Chapter Ninety-Three: The Ice and Fire Sorcerer-Chef

Soon afterward, Lin Xi arrived with a plump little man who had a kindly, rustic face and a thin mustache. He was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, wearing a foolishly good-natured smile, with neither presence nor bearing, looking exactly like a nameless extra in the background. He was so ordinary that one would almost instinctively overlook him. It was hard to imagine that he could possibly solve the problem of feeding more than eight thousand people.

Though Link was puzzled, he did not question it. Seeing that the man was, like Lin Xi, an intermediate believer, he smiled with the polished sanctimony of a holy man and said, "In the name of the Father God, Mr. Leicok, welcome. Lin Xi has already told me about you. If you can help us solve our food shortage, I will be sure to reward you handsomely."

Antioch Leicok hurriedly waved both hands. "No, no, no, Archbishop Neal, you are far too kind. It is my honor to be able to help you and the Church of the Father God. I am delighted beyond words—how could I possibly ask for a reward?" After a pause, his face lit with hope. "However, I do have a humble request, and I hope you will agree to it."

"In the name of the Father God, Mr. Leicok, please speak plainly."

Link smiled as he spoke. Though the man had been introduced by Lin Xi, he would not let his feelings be swayed by her when facing this plump little fellow. His warm, easy manner also made Lin Xi, standing nearby, feel rather resentful.

Antioch did not notice his friend’s odd mood. After hearing Link’s words, he hesitated for a moment before saying carefully, "Well, ever since I witnessed the sublime Father God descending a miracle two days ago, I felt as though my soul had been summoned by Him. So I want to join the Church of the Father God. I wonder whether Archbishop Neal would be willing to take me in..." He then hurriedly added, "Please rest assured, Archbishop. I may not amount to much in combat, but my cooking is first-rate. I inherited the ancient culinary arts and can prepare many delicious dishes that no one makes anymore. I will certainly not disappoint you!"

After listening quietly, Link smiled faintly. "Mr. Leic..."

"Archbishop, you may simply call me Antioch."

"Then... all right, Antioch. If you truly can solve the townspeople’s food problem as Lin Xi says, then my church will open its doors to you."

Upon hearing this, Antioch was overjoyed and immediately patted his chest in assurance. "Do not worry, Archbishop. I will not disappoint you. It is only a mere number under ten thousand. Give me ingredients for three hundred portions, and I can make a feast that will feed everyone." In his excitement, he even referred to himself as a subordinate. It seemed that the "miracle" from that night had shaken him profoundly, leaving him much like those fellows in novels who are cowed by an overbearing aura; he was almost at the point of crying and begging to become a younger brother.

Link did not correct him. He only smiled and said, "Heh, I look forward to it very much."

After that, Link asked Lin Xi to take Antioch to fetch the ingredients, then called over Lingfeng and the others, intending to see exactly how Antioch would cook. If the man harbored any ill intentions, he would act together with the experts at once.

Neither Lin Xi nor Antioch was someone Link would fully trust. After all, both of them were wrapped in too many secrets. Who knew whether their eagerness to join the Church of the Father God concealed some ulterior motive? Although they were intermediate believers, Link did not believe that being one made a person incapable of harming the church. After all, they believed in the Father God, not the church itself.

It was not that Link was excessively suspicious; rather, at such a critical juncture, everything had to be handled with caution. The food problem was an urgent one, and if it was not dealt with properly, disaster could easily follow. Link would not gamble on it, so he had no choice but to be careful.

Very soon, Lingfeng and the others arrived. When they asked what was going on, Link told them about Antioch. After hearing of the ancient culinary arts, the three cardinals were instantly shocked, and Lingfeng asked, "Archbishop, is that true? Does that man really know the ancient culinary arts?"

"He and Lin Xi both said so," Link replied. Then, with some confusion, he asked, "Cardinal Lingfeng, do you know what the ancient culinary arts are?"

Lingfeng nodded. "The ancient culinary arts were created three thousand years ago by an unparalleled prodigy named Bing Nian. He was an Oriental, meaning a present-day person from the Eastern Cloud Empire. He began as an ordinary cook, but through a series of extraordinary encounters obtained seven miraculous cleavers, and from them created the ancient culinary arts. With them, he could prepare delicacies unmatched under heaven. Moreover, those top-tier dishes were not merely delicious; they also possessed many wondrous effects. The most exaggerated legend says they could instantly grant an ordinary person the physique of a third-tier warrior. At that time, he was not only acknowledged as the greatest chef in the world, but also a master admired by all. Rumor even claimed he was the illegitimate son of the Frost Goddess and the God of Flame, earning him the nickname 'the Ice and Fire Demon Chef'!"

Link nearly spat out his food upon hearing this. Ice and Fire Demon Chef? Wasn’t that the title of a novel he had read in his former life? Bing Nian? The protagonist of that story seemed to have been called Nian Bing, with the characters reversed. Could it be the same tale?

Thinking of this, Link also found himself rather eager to see what Antioch’s ancient culinary arts could do.

Link first gave Antioch ingredients for ten portions as a test. After receiving them, Antioch did not use the church kitchen to cook. Instead, he prepared to use the temporary stoves specially set up for cooking for the refugees. There were too many people, and the church kitchen was not enough, so many such stoves had been erected on the spot.

These stoves were absurdly crude. Aside from being large, they had no advantages whatsoever, and the food prepared on them was not very good. But in a disaster, no one could afford to be picky. They had all been using these stoves to prepare meals the day before, yet Antioch actually intended to use such poor tools to cook.

Under everyone’s curious, expectant, and skeptical gazes, Antioch produced seven cleavers of different shapes. From each blade, the crowd could sense the aura of various elements, though it was exceedingly faint and far too weak to add much destructive power to the knives.

Antioch placed the cleavers on a temporary rack, closed his eyes, and drew a deep breath. When he opened them again, his entire bearing had changed. A not-insignificant surge of battle aura burst from within him, enough to reach the fourth tier. Yet this battle aura lacked any sharp edge; it gave off the same cuddly, harmless impression as the man himself, offering absolutely no intimidation and leaving the onlookers bewildered.

The next instant, Antioch lifted a hand and drew the ingredients beside him over. Then, with a cleaver in each hand, he began chopping at a terrifying speed, like a cutting machine running at full power. Only afterimages could be seen; no one could capture the details. The mountain of ingredients seemed to be fed into a shredder, steadily turning into neat bite-sized pieces.

At the same time, Antioch infused his peculiar battle aura into the cleavers. The elemental energy within the blades instantly became active, flowing from the cleavers into the food and causing it to undergo a drastic transformation. Antioch maintained his rhythm, continuing to divide and process the remaining ingredients one by one, his hands moving at a monstrous speed, giving the entire scene the feeling of watching a film.

Even more astonishingly, as Antioch’s cooking deepened, the elements within a radius of several dozen meters began to change as well. They rapidly gathered toward his seven cleavers and were then worked into the food, making it transform more and more, even increasing in volume with every pass—more miraculous than the additive abuse of the most unscrupulous factories on Earth.

Ten minutes later, Antioch stopped. The ingredients for ten portions had become enough food for two hundred people. More astonishing still, the dishes were brightly colored and fragrant, like a full imperial banquet made from the finest mountain delicacies and seafood. It was hard to believe that the raw materials had actually been nothing more than coarse grains.

Looking at everyone’s stunned expressions, Antioch said, "Everyone, this is the food I prepared with the ancient culinary arts. Please eat with confidence. Every dish has been infused with the natural elements of heaven and earth and refined through the power of the ancient culinary arts. Neither its texture nor its flavor will disappoint you. Moreover, its nourishment is far superior to ordinary food. It can strengthen the physique of ordinary people, help warriors temper their battle aura, and make mages’ perception of the elements far keener."

After hearing Antioch’s words, everyone’s first reaction was disbelief. Even knowing about the ancient culinary arts did not change that. Using nothing but coarse grains to cook such miraculous, abundant dishes was simply too exaggerated, utterly at odds with the laws of physics—well, all right, this was a world of magic, so speaking of science here would just make one sound foolish.

Still, concern was unavoidable. The crowd looked at one another, none daring to taste it first. This made Antioch, who was very confident in his cooking, feel somewhat embarrassed.

But just then, a sudden voice rang out. "Mm, delicious. Antioch, it’s been a few days since you last cooked, and your skill hasn’t changed at all. The taste is marvelous."

Everyone turned and saw that Lin Xi had somehow already taken a dish and begun tasting it, her face full of enjoyment. Antioch could not help but look at her gratefully.

Seeing this, Link gave Lin Xi a long, searching look. Then, recalling that he had the Light Cathedral and powerful healing abilities of his own, he no longer feared even poison in the food. With a smile, he said, "Very well, then I’ll try some too." Saying this, he stepped forward. The others, seeing that even the archbishop had gone first, naturally would not wait any longer and quickly followed. Antioch’s face lit up with delight, and he immediately presented Link with a dish of especially vivid color, saying it was the most delicious one.

Link did not hesitate. He picked up a fork and took a bite. At once, exquisite flavor burst through his mouth. Though made only from coarse grains, it tasted like an unparalleled delicacy, drawing saliva from him endlessly until he finally blurted, "Delicious. Far too delicious. Everyone, hurry and try it. It really is amazing."

Hearing Link’s praise, the crowd waiting for the verdict finally relaxed and began tasting the food. Soon praise and exclamations filled the air. Everyone was conquered by the dishes’ flavor and texture, and before long Lingfeng, Atair, and the others discovered that the food truly did aid battle aura and magical power. After eating it, they could feel beneficial elements being released within them, wonderfully soothing, as if they had just consumed a supreme tonic.

At that point, no one doubted that Antioch was a successor to the ancient culinary arts. Looking at the plump little man with his foolishly genial smile, Link said at once, "Antioch, from this moment on, you are the head chef of my church and in charge of all the church’s kitchen matters. You have no objection to this arrangement, do you?"

Antioch’s eyes lit up. He hurriedly said there was no problem at all, and secretly gave Lin Xi a thumbs-up and a grateful gesture. As his friend, Lin Xi also revealed a happy smile.

(Antioch Leicok is played by Xiao Fei’s friend, Starwind Bloodrain.)

A book recommendation follows:
The Peerless Beauty Empire