"Come with me, we can talk as we walk."
After explaining to the woman in green that they would be staying at the manor that night, Eli led them through a small path to a three-story wooden building.
The small building was dimly lit, quiet and gentle, like a firefly in the darkness of night.
However, the aroma it exudes tells you that it is not as simple as it appears.
"It smells so good, are they making a cake inside?" Patrick took a deep breath. "This smell is so tempting."
By the moonlight and the lights in the building, Phil Gray saw several patterns of wheat ears carved on the wall, symbolizing a bountiful harvest and delicious food.
“Are you still there? We want to buy something.” Eli led them up two flights of stairs to the top floor, where they stopped outside a door.
"Coming, coming." After a long while, someone opened the door. It was a man wearing a chef's hat. He looked to be around thirty years old, with thick, slightly curly black hair. His face was clean but had some freckles, and he was holding a rolling pin in his hand.
“Now, please prepare a table of your best dishes for us, high-class dishes specially made for those favored by the gods, and a few bottles of your collection of fine wines!” Eli led them into the house and said to the chef.
"Eli, I appreciate that you enjoy my food, but high-end dishes come with expensive ingredients," the chef said tactfully, though he was actually worried that his new colleague would eat and drink for free.
“Of course I know, I won’t shortchange you.” Eli glanced at him and led Phil Gray and the others to a seat.
The outer rooms of the three-story wooden building are exquisitely decorated. There are many round tables and chairs, and the walls are painted with images of the goddess of harvest, bestowing seeds and fertile soil upon believers. Several tables are decorated with glass bottles containing wheat, showcasing the characteristics of the Food God Cult.
"That's good. I just happened to be making a new type of cake. Let me let you try it first." The chef's face was full of pride when he mentioned the cake; it was his masterpiece.
Phil Gray discovered that the chef possessed extraordinary divine power, likely at the level of a prodigy. The delicious food prepared by such a divinely favored individual aroused his anticipation.
“Let’s talk about how you got out of the Abyss.” Eli’s curiosity was getting hard to contain. He knew the Abyss very well and understood that getting out of it was an extremely unusual thing.
Phil Gray told them everything he knew.
After hearing this, Eli looked thoughtful. He picked up the water glass on the table, but when he brought it to his lips, he realized it was empty and put it down heavily.
"What's wrong? You look so troubled. Did my experience remind you of something?" Phil Gray asked.
“No, I just didn’t expect the legendary Abyss of the Dead to be like this.” Eli shook his head, then continued, “You said at the end that the undead following your Dawn Cult had reached Malu Island?”
"Yes, but we haven't heard anything about him yet. Patrick's pirate friends are very good at gathering information and won't miss anything."
“That’s none of our business anymore. Perhaps he had some unfulfilled wishes in life, and he’s fulfilling them now,” Eli speculated, then looked at Phil Gray. “You said before that you would help Miss Caroline if you could. Are you still going? Do you think that spirit might have gone to the Church of Dawn here? After all, he was a follower of the White Prophet in life, and he might be attracted to the church after death.”
"Oh, by the way, what you're saying reminds me of what I saw that day about Miss Caroline's fate..." Phil Gray recounted what he had witnessed.
The scene was described in detail, and there was a vague worry about the darkness that followed. "I don't know the extent of the burning of the church that Caroline mentioned, but it's a bit strange that it was completely intact in the scene."
"It's here, it's here! Let's try this cake first!"
Just as Eli was about to speak, he saw the chef walk over with a cake. The cake was light yellow and decorated with a wheat pattern. He couldn't help but complain, "Marcus, can you please put some effort into this? It's been days, and all your cakes look like this!"
“But all cakes taste different, don’t they? That’s what makes them surprising. Otherwise, if you can already remember the taste just by looking at it before you eat it, how can you enjoy it properly?” Marcus argued.
"That's utter nonsense!" Eli exclaimed, unable to comprehend the chef's thinking.
"Alright, you guys eat first, I'll go make the other dishes," Marcus said, and went back to the kitchen in the back room.
"Cousin, shall we go find that Miss Caroline you mentioned? She does sound quite dangerous," Patrick asked, taking the knife and cutting the cake as he did so.
“I’d like to go and see what happens first, and help if I can. But if we can’t handle it on our own, we should write a letter to the Cult of Dawn to ask for help.” Phil Gray took the cake, took a bite, and found the cream sweet but not cloying. The cake’s interior was a soft sponge cake with a layer of sweet and sour jam, making it irresistible.
“I agree. I’ll write a letter to the owner in a bit. I’ve helped him plant many edible flowers, such as blue lotus and cowtail, and my work is done. It’s time for me to leave,” Eli replied, hoping the owner wouldn’t mind that he was resigning after only a few days on the job.
“This cake is absolutely delicious! I wonder how Marcus made it?” Patrick didn’t participate in their conversation; his attention was completely drawn to the cake, and he couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.
"This is made using the secret recipe of the God of Cookery and my own skills. You are very lucky to be able to taste it." Marcus, having overheard the guests' praise, poked his head out of the kitchen and said proudly.
"Your skills?" Phil Gray asked curiously, as he was actually very curious about what kinds of skills the gods would bestow upon their chosen ones.
However, as the god of harvest and food, it sounds like the skills of His followers must be related to food.
“I can control the taste of food, making it more delicious and more suitable for everyone’s taste,” Marcus said proudly, not minding telling them. “For example, the cake you are eating now has a light jasmine scent for you, a refreshing lemon flavor for Eli, and a rich chocolate flavor for this redhead.”
“Really? That’s amazing!” Patrick exclaimed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com