Not long after we made our announcement to the rest of the world, I was told that it was time for lunch. Apparently, Aznod had been quite busy lately, and had only just gotten back from helping Chel and James with an important matter. When we heard that, Tsubaki rushed off towards the kitchen, likely wanting to make sure that she still had the chance to cook as well.
Meanwhile, I made my way towards the living room with Accalia, chuckling at the urgency with which Tsubaki left. “So, who all hasn’t moved in?” I asked curiously, Accalia taking a moment to think it over.
“There’s Aurivy and Julia, and Tryval and Alme. Other than that… Irena lives here via Alena, but everyone else has already moved in and gotten comfortable. The rest… well, Chel doesn’t consider herself part of the Greater Pantheon, so she is still with James, obviously. Everyone else has already moved in.”
I nodded my head at that, before I gave a somewhat mischievous smirk. “Are there any secrets lying around here? This was made by Tubrock, after all?” I still remembered finding all the different hidden passages when I first received the Sky Citadel. If this was anything like that…
Unsurprisingly, Accalia chuckled softly, and nodded her head in confirmation. “That’s right. There are quite a few places. Some are really well hidden, while others are just not marked on the map, but can be found if you don’t take the teleporters everywhere. Honestly, I don’t think he built those secret rooms with any major purpose. A lot of them are empty, so he probably made them just for the sake of it.”
“Ah, hello Tsubaki.” Aznod spoke with a warm smile as he tied his apron, getting ready to start preparing dinner. “I assume you are here to cook for the Keeper?”
Tsubaki stood at the door to the kitchen, hesitating slightly before nodding her head. “That’s right. I would also like to continue learning from you at the same time, if that is acceptable.” Although Tsubaki had arguably held a higher position than Aznod in the past, that all changed the moment he married Udona, essentially putting him on the same level as one of the Greater Pantheon.
Aznod simply smiled, nodding his head. “Of course, it’s fine. However, there is one dish that I would like to specifically prepare for the Keeper myself, and I’ll be preparing it for all of the others, as well?”
Tsubaki’s eyes immediately became vigilant, looking at the kitsune chef. “A special dish?”
“You could consider it as such.” He nodded his head in agreement, pulling out a small pile of ginseng. “These are new products that have recently evolved in Deckan. While working together with Sir James and his team, I have helped to conduct a series of tests. Due to the nature of the produce, they require specific training and a special license to grow. As of now, I am the only one capable of legally growing these ginseng.”
Tsubaki’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the pile of roots. “Is there something dangerous about them?”
“If properly grown, not at all.” Aznod assured, able to see the source of Tsubaki’s concern. “If they are harvested too early, they are extremely dangerous, and they need to be grown with ready access to chaotic energy. So long as they are ripe, not only are they safe to consume, but they will also provide an additional benefit to the body.”
That got Tsubaki’s attention, causing her to turn her gaze back to Aznod. “What sort of benefit?”
“For every forty grams of this ginseng consumed, the consumer gains an internal space of five cubic meters. As long as the body has proper time to digest the food between meals, there does not appear to be an upper limit to this consumption.”
“Because of the special nature of this herb, as well as its growth time, I have asked Sir Tryval to nurture a batch in his divine farm. Otherwise, I would need to spend the entire day growing a single batch myself. And before you worry, I have already confirmed the quality of all present materials to ensure that no divine influence has damaged their properties.”
Tsubaki nodded her head, genuinely surprised that such a plant existed. “Is this more secure than the inventory system created by Lady Ashley?”
Aznod had to think about that for a moment. “It is hard to say. One thing I will confidently attest to is that this internal space won’t be blocked by any situation that would block the game system from functioning, as it is not related to the game system itself. That is why I see a great value in this dish, as it can be used to save oneself in an emergency.”
Tsubaki closed her eyes, offering a small nod. “In that case, how do you prepare these ginseng?” Even though Tsubaki wasn’t able to grow the root herself, she still wanted to know how to prepare it. Especially if it was going to be something that became a regular part of the Keeper’s diet.
Aznod smiled wide when he heard that question, taking one of the fruits. “First, it is very important that each root is fully utilized for a single person. The internal space doesn’t always stabilize if the essence is missing. While it won’t cause any harm to the consumer, it also won’t give any benefits.”
“Now, there are two ways to prepare these roots effectively. One is as a side dish, and the other as a seasoning or sauce. I’ll go over both of them, so try to follow along.” As he spoke, he grabbed one of the ginseng, bringing it over to a pot of boiling water. “First, for the seasoning, it’s necessary to boil it for ten minutes in fresh water. While that is going, let’s start on the side dish.”
Saying so, he grabbed another root, and began cutting off the tips. “The essence of space is contained within the main body of the root, so the tips and leaves can be discarded. From there, cut the remaining ginseng into thin, even slices, and grill them until they are a delicate brown. From there, additional spices or sauces can be applied to adjust flavor, but again you must ensure that all slices of the same ginseng go to the same person.”
“Now, back to the other batch.” He said, walking back to the boiling pot. Tsubaki’s brow twitched, as it appeared that the ginseng had practically melted in the water. Aznod took out two colanders of differing sizes, using the bigger one to scoop up the remains of the root, and holding the smaller one under it. “The ginseng will begin to dissolve in the water, so be sure to be prepared.”
Tsubaki could see a filter on the base of the smaller colander, which was being held under the first to catch any water dripped out of it. As the water poured, she could see strands of gray fibers getting caught in the filter. “To be safe, once you’ve drained the roots, give them a good squeeze to extract any extra essence, and then scoop along the top of the water.”
Once he was done demonstrating, he disposed of the plant waste in the trash, keeping only the filtered fibers. “These fibers are what contain the essence of space in raw form.” He said, grabbing the filter carefully. “For today’s dish, I’m going to use this ginseng as a seasoning for the Keeper. It doesn’t have much of a taste, so the Keeper likely won’t even notice it. Once you get it to this point, just dry and powder the fibers in a mortar and pestle, and then you will be ready to use them.”
Tsubaki nodded her head firmly, taking in every detail of the process. Her World Sight swept over the small fibers, and she could see the energy of the void within them. However, this energy had been refined to a certain degree, and lacked the sheer volatility normally found in such energy. Thankfully, the process to extract these fibers was rather simple, and it was likely that Aznod had spent some time and effort to optimize the recipe.
In fact, Tsubaki was quite confident that she would be able to extract the essences more efficiently with her abilities, though those same abilities wouldn’t apply to other chefs.
Rowan smiled as he watched over the construction team, all of them happily working while he and the other Maxers guarded them against monster attacks. Despite his moral alignment, Rowan was indeed doing his job, observing the underground with his senses to watch for any possible ambushes.
After all, there was no need to let something else enjoy his prey before he had the chance to do so himself. Now that a few hours had passed, more than a third of those at the sight had been gradually affected by his spreading power. Whenever one touched by his ‘gift’ touched another, it would share that effect with them. Despite all those present being energy beings of one variety or another, those affected all had fresh blood pumping through their bodies.
All that lives must bleed, and all that bleeds must die. These were the two core rules established by Rowan after turning into the Fallen God of Blood. Those given blood by this effect must be careful, as that blood represented their life force. Spilling it meant a direct loss of their health, regardless of their energy state. This made otherwise nonlethal attacks that only threatened mortals once more a terror for those that had achieved perfection or godhood. Even a martial spirit could not escape this bloodletting.
Even more insidious was the fact that Rowan was able to control the blood that began to flow through the body of his victims. If he wanted it to erupt and spill out of their bodies, he could do so. In a way, those who were touched by his power were already dead, they simply hadn’t realized it yet.
“Oh, cool, what’s this?!” A young, energetic voice echoed in Rowan’s ears, causing him to purse his lips and look at its source. There, a young girl with pale white skin and matching hair stood amongst the construction crew, staring down at her arms in surprise. Rowan could feel that his power had started to flow through the girl, so he thought she must have cut herself while working.
Silly girl not being careful. Rowan chuckled to himself, before pursing his lips. Most construction workers chose larger builds, because it was easier to carry large objects and do heavy labor. Moreover, the girl didn’t seem to be injured, as her health bar hadn’t appeared over her head. It almost made Rowan think that she was referring to something else entirely, until he heard her next words.
“Is this blood? Cool! But why do I have blood, all of a sudden?” She asked herself, drawing the attention of those nearby.
“Miss? Are you still in a mortal body? It’s dangerous to be on a floor this high.” A tall, burly man spoke in a surprisingly gentle voice, causing the girl to shake her head.
“Nope! I’m a super cool god, you know! But why would a god have blood?” She tilted her head to the side, making the man before her blink.
“Are you sure you didn’t sense wrongly, miss…?”
“Lifre! My name’s Lifre, and I’m super sure that I sensed it right, see!” One of her fingers turned into a blade, cutting at her other palm without hesitation. Her health bar immediately appeared over her head. And then, instead of the normal glowing mist, blood began to flow slowly drip from her palm.
The large man’s eyes went wide in alarm. “L-Lady Lifre?” He asked in both recognition and concern, Lifre looking up at him.
“Yup, that’s right! I thought it’d be fun to come and help everyone get set up on the frontier! So many stories to see out here! And this one…” She hummed thoughtfully, before her eyes fixed on Rowan. “This is your story, right?”
