Chapter 27

Dinner, or rather, the late-night snack time finally arrived.

Gels welcomed at the entrance of the hall, a simple act with a not-so-simple purpose.

First, it allowed others to know that the Grand Duke of the Principality was fond of his ninth granddaughter, like a kind and gentle grandfather; second, it showed his care for children, which he wouldn't do for adults; third, it demonstrated the Grand Duke's emphasis on talent, as he highly valued the young female mage who could cast small fireballs and waterballs.

A simple gesture portrayed a positive and proactive image.

Regardless of how dark the methods behind the scenes might be, the purpose was for the light, and the protection of the square was a product of the power struggles among the nobles.

Lucia had a very happy day today, not only finding a friend but also defeating the evil Buniel Guild, earning pocket money through her own efforts.

Five thousand gold coins, enough to buy food for a feast for the entire city, with some left over.

What made her even happier was that she had learned water magic today. Despite having studied it before without success, she had always failed to understand water elements. Unexpectedly, with Narasha by her side, she quickly found the feel for it.

She made the small waterball float back and forth, and as she walked, she suddenly felt something was off with the light. She stopped, looked up, and immediately showed off in a coquettish manner, "Grandpa, look, the small waterball. In the future, Lucia can go to farther places, even to the desert, and sell water like Narasha. Is five copper coins for ten pounds of water expensive?"

Gels quickly shook his head and replied, "Five copper coins for ten pounds of water? An unimaginable price, it's too cheap. If I were in the desert without water, I would be willing to exchange everything I could for it. The kind and merciful Lucia will receive the protection of the gods."

Lucia nodded vigorously with a smile, "Yes, justice will ultimately triumph over evil. Grandpa, is the dinner sumptuous?"

Gels then turned his gaze to Gong Sun Murong and walked over, saying, "With the brave and handsome young man bringing the food, any dinner will be sumptuous. Of course, there's also the ice made by the lovely and beautiful Narasha."

Gels lightly patted Gong Sun Murong's shoulder with one hand and rubbed Narasha's head with the other, appearing to everyone as a kind and gentle grandfather.

Gong Sun Murong returned a smile, and Narasha squinted her eyes. Both of them relaxed, sensing that the Grand Duke was willing to show goodwill.

This was really fortunate, first meeting a good mayor, then a decent Grand Duke, reducing many troubles and avoiding the need to reveal all their cards and wander far and wide.

"Grandpa Gels, Brother Murong made delicious food, I believe it will satisfy you." Narasha looked expectantly at the large bag Gong Sun Murong was carrying, but she didn't smell any fragrance.

Moreover, she didn't know what her brother Murong had done before. It was impolite to fully open her senses in the palace, and she only monitored the bathing area.

"I believe Narasha would never lie. Murong, do you need help? I am very strong." Gels clenched his fist and raised his arm, making a muscular pose to prove it.

The servants around were startled; they had never seen the Grand Duke like this before.

Gong Sun Murong also acted relaxed, shaking the bag a few times and said, "Grandpa Gels, I need your help when we eat."

Their conversation turned the formal invitation into a family dinner, and even the servants didn't find it odd.

Gong Sun Murong and Narasha understood that this was not because of their young age, but because of Narasha's displayed and hidden strength, and Gong Sun Murong's mysterious power, which combined to create this effect.

The group entered the hall and sat around the round table Gels had deliberately set up.

The food prepared by the Grand Duke wasn't much in quantity, but there were many varieties: various grilled and fried meats, soups, cold vegetable salads, and cheese hot pots.

Added to this were caviar and other seafood with shells and bones removed, along with wine and fruit juice, making it quite luxurious.

However, the food's appeal depended on who was eating it.

Narasha was not unfamiliar with the food and didn't think it was bad, but she always felt it was too monotonous.

Unlike the dishes the butler taught Brother Murong, the butler had also taught the preparation methods for these dishes, and more, noting that these dishes came from another race in a different place.

Brother Murong's race had even more methods of preparing food.

The difference was that the other race always said Brother Murong's race prepared food poorly, while Brother Murong's race was willing to learn the food preparation methods of other races and acknowledge their status, then inherit, develop, and expand, forming a new system.

Eating could also be done with grace.

So now, was it time to eat the food made by Brother Murong, or the food made by Brother Murong? Narasha made a choice with the same answer.

Under her expectant gaze, Gong Sun Murong looked around, pointed at a long table twenty meters away, and with a slight movement of his fingers, the tablecloth flew over. There was no magical fluctuation, and no battle aura could be felt; the tablecloth simply flew over naturally.

This was not a show of force, but a display of his strength, as he noticed that people here liked to show off to gain recognition, and being too modest wouldn't work.

Of course, he didn't think the butler's teachings were wrong, just that different situations required different choices, related to social and cultural contexts.

But whatever the case, it was real.

The trained servants didn't gasp, the Grand Duke had strong mental fortitude, and the genius mage Lucia was full of curiosity, so the dinner proceeded in a peaceful atmosphere.

Gong Sun Murong caught the tablecloth, folded it a few times, placed it on the round table, and then put the bag on it. He rubbed his hands and began to take things out of the bag.

As the steward reported, Gong Sun Murong had left ten chickens to make Beggar's Chicken.

There were many ways to prepare this dish, but the intelligent butler said that the preparation of food in their race was never fixed. The true food expert prepared food based on the goal, first thinking about the taste and who would eat it, then considering the type of food and the processing method.

It wasn't about fixing a method and not allowing others to change it; that wasn't their race's philosophy. Their race believed in... no fixed form in warfare and no fixed shape in water.

Gong Sun Murong tasted and analyzed the ingredients before starting to prepare the dish. He mixed some herbs with wine and fed it to the chickens, using his inner strength to speed up the absorption of the seasonings into the chickens' circulatory systems.

He then mixed another part with mud, wrapped it around the chickens, and buried them in the ground to cook by steaming. This was his version of Beggar's Chicken.

However, he couldn't introduce it as Beggar's Chicken, Beggar Chicken, or even Educated Chicken, as it involved too much cultural content and would be complicated to explain.

Lucia and Grand Duke Gels naturally didn't know that the ten large mud clumps contained so much, they just found it curious and couldn't smell anything.

Narasha sniffed and asked, "Brother Murong, the smell of baked mud?"

Gong Sun Murong didn't explain the realm of food preparation. He picked up a ball of mud, and with a slight movement of his palm, the mud began to fall, revealing the yellow, tender chicken inside. Yes, light yellow, not from the baking, but from the added ingredients.

He waved his hand, and the four plates slid over. With another shake, the chicken fell into the four plates. His plate had the head, neck, wings, claws, and tail.

The chicken in each plate wasn't much, and it wasn't all. Gong Sun Murong chose young chickens, as older chickens were better for soup.

Why did he choose this way? In terms of theory, the principles of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements could explain it.

Simply put, older chickens had fixed muscles and bones, making them hard to tear and flavor.

The three people waiting to eat didn't have the energy to consider how Gong Sun Murong thought about food preparation; they were just waiting to eat.

When the mud was opened, they smelled a rich aroma.

This aroma was complex, with the scent of meat, wine, the leaves wrapping the chicken, herbs, and even the earth, with a hint of bitterness.

The three had never seen such a dish before, but the smell alone told them it would be delicious.

When Grand Duke Gels waited for Gong Sun Murong to push the plates back, he couldn't wait to take a bite, then squinted his eyes to savor it.

If he had more knowledge, he would have said, "Fatty but not greasy, lean but not dry, spicy but not hot, tender but not mushy, leaving a lingering aftertaste."

The Grand Duke didn't feel much else, but he admired Gong Sun Murong's skill in preparing the food. How could the combination of chicken, herbs, wine, and mud produce such a taste?

The Grand Duke took a sip of wine, looked at the chicken without the mud, and said, "I never thought wasting food was a quality a noble should have. At night, there are always hungry voices lingering."

His meaning was subtle: one chicken wasn't enough, and the rest couldn't be taken away; that would be wasteful!

Gong Sun Murong reluctantly agreed, "Grandpa Gels, your heart is broader than the sea, and your kindness is warmer than the spring breeze. Following your will, let's eat the other chickens."

Narasha immediately cooperated, as they had already formed a默契 (默契 means默契, but in this context, it means a tacit understanding or默契).

"Yes, I am also moved. Delicious food should be shared to make us happier. Grandpa Gels, I think we don't need others to serve us, and we don't need to worry about safety. Everyone's happiness is true happiness, isn't it?"

The Grand Duke immediately smiled and said, "You take them and share them."

So, the servants came to take the remaining parts of the chicken and distributed them in the hall.

Gong Sun Murong was helpless. He had planned to keep the less desirable parts to eat slowly. The chicken breast and thighs weren't as tasty as the head, feet, and tail, especially the wings.

The middle wings, with a balanced texture and flavor, were not as flavorful as the wing tips or the tail, not as tender as the breast or thighs, not as chewy as the neck, and not as fun to eat as the head.

But they achieved a certain balance, which was now taken away. He had planned to keep them, and when Narasha was hungry, he could lightly salt them and serve them as a snack, or even bake them.

Or he could tear them into strips and make a spicy and numbing chicken salad, which would also be delicious.

Gong Sun Murong's thoughts were completely unknown to Grand Duke Gels, who only liked the meat from the chicken breast and thighs. Now he had an excuse to taste the other chickens and wanted to speed up Gong Sun Murong's process.

So, the Grand Duke asked, "I heard you chose ten chickens out of a thousand. Are they different in ways we can't understand?"

Gong Sun Murong immediately started preparing the second chicken, "Not much different. I chose the smaller ones and adjusted the ingredients slightly. Try it."

The second chicken was also prepared and distributed.

The remaining parts were still given to the servants.

In this way, the ten chickens were finished, and the four of them were full, as were the servants. Besides the chickens, they also had other grilled meats that the Grand Duke didn't touch.

The Grand Duke took a sip of wine, looking very satisfied. He admitted that he had never eaten such delicious chicken in his life, even better than wine-grilled steak.

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