Under the dual ‘assault’ of hammer relics and tasty food, the Lizardmen tribe had no resistance whatsoever. Especially since they couldn’t understand why, with the same ingredients, and some even being extremely simple, the dishes made by these revolutionary people were so delicious.
When Renji was transported to the southern region, he had already purchased a large amount of food in the Sealed City. Currently, supporting the tribe for a month was not a problem. However, relying solely on these non-renewable food supplies was not a long-term solution. Renji needed to find a way to restore the demi-human’s vitality and revive their shamanic heritage.
But no matter what, as Renji looked at the Lizardmen demi-humans around him, devouring the porridge, he couldn’t help but feel a different kind of satisfaction. Perhaps, after the impact of the previous “Karl,” something had quietly changed within Nova. Surprisingly, she even approached Ashe.
“Sister….Nana(Nova)?” Ashe was startled to see Nova suddenly appearing by her side, especially after Eileen had informed her about Nova’s terrifying strength, lifting a hammer weighing over a hundred kilograms.
Ashe thought Nova had come to her for another “sword training” session. However, what Nova said next left her dumbfounded.
Nova took a deep breath and then stared into Ashe’s eyes with utmost seriousness.
“Ashe, can you teach me how to cook?”
‘Huh!?’
‘Cook?’
Ashe was first shocked. This was completely unexpected. Although Nova had only joined them a day ago, the cold and distant aura emanating from her almost labeled her as someone to avoid.
Sensitive Ashe could also sense that the feeling Nova gave her was not like Eileen and the maids. It always felt like there was a thick barrier between them, as if they were from completely different worlds.
But Nova’s words completely shattered Ashe’s understanding.
“I also want to help in some way, so, can you please teach me?” Seeing Ashe’s silence, Nova repeated her request earnestly.
Now Ashe was fully awake, and she immediately nodded excitedly. She knew that anyone following her master Renji must be gentle at heart, no matter how they appeared on the outside!
And in her heart, Ashe secretly cheered herself on. She had to seize this opportunity well; ‘who knows, it might be the key moment to establish a good relationship with Sister Nana(Nova)!’
Eagerly, Ashe handed over her current tasks to others and quickly led Nova to the makeshift workspace.
“Sister Nana, have you cooked before?”
“No…” Nova shook her head.
She had never cooked before. In the past, she relied on others to prepare meals. Perhaps this was why Suthia called her “selfish” Now that she thought about it, she indeed used to be quite self-centered.
Change must happen.
Nova firmly held onto this thought.
“Alright, then let’s start with something simple!”
Ashe nodded and pulled out a recipe for “Vegetable Soup” The steps were straightforward. After showing it to Nova, The Dragon Empress immediately took action.
She picked up the vegetables that Ashe had prepared for her and poured them into the pot. Just as she was about to move on to the next step…
“Wait, wait a moment!” Ashe hurriedly stopped Nova.
Seeing the puzzled expression on Nova’s face, Ashe lifted the lid of the pot. As she looked at the chunks of vegetables sinking to the bottom of the pot, a sudden realization hit Ashe that things might not be as easy as she had imagined.
” Sister Nana, you need to cut these fruits into pieces and shreds first. You can’t just put the whole thing in like that!”
Nova suddenly understood and nodded. After scooping out the vegetables and fruits from the pot, she also took the kitchen knife handed over by Ashe. She took a deep breath; this was her first time cooking, and it symbolized her determination to make a change. Thus, Nova was extremely focused.
Gripping the knife, she assumed a stance similar to when wielding a weapon in battle. Treating the fruits and vegetables on the cutting board as enemies on the battlefield, before Ashe could even see clearly, Nova had already retracted the knife. The vegetables in front of her split into pieces with a “swish” accompanied by the sound of the cutting board cracking.
Ashe: “.”
“Alright, Sister Nana, now you can put these vegetables in. Then, let’s add some seasonings. First, let’s add some vinegar.”
Ashe placed several small ceramic jars in front of Nova. Some were purchased from the Sealed City, and some were freshly prepared today.
Nova had just been looking at the recipe, but when she picked up a ceramic jar and poured it in, Ashe hurriedly stopped her.
“Sister Nana, that’s sugar!”
Nova fell silent for a moment, then confidently picked another ceramic jar after sniffing it again with her nose. This time, she got a headache-inducing expression from Ashe.
“Sister Nana, that’s soy sauce. This one here is vinegar!”
Finally pouring it in, Ashe was once again alarmed, “Too much! Too much!!”
After a bowl of vegetable soup gave Ashe an idea of Nova’s “culinary skills,” the determined Catgirl immediately gave up and decided to lower the difficulty for Nova.
“Sister Nana, I think making pancakes might be a good idea. Let’s start with kneading the dough. It’s not complicated; just follow the proportions and add water and flour.”
“Start by putting in two cups of flour.”
Nova: “Okay.”
“Then add one cup of water.”
Nova: “Okay.”
Ashe: “.”
Seeing the sudden silence from the Catgirl, Nova looked up in confusion.
“Then, Sister Nana, you can take out the three cups you put in there.”
After some struggles and the repeated cycle of “more water, more flour,” her dough became larger and larger. However, regardless of the outcome, the fact that Nova managed to create something was considered a success. Ashe didn’t dare let Nova continue with additional toppings, taking charge herself.
Once everything was ready, the final step was to put it in the oven.
However, due to the excessively large amount of dough they made, even though they cut it into several pieces, each one was still quite thick, making it challenging to bake thoroughly.
Nova noticed this and, seeing that the dough remained unchanged in color for a long time, volunteered to help this time. In the curious gaze of Ashe…
Whoosh!* 𝑖𝘳𝑎.𝒸ℴ𝘮
A blazing flame suddenly enveloped all the dough. The intense heatwave even startled Ashe, who had been standing nearby, causing her to take several steps back.
When Ashe rushed to stop Nova, it was somewhat too late.
After the flames dissipated, what sat on the rack were “pancakes” that had turned into charcoal.
Ashe: “.”
Nova: “.”
“Sister Nana.”
Nova: “Yes?”
“Let’s go practice swordsmanship”
———
———————-
I swear I didn’t copy Raiden Shogun’s personality … Or her skill…. Or her cooking…. ( ?° ?? ?°)
𝘪𝘳.𝒸𝑜𝑚