Chapter 74

Emperor Rexlar was startled by Narasha's charming smile.

He suddenly felt a sense of guilt.

It seemed his guess about the person in the ruins was incorrect.

He wanted to ask clearly, whether Narasha came from the ruins, and about Gongsun Murong's identity.

After some thought, he found it uninteresting.

Regardless of whether Narasha came from the ruins, she was standing here, about to participate in the competition as a child of the empire.

Asking this was less useful than asking whether they could determine the compatibility of magical items.

The group, each with their own thoughts, arrived at the second warehouse opened for Gongsun Murong.

Gongsun Murong came out after ten minutes.

Narasha helped by saying, "We're still missing two items, a necklace for the earth element and a bracelet for the water element."

"Open another one," Emperor Rexlar ordered.

Another warehouse was opened.

This time, Gongsun Murong selected everything and had Nigel, the steward, register it.

The items belonged to him, and whether they would need to be returned in the future depended on how much benefit Gongsun Murong could bring to the empire.

If the benefits were not significant, the items would have to be returned; five sets of seventh-grade magical jewelry were not something that could be measured by money alone.

If the benefits were substantial, he could continue to use them, and no one would mention it again.

******

The group arrived at a large hall for rest.

Emperor Rexlar had various foods and drinks brought in.

He picked up his chopsticks, picked up a few pieces of water-boiled tripe, dipped them in sesame sauce and chili oil, and nodded in satisfaction: "Murong, you should teach others as much as you can."

Gongsun Murong knew that the skills the other party was referring to were not combat skills, but cooking skills.

He showed a helpless expression: "I haven't even learned enough to be a chef, how can I dare to take on students?"

"Oh? Lying is not a good quality. You can ask others how much they like the food you make. If you can't even graduate, are you mocking other chefs?"

Emperor Rexlar clearly did not believe it. He knew that many of the foods Gongsun Murong made in the Gers Principality had become the main products of the Gers Principality.

The Grand Duke of Gers even had people use magical spacecraft to transport the prepared, long-lasting food to other principalities for sale.

Especially the spicy hot pot, which, when made in the capital before, allowed others to see the seasonings.

Now, the Grand Duke of Gers had ordered that the recipe not be spread among the people, even if it was altered.

Intelligence reports said that the Grand Duke of Gers had made a lot of money.

A chicken, which cost only a dozen copper coins, could be sold for six silver coins when made into a beggar's chicken. A duck, which cost more than twenty copper coins, could be sold for nine silver coins when made into a roast duck and cut and eaten in a certain way.

It was like robbing people.

Even the utensils used included chopsticks.

Emperor Rexlar found it convenient to use chopsticks, as he was a Heavenly Artisan and a high-level Earth Combatant, and did not find it unfamiliar.

However, many ordinary people found it not easy to learn, but they were still trying hard.

It seemed that using chopsticks to eat was a very noble thing.

So Emperor Rexlar thought Gongsun Murong was keeping secrets.

"I can vouch for Brother Murong. He really hasn't reached the level to graduate. There are millions of dishes, and Brother Murong has only learned a tiny bit."

Narasha did not allow others to doubt her Brother Murong and spoke the truth.

The people in the hall were moved. Millions of dishes? It would take a lifetime to learn.

"The most important thing is that Brother Murong's understanding of dishes is not good enough. Cooking is divided into three realms, and Brother Murong hasn't even reached the second realm. It will take a long, long time.

Let me give you an example. The same pot of stir-fried dishes, yes, stir-fried, a way of cooking dishes, one pot stir-fried, you can pick any, and each bite tastes different. This is the second realm."

Narasha loved to eat, so she learned very seriously when the smart steward taught her, but only the theory.

The people in the hall moved again, especially Emperor Rexlar, who had already thought about the different origins of Gongsun Murong and Narasha.

That should be another race. There couldn't be millions of dishes on this side, nor could they be divided into different realms. How could a pot of dishes have different flavors? How is that done?

Nigel asked curiously, "What are the three realms?"

"Hmm! I'll tell you."

"The first realm is called 'seeing a mountain as a mountain.' The dishes made are made according to the taste they should have. According to Grandpa Steward, this is called the 'willing to become thin and emaciated for her' realm."

Everyone nodded.

"The second realm is called 'seeing a mountain not as a mountain.' The dishes made have flavors so complex that they are hard to imagine. Grandpa Steward said this is called the 'last night the west wind withered the green trees, I climbed the high tower alone and looked to the end of the horizon' realm."

Everyone was amazed, finding it beautiful. The first sentence was beautiful, and the second was even more beautiful.

'Last night the west wind withered the green trees, I climbed the high tower alone and looked to the end of the horizon' should be a painting, a mood, beautiful and melancholy.

"The third realm is called 'seeing a mountain as a mountain.' The dishes made are exactly what they should taste like. Grandpa Steward said this is called the 'searching for her in a thousand faces, suddenly I turn my head, and there she stands, in the dim light' realm."

After Narasha finished, she proudly raised her little head, as if to say, "Are you shocked?"

Emperor Rexlar and the others were indeed shocked.

No one asked why the first and third realms sounded the same.

There were no civil servants in the hall today, and everyone could be considered experts.

They knew that the first and third realms were absolutely different.

It was like a direct thrust with a sword, a very simple move.

But when a beginner uses it, others can dodge; when an expert uses it, you see it as a direct thrust, simple and direct, but you can't dodge.

It was a difference in realm.

The three realms of cooking seemed to apply to any industry. What would the dishes made in the last realm taste like?

So beautiful, to describe the three realms like poetry, making people feel so comfortable. Gongsun Murong, where do you come from?

Emperor Rexlar felt a sense of longing and a desire to conquer. He wanted to conquer more places and see more strange things.

For example, the race Gongsun Murong belonged to.

He thought this, but he had no idea what position Gongsun Murong's race was in.

Although this planet was large, it was still a planet. The others ruled a star system and planned to conquer, but they would fall when they met.

If Gongsun Murong's spacecraft hadn't had a problem, he should now have his own small star system.

A small star system close to an unknown star domain, where he would go on adventures and battles, and strive to expand his territory.

Or a small star system next to an enemy race, where he would fight for his country, family, and himself.

All this could only be discussed when he returned. The more capable he was, the more dangerous the territory assigned to him would be. If he was completely useless, he would be given the smallest star system with a few planets to retire in.

Gongsun Murong knew this, so he always worked hard. He didn't want to be a parasite and didn't need others to support him.

For a moment, everyone was lost in their own thoughts and fell silent.

"Making a dish is just that, what are you all thinking about?" Narasha didn't like this atmosphere and broke the silence in the hall.

"Narasha, eating is not just eating. Good eating can make a lot of money, and the empire needs money. Why does Lucia have one less hairpin?"

Emperor Rexlar came back to reality and smiled at Narasha.

"Oh, talking about this makes me angry. To give my good friend Lucia a set, we paid a high price.

But the hairpin they made was not good and would weaken the auxiliary ability when placed with other jewelry on Lucia.

Lucia has one less piece of jewelry, but the rest are all fifth-grade magical items. However, the auxiliary ability they provide is not inferior to a general sixth-grade set because the combination is reasonable."

Narasha was very troubled. They spent money, and the items were made, but they couldn't be used.

Emperor Rexlar immediately asked, "There's nothing suitable for her in the warehouse? You've already been to three warehouses."

Narasha smiled but said nothing.

Gongsun Murong had to answer, "Yes, we selected five-element items for Lucia from the warehouse, all sixth-grade, but we couldn't gather a complete seventh-grade set. We have already marked it."

As he spoke, he took out a piece of paper with writing on it.

Emperor Rexlar moved his hand, and the paper flew to him.

He saw that it listed items from a certain warehouse at a certain position, followed by two sets of numbers, ranging from 100 to 90.

Em