Chapter 261

From being doubted to becoming a sensation, and then to receiving little response, the Fifth Apostle remained calm throughout.

After all, he had witnessed the rise and fall of many families since childhood, and under the destruction of the Infinite Game, countless innocent lives were tragically lost.

Compared to the other two, what does it matter if homemade desserts are not popular?

However, he still had a lingering question in his mind that he couldn't get to the bottom of.

Why would Hill and Lilith, who rarely appear in the common room, come over to eat his desserts?

Lilith was even in another training area five kilometers away; it was impossible for her to make a special trip just to get dessert. Even if she could, who would have delivered the message to her?

Until I heard the young man say that the chocolate milk with oats last time tasted good.

...Ogutov felt he had found the "instigator" of the viral incident.

But two months have passed since that incident. Apart from that day, he also launched oat chocolate milk several times during that period, and it is possible that other people specially helped the young man to get it.

all in all.

Ogutov smiled, picked up the unwashed dishes, and rinsed them under the tap.

Household chores give people a warm, homely feeling, and under the cover of the rushing water, all the tentative steps seem ordinary and natural.

"Really? The day I first tested my extraordinary talent in pharmaceuticals, I wondered if I could apply it to cooking. Although I had tested it beforehand and it was harmless, I was still unsure. Hearing that you like it makes me very happy."

"By the way, I also added crushed chestnut shells to the brownies. What do you think of the texture?"

"The flavor is a bit bitter, but it has many layers and is not too cloying. I prefer the orange cake; the ratio of orange, orange peel, and butter is just right, and it's very soft and sweet."

Ogutov immediately laughed: "To be honest, orange cake is my specialty. The kids never got enough of it."

I've heard that Italians place great importance on family, and the young man, observing the Fifth Apostle's genuine smile, was deeply moved.

Because the Fifth Apostle was thirty-seven years old and had a gentle temperament, he was often mistaken for a father. Seeing this, he took the initiative to explain, "He is a child I met during a charity sale."

He remarked, "Most children don't have much money, but when they look at you with such longing eyes, it's hard to refuse them. Before you know it, you've given away a lot for free. Some children will even trade their 'treasures' for it, like toy guns, hair clips, and dolls. It's quite a fun experience."

The young man paused.

The heir of a large family wants to hold a charity sale, but the organizers will definitely not let him make the orange cake himself.

First, the scale is too small; second, the fundraising amount is too low; and third, there is not enough hype to spread the word, which does not help improve social status.

If the other party insists on doing it, there is only one possibility: it is their personal hobby, and they don't care whether they can gain fame or fortune from it.

Ogutov's doubts were resolved, and he felt much better, his goodwill towards the young man increasing significantly.

To his surprise, the seemingly indifferent young man turned out to be a seasoned dessert enthusiast, whose insightful and accurate comments on desserts gave him an urge to chat with him about cooking for another half the night.

Unfortunately, the young man returned to the base so late that he probably hadn't had a proper rest, so they had to give up.

The glass of chocolate milk was quickly emptied, White took the glass from him, and Augutov took it.

He turned on the tap, and the water gurgled. Suddenly, he heard a clear and gentle voice say, "I recommended them to other people because I liked them. I hope it didn't cause you any trouble."

Augutov paused slightly.

He looked up abruptly and met the young man's clear eyes.

The warm yellow light spilled onto the dining table, as if a sense of warmth was quietly spreading from the heart. It felt like a thoroughbred horse meeting a discerning eye; not only were the dishes it excelled at praised, but even its slightest frustration was thoughtfully noticed and taken care of.

It brings a sense of surprise and comfort.

Deeply moved, Ogutov couldn't help but laugh out loud: "How could that be? Thanks to you, I didn't waste any food and even became a little famous."

"And, would you like another cup of oat milk? I feel pretty good right now, maybe I can get a huge boost when I cook."

.

As mentioned earlier, the Fifth Apostle has a fondness for cute and cuddly animals.

His initial concern for White stemmed from a shared sense of empathy. Even back then, the young man displayed a calm and composed demeanor; now, his aura has grown increasingly powerful and deeply ingrained in people's minds, making him even less relatable as a cute character.

But the sweet milk incident allowed the Fifth Apostle to discover a different side of the youth.

Unlike the stable and mature core, young people have a sweet tooth like children and are very picky eaters. Because they hide it so well, no one has noticed.

If there's a straw, I can't help but bend it, then quickly straighten it before they notice.

They are not picky about the combat environment, but if conditions permit, they would like to sleep more comfortably. They prefer soft beds and clothes and like fluffy things.

They love to use their hands, can't sit still, and this is especially true when they are focused on thinking.

Once, I found some colored paper and a jar that someone had left behind in the common room. I was thinking about something, and before I knew it, I had started folding paper cranes and filled the jar with them.

Later, the young man learned that it was used by others to practice their skills. Hearing the "victim" wailing and roaring, he quickly pretended to be nonchalant and ran away. Afterwards, he secretly bought twice the amount of enchantment paper to compensate the other party and sent it out anonymously.

Beneath that mature and composed exterior lies a little person who is not so shameless, straightforward, kind, and childlike.

More than once, when the Fifth Apostle saw the young man sitting upright at the bar in the lounge, looking as serious as if he were attending an important meeting, yet drinking his sweet milk to the last drop, the urge to "raise" him would surge wildly into his mind.

But whenever this thought arose, a chilling feeling of being watched from behind would come from behind, making the Fifth Apostle suspect that he was possessed by a ghost.

.

One day, the Fifth Apostle seemingly casually asked White, "Do you hate this cruel world?"

The young man paused, then looked directly at him: "Why do you ask that?"

White had just returned from an emergency meeting when he came to see the Fifth Apostle because he had just received some major news related to the other party.

That is, after the most recent equipment upgrade, the technical department suddenly detected that the Fifth Apostle had already made a contract with a god before entering the guild, and that god possessed power strong enough to collide with a cosmic-level life form!

This news shocked the entire upper echelons of the base.

Why the Fifth Apostle concealed this fact, and why he couldn't usually unleash this divine power, remain unknown.

But the problem wasn't just the cover-up; it also meant that the inspection team failed to thoroughly investigate the Fifth Apostle's background beforehand, implying that the base's security was riddled with loopholes!

In any case, the base's location could not be exposed. Upon receiving the news, the Federation wanted to deal with the Fifth Apostle immediately. In the end, it was White who vouched for him at the meeting, preventing the person from being taken to the interrogation room.

But everyone was aware of the seriousness of the matter. Being expelled from the guild was a minor matter; the real fear was being suspected of being an undercover agent, having his memories erased, and being banished to a spacetime rift.

Outside the lounge where the youth and the Fifth Apostle were conversing, countless guards, armed to the teeth, stood ready to breach the wall at any moment, creating an atmosphere so tense it seemed like a fight could break out at any moment.

Ogutov sensed something was amiss, but out of trust in the young man, or perhaps because he didn't care about his own life or death, he remained relaxed.

He casually brought up an event that happened a long time ago.

—A charity worker beloved by children, whose identity as a family heir is revealed one day, is subsequently subjected to insults and cries from the children.

Such a small story.

“It’s about two blocks away from where I do charity sales. There was a shootout there that killed many people, including the parents of those children.”

Ogutov: "We were assistants in the whole incident, like hired bodyguards, with regulated orders to act. Considering the cause and effect and what the parties involved did, those people deserved to die, and I have no sympathy for them."

"But the child is innocent."

“Even if we didn’t start it, I can’t face their tearful questions, and I can’t explain why this fight happened.”

"Perhaps I shouldn't have come into contact with those children in the first place. If I really sympathized with them, I should have directly invested a large sum of money in the welfare home."

The Fifth Apostle said, “But I had a big fight with my grandfather and the others at that time, and all my funds were frozen. I had no cash on me and kept hitting a wall when I looked for a job. Fortunately, I had previously passed the pastry chef qualification exam.”

Speaking of certificates, the Fifth Apostle has a whole bunch: piano, shooting, international dance, law...

He graduated from a prestigious university with a doctoral degree and has extensive professional experience and resume. Even if he leaves his family, he will definitely not have to worry about making a living.

He only learned to be a pastry chef out of personal interest, and it was the only thing he wanted to do at that time. Finding him a related job near his home was his grandfather's final act of forgiveness.

But problems arose.

Having been relegated to the lowest levels and personally witnessing the suffering and struggles of those people, the Fifth Apostle suddenly began to doubt the power he held, until the Infinite Game arrived.

Looking into the young man's eyes, the Fifth Apostle raised the question once again: "Put yourself in his shoes, if you had also experienced the bitter days of being oppressed and bullied by the powerful, would you hate this world?"

Just as the Fifth Apostle could discover the youth's soft side from various clues, his sharp eyes could also deduce that the other party's previous situation was not so pleasant.

They possess a childlike innocence, yet have also endured hardship.

Having suppressed his feelings for so long, Ogutov subconsciously poured all his guilt towards those children into the soul before him, asking questions in bewilderment.