Public Kitchen

Lucien couldn't shake off the memory of the first time he tasted his mother's cooking. People always rave about how their mom's food is the bomb, but for him, it was more like a bomb went off in his stomach.

Back in the day, before they were the "Eccentric Mafia," they were just scraping by in a tiny apartment. Their family was kinda lucky to get Lucien and Seren to elementary school where the lunch food was cheap, so they could eat at least once a day.

Imagine one day they get back from school to see the dinner table full of food. The two of them were running excitedly, especially when they knew it was Amane who cooked all of that food.

Lucien dove straight for the chicken thighs from the rotisserie, thinking it was gonna be the highlight of his day. Next thing he knew, he was face-planting on the floor, convulsing like crazy.

Waking up in the hospital, he realized he'd been the guinea pig for Amane's culinary experiment gone wrong. At least Seren and Cassius dodged that bullet.

He couldn't even remember what the food tasted like, probably 'cause his brain was trying to block out the trauma. But he knew one thing for sure—it must taste horrible.

Now, watching his mother in the kitchen, he felt a cold sweat break out. The thought of her food potentially turning the whole village into a hospital ward brought back that nightmare all over again.

"Are you deaf? Of course, I'm here to help!" Amane retorted nonchalantly, her eyes gleaming with determination.

Lucien knows his mother's love for food, but dear Goddess, please protect this village from going extinct.

"But you can't cook," Lucien interjected, blocking his mother's path to the kitchen and firmly gripping her shoulder to guide her away.

Amane slapped his hand away, her expression turning incredulous. "What are you doing, you ungrateful child? My restaurants were the ones that provided for your livelihood!"

"Your restaurants were just fronts for money laundering! No one actually eats there!" Lucien hissed under his breath, attempting to restrain her once more.

Amane was stronger and could get away from his son easily as she slapped his head, "You punk! So what if that place is for money laundering?! I still can cook! You just a weak child that got poisoned easily!"

"So you remember that I ended up in the hospital because of your food, and you're still insisting on cooking?! The doctor almost had to remove half of my intestine because of that!" Lucien protested, his voice rising as a commotion erupted in the kitchen.

As if things couldn't get any worse, Seren barged into the kitchen with her phone in hand, filming the chaos unfolding between Lucien and Amane.

"Yo! Yo! Back again with another adventure with Youmi in another world! Today's theme: witnessing my mother trying to poison everyone in the village!" Seren exclaimed, aiming her camera at the tense scene.

"Will everyone be saved from my mother's devilish food, or will they meet their demise? Don't forget to watch and subscribe!"

"Seren!" Lucien facepalmed, feeling the situation spiraling out of control.

Amane was left flabbergasted, her eyes widening in disbelief as she unsheathed her katana. "Say that again, Seren. I'll cut that damn phone in half!" she threatened, poised to strike.

"Calm down, Mom! Everyone's watching!" Lucien intervened, attempting to restrain Amane and keep her katana sheathed.

"Mom! Don't call me by my real name like that! I'm Youmi! Y-O-U-M-I!!!" Seren sighed in frustration, trying to reason with her mother.

"Forget that noise! Hand over that phone!" Amane brandished her katana, ready to make a move and put an end to the impromptu filming session.

Brigantiea, reveling in the chaos, couldn't help but enjoy the spectacle, a loaf of bread in hand as she grinned, smirked, and occasionally burst into laughter.

Meanwhile, Lithira stood speechless, completely taken aback by the unexpected chaos unfolding before her. She hadn't anticipated Lucien's family to be quite so... chaotic.

Suddenly, a worker stepped forward, clearing her throat to address the tumult. She was a middle-aged woman adorned in a white cap and apron.

"My Lord and Ladies, please calm down," she began, addressing Lucien before turning to Amane. "With all due respect, Lady Amane has assisted us with recipes, but we haven't allowed her to take charge of cooking. It wouldn't be appropriate for someone with such high status as her."

Lucien breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that the village was spared from potential disaster. "Alright, I apologize for causing a fuss. And you are?" he inquired.

"I'm Tilly, the head of the kitchen, appointed by Mr. Gibson," she explained. "We rarely converse, as I understand you're quite busy. I'm here to thank you, My Lord, for providing us with jobs and sustenance." With a respectful bow, Tilly was followed by the workers in the kitchen.

Lucien actually gave all the preparation and planning for the kitchen and medical tent to Gibson since he was still trying to learn about the village and make a plan for how to improve their financial situation. Especially counting all the budget for workers' salaries and the kitchen's food.

"No, it's thanks to all of your hard work and invaluable suggestions that we've achieved this," Lucien replied with a businessman's smile.

"And, of course, Gibson's dedication. Without the cooperation of the villagers, none of this would be possible."

[Omnicisient Alchazar activated.]

[The Sound of Sovereign: your voice will influence the people faith in you by 5%.]

[Satisfication increased +5.]

[Satisfication increased by +10.]

[Loyalty increased +10.]

[Congratulations, your path and skill levels have increased!]

[Emblem of Shire lvl 15 -> lvl 16]

[Sound of Sovereign lvl 7 -> lvl 8]

The commotion began to subside, replaced by a chorus of praise and gratitude directed towards Lucien, and after that, they got back to work. Meanwhile, Amane and Seren exchanged eye rolls, finding the whole display a bit cringe-worthy.

Amane nudged her son's arm playfully, teasing, "Ah, you're such a braggart!"

"And don't forget your daily flirting sessions with the village milfs," Seren chimed in with a smirk.

"Flirting? I'm just discussing their problems and gathering suggestions for improving the village! All of this kitchen business was inspired by their needs, you know?" Lucien defended himself, feeling the need to set the record straight.

The two women exchanged disbelieving looks before shaking their heads and heading over to engage with the kitchen staff. Amane busied herself with sharing recipes, while Seren recorded their activities.

Lucien wasn't exaggerating. It all started with a conversation he had with one of the village housewives about the struggles of affording basic necessities, especially with Lucien's tax reduction policy in place.

"I'm grateful for the tax reduction, My Lord. It's helped us afford bread and other essentials for my family. But still... fresh meat and vegetables are out of our reach due to their expense," the woman had confided in him.

Then there was the incident at the construction site, where workers were collapsing from exhaustion. Upon seeing their emaciated frames, Lucien realized it wasn't just fatigue but also malnutrition plaguing the village.

That's when he received the territory quest:

[Territory Quest Info]

[Decreasing Malnutrition: The villagers in Euclair Village are malnourished, especially children and workers who barely have access to anything beyond bread.]

[Objective: Reduce malnutrition in the village by 20% and provide nutritious meals with a variety of vegetables and meats.]

[Reward: 2000 Satisfaction Rate and 50,000 Nexus Points.]

So why not introduce free nutritious meals for the workers and establish a low-cost restaurant where villagers could access affordable meals with a variety of options?

Hence, the public kitchen was established, serving not just workers but everyone in the village. Even if the kitchen only served one meal a day, since the budget was limited.

While it was currently just a large tent with cooking facilities and a few tables and chairs, it served its purpose for now.

The menu would change every day, so they didn't need to worry about the nutritional value.

However, it was hard to fulfill protein needs since most of the food was just vegetables and carbo such as bread, oats, or potato.

There was just a little meat in the food because the village didn't have much meat supply to begin with.

Suddenly, a hand touched his shoulder, and he turned to see Tilly, the head of the kitchen, inviting him to join them for the meal. "My Lord, the food is ready. Would you care to join us?" she asked warmly.