Sambil menggertakkan gigi Kapten Rasser memandang meja display yang menampilkan sisa-sia Lagra City. Saat ia meninggalkan Lagra City, kota tersebut belum menerima serangan udara dari Buriek Air Corps. Jadi ia tidak tahu kalau kota tersebut kini sudah berubah menjadi arang dan abu.


Namun alasan utama yang membuat darah Kapten Rasser mendidih adalah, deretan ratusan tombak di depan Kastil Lagra dimana atasnya tertancap kepala anak-anak yang ikut mempertahankan tembok kota.


'Aku tidak seharusnya bersimpati kepada elemen Buriek Kingdom yang tertimpa badai api.'


Butuh beberapa lama sebelum akhirnya Kapten Rasser berhasil menenangkan diri, lalu menoleh ke arah pria yang memperkenalkan diri sebagai Nate. 


"Ser Nate, apa yang bisa saya bantu?"


Dengan kasual Nate menjawab.


"Kami berencana melancarkan serangan udara berat ke Lagra City, jadi kami ingin memastikan apakah ada penduduk atau elemen Sandhur Guard yang bersembunyi di bunker di bawah reruntuhan?"


Nate masih ingat dengan jelas kalau dalam sebuah operasi, elemen QRF menemukan dua orang anak yang disembunyikan di bawah kandang kuda. Dalam evaluasi operasi kemudian ditambahkan prosedur untuk memeriksa kemungkinan adanya ilegal target yang bersembunyi di bunker di area yang akan menjadi sasaran airstrike. Apalagi setelah itu diketahui kalau sebagian besar penduduk di Magwurt City memiliki bunker di bawah tempat tinggal mereka.


Karena itu intel dan penilaian dari Kapten Rasser akan sangat vital dalam menentukan metode dan intensitas serangan ke Lagra City. 


Setelah mengamati meja display dengan lebih teliti, Kapten Rasser lalu berkata.


"Taktik dasar yang kami gunakan sebagai antisipasi terhadap kejatuhan tembok terluar adalah, membangun pertahanan berlapis dengan memanfaatkan tata letak bangunan termasuk bunker bawah tanah. Pertahanan berlapis ini ditujukan untuk melindungi pengunduran ke Kastil Lagra sembari menguras darah penyerbu sebanyak mungkin."


". . ."


"Namun dengan kondisi Lagra City yang sudah hampir rata dengan tanah, saya rasa Viscount Issel akan memilih menumpuk seluruh kekuatan di tembok kota dan mengevakuasi anak-anak di bawah usia 10 tahun ke dalam Kastil."


Nate mengangguk kecil sebelum berkata.


"Terima kasih, kini kami bisa melancarkan serangan udara dengan hati lapang. Tengah malam nanti kami juga akan mengirim elemen infanteri, penangkis serangan udara, konstruksi dan paramedis. Kami berharap Anda bersedia menjadi perwira penghubung dengan defender di Kastil Lagra."


"Tentu saja."


Air mata sukacita segera mengalir dari kedua sudut mata Kapten Rasser. Ia sudah diberitahu kalau Kastil Lagra saat ini sedang mendapat tekanan yang luar biasa berat dari elemen Buriek Guard. Namun sebelum ia sempat memohon dan mengemis, Nate justru memberitahunya kalau bantuan akan segera dikirim. 


Jadi wajar kalau sementara air matanya mengalir dengan deras, Kapten Rasser juga mulai tersedu.



- - - - -



Matahari baru saja tenggelam ketika empat AH-1Z Viper dari Skuadron Flying Duck melintasi bekas perkemahan Brigade Rober. Perkemahan yang terletak 22 km di sebelah barat FOC South 1750 tersebut baru saja menerima salvo dari elemen MLRS 122, dengan total 640 roket yang ditembakkan dalam waktu kurang dari tiga menit.


Sensor Viper menangkap pergerakan kecil di beberapa sudut perkemahan, namun mengacuhkannya dan terus melaju menuju ke barat. Unit kavaleri di perkemahan yang mereka lewati pada dasarnya sudah berhasil dinetralkan dari fungsinya sebagai elemen tempur, sedangkan misi yang mereka emban jauh lebih penting dibandingkan menghabisi sekumpulan kecil target yang sedang mencoba melakukan pengunduran.


Saat terbang di atas Levsait, keempat Viper juga mengacuhkan berbagai target menggoda yang ditangkap sensor dan melewatinya begitu saja.


Sejak mengudara dari Davy Jones MOB, nyaris tidak ada percakapan di antara pilot maupun percakapan dengan pengendali operasi. Radio dicipline baru pecah ketika  Kapten Russel melihat Kastil Lagra di kejauhan.


Sebagai flight leader, Kapten Russel segera memberi instruksi.


"Duck Leader, All Duck, masuk."


[White Duck, Duck Leader, diterima.]


[Black Duck, Duck Leader, diterima.]


[Red Duck, Duck Leader, diterima.]


"White Duck dan Black Duck, bersihkan oposisi yang bersiaga 200 meter dari tembok kastil."


"Red Duck, bersihkan oposisi di bawah tembok kastil, lintasan searah jarum jam, aku akan mengikuti dari belakang, confirm." 


[Black Duck, Duck Leader, roger.]


[Red Duck, Duck Leader, roger.]


[White Duck, Duck Leader, roger.]



"Duck Leader, All Duck, ambil posisi dan siaga, Duck Leader selesai."


Begitu perintah diberikan, formasi keempat Viper segera terbelah menjadi dua menuju area yang menjadi tugas masing-masing.


Sementara ia terbang mengitari dinding kastil pada ketinggian 4000 meter, Kapten Russel dengan jelas bisa melihat bagaimana defender di Kastil Lagra berusaha mati-matian menahan serbuan elemen Buriek Guard yang mengalir dengan deras.


Saat pengarahan, Kapten Russel dan rekan-rekannya sempat diberitahu kalau sejak pagi tadi Buriek Guard melancarkan tiga serangan masif ke Kastil Lagra, dan kemungkinan besar  akan berhasil menembus pertahanan kastil pada serangan keempat yang diduga akan dilancarkan setelah matahari tenggelam.


Tanpa menunda-nunda Kapten Russel segera menyalakan speaker dan aplifier yang dipasang oleh para teknisi ke bagian bawah Viper. TF Amethyst tidak memiliki cara lain untuk menghubungi defender di Kastil Lagra, jadi cara primitif terpaksa digunakan.


Begitu speaker dan amplifier menyala, Kapten Russel segera berkata.


"Defender di Kastil Lagra, bertahanlah! Elemen udara dari TF Amethyst datang untuk membantu."


". . ."


"Defender di Kastil Lagra, bertahanlah! Elemen udara dari TF Amethyst datang untuk membantu."



Kapten Russel tidak terlalu ambil pusing apakah pesan yang ia sampaikan diterima dan dimengerti atau tidak, karena yang terpenting adalah aksi yang akan ia lancarkan. Karena itu begitu salam disampaikan, ia segera bergegas meradio tiga Viper lainnya.


"Duck Leader, All Duck, habisi mereka."


[[[Roger]]]


Sesaat kemudian keempat Viper segera menukik, lalu mengirim hujan senapan mesin dan roket ke posisi elemen Buriek Guard dengan telak dan akurat.


- - - - -


Viscount Issel sepenuhnya sadar kalau pada serangan keempat Kastil Lagra dipastikan akan jatuh. Tidak perduli setinggi apa moral defender yang dipimpinnya, atau seberapa banyak kejuatan mematikan yang ia siapkan untuk penyerbu, pada akhirnya jumlah yang terlalu timpang akan menunjukan efeknya cepat atau lambat.


Setiap serangan yang dikirim oleh Buriek Guard, selalu dilancarkan oleh elemen yang masih segar. Sedangkan defender di Kastil Lagra tidak memiliki kemewahan untuk beristirahat atau melakukan rotasi. Kastil Lagra memang berhasil menahan serangan dari Buriek Guard hingga tiga kali, namun harga yang harus dibayar cukup mahal, yaitu dengan kehilangan 8 dari 10 defender terbaik.


Begitu serangan keempat dilancarkan oleh Buriek Guard, Viscount Issel segera memberi perintah kalau dinding kastil sampai tertembus, maka seluruh anak-anak dan personel non-combatan yang di dalam kastil harus segera meminum obat tidur dosis tinggi agar dapat menyeberang dengan damai, sementara sejumlah kecil defender akan membakar seluruh kastil untuk mengkremasi tubuh penghuninya yang sudah meninggal sekaligus sebagai usaha untuk menghancurkan setiap benda berharga yang ada di kastil. Dengan begitu diharapkan Buriek Guard hanya akan mendapatkan arang dan abu.


Setelah itu, dengan tubuh yang didera keletihan luar biasa Viscount Issel kembali mempimpin pertahanan di dinding kastil, dan ia sedang terlibat duel maut dengan seorang kapten dari Buriek Guard ketika sekonyong-konyong terdengar suara nyaring mengenai bantuan dari pihak tidak dikenal yang menamakan dirinya TF Amethyst.


Tentu saja Viscount Issel tidak mempercayainya begitu saja. Siapa tahu kalau hal tersebut hanya taktik pengalihan dari Buriek Guard, meski ia juga penasaran kenapa mereka melakukan hal konyol tersebut.


Namun keraguan perlahan-lahan menyelimuti hati Viscount Issel sesaat setelah ia melihat tanda tanya besar di dahi Kapten yang sedang dihadapinya, apalagi tidak lama berselang hujan panah api dan tombak api menimpa elemen Buriek Guard yang sedang mencoba memanjat dinding kastil dan elemen yang sedang bersiaga menunggu giliran untuk naik.


Dalam sekejap aliran serangan Buriek Guard terputus dan defender di atas tembok kastil dengan mudah mendominasi dan membersihkan elemen Buriek Guard yang sudah berhasil naik ke atas dinding kastil.


Dengan mulut ternganga dan mata terbelalak Viscount Issel dan seluruh defender di atas dinding kastil lalu memandang benda terbang yang sedang memuntahkan panah api dan tombak api ke posisi elemen Buriek Guard.


Dengan interval yang pendek namun rapat, panah api atau tombak api akan menyembur dari dagu atau sayap benda terbang tersebut, dan menghasilkan siluet yang mirip seperti capung.


Sementara Viscount Issel sedang terbengong, Baron Ossik yang bertugas memimpin defender di sisi lain berlari menghampirinya dengan tergopoh-gopoh.


"Viscount Issel, apakah mereka bantuan dari Kingdom Buriek. Kenapa saya tidak pernah mendengar unit dengan nama TF Amethyst?"


Dengan mantap Viscount Issel menjawab.


"Baron Ossik, aku tidak tahu dari mana mereka berasal, namun aku sepenuhnya yakin kalau mereka bukan berasal dari Kingdom Makai."


Serangan dari capung terbang tidak dikenal memang sangat potent, namun serangan tersebut tetap saja tidak bisa menghabisi seluruh elemen Buriek Guard yang sedang melancarkan serangan ke Kastil Lagra. Meski begitu, efek dari serangan kejutan tersebut sudah lebih dari cukup untuk membuat elemen dari Buriek Guard pontang-panting melakukan pengunduran diri.


Sementara Viscount Issel, Baron Ossik dan seluruh defender di atas dinding kastil sedang terbengong memandang kekacauan yang menimpa elemen Buriek Guard, suara nyaring yang sebelumnya membuat mereka bertanya-tanya di dalam hati kembali terdengar.


"Defender di Kastil Lagra, jangan keluar dari kastil. Serangan udara berat akan segera dilancarkan ke setiap sudut Lagra City."


". . ."


"Diulangi, Defenfer di Kastil Lagra, jangan keluar dari Kastil. Bertahanlah, elemen perkuatan dan pendukung dari TF Amethyst akan segera tiba."


". . ."


"Defender di Kastil Lagra, bertahanlah, Lady Erien dan Kapten Rasser mengirim salam."


Tidak lama berselang, ledakan demi ledakan menimpa Lagra City secara merata, dan dalam sekejap mengubah kota tersebut menjadi lautan api.


"Dewa-dewa yang tinggal di langit sedang menunjukkan amarahnya."


Gumam Viscount Issel sambil menelan ludah keras-keras, sementara Baron Ossik dan defender di sekitarnya hanya bisa mengangguk-angguk layaknya anak ayam mematuki beras.



*****



Seorang pria tua, seorang pemuda dan seorang anak perempuan, ketiganya berdiri di atas padang rumput nan luas, di bawah langit yang bersih dari awan.


Sang anak perempuan memandang keadaan di sekelilingnya dengan mata berbinar. Sebelumnya ia harus melewati padang salju dan lorong kecil yang gelap, jadi wajar kalau benaknya kini dipenuhi pertanyaan.


“Grandpa, tempat apa ini?”


Sang pria tua berlutut di hadapan cucunya sebelum dengan lembut ia menjawab.


“Penduduk lokal menyebut tempat ini Benua Amstell.”


“. . . Benua Amstell?”


Sang anak perempuan memiringkan kepala mungilnya sementara kakeknya melanjutkan.


“Delapan tahun yang lalu Grandma menemukan tempat ini secara tidak sengaja, sayangnya di tempat ini pula Grandma meninggal. Jadi, maukah kau membantu Grandpa menjaga tempat peristirahatan terakhir Grandma ini?”


Sang anak perempuan mengangguk mantap sebelum menjawab.


“Tentu saja, Claire akan menjaga tempat ini dengan sekuat tenaga.”


Sang pria tua lalu menoleh ke arah pemuda di sampingnya sebelum berkata.


“O’Neil, kau tahu aku dan Samantha memperlakukanmu seperti anak kami sendiri, dan kami tahu kau memutuskan masuk militer karena tidak mau bersaing dengan Robert dalam mengelola korporasi yang akan kami tinggalkan, meski bakatmu dalam berbisnis jauh lebih baik.”


“. . .”


“Tapi setidaknya berjanjilah kau akan membantu Claire menjaga tempat ini, karena begitu keberadaan Nouel diketahui, seluruh dunia akan memperebutkan tempat ini.”


“Anggap sudah terlaksana.”


Jawab Sang Pemuda dengan kasual, namun Sang Pria Tua seketika tersenyum karena ia tahu anak angkatnya tersebut tidak pernah mengingkari kata-kata yang ia ucapkan.


*****

"I'd like a Peking Duck!"
"We'll have a Peking Duck too!"
"Excuse me, I'd like a stinky tofu!"
The guests placed their orders one after another. Some people found the Peking Duck too expensive, some chose to see the real thing first, and some chose to buy a duck together.
Orcs, demons, humans, and dwarves shared a table all the time here in Mamy Restaurant, but never once had they chosen to buy a dish together.
This was a thing that probably had never happened anywhere else before.
Hiril looked surprised. "I've never seen anything like this before. Interesting." Then his eyes found Mag, who was cooking in the kitchen. "Such a young cook. I wonder how good he is."
The system had improved the oven, making it capable of cooking 10 ducks at once, and it took only 20 minutes to roast each batch.
Mag wheeled the dining cart out of the kitchen and stopped at Krassu's table. He then put pancakes, sweet bean sauce, spring onions, and cucumber sticks in front of him.
"Why is Mag serving the dish himself?"
"Yeah, that's strange. Maybe he wants to show us the proper way to eat it."
They craned their heads to get a better look of what was on the cart.
"Here's your Peking Duck, Lord Krassu, enjoy," Mag said as he opened the cloche, revealing a roast duck whose skin was shiny brown.
Mag hadn't activated the molecular isolation system yet, so the wonderful aroma drifted freely around the room, making everyone's mouths water.
Hiril's eyes went round as he stared at the roast duck. "It smells much better than the roast geese in the Roast Goose Restaurant. That's really amazing."
The roast geese in the Roast Goose Restaurant were famous throughout Rodu, and Hiril used to go there every two months or so.
He had never thought a roast duck would smell better than a roast goose.
"Looks good," Krassu said, "but how should I eat it? With my hands?"
Mag shook his head with a smile. "No." Then he put on disposable gloves and picked up the knife and duck. "I'll slice it up for you."
As Mag moved his hand, meat slices came off the duck quickly and landed neatly in a row on the plates in front of Krassu.
Meat from different parts of the body was being put onto different plates. All the pieces were of the same thickness. A short while later, only a skeleton was left.
Mag's superb knife skills amazed everyone, causing their excitement and anticipation to grow.
"You can eat it with the sweet bean sauce, but the proper way is to wrap the meat, spring onions, and cucumber sticks in a pancake," Mag said after cutting off the duck head.
"I give you 10 points for your performance," Krassu said, giving him a thumbs-up. He then wasted no time picking up a piece of duck and dipping it in the sweet bean sauce. He awkwardly rolled the meat, a spring onion stick, and a cucumber stick in a pancake and stuffed it into his mouth.
Krassu's eyes went wide as he chewed on it. The pancake was soft and a bit chewy, the meat was greasy but not too greasy, and the spring onion and cucumber stick were so refreshing.
"This duck is heavenly!" Krassu said after he swallowed.
Mag could hear other customers swallowing saliva.
Christy looked happy when she saw the excited look on Hiril's face. It seemed she was getting closer to her goal.
"Mag's little show and the roast duck are well worth the price."
"I'd like a Peking Duck!"
"Me too, Miss Miya."
They hurriedly placed their orders for fear that the Peking Ducks might sell out.
"So many people like Mag's character as well as his cooking," Firis whispered as she looked at Mag's back. "One day, I'll become as good as Mag."
Although Mag only needed two minutes to carve a roast duck, there were 100 ducks, and he would have to spend over three hours on slicing ducks. He decided to have Firis master this skill as soon as possible.
"Here's your Peking Duck, enjoy," Mag said as he placed several plates of duck meat in front of Christy and Hiril.
"Thank you. I'm sure I'll enjoy it," Hiril said as he looked up at Mag. Before today, never once had a chef done such a thing before him. He couldn't wait to try it.
Mag nodded and wheeled the cart back into the kitchen.
"All right, let's dig in," Hiril said to Christy. "Coming here with you today is the wisest decision I've made recently." 
His eyes went wide when he put a piece of duck into his mouth.


In Chaos City on the Norland Continent, there is a strange restaurant.

Here, elves and dwarves share tables. Beastmen are prohibited from making a din, and giant dragons can only seat around the tiny square in front of the restaurant. Even demons have to bring their own stools…

But it is such a strange restaurant that has long lines outside every day.

Elves are stuffing kebabs, paying no mind to their manners; giant dragons are sitting around a hot pot, strainers in their hands; demons are eating nice-looking dango…

"There's no other place on this continent where you can find food like that! The boss here is a genius!" a customer provides such a review. Then, he gives a furtive look at the door. "Also, don't you think of kidnapping the boss away or dine-and-dashing, or you will suffer a tragic death."

"Eat, pay, or you will be beaten to death." says a cute little girl in her childish voice as she trots forward. A five-meter tall dragon shivers when it meets her eyes.

Ji Hanwu was in a good mood when he arrived at home. He looked at Gao Peng, who was training his familiars by the lakeside. He coughed twice and then slowly walked towards Gao Peng.
"Little Peng, guess what your grandpa got you as a surprise?" Ji Hanwu flashed a mysterious smile.
Gao Peng thought for two seconds and said, "A Forbidden Magic Stone?"
Ji Hanwu paused.
I knew I shouldn't have divulged anything to this child! Why couldn't he let his grandpa be happy for a while!
When he saw Gao Peng laughing secretly, Ji Hanwu hit Gao Peng's head unhappily.
What a naughty boy.
"I know that there's nothing that grandpa can't do." Gao Peng smiled and gave his grandpa a thumbs up.
"Haha." Ji Hanwu smiled heartily, "Come look at what you wanted." Ji Hanwu handed the black bag he was hiding behind his back to Gao Peng.
Gao Peng took the bag and eagerly opened the box.
The brown box seemed to be made of some kind of wood. It felt warm, like jade, and it also emitted a woody smell.
The other materials needed for the evolution of the Adamantine Duck had been collected a few days earlier and placed in the laboratory freezer.
When he thought about promoting the grade of the Adamantine Duck, Gao Peng couldn't sit still. He immediately called the Adamantine Duck, who was swimming in the lake, to come over.
The Adamantine Duck, who was still in the lake, heard Gao Peng shouting at it, quickly flying over. At the same time, it kept making quacking noises.
Flamy used this chance to act as a translator. "The duck said, you've finally asked for me, I…"
"Shut up." Gao Peng pressed down on Flamy's beak. "I don't need you to be a translator right now."
"Grandpa, I'm preparing to promote the grade of this Adamantine Duck. Do you want to come watch?" Gao Peng said to his grandpa with a smile.
It wasn't convenient to disclose his abilities to other people, but sharing it with his relatives was fine.
Ji Hanwu's expression showed that he was very interested. "Let's go. I want to see how you promote this duck's grade."
The Adamantine Duck stood in the laboratory. It was interested in everything that was in the laboratory.
Since the last experiment, Ji Hanwu had allocated a certain amount of funds to Gao Peng's laboratory.
Initially, he had thought that it was just one of Gao Peng's hobby. However, when he learned of Gao Peng's abilities, he had decided to use his company's resources to fund him. A certain amount of funds would be given to the laboratory every quarter. Of course, only Gao Peng and Ji Hanwu knew the exact amount.
Some of the Soul Crystal Obsidian that could be used to determine a monster's grade had also been placed in Gao Peng's laboratory.
Gao Peng pressed his finger on a fingerprint scanner, and a drawer popped out. He took out two pieces of Soul Crystal Obsidian from the drawer and began to test the Grade of the Adamantine Duck.
A drop of the Adamantine Duck's blood dripped on the Soul Crystal Obsidian while the Adamantine Duck stared curiously at the black stone.
Immediately, purple light shone in the Soul Crystal Obsidian.
Ji Hanwu was somewhat surprised. He couldn't help but look over at this unremarkable looking Adamantine Duck. Who knew that it would be an Epic grade monster?
Then Ji Hanwu thought of something. It was currently an Epic grade monster. Little Peng wanted to promote its grade. Did that mean that it would be promoted to a Legendary grade monster?
Ji Hanwu felt astonished. One had to know that there were no known instances of someone successfully promoting a monster to the Legendary grade.
Of course, he wasn't sure if there were any unpublished successful cases. However, Ji Hanwu hadn't heard any news of successful cases through his own connections.
At the moment, he simply regarded it as Gao Peng's experiment. Of course, he had to support his grandson's hobby.
Ji Hanwu gave a thumbs up and patted Gao Peng on his shoulder. "Good luck. Grandpa believes that you will succeed."
Gao Peng laughed. "I also believe that I will succeed."
Gao Peng then began to prepare the reagents. Gao Peng mixed a few ordinary reagents as a warm up. He then randomly placed these successfully mixed reagents on the reagent rack beside him. Gao Peng's expression became very serious.
Ji Hanwu felt that it was very interesting when he saw his grandson look so serious.
It was as if an adult saw a child trying to wear grown-up clothes that were too big for them and then trying to act like an adult. One wouldn't be able to help but laugh.
Mixing the reagents was a fast process. The whole thing didn't take more than 20 minutes.
Gao Peng wiped the sweat from his forehead, still with a very serious expression on his face.
The other materials were expendable, but there was only one Forbidden Magic Stone. He couldn't afford to fail.
Ji Hanwu's smile gradually faded when he saw Gao Peng's serious expression. He observed Gao Peng conduct the experiment earnestly.
Those who were able to focus on their work were worthy of respect.
The final step was placing the Forbidden Magic Stone into the mixture. The ice-blue color of the Forbidden Magic Stone slowly faded when it was submerged in the mixture. Finally, the stone became transparent.
The originally green reagent took on a new color. It was now as blue as the ocean.
Gao Peng put his hands into the reagent. When it was as thick as his thumb and as long as his palm, he called the Adamantine Duck over.
In its mouth was a yellow rubber ducky. The Adamantine Duck wobbled over and Gao Peng yanked the rubber ducky out of its mouth. The Adamantine Duck suddenly grew worried. "Mine, mine."
Gao Peng held out his index finger and swayed it gently, "Drink this and this duck is yours."
The Adamantine Duck couldn't wait to swallow the reagents in Gao Peng's hands. It even swallowed the glass bottle.
"Wait a moment, I only wanted you to drink the liquid inside. I didn't ask you to swallow the glass bottle." Gao Peng was left speechless.
The Adamantine Duck took the rubber ducky out of Gao Peng's hand. Before it could take a second step, it fell onto the floor.
The Adamantine Duck started to twitch on the floor. Meanwhile, its yellow feathers started to shed. One yellow feather fell after another. Its beak started to recede. It looked shorter and thicker. From afar, it looked like it had grown very puffy lips.
"Is this the legendary saying of 'I've gone bald, but I've also become stronger'?" Gao Peng looked at his chin and then looked at the Adamantine Duck's transformation in suspicion.
Within a few minutes, all of the Adamantine Duck's feathers had fallen off, leaving its white skin exposed.
Who knew that the Adamantine Duck would have become so cute. Its meat also seemed to be very tender.
Gao Peng felt astonished. He quickly took out his phone and secretly took a few photos.
Once his familiar had grown up, all of this would be evidence of its dark past.
Subsequently, faint, blue colored runes started to appear on the Adamantine Duck's white skin.
More and more runes started to appear, all packed together. They appeared on its bald head, its deliciously meaty looking chest, and both the fat and skinny parts of its wings.
Wait a second, what was he paying attention to? Gao Peng quickly shook his head.
When he turned to look at the Adamantine Duck again, he saw that life had started to spread on the blue runes on its skin. All the runes were outlined and connected by a shining blue light.
Kha cha, kha cha.
The sounds of things colliding in the Adamantine Duck's body could be heard. It was as if its bones were exploding. The muscles on its body tightened, beautiful lines started to appear, and its body began to expand.
"Quack…" the unconscious Adamantine Duck murmured to itself softly.
"Poor duck, in order to become stronger, it had to go bald." Gao Peng looked pitifully at the Adamantine Duck lying on the ground. He hoped that it could accept the change in its appearance after it woke up.
"Why are all of its feathers gone?" Ji Hanwu, who had just gone out to make a phone call, saw the duck had gone bald.
"This is a normal reaction," Gao Peng said calmly.
Ji Hanwu nodded thoughtfully.


Three years ago, the animals and plants on Earth underwent crazy and unexplainable changes that included transformations, reversions, and the addition of otherworldly species. And it was the start of a brand-new type of profession in the new generation of humanity - Monster Trainers, people who specialized in taming monsters.
 
On his 18th birthday, the protagonist of the story, Gao Peng, suddenly received the ability of being able to see the attribute data frame of monsters. With his ability, he aspired to become the strongest monster trainer that ever lived while looking for a method to revive his parents!

In the kitchen of Immortal Chef Little Store, Bu Fang grabbed the long neck of the Seven-colored Sky Mending Duck. 
The duck continuously fumed spirit energy and immortal energy as it quacked. 
For the True Immortal Realm test, the system asked Bu Fang to cook Roast Duck, but it didn't provide him with a recipe. What he had was just a cooking ingredient. 
Hence, Bu Fang had to cook the duck in his own way. 
Luckily, in Bu Fang's previous life, he had enjoyed all kinds of dishes, so he had studied roast duck too. 
Duck is one of the most popular fowls. Even in his previous life, there were so many ways to cook duck—duck cooked with beer, duck cooked with ginger, duck stewed with herbs, and so on. 
However, the most famous duck dish was Roast Duck. It was really famous around the world. 
Cooking Roast Duck was different from eating Roast Duck, though. 
Bu Fang didn't start to cook right away. As one of his hands held the Seven-colored Sky Mending Duck by its neck, his other hand was placed on his back. He stood there, sinking in his thoughts. 
He had to recall the methods to process the duck and how to roast it. 
It was really complicated to cook Roast Duck. A minor mistake could change the duck's taste significantly. 
In his previous life, he could find Roast Duck in any place. However, they didn't taste the same. 
With different cooking methods, heat controls, and changes in recipes, the Roast Duck would have different tastes. 
After a long while… 
Bu Fang moved. 
The Seven-colored Sky Mending Sky quacked one more time. Its hoarse voice echoed, thick spirit energy and immortal energy fuming out of its beak. 
His mind flickered, and the Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife appeared in his grip with dazzling golden light. As it spun in his hand, it created wind blades swishing around. 
In order to cook Roast Duck, he must process the duck first. 
Although the Seven-colored Sky Mending Duck was an immortal ingredient, it was still a duck. 
Grabbing the Seven-colored Sky Mending Duck, Bu Fang's eyes became sharper. An intimidating aura arose from him, making it seem like an overlord was hovering behind him. 
The Seven-colored Sky Mending Duck froze. It didn't even dare to wiggle. 
A moment later, a jet of blade light slashed over. Tens of thousands of lights gathered into a blade, the Overlord's first blade. 
Swish. 
Instantly, it cut the Seven-colored Sky Mending Duck's throat. 
Bu Fang had used the three-pipe cutting method, which was the common and most effective way to deal with ducks as it could keep the body intact. 
The three-pipe cutting method's first step was at the throat of the fowl. The knife would cut through the artery, meridian, and even cut off the windpipe and gullet. 
Pufft. 
The Seven-colored Sky Mending Duck didn't wiggle anymore. 
Bu Fang then took out a basin, catching the duck's gushing blood out of its throat.
The Seven-colored Sky Mending Duck was worthy of being an immortal ingredient. Even its blood could fume immortal energy. 
The duck's blood could be processed and become a delicious side dish to have with hotpot. Its blood curd would feel soft and smooth. 
After killing the duck, of course, he needed to deal with its feathers. 
Gurgle. Gurgle. 
Bu Fang put the Seven-colored Sky Mending Duck into a pot of boiling Heavenly Mountain Spirit Spring Water and blanched it for a while, which would soften the duck's feathers. After that, he could pluck them out.
Boiling and plucking the feathers were actually part of the process, but to Bu Fang, it wasn't a big deal. 
Rattle! Rattle! 
When he fished the steaming Seven-colored Sky Mending Duck from the boiling water, hot water dripped from it. 
Bu Fang emitted true energy to cover both of his hands. Then, his eyes focused as he casually grabbed the duck by its neck. 
A moment later, he began to pull, plucking the feathers out of its body. 
Throwing a handful of feathers, Bu Fang plucked the duck again. 
After doing this several times, the Seven-colored Sky Mending Duck had only several down left. Meticulously, Bu Fang also plucked the down. 
Seeing the duck's smooth and radiant skin without any feather or down left, he finished his plucking process. 
Next was the gutting process. 
This step was very important because the Roast Duck needed to keep the integrity of its body. If the duck had a hole on the skin, it was already wasted. 
Bu Fang raised the duck's wings as he carefully made a hole using the Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife. Then, he took out the internal organs. 
This step wasn't really hard. Since he had opened the duck right under its wing, the skin of the duck looked perfect with no damage. 
When taking out internal organs, it should be done fast. Since Bu Fang worked really fast, he had done it effortlessly and flawlessly. 
Then, he began to clean the duck. 
Without the feathers, the Seven-colored Sky Mending Duck didn't look much different from the ordinary ducks. Of course, its meat was incomparable. 
With thick immortal energy that the meat absorbed every day, its texture was so good, which was beyond one's imagination. 
It was even better than Eighty's meat. 
Although Eighty was considered an immortal ingredient, it hadn't reached the Seven-colored Sky Mending Duck's level yet. 
At this moment, Bu Fang was thinking if he should ask the system to have one more duck, so he could breed it in his farmland. 
Anyway, he could ask later. His priority right now was to cook Roast Duck. 
It took Bu Fang a while to clean the duck. After putting it aside, he started to prepare the other ingredients. 
He summoned the Black Turtle Constellation Wok, then added the syrup he took from the system into it. 
Parting his lips, a gold lotus flame flew out, going underneath the Black Turtle Constellation Wok. 
It was the Golden Lotus Demonic Flame. After Bu Fang had swallowed the immortal flame, he could totally control it now. 
Although Bu Fang's control of the Golden Lotus Demonic Flame hadn't reached the level he used to have with the Heaven and Earth Obsidian Flame, which was like an extension of his arms, it wasn't a problem just to heat up some syrup. 
No matter what, it was an immortal flame with extreme heat. 
If he used the Heaven and Earth Obsidian Flame to boil the syrup, it would take a long time. But with this immortal flame, it boiled fast. 
No wonder every Immortal Chef wanted to have a good immortal flame. Good or bad, it was crucial to the chef. 
Moreover, the first fifty flames of the immortal flame ranking were extraordinary. 
Gurgle. Gurgle. 
As the gold syrup began to boil, a sweet aroma arose as its surface bubbled. 
Bu Fang then brought the Seven-colored Sky Mending Duck over, using a hook to hang it. 
Scooping a ladle of boiling syrup, he poured it on the Seven-colored Sky Mending Duck's throat. 
Gurgle. Gurgle. 
As steam rose, a wisp of immortal energy wound around the Seven-colored Sky Mending Duck. 
Bu Fang's eyes focused. He took more syrup, pouring it again. He repeated this step several times. 
Eventually, he covered the entire duck. It now looked golden, sparkling with a crystal-like radiance. 
However, it wasn't done yet. 
After covering the duck with boiling syrup, Bu Fang used the room temperature syrup and continued to pour it all over the duck.
After this, the cooldown process would be next. 
Usually, the cooldown process would need twenty-four hours, and he needed to put the duck in a cool and well-ventilated place. Anyway, he got the tool from the system that would significantly reduce the time required. 
He opened the cabinet and hung the gold duck inside, which still dripped syrup from its body. 
Bu Fang had used this cabinet to make his good wine as it could increase the time flow, which reduced his waiting time. 
Originally, it would need twenty-four hours, but now, he just needed around two hours. 
After this step, the duck's process was almost done. 
...
In the immense mountain ranges in Earth Prison, an imposing palace was situated in a valley, which looked like it was slashed and leveled by some sharp divine sword. 
Outside the palace, a figure sprinted.
Nether King Er Ha fell and landed outside. Looking at the closed gate, he exhaled. 
He got a Spicy Strip in his mouth as usual. 
His stock of Spicy Strips was still sufficient, so he wasn't alarmed. 
Anyway, since he had returned to Earth Prison, he needed to save his Spicy Strips since he didn't know when he would meet Bu Fang again. 
This time, Nether King Er Ha wanted to improve his cultivation base. Even if he couldn't be as strong as his father, he must try his best to approach that level. 
Phew… 
Actually, Nether King Er Ha always had a load on his mind. 
His father was invincible in Nether Prison. Why did he die? It was a question that he hadn't figured out the answer. 
There were times that he wanted to search and investigate the cause. However, he was prevented from doing so. 
And… the man who did that to him was right in his palace. He was the leader of the five great Earth Prison Overlords, Earth Prison Overlord Ying Long. 
As Nether King Er Ha pushed the palace's gates open, it let out an echoing squeak. 
Walking on the blue-tiled path, he entered the palace. 
This was his familiar place, the palace where he grew up. It was a place that was deeply etched in his memory, the Nether King Palace.
It used to be a glorious palace where ten thousand tribes in Earth Prison came and worshipped the king, who no one dared to disrespect. 
Of course, that was when Er Ha's old man was still alive. Now, the Nether King Palace was already shabby. 
It couldn't subdue the ten thousand tribes in Earth Prison and make them worship their king. 
And so, Nether King Er Ha had a dream, which was to reach his father's level one day.
By the side of the palace, an old man was sitting. When he saw Nether King Er Ha, his aged eyes released gleams of pressure. 
Beside the old man, Old Tie stood restlessly. When he saw Nether King Er Ha, his eyes lit up, and excitement filled his face. 
"Nether King Your Highness, you're finally back… I've been waiting for you for so long," Earth Prison Overlord Ying Long said. He stood up, his back humped. "That mangy dog took my Hollow Eye. So, after handing things over to you, Your Highness, I will go find that mangy dog." 
Nether King Er Ha tilted his head as he sucked a Spicy Strip, his shirt open at his chest. "Spit it out, old man, what do you want to tell me?" 
Ying Long frowned. Looking at Nether King's attitude, he shook his head. He was somewhat angry. 
"You're always carefree! Anyway, it's good because you can give up finding the cause of your father's death… There are some things you can't handle, so just stay in the Nether King Palace and be the Lord of Netherworld," Ying Long said as he descended from the steps. 
Shortly, he came to Nether King Er Ha's side. 
Nether King Er Ha's pensive face vanished. His eyes turned so cold as he gazed at Ying Long. 
"You old man, you must know something… Why don't you tell me?!" 
"It's not suitable for you to know now… Behave and stay in the palace," Ying Long answered calmly. 
Clasping his hands, he walked out of the Nether King Palace with a humped back. It seems that he just came here to say Nether King Er Ha those several sentences. 
Nether King Er Ha's eyes remained icy cold. However, when he turned around, a formation arose from Earth Prison Overlord Ying Long. 
Nether energy shot up into the sky. A moment later, two Corpse Ghosts with intimidating aura emerged. The Corpse Ghosts were indeed fierce.
It seems that that old man wanted to seal him in his Nether King Palace… 
Nether King Er Ha's eyes narrowed, angrily biting off the Spicy Strip in his mouth. 
… 
Immortal Chef Little Store 
The head of the Gongshu family, Gongshu Baiguang, hurriedly brought Gongshu Ban and Gongshu Yun with him. 
Since he knew that the Realm Lord was in that restaurant, he had to rush to meet him, right? 
If he didn't know that, it would be alright, but now that he knew, he must come and meet the other. 
As soon as he arrived in front of the restaurant, Gongshu Baiguang was stunned. 
Not far from them, City Lord Mu Yang and Mu Liuer were slowly approaching. 
The City Lord wore an elegant yet solemn robe. Seeing Gongshu Baiguang at the restaurant's doors, he was a little surprised. After all, both of their status and identities were extraordinary. 
As though they knew each other's thoughts, they exchanged looks and smiled, nodding. 
You don't talk, I don't talk. We're good friends. 
After that silent agreement, both of them turned, walking into the restaurant. 
However, as soon as they turned around, dark clouds rolled over above them. 


In a fantasy world where martial artists can split mountains and creeks with a wave of their hand and break rivers with a kick, there exists a little restaurant like this.
The restaurant isn't large, but it is a place where countless apex existences will rush into.
There, you can taste egg-fried rice made from phoenix eggs and dragon blood rice.
There, you can drink strong wine brewed from vermillion fruit and water from the fountain of life.
There, you can taste the barbecued meat of a ninth grade supreme beast sprinkled with black pepper.
What? You want to abduct the chef? That's not going to happen, because there's a tenth grade divine beast, the Hellhound, lying at the entrance.
Oh, that chef also has a robotic assistant that killed a ninth grade supreme being with a single hand and a group of crazy women whose stomachs were conquered.
---------
Releasing: Mon, Thu, Fri, and Weekends

Quest!

___________

Find this mysterious kidnapper and put an end to it!


Individual Quest! 

Darkness!

___________


Darkness walks around the town. This place is quite huge, but the kidnapper also appears in daylight so they should be easier to get caught.


Darkness may not know what it looks like, but she swears to find this weird thing and protect the innocents of Axel!


Maybe she should set up a bait for it.

…

Darkness turns around and with a non surprised look, the duck is following her.


This duck is very strange if Darkness has to be honest with herself.

Darkness decides to do an experiment where she walks on a lonely street alone, and the duck is still following.


…

Darkness has come to the end of the road and nobody could possibly see or hear Darkness's screams if she were to get kidnapped.

…

She faces the animal.

"There's no one around anymore. You're free to kidnap me. I know it's you in there, so stop hiding your true nature…"


She gulps.

"Let me see it. Let me see what you got, duck! You think you can handle a crusader?? Well you're wrong!"


The duck quacks and it shuffles its feathers.


"You're afraid to strike huh?? Well- "


She pulls out her sword and detached her shield from her arm and she drops both of them far away from her as she raises her hands.


Darkness: "W-what are you waiting for?? I have nothing on me! Do it! Do what you did to those other women! In fact, I won't mind if I get tortured by you! You're probably thinking about something dirty, aren't you?!"


…

The Duck runs to Darkness and it pecks on her legs.

"A-ah hey! Stop that! What are you doing that for??"


Darkness's eyes open wide as she gulps looking at the duck.

"Y-you're still acting dumb huh? Well, I need to go back to the others if you're not willing to t-torture me! Then G-Goodbye!"


Darkness clenches her hand and swings her fist to the duck, but to her surprise the duck dodges.


!

Darkness's Thoughts: "W-what??"


The duck jumps on Darkness's face, which she falls to the ground and it starts biting her fast and hard.


Darkness is trying to get this ruffian off her, but it's too hyper and it knows how to dodge.


Every bite the duck makes, the more concerned, worried and horny Darkness gets.

She can't believe she's losing to a duck!

Darkness protects her face and most of her body by her hands, and she tries to prevent it from ripping off her clothing, because the duck is clearly strong so that must mean…


Darkness: "H-how shameless! You're biting me to turn me on aren't you??! Ah! You know for a fact this outcome- nGh! would come for a reason…!  You're biting everything t-thaw!"


Darkness tries to crawl away, but the duck keeps on biting her with no mercy.


Darkness pants as she tries to fight it back  still but this Duck ain't even pulling like skin off, it's biting her for the sole reason, that's she's a masochist and the duck knew or this is the kidnapper teasing her.

Darkness's Thought's;

"N-Nooo!! I-I'm losing to an animal so small! I-I can't ngh! Imagine this would happen to me one day!!"



Darkness shakes her head furiously as her face is red as a tomato and some wounds on her.

"S-stop it!! I-If you k-keep going! I'm going to… ngah! I'm going to!!-"





…


The birds that were nearby the location of Darkness, quickly fled away as they heard Darkness scream in ecstasy.


…

Only then the Duck stops biting her.


Darkness pants as she closes her eyes.

"I...I'm sorry… Kazuma… I-It seems like it's over for me… I… Lalatina… Ford Dustiness… is going to get enslaved… by an animal now… and maybe forever… …"


Darkness hears a quack and she opens her eyes, seeing the duck holding her sword and the duck places it near her.


…

Darkness sits up and looks at the duck.

…

"Aren't you going to make me your slave now, kidnapper? You're no ordinary animal. You're- 


! 


Darkness grabs her sword and she deflects a needle that was supposed to hit her.


Darkness is surprised that a needle with something inside it and another is coming but she dodges. 


She runs to her shield and takes it and opens it up.

The duck is waddling to Darkness and stays besides her.


She looks at the duck and her confusion is starting to get more confusing.


Darkness shakes her head. She'll ask the duck later, but right now, someone is trying to inject something inside Darkness. Which is not always good.

New Book Here:
 https://www.webnovel.com/book/konosuba-love-circle-my-blessings-on-this-wonderful-world!_23312427706063205

But as time passed, Yuan Zhou slowly understood that it was precisely because the food was too delicious that such a rule was required.
That was because all foodies had a problem: they had no self-control when facing delicacies.
The passive ability of a foodie: able to have another serving of food even after the foodie was already full from eating.
Another passive ability of a foodie: Still able to eat some fruits even after the foodie was stuffed from overeating.
When a foodie encountered something delicious, the foodie would lose all judgment over his actual capacity for food. Having bigger ambitions than his actual stomach capacity would be a very apt description for a foodie.
Without this rule, it was very probable that there would be people eating so much they got gastritis. This was especially true for Wu Hai who would probably eat himself to death.
Back to the topic, while the customers ordered the new dishes, the customers still waiting in line were watching on anxiously. Everyone was curious about what the new dishes were.
Meanwhile, the various group chats related to Yuan Zhou's restaurant were in an uproar.
In [Boss Yuan is not allowed to go on holidays] group chat, Rowing Water said: "Comrades, come quickly, Boss Yuan released many new dishes!" 
In [Dragon and Tiger Squad] group chat, TYeee said: "Is there anything that can be happier than receiving salary in this world? Yes. To have Boss Yuan release new dishes during my payday!"
In [Thirteen Iron Foodie Group] group chat, Deep Clouds2 said: "On behalf of the myriad foodies, I would like to propose that Boss Yuan changes his practice of secretly releasing his new dishes. When other restaurants release their new dishes, they would do a lot of promotions. This needs to change about Boss Yuan."
Because of that message, the mood within the Wechat group changed. Previously, everyone was talking about which of the new dishes to eat, but now, everyone started talking about Yuan Zhou instead.
Not to mention promotional discounts for the new dishes, there was no promotion whatsoever for the new dishes.
Events were also extremely rare at Yuan Zhou's restaurant. According to the old-time customers, they had only encountered discounted food at Yuan Zhou's restaurant two times before.
Other restaurants would normally offer discounts during public holidays, yet the two times Yuan Zhou's restaurant had offered discounts were on completely random days.
Back to the restaurant, Ma Zhida had just gotten his half-year bonus. Thus, he prepared to treat himself today and ordered two dishes: Beer Braised Duck and Taro Chicken.
The moment Yuan Zhou received the list of orders from Zhou Jia, he knew that the new dishes had been discovered.
As a notable individual from the Chongqing School of Sichuan Cuisine, Yuan Zhou had cooked many of these dishes to himself before. It was worth noting that he was secretly making and eating them by himself.
"By the way, the rumored origin of this Beer Braised Duck is quite unreliable," muttered Yuan Zhou as he suddenly thought about the information he found when he searched for the origin of this dish.
Every single dish would have its origin, and the Beer Braised Duck was no exception. One of the rumored origins of this dish was it was a dish that had been accidentally created one day when Emperor Kangxi mixed duck meat and some rice wine.
As an experienced chef, Yuan Zhou did not think that was possible. The Beer Braised Duck wasn't delicious just because it was a mixture of liquor and duck.
Rather, it was thanks to the auxiliary ingredients that enabled the blending of the wheat's fragrance within the beer and the flavor of the duck, creating a delicious flavor. Therefore, that origin would only make sense if Emperor Kangxi's tastebuds were spoiled.
"Only certain types of seafood like crabs and clams will be good by simply adding liquor to the mix," Yuan Zhou continued mumbling.
Yuan Zhou was busy mumbling, yet his hands did not stop working.
First to be prepared was the knife he was going to use to cut the duck.
He selected a suitable knife from the rack. Apart from Miracle Kitchen Knife, he still had many other knives.
These were all supplied by the system, thus they were all of top quality as well. Yuan Zhou had been taking great care of them.
After all, a knife was akin to a chef's second life.
This time, Yuan Zhou selected a porcelain knife to handle the duck. When cutting the duck meat, it was preferable to not have any contact with any ironware. Due to the attributes of duck meat, iron would spoil its taste, also reducing the nutritional value of the duck.
Both taste and nutritional value were very important for Yuan Zhou. Thus, he handled the duck with care.
When the duck laid there, its skin was tight and glossy, clearly a top quality duck.
Whoosh! Yuan Zhou picked up the porcelain knife and readied himself. When cooking Beer Braised Duck, the cutting part had to be done quickly.
Before Yuan Zhou started cutting, he would plan properly. There were bones within the duck, thus, the time it took for each part of the duck to cook would be different. Thus, he had to determine the size of the pieces he cut according to the size of the different bones, and should also avoid separating the bones from the meat.
Each slice of Yuan Zhou's knife was precise and clean, the pieces were of different sizes yet all were similar in weight.
This was not an exaggeration. In fact, many veteran chefs were capable of this. Of course, Yuan Zhou was even more thorough with it.
From the instant he laid eyes on the duck, he no longer sees the duck as a whole. Rather, in his eyes, the duck was already separated into pieces.
He washed the duck pieces with water before preparing the auxiliary ingredients. Scallion, garlic, ginger, and chili, all were cut and placed on a plate.
If a person with OCD saw this, he would feel very comfortable as the ingredients of different colors were clearly and neatly separated, while the chili pieces all facing the same direction.
Yuan Zhou obtained his good cooking skills through training, while his speed was obtained with familiarity. To the side was a pot of boiling water.
Whoosh. Yuan Zhou poured the duck pieces inside. The meat and the skin tightened upon touching the boiling water while the blood within was squeezed out.
"Done," Yuan Zhou thought to himself. He then started scooping the duck pieces out the water.
Ding. That was the sound when the exposed duck bones came in contact with the plate. The pieces of duck with a layer of steam billowing out of it looked extremely appetizing for Ma Zhida.
"I'm really craving for it. Too bad it is not ready yet," Ma Zhida mumbled to himself.
Next, Yuan Zhou rinsed over the duck meat with some cold spring water. While drying the duck meat, he started heating up some oil on a different pot.
When the oil was boiling, Yuan Zhou lifted two plates.
Whoosh! The ingredients and the sauce were both poured in. Instantly, a strong flavor spread everywhere.
By the time the garlic turned slightly yellow, Yuan Zhou poured in the duck pieces and started stir-frying it. If a customer observed properly, he would be able to notice that there was a tempo to Yuan Zhou's stir-frying.
It was unknown if this was some special technique or if it was merely due to Yuan Zhou's OCD. Next, he poured in the scallions.
In this step, the additional oil would be forced out of the duck. But for the sake of better taste, Yuan Zhou had one additional step before this: adding a spoonful of sugar syrup before adding the scallions.
Next, Yuan Zhou added some salt and soy sauce. Since Ma Zhida preferred a heavier taste, Yuan Zhou added more. He would adjust as necessary depending on who he was cooking for.
When Yuan Zhou wielded a spatula, he was like a swordsman wielding a sword. He brandished his spatula around, akin to a swordsman displaying exquisite swordplay. With his stir-fry, the sauce, ingredients, and the duck were perfectly blended.
Yuan Zhou took out a jug of draught beer and poured half the jug into the pot. After it boiled, he turned the fire down and let it simmer.
Then, Yuan Zhou started preparing the Taro Chicken. In fact, he was operating four pots at the same time.
The Beer Braised Duck was a dish with a unique and strong flavor. After cooking, the alcohol would be gone, leaving the flavor of the wheat that when combined with the flavor of the duck, a perfect combination would be created.
"Ma Zhida has good taste indeed," Yuan Zhou praised.
… 


In a remote oriental country, there is a small and odd restaurant that has refused the three-star rating by the Michelin Guide several times. 
“The price is fairly expensive over there, 288RMB for a set meal of Egg Fried Rice and a bowl of soup. Ah, and an extra small plate of pickled vegetables as well. Even so, there are still a long line of people queuing up and waiting for a taste. Reservations are not accepted there, only waiting and queuing personally is allowed. 
“Numerous people fly there on their private planes just to queue up. Furthermore, parking bays and parking spots are not provided there. The service is terrible here. Customers have to clear the tableware themselves and wipe the table as well. For god’s sake, the boss is literally crazy.” 
---Michelin Guide
-----
Release Rate: 5 Chapters/Week; will be released on Mon, Wed, Fri and Weekend;


The Duck Emperor's humming thoroughly annoyed the members of Silver Wing Mercenary Group. The song was quite provoking, and he continued to taunt them with his horrendous droning. The duck drew the ire of the mercenaries and they were determined to deal with Duck Emperor, to where they momentarily forgot about Xiao Luo.
 
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! 
A hail of arrows sailed across the sky and streaked toward the Duck Emperor. The attackers even threw their knives and spears at him.
The Duck Emperor was not afraid because he was fast enough to dodge the projectiles. He even continued to sing happily as he maneuvered through the air. "You cannot catch up to me, can you? I am just too strong. What can you do about it? La, la, la, la, la…"
Duck Emperor continued to mock the mercenaries with his inflammatory lyrics and even cockily wiggled his tail to the tune. 
 
"You damned duck! If I do not kill you, call me Lemac instead!" Camel snarled.
His bloodshot eyes bulged with rage and looked like they were about to explode. He leaped into the air, making several attempts to catch the Duck Emperor.
"Damn! I will cut your guts out as soon as I catch you and make a duck dish out of you!" 
"You damned duck! We will make you cry. You wait and see!"
"Darn. F*ck it!"
Camel's mercenaries were equally riled up, and one after another, they joined the effort to catch the Duck Emperor. 
"You cannot catch me. You cannot catch me. Quack. Quack. Quack." The duck continued mocking as he flew around in the air.
The Duck Emperor started playing tricks on the mercenaries since they could not fly and there was no way they could catch him. The Duck Emperor took to flying like a duck to water, and he could fly quick as well. The Duck Emperor taunted them by waiting in a spot, enticing them to pounce on him, then he would speed off in flight. He made the mercenaries run around in circles. 
"Haha, haha… Duckling, you are so great!" Ghost cheered him on. 
His pranks amused Ghost, and despite her severe injuries, it thrilled her to watch Duck Emperor toying with them. She urged him on, "Come on, Duckling!"
Duck Emperor's antics bemused Xiao Luo as well. "Well, it'll work..."
The annoying duck was not completely useless after all. His actions allowed Xiao Luo the opportunity to heal himself and regain his mobility. And as the two mercenaries watching Ghost were preoccupied with Duck Emperor's antics, he would find a chance to release Ghost. Once Ghost was free, the Silver Wing Mercenary Group would be in real trouble.
"This duck is driving me mad!"
Camel could hardly get near enough to touch the Duck Emperor. He was so irritated that he kept hopping on the ground repeatedly to get at the duck.
He was not the only one. The Duck Emperor was also getting on the nerves of the other mercenaries. They wished they could dismember the Duck Emperor's body and grind his bones into powder. But they couldn't vent their frustrations on the duck as they could not catch him. The taunting angered them so much that they felt like spitting out blood.
"Come on. Come and catch me, you morons. Quack. Quack. Quack.." cried the Duck Emperor scornfully while flying around in the air.
"You damned duck. F*ck you! Come down here if you are so tough!" cursed Camel. His face turned livid with rage.
"That's right. Come down here if you are so tough!"
"We'll make mincemeat of you! One cut from each of us!"
"You damned duck. Shame on you. Come down here now!"
The other members of the Silver Wing Mercenary Group echoed the sentiment. The duck was exceedingly annoying.
"Hey, you want to irritate your Grandpa Duck Emperor?"
The Duck Emperor ignored their remarks. Instead, he gave them a middle finger. "Why don't you come up here if you are tough? Your Grandpa Duck Emperor will peck your d*cks off."
Did that duck say he wanted to peck their d*cks off? 
Darn it!
The muscular mercenaries became even more furious.
"Come down here! All you know to do is to bluff!" shouted Camel.
"You come up here, morons!"
"You come down!"
"You come up!"
…
The fight turned into trash-talking between the Duck Emperor and Camel. The man and the duck kept raising their voices. Veins stood out on Camel's forehead, and his face looked flushed. The duck's feathers all stood on end, and his eyes were bloodshot.
"Haha, haha…"
Ghost could not stop laughing. "Duckling, you are so funny. I will kiss you as your prize."
However, Xiao Luo did not find it so funny. He felt something was not right. Some mercenaries had gone missing. Where did they go? Were they hiding somewhere to capture the Duck Emperor, and Camel was merely distracting him?
Suddenly, with no warning, two mercenaries jumped out from the top of a dense tree canopy They held a giant net, which they threw over the duck. 
 
The Duck Emperor was still trash-talking Camel and did not notice the approaching danger from above him. He was shouting confidently at Camel. "Come up if you are tough. A moron without an assh*le. Your Grandpa Duck Emperor will not even let you get a feather of mine!" 
"Duckling, watch out overhead!" shouted Ghost.
Only then did the Duck Emperor realize his predicament. He looked up and saw a giant net falling on him. But it was already too late to dodge, and he was entangled in the net. Duck Emperor flapped his wings to fly away and carried off the two mercenaries with him.
The other mercenaries lurking in the tree responded quickly and leaped out one after another, grasping onto the net.
Two men. Four men. Six men.
More of them then jumped out to grab the net, and when ten of them latched on to the net, the Duck Emperor did not have the strength to fly anymore.
"Mother ducker! You piece of sh*t! This is cheating!"
Duck Emperor screamed but finally gave up struggling and went limp. Every one of them plunged to the ground. The Duck Emperor, already exhausted, was trapped in the net.
Camel grabbed the duck's neck and yanked him out of the net. In a nasty voice, Camel growled, "Go on, then. Keep flying and singing. You thought I could not catch you? You are just a damned duck. How dare you trick me? Are you not afraid of death?"
As he spoke, he tightened his hold on the Duck Emperor. The duck was struggling painfully and was suffocating. His tongue stuck out, and his eyes rolled back. Only the white of his eyes was visible.
"Duckling!"
Ghost could not bear to see it. She wanted to help, but she could not. If she exerted her strength, the two mercenaries watching her would pull the chain of the claw tighter. It would pierce more deeply into her body and cause her unbearable pain.
When Xiao Luo saw the Duck Emperor almost being strangled to death by Camel, he suspended his healing process to rescue him. 
At that moment, Xiao Luo heard the familiar sound of bats. The surroundings suddenly turned dark and spooky, and sinister energy pervaded the place.
"Shoot, that's my brother!" Ghost turned pale immediately.
The vampire chick's brother?
The mercenaries shivered when they heard her. They already had a hard time trying to subdue Ghost. If they met an adult member of the Sucking Blood Clan, they would not be a match for him. The sun had already set, and it was nightfall in the forest. The Sucking Blood Clan dominated the night. 
Many torches lit the forest up, and they were suddenly all around the mercenaries.
When the torchbearers drew close, the mercenaries realized they were members of the Sucking Blood Clan. Their skins were as pale as ghosts, and they looked bloodless. Sharp fangs protruded from their mouths, and the moment they laid eyes on the men, the vampires salivated with a thirst for blood. 


Xiao Luo and his girlfriend had been in love with each other for four years when she proposed a break up. Because of this, Xiao Luo sped his car in the night and ended up in a car accident. But it was a blessing in disguise as he unexpectedly fused with a high tech system that originated from a universe hundreds of billions of light years away. From this moment on, the entire world started to run amok.....

Duck Duck Goose is meant to be the second book in the Snow in August trilogy. Each of the books can be read without prior information in the other books. This novel’s theme has to do with suicide and dealing with grief.

"Duck Piercing Master, I would never dare to lie to any of you," Xan said with a bow. At first, Duck Piercing Master seemed satisfied with Xan's response, but then he realized something. "Wait, what did you call me?" he asked. "Did I call you something?" Xan responded. He knew he messed up slightly. He had gotten so caught up in the different duck piercing names he was coming up with for this old fellow, one of his names slipped out unintentionally.
"You called him Duck Piercing Master," one of the female mages in blue and white robes said. The flummoxed Duck Piercing Master was stunned hearing the name once again. "Why would you call me such a thing?" he asked, more puzzled than insulted. "Lord of Duck Piercing, please forgive me, I was so taken with the majestic emblem of your sect that I naturally called you this name," Xan said sincerely.
Lord of Duck Piercing looked at his emblem in surprise and then looked back up at Xan. "That's not a duck, it's a phoenix!" The Lord of Duck Piercing said. "Lord Duck Piercing, please forgive me, but that is clearly a noble duck. I believe you must be a great elder or even the master of the Immortal Duck Piercing Sword Sect, or perhaps the Duck Piercing Immortal Sword Sect, or maybe even the Sword Sect of Piercing Immortal Ducks," Xan continued. He figured since he was exposed he could just roll with it.
"What's with this duck piercing immortal this and that? I told you it's a phoenix!" Lord Duck Piercing insisted. "Let me see this emblem," one of the ladies asked. Lord Duck Piercing boldly turned to show the woman his emblem. The others also began to examine the emblem. Suddenly, the faces of most of the people in the group started turning red. The grave assassin looking person whose face was almost entirely covered began to turn red around his eyes as he held back laughing. A crooked smirk even appeared on the face of the always somber beast tamer. If someone examined the face of his always vicious looking wolf; it seemed to be having trouble holding back its wolfie laugh. "It does look like a duck!" one of the warriors finally yelled out. Almost everyone failed to suppress their laughter at that moment. The whole crowd laughed heartily at Lord Duck Piercing.
Lord Duck Piercing was extremely offended and angry. He looked darkly at his peers not sure what to say. Turning his attention back to Xan he yelled, "Are you mocking me and my sect!" Xan looked startled. "No, Mighty Piercing Duck Master, I am not mocking you. I am so impressed with this mighty duck in the emblem of your sect. I believe ducks are such an underrated bird. They have such versatility. They can fly, they can walk, and they can even sit in the water as the water fails to penetrate their feathers. They're like a mammal, a fish, and a bird all rolled into one. Such an incredible bird deserves to be the representative of a sect I think. It feels so natural that your Dominating Duck Piercing Sword School has clearly chosen the right mascot," Xan continued pushing the matter beyond reason.
"It's not a duck it's a phoenix, look, see these little bits here, those are flames!" Mighty Piercing Duck Master complained. Xan bent forward to look closer, shaking his head he said, "I thought that was water and the other one was a fish." The others crowded around once more and agreed with Xan's analysis. "It is, it is, it's water and a fish!" the other lady in fiery red and black robes said.
Mighty Piercing Duck Master was completely stumped. He didn't know what he could say. The more he looked at the emblem the more he kind of agreed with Xan. It did look like a duck being pierced. Shaking his head he ended those thoughts realizing he had to defend the honor of his sect.
"Since you're so clever with your naming, tell me the names of these other sects," Mighty Piercing Duck Master said as he pointed at the emblems on the chests of his companions. Xan looked a little hesitant but nodded his head. "Who should I start with?" he asked.
Mighty Piercing Duck Master didn't hold back and immediately pointed to the woman in blue and white robes. Xan looked at her emblem which had the picture of a beautiful woman coming out of water. "The Beautiful Fairy Immortal Mage Guild," he responded. The female mage's face brightened up with a smile. Next, he pointed at the mage with the fiery robes. She had an image of a beautiful woman surrounded by fire. "Peerless Hot Babe Mage Guild," he said. Then he pointed at a warrior carrying an ax. His emblem was of a sword and ax over a shield. "Supreme Weapons Masters Guild. Then he pointed at the assassin looking person. His emblem was of a knife coming out of a shadow. "Nightmare Assassination Guild." One by one, he pointed at everyone's emblem and Xan named them. Finally, he came to the beast tamer and his emblem was of wolves and lions laying down in front of a mighty warrior. "Domineering Beast Tamer's Guild."
Everyone present was exceptionally pleased by the naming experience. They all believed this young man had a great eye for detail and flair for capturing the essence of their guilds and sects. Even though he didn't get any of the names right, they felt his credibility was very high and it seemed endlessly reasonable to them that he correctly named the essence of the Mighty Piercing Duck Master's Sect.
"How can you come up with such amazing names for their guilds but just call mine some immortal duck sect?" Mighty Piercing Duck Master asked with slumping shoulders. "Duck Piercing Lord, I wasn't arbitrary in my naming at all, your emblem has such a profound duck as your mascot. I think you should be very proud!" Xan said with gusto.
"Anyway," the beast tamer began. "Let's get back to business, kid you said you knew where there were treasures. Why don't you guide us there?" he said. Xan nodded seriously and started walking toward another part of the room. Looking up, he pointed with his finger. We'll need to climb up the wall and over to this overhang. There's a hidden shaft leading to an upper floor that's where we'll need to begin," he said. Just as he was about to continue speaking, Duck Piercing Lord walked over and pushed Xan to the side.
"Climb up the wall, there's no need, I'll simply break it open and we'll enter directly," Duck Piercing Lord said. With that, he bent his knees slightly and jumped up towards the spot in the ceiling Xan pointed out. With great confidence, he pointed his sword up and prepared to break through and reveal the hidden room. Xan was quite taken by the sight.
"Duck Piercing Gentleman Pierces the Heavens," Xan said as he named the technique. The Duck Piercing Gentleman heard the comment and lost his momentum dropping his sword as his head crashed into the overhang and unintentionally cried out, "QUACK!"

Gene Alexander was a genius feared by all. Cursed by the heroes of Earth as its greatest villain. 

He never felt his genius was enough. After acquiring the knowledge of the twenty-four num galaxies, he sought to create an ultimate gaming system to allow him to evolve his body. 

Becoming a being of both limitless genius and filled with the cosmic energies of the universe.
 
Unfortunately, he blew himself up.

(??? POV)
-1 month later-
<Forest>
'Well It's been a month and I've had so many near death encounters, but everytime something tries to touch/attack me the forcefield activates. It reminds me of Accelerator's power "vector manipulation". Well atleast I'm not afraid of dying anymore cause It's almost impossible to kill me. Atleast for these mutated wolfs. Mhmm well enough thinking of my power. Oh!!! I forgot I need a new name for the new me! Hmm, well I'm a meme itself "overpowered duck" so I should get a meme name aswell. How about Jeff? I like it Jeff sounds kinda cool, so whenever someone asks for my name I can just say "My name's Jeff". Hahahahaha.... *Depression kicks in* I can't even talk... Only quacks come out of my mouth.. DUCK!!! I just got such a cool name and I can't even meme about it with people. Ah well can't be depressed about something so small I'm an overpowered duck for ducks sake!'
I started walking around until I saw a person
'THERE'S A DUCKING PERSON! Hmm, but she's getting attacked by one of those mutated wolfs! I better save her. This is like one of those Damsel in distress movies. But I'm a duck...'
I fly towards the mutated wolf and kick it in the face
*Swoosh* *Baam*
'Ah it literally died in one kick, am I now "one kick duck"?'
I walk towards the lady and quack towards her, but she backs away.
(Damsel in distress POV)
'What the fu** did that duck just kill a beowulf? Maybe it's some sort of new grimm?'
I notice the duck starts walking towards me so I back away in fear
'I just wanted to pick some mushrooms why did it have to go like this *sob*'
The duck stands right in front of me I close my eyes and wait for the impact to come. After waiting for 30 seconds nothing came. I opened my eyes and looked towards the duck, after staring at each other for more than a minute it just suddenly quacked.
'Is it not going to kill me? Is it not some sort of grimm? Now when I look closer it's actually pretty handsome.'
I get a bit closer to the duck and stretch out my hand, the duck moves forward and touches my hand with its head and starts to rub against it. So I pet the duck for a while in bless.
'These feathers are really comfortable, I could do this all day.'
I look towards the sun and notice it's about to go down so I get up from the ground and bow towards the duck and say "Thank you Mr.Duck for saving me" I start walking away while waving goodbye looking behind me. But I notice the duck is following.
'Why is it following me? Does it perhaps like me? Maybe I should keep it as a pet. It could kill a beowulf in one hit, but that doesn't really matter. It's cute and comfortable and I wouldn't be lonely anymore.'
I look towards the duck with and ask it "Hey Mr.Duck do you want to come with me?" I know it might be crazy to bow and thank a duck and then ask it "do you want to come with me?" But it could literally one shot a beowulf and it seemed like it's intention was on saving me from it. So it might actually understand me who knows. (A/N: Well I know ;)
The duck nods and starts walking closer to me, when it's right in front of me I pick it up, It seems to enjoy being carried.
"Hmm I haven't told you my name but It's Lizzy. I should probably name you cause I can't just keep calling you Mr.Duck, how about Jeff?"
I don't know why my brain just told me to name it Jeff, and the duck now named Jeff also seems to like it. I don't know how but I just get the feeling. Now me and Jeff is walking towards our home.

My name is Jeff and I'm a duck.



Don't expect anything. I write this out of boredom.
                           
                             bad grammar btw


*Disclaimer*
I own nothing besides my mc.

Lilith's POV 
Why are we in the van? OMG! maybe he intends to be a kidnapper and it looks like he will take me, my pimples trembled. It hurts. But he doesn't want to be a frog prince, it looks like he prefers Ugly Ducking. "Ayiiii! You" I tapped his arm. He quickly dismissed my hand and frowned when he looked at me. It's chossy ... Who was Ugly Duckling? Never mind, I just called him Duck Prince. "What?" "I already know what you mean duck prince. I read that in books, you will run away from me to get married" I said while teasingly staring at him. Her eyes widened and she quickly approached me and seemed to kiss me on the neck. I struggle to feel duck prince's breath. Did I scrub last month? Fortunately, duck prince's breath is not as cruel as mother Linda's, his smells like mint. "You're not a vampire, how come that you can read my mind?" Maybe duck prince is crazy, vampire? In fact, I like Bella Swan of Twilight. That's just Bella's accident. "Me! I know you like me so you don't have to deny it" I laughed and slapped him on the arm which tightened his jaw. His jaw can still be wide. "Stop touching me" he said while sitting in front of me. The duck prince is very naughty. It feels like menstruation. His eyes narrowed as he looked at me. Is it true that he has plans to be Mulan earlier, feeling chinito? "Why I can't read your damn mind?" His jaw tightened on two occasions. We have a plan to fight Nemo. The jaw can still swim hahahaha. "Probably nothing is written in my brain, so how can you read? Hahaha" I laughed out loud while my mouth was full. I feel like my saliva is dripping with laughter because of him. Duck prince also has stupidity. 

"Don't try to reach my limit after" he said. I laughed even harder at him. "I'll give you money, just cooperate with me and pretend as my girlfriend, or what they other called that word" I already remember those excuses. Pretend to be a girlfriend then pretend to like each other and fight back then there will be a problem. Then they finally admit that they can't afford to lose each other and then get married. A flip brought me back to sanity. I cried and caressed my forehead. "I have no time for your day dream, just tell me if you would accept my deal" he said. Suddenly my cellphone rang and mother Linda's name came out. My heartbeat quickened as my stomach ached. My stomach still can't accept the fried fish with mother Linda's soup. "Do you have food in your house?" I was nervous to ask duck prince who now frowned again. "Why?" He asked. "Yes or no?" He sighed and sighed before looking at me lazily. Obviously duck prince's body has no vitamins. "For now I don't know, but it's not a problem I can call chef to cook" 

I rolled my eyes at what I heard. I quickly opened the window and threw away my cellphone. I can finally eat real food as well. "All right! All right! Deal with me, just feed me good food always, it's okay" Finally I will not have diarrhea because of manang Linda's cooking. My life will improve and my stomach will improve. The duck prince motioned to the driver to feel the sun glasses he was wearing. Ganda ng style ng driver hahaha parang siyang may sasalihang competition. The width of the forehead, extends to the nape. We stopped at a large old mansion. We will go through three gates before reaching the very door of their duck prince mansion. And all the guards of duck prince's mansion were all in tuxedos and all wearing sun glasses. Their uniforms are as cool as if they were dead every day. Hahahaha. Just as duck prince was about to get out of the van, I quickly stopped him. "What do you need?" You have no emotional question. "Is anyone dead?" I also noticed that he was also black. "Tsk! Just concentrate on our deal human and don't put your attention to nonsense things" he took off his denim jacket and motioned for me to wear it. 
He quickly pulled me into the mansion. The gaping family member of duck prince probably hit us. But everyone seems to be his sister. The reddish-colored woman quickly tinted her hair and looked bad at duck prince. "Why didn't you tell us that she's human? Can you see the set up here? We all just prepare blood" duck prince's sister asked him one after another. Blood? I saw the alleged blood of duck prince's sister. They haven't finished cooking blood yet, the blood will still be used here. "It's okay sister, are you still boiling the meat?" Duck prince and I arrived early. "Kieran Luther, did she know what we are?" Asked his brother who is now standing next to duck prince. Kieran Luther is the name of the duck prince. "Maybe" "You must tell her, before you bring her here" said another sister of duck prince who is now standing next to me. Is their real cousin flash? "We're Vampires" duck prince announced. My eyes widened as my nostrils widened. OMG! Are they vampires? Vampire duck prince? Ayiii! I have my own Edward Cullen. "So what now? She knew our true identity" the sad sister asked with dark hair. "I'm willing to blame duck prince. Ayiiiiii!" I let out a loud scream. That he echoed around. I have a duck prince, a frog prince with a bunch of vampires. 
I love it!

Blood makes vampires live like him. The extravagant Kieran Luther Crimson is one of the most feared and respected of his generation. For him, his reputation is the most important thing in his life. His fellow vampires are the strongest and look up to him because of his leadership skills. No emotion can always be seen on his face. 

But when Celeste Lilith came to his cold life, his whole vampire changed. The innocent maiden will give life to the cold world of the next king of vampires.

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