Chapter 2659 Shattered <TOC> Chapter 2661 Maya’s Pressure
Translator: SumTLMan
Scallion Egg Fried Rice?
At first, Cecia refused. Although she had never heard of this dish, she intensely disliked eggs, believing that no matter how they were prepared, there would always be a fishy smell. Of course, if it were made by a gourmet wizard, that would be a different matter entirely. But Head Maid Mana obviously seemed like an ordinary auntie, so it was impossible for her to have the skill level of a gourmet wizard.
Most importantly, Cecia had seen a whole pot of oil in the kitchen for making shredded egg, which made her even more resistant.
She had disliked overly oily foods since childhood, always feeling that oil had a raw smell to it. Having “raw smell” combine with an “eggy smell,” two of her least favorite odors, made her feel repulsed both physically and mentally.
Had it not been for the genuine warmth shown by Head Maid Mana, she probably would have already turned around and left.
Nevertheless, no matter how enthusiastic Head Maid Mana was, Cecia had no desire to try this so-called scallion egg fried rice. She was already deliberating on how to politely but firmly decline Mana’s invitation without hurting her feelings.
Perhaps using “I’m already full” as an excuse would be more suitable?
However, before Cecia could find the right moment to politely decline, Head Maid Mana came over with a beaming smile, placing a porcelain plate heaped with golden grains of rice before Cecia.
As the enticing aroma wafted upward, and she beheld the long grains of rice wrapped in delicate strands of egg, complemented by the fresh green of the scallions, the thought of refusing began to waver. For the second time that day, Cecia felt that familiar sensation, saliva gathering in her mouth.
The first time was when she drank cream of mushroom soup.
“Go on, have a taste. I purposely brought you a spoon. Actually, it’s best to eat scallion egg fried rice with chopsticks, but chopsticks are hard to master. I studied for a very long time just to barely manage them, so it’s better to use a spoon for now,” Head Maid Mana said with a cheerful smile, sitting across from Cecia.
Chopsticks? Cecia wondered about that strange-sounding utensil, but she didn’t ask. At that moment, all her senses were captivated by the plate of egg fried rice before her.
Why not take a small bite and try it? It smelled quite fragrant, so perhaps it might be surprisingly good?
And if it turned out to be bad, she could always stop after a taste.
With these thoughts in mind, and under Head Maid Mana’s expectant gaze, Cecia could not help but stretch out her hand. Trembling slightly, she picked up the spoon and dipped it into that mound of golden rice.
A small spoonful, sent into her mouth, lightly chewed, then swallowed.
Cecia froze on the spot.
It was… so fragrant!
She had imagined it to be raw-smelling, fishy, and incredibly oily, but in reality, the texture was delightfully dry and savory. Moreover, each grain of rice was coated in a delicate layer of egg, making every bite feel particularly satisfying.
She detected no raw or fishy smell… Perhaps this body’s taste buds were not as sensitive as before? It actually seemed quite nice.
With no trace of raw or fishy odor, Cecia began scooping spoonful after spoonful into her mouth. The more she chewed, the more flavorful it became, and her expression unwittingly showed her contentment.
The taste somewhat resembled heated salted cheese drizzled over black rye, yet compared to the cheese-and-rye combination, this was lighter and neither too salty nor too greasy. Even though she still preferred the relatively subtle cream of mushroom soup, this scallion egg fried rice was certainly on par with it.
In fact, the unique culinary experience of this fried rice might even surpass the cream of mushroom soup.
“How is it?” Head Maid Mana asked. One look at Cecia’s expression told her that the girl did not hate the flavor of egg fried rice.
“I was worried you might not be able to eat scallions. I was thinking I might have to whip up a batch of egg fried rice without scallions later. But if you’re fine with scallions, then it’s all good.”
Cecia said: “So this green vegetable is called scallion. The taste is indeed a bit unusual, but when paired with the egg strands, it melds quite harmoniously.”
Head Maid Mana replied: “According to Mr. Jon, scallions suppress that fishy egg smell, improving the overall flavor.”
“So it neutralizes the fishiness.” Cecia finally understood why she hadn’t detected any eggy smell.
Speaking while eating, or chewing loudly, was considered very rude among Laudsourcians. Cecia, being the epitome of a well-educated lady, had always adhered to these customs.
Yet at this moment, confronted with Head Maid Mana’s benevolent smile, Cecia completely disregarded Laudsourcian etiquette.
After all, there were hardly any Laudsourcians left. Clinging to these archaic, rigid rules as if they were absolute commandments was laughable at best.
“Head Maid Mana, may I ask you something?”
Mana nodded brightly: “Certainly. Also, Miss Cecia, you can just call me Auntie. Calling me ‘head maid’ all the time sounds so formal.”
“Alright,” Cecia agreed with a smile: “I just wanted to ask: is this scallion egg fried rice a local specialty here?”
Mana covered her mouth and laughed: “That’s the question I used to get asked a lot in reality. Never expected I’d still hear it even here in the Wilderness of Dreams.”
“This dish isn’t a specialty of the Wilderness of Dreams; it’s something from Mr. Jon’s hometown. Speaking of which, I’m not even the best at making egg fried rice around here. I’d say I rank about third in the estate.”
“The best is Mr. Jon himself. Second best is Master Pat…”
Cecia exclaimed in surprise: “Angel can cook?”
Head Maid Mana said: “Not the young master, the elder master. The young master did learn how to make egg fried rice, but for whatever reason, his attempts always yield bizarre flavors. Sometimes it’s quite delicious, sometimes it’s just so-so.”
“As for the elder master, he dotes on the young master. Knowing that the young master loves the egg fried rice Mr. Jon makes, he made a special effort to learn how to make scallion egg fried rice just to cook it for the young master. His cooking is truly excellent, and he often adds extra ingredients to spruce up the dish without ruining the flavor, makes it more aromatic and scrumptious. I can’t do that.”
Cecia sensed a small epiphany forming. It appeared Angel had an older brother, and their relationship was quite good.
“In that case, if Jon’s cooking is the best, why didn’t Jon just cook for Angel? Why was it Angel’s older brother who stepped in?”
“Well, that’s because Mr. Jon…” Head Maid Mana was just in the middle of her explanation when footsteps echoed from outside the door.
Shortly after, a voice spoke from outside: “Because Teacher Jon’s hands are better suited to playing the piano, or engaging in scholarly research. Putting them to use making egg fried rice would be too big of a waste.”
“It’s the young master,” Mana said, her eyes instantly lighting up as she glanced toward the door.
Indeed, moments later, Angel stepped inside.
Mana was overjoyed at Angel’s arrival, but Cecia frowned as though she had suddenly recalled something, giving a cold side glance that instantly cooled the harmonious atmosphere in the dining room.
Unaware of the sudden tension, Mana heard Angel say: “Good day, Head Maid Mana.”
“Good day,” Mana responded smoothly.
“I have something to discuss privately with Miss Cecia. Would you mind brewing two cups of tea for us?”
Naturally, Mana realized Angel had something personal to discuss, so she nodded without hesitation: “Of course. Please wait a moment, young master, Miss Cecia.”
With a small curtsey, Mana withdrew politely.
Angel then moved closer to Cecia: “So? Did you like the egg fried rice?”
But Cecia answered with an apparent non sequitur: “Head Maid Mana is a very kind person.”
Angel said: “And therefore?”
Cecia continued: “Therefore, I don’t want to answer your question.”
Seeing the earnest expression on Cecia’s face, Angel inexplicably understood her meaning.
She didn’t want to see Angel, so she deliberately resisted answering his question. Yet since the fried rice was prepared by Head Maid Mana, a person she believed to be genuinely kind, she couldn’t bear to lie and say it tasted bad, but she also refused to straightforwardly tell Angel it was delicious. Consequently, she chose not to answer at all.
It was a rather contradictory train of thought, but Angel felt confident he had guessed correctly.
As for why Cecia did not wish to see him… her subsequent questioning made it crystal clear.
Cecia said: “You can locate my position, and you know exactly when I entered the Wilderness of Dreams?”
Though phrased like a question, she spoke with certainty and contempt. Clearly, she assumed Angel had been monitoring her, and she was naturally displeased by that.
Angel initially thought about making up an excuse, but after a moment’s consideration, he decided to be honest: “I’ve acquired a particular Power within the Wilderness of Dreams——the Gate of Dreams. This ability is the foundation for why other people can appear in this place, enabling it to flourish. Likewise, it permits me to mark certain individuals so that, when these individuals enter this realm, the Power notifies me.”
“The particular individuals I’ve marked include the ancestral spirits of the Savage Grottoes, the person in charge of the Savage Grottoes, my mentor… along with a few others I believe require special attention. That includes you.”
Cecia had been simmering in her displeasure. But hearing Angel’s explanation, she was somewhat taken aback.
A Power? A Power in this world, mastered by a human? Why was he telling her this? Could something of such importance really be disclosed to her?
Noting the puzzlement on Cecia’s face, Angel gave a faint laugh: “I’m not the only one who holds a Power, and mine is the most convenient in many ways. It lets me pinpoint people’s locations, or even alter their arrival points according to my wishes.”
“Nevertheless, I won’t abuse it for trivial matters.”
Cecia looked steadily at Angel. In regard to his candor, she was relatively satisfied, at least enough to lessen her annoyance about being monitored.
Cecia asked: “Why do I merit special treatment?”
Angel cast a perplexed look at Cecia: “Isn’t it obvious? Have you forgotten what you asked me inside the Box of Cecia before? My answer is the same: because you’re a Laudsourcian.”
Cecia felt momentarily stuck: “…Aren’t there other Laudsourcians in the Wilderness of Dreams, too?”
“Yes, and I’ve marked them all as special individuals.”
Watching Angel’s matter-of-fact expression, Cecia briefly found herself at a loss for words… because what he said did seem logical.
Moreover, the so-called special individuals Angel mentioned also included the high-ranking members of the Savage Grottoes. Put that way, there really wasn’t much to be upset about.
Seeing that Cecia’s expression softened, Angel sensed she was coming around. Quickly, he seized the opportunity to change the subject: “If you’d like to know more details, you can discover them yourself, or you can go to the Azure Tower and ask Freud for guidance. For now, shall we set these matters aside and talk about what I need to discuss?”
“What do you need? What is it?”
“An urgent matter.”
“An urgent matter?” Cecia asked in confusion: “Don’t tell me you’ve retreated?”
Angel said: “Retreated? What do you mean?”
Cecia explained: “By my calculations, based on the time you left me, most of your party likely hasn’t yet exited the alternate dimension space. Therefore, the only urgent matter I can think of is that you all encountered an attack. Even with the mark’s protection, if you got attacked, that means there’s only one possibility, you retreated.”
“When you retreat, the mark doesn’t follow. So if you all really did retreat, you’d fall into the void… If it’s those two apprentices who fell, you might as well give up. They can’t be saved. As for you, you can probably break through the interplanar passage, leaving the space altogether.”
Angel said: “Are you feeding monstrous creatures in the void?”
Cecia responded: “Yes. Don’t ask me which creatures, why they’re being kept there, or what lies deep in the void… I can’t answer, and in some cases, I don’t even know the answers.”
Cecia cut off every possible avenue of inquiry. Angel could only temporarily abandon his questions about the secrets in the alternate dimension space.
He returned to the main topic: “We didn’t have anyone retreat. The urgent matter I mentioned is something else. The Black Count has already departed the alternate dimension space and conducted a brief reconnaissance at the Hanging Prison Stairs. The situation there is even more unusual than I expected…”
Trailing off, Angel looked directly at Cecia: “I want to know, how much do you know about what’s happening inside the Hanging Prison Stairs? Also, when was the last time you received any information on it?”
…
After some time, Cecia exited Pat Manor with Head Maid Mana’s arm in hers.
Cecia wanted to see more of this place and also visit the Azure Tower that Angel had mentioned. Head Maid Mana was heading to the Azure Tower for her own tasks, so the two decided to go together.
Meanwhile, Angel remained in the second-floor dining room, furrowing his brow slightly.
From Cecia, he’d gained some not-so-great news. The information she had about the Hanging Prison Stairs was from six years ago.
For Cecia, who had lived through ten thousand years, six years was like the blink of an eye. But considering how timid the Wood Spirit in the Hanging Prison Stairs was, every single moment over those six years could have sparked untold events.
It was entirely possible that, sometime in those six years, it suddenly decided to leave.
On the other hand, it wasn’t all bad news. One piece of information was relatively positive.
The bottom level of the Hanging Prison Stairs wasn’t just now beginning to fall apart. Its edges and corners had already begun crumbling before the Wood Spirit arrived there.
Such damage to the perimeter walls or corners, places not covered by the magic formation, was only natural. No matter how high quality the materials, they would succumb to time eventually. It was normal wear and tear.
But the main areas, such as the central hall and the stairs, were still fundamentally intact.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, it could conceivably remain stable for another thousand years as long as the magic formation was not damaged.
So, balancing the good against the bad, the Wood Spirit might still be hiding out in the Hanging Prison Stairs. Then again, that depended on whether it knew the magic formation could still endure for another thousand years. If it didn’t know that, upon seeing the surrounding structures gradually collapse, the likelihood of it relocating could be high.
Whether it was still there or not could only be confirmed by going there in person.