Clearly, they recognized her as the notorious witch she was. Oddly enough, it was Gloria who was supposed to arrive, but Shirley appeared instead.
Alan, in particular, was visibly shaken. His finger trembled as he pointed at Shirley and asked, “What are you doing here?”
Narrowing her eyes, Shirley replied, “Ah, I see a familiar face. I remember my Beast-Slaying Knife is still with you.”
“Who’s familiar with you! And the Beast-Slaying Knife is mine, it’s mine!” Alan retorted, fuming.
Just as Shirley was about to say something, she heard Angel cough and promptly closed her mouth. Shrugging, she said, “I was just joking; why are you getting so worked up? Today, I’m not the star of the show.”
With that, Shirley retreated behind Gloria.
Gloria glanced at Shirley, then turned to Angel, “If I left Shirley alone at the estate, I was afraid she’d mess with Butler Number 1, so I brought her along.”
Whether she would cause trouble or not, Angel didn’t know. But he was sure it would inevitably lead to Sanders showing up, so it was better for Shirley to stick with Gloria.
Gloria then directed her attention to Alan, “I remember Felicia told you to stay in the Candy House. What are you doing out here?”
Alan looked evasive and stammered but never disclosed that he was actually lured out.
Gloria waved her hand dismissively, “Nevermind, you’re out now. Angel said you had something to talk to me about, something concerning Carvelyn?”
Nodding, Alan confirmed, “Yes, after Carvelyn’s competition with Azaz, she has been unconscious. Sunisha said that it’s due to a special gourmet spell that she can’t dispel. Only you can help her.”
“I have no idea how you got mixed up with them,” Gloria muttered, then continued, “You’re sure this happened after competing with Azaz?”
“Yes,” Alan nodded.
Gloria had come so quickly for two reasons. Firstly, Alan was, after all, from the Candy House, and secondly, she was already intrigued by this Azaz.
“Detail what happened,” Gloria urged, once confirming it was related to Azaz.
Alan quickly recounted the situation regarding Azaz. After the match between them, there initially didn’t seem to be any problems, but she passed out the moment she reached the backstage area. Medical personnel from Infinite Battle Tower had examined her and found nothing amiss, attributing it to mere fatigue.
But Sunisha thought otherwise.
“Why would Sunisha think it’s unusual?” Gloria questioned.
“It’s instinctual. When Sunisha was watching the match, she felt that something was strange about Azaz. Even though he also specializes in gourmet magic, it made her feel uneasy… I also felt a bit uncomfortable, but not as much as Sunisha,” Alan explained.
“And how did she determine it had to do with gourmet special abilities?”
“Sunisha summoned a well-versed otherworldly spirit through her gourmet magic, who informed her,” Alan said.
Gloria had researched Sunisha’s “Cuisine of Spirits” and knew that otherworldly spirit wouldn’t deceive her. Combined with an extraordinary individual’s intuition, it’s usually spot-on.
Therefore, it’s highly likely that Azaz did have something to do with the fainting incident.
Gloria pondered for a moment: “Let’s tentatively assume it’s some special ability related to gourmet magic. However, ‘special abilities’ can be quite broad. You’re gifted at making grilled meat, which could also be considered a special ability, so it’s difficult for me to determine exactly what’s going on with her… Here’s what we’ll do: have them come over so I can assess the situation myself.”
Chapter 1596 Alan Incoming <TOC> Chapter 1598 Drenched in Fragrant Sweat