The Dragon Leaves Its Lair

As the iron skillet and the Bloodboar Oil heated up, Lucian went over to the sous vide machine.

[System, give me a pair of food safety gloves.] He said.

Immediately after, food safety gloves appeared on his hands. This time he did not even have to wear them. 

Lucian chuckled as he thought, 'How thoughtful.'

Lucian removed the vacuum-sealed bag from the Low-Grade Mana Water and cut the bag with a pair of scissors. Then, with a paper towel, he patted all sides of the filet mignon, ensuring he would get a beautiful golden crust when he started searing the steak later.

After throwing the vacuum-sealed bag into a trash can, he placed the beautifully evenly cooked filet mignon on a clean chopping board.

[System, can't you provide Artifact kitchen equipment?] Lucian complained to the System as he waited for the iron skillet to heat up. If the System gave him Artifact kitchen equipment the process of cooking would be lessened tremendously. Instead, he had to use regular kitchen equipment.

After a moment, The System replied, [If the Host wishes for Artifact kitchen equipment, you can buy them from the System Shop.]

[Tch, cheapskate.] Lucian snorted and continued to wait for the iron skillet to heat up.

Soon, an enticing bloody aroma filled the kitchen, causing his blood to boil.

Imperceptibly, Lucian gulped and swallowed his saliva. This dish was on another level compared to the Siren's Melody Poached Egg.

With a pair of tongs, Lucian grabbed the filet mignon from the chopping board and placed it on the searing hot iron skillet. 

Immediately after, his ears perked up as he heard a beautiful sizzle.

While the filet mignon began searing, Lucian took the two Siren's Melody Poached Eggs out of the saucepan and placed them on separate plates before perfectly seasoning them.

After the Siren's Melody Poached Eggs were done and plated, Lucian did not serve them immediately. Instead, he waited thirty seconds and flipped the filet mignon, revealing a beautiful golden crust.

As the other side of the filet mignon was being seared, Lucian carried the two plates of Siren's Melody Poached Egg out of the kitchen and placed them in front of Lily and Fenwick.

"Your two plates of Siren's Melody Poached Egg. Please enjoy." Lucian said.

While glancing at Lily, Lucian continued, "As for your plate of Sous Vide Filet Mignon, it will be out in a few minutes."

Immediately after speaking, Lucian entered the kitchen. To create the perfect crust, each side needed to be seared for two minutes. And as a chef, he would always aim for nothing but perfection.

Meanwhile, after Lucian re-entered the kitchen, Fenwick blinked and dazedly looked down at the plate of Siren's Melody Poached Egg.

Warm air mixed with rich fragrances assaulted his face and nostrils. Unconsciously, he licked his lips and swallowed his saliva. He could not believe a mere plate of food could make him hungry.

"Uncle Fen *Munch* *Munch* you should quickly eat before it gets cold. Or if you don't want it, Lily can eat it for you. Hehehe~" Lily said innocently as she chewed and hungrily licked her lips. However, her expression and actions were far from innocent. The way she licked her lips was seductive.

From within the kitchen, Lucian shivered as he accidentally saw Lily licking her lips from behind the kitchen window. 

Suddenly, like a dragon leaving its lair, Lucian felt a slight stir below.

[Damn… I thought she was a Pixie. Aren't they supposed to be cute and innocent? Why do I feel she is more of an Incubus than I am!?] 

The System was speechless as it said, [Host, please do not blame others when it is obvious you are just perverted.]

Now it was Lucian's turn to be speechless.

Meanwhile, after a while, Fenwick shook his head. He would be an idiot if he gave this masterpiece to someone else. 

Fenwick looked at Lily and gently reminded her, "Lily, you shouldn't speak with your mouth full." Then, without waiting for an answer, he took a bite.

Suddenly… *Boom*

And as soon as he took a bite, he felt as if an explosion of flavor erupted in his mouth.

"So… delicious!"

Lily giggled as she rubbed her little stomach. Because of how small the portion was, in a few bites, she had finished eating.

"See Lily did not lie, right~!? Big Brother Lucian's food is the best. It is like he's the God Of Cooking!" Lily exclaimed as her pretty eyes stared at Lucian's figure through the kitchen window.

Fenwick did not agree or disagree. In fact, he did not even hear what Lily said. His entire senses were fully dominated by the flavor of the Siren's Melody Poached Egg. He had never tasted something so delicious in his whole life. Not even the Vale Empire's Royal Chefs could produce food this tasty. 

As he continued to chew, his eyes widened in astonishment as he felt a sudden burst of Mana entering his Mana Veins before flowing into his Mana Core.

'Th-this. How is that possible!?'

The amount of Mana that entered his Mana Core was negligible, like a droplet entering the ocean. However, that did not change the fact that a plate of food had helped him increase his Mana Reserves.

What should have created impurities had actually helped him!

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, after the filet mignon was beautifully seared on all sides, Lucian turned down the hob to medium heat and placed the steak on a clean chopping board to let it rest.

Now it was time to make the pan sauce, which would take the steak to a level higher in deliciousness.

While the steak was resting, Lucian took out a tablespoon of Unsalted Cloud Spotted Cow Butter from the fridge and placed it on the iron skillet.

As the butter began melting, Lucian expertly chopped the Ice Jadeite Shallots, marveling at how despite the shallot looked no different from a jade, it did not shatter but cut just like a regular shallot.

Once the butter had melted, Lucian added the finely chopped shallots into the iron skillet and let them sauté until they became translucent. 

Immediately after, Lucian frowned at the next step, which was to deglaze the iron skillet.

[System, can you give me a pair of nose plugs, please!?] Lucian asked the System. If he did not have customers waiting for him to serve, Lucian would not have minded the next step.