Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 362 Add a spoonful of love

As Ethan walked out of the clothing store after a long day of work, the sun was already setting over the city. It was rush hour, and the streets were bustling with people and long lines of cars, their taillights and neon lights creating a mesmerizing scene.

Ethan hadn't strolled through streets like this in a long time.

If you listen carefully, you can hear the conversations of passersby.

Some people are worried about work, while others decide to meet up at the nearest popular restaurant after get off work.

Although it was a "dream," it was so real that it was no different from the real world. Ethan felt that perhaps Xiao An was right; this city was an alternative polluted area, a city constructed by his subconscious.

The verification method is very simple.

That being the case...

Ethan suddenly realized something, quickened his pace, and looked up at the night sky. Something was missing from the night view he had envisioned.

Ethan drew the attention of passersby. Cars stuck in traffic at the traffic lights rolled down their windows, their expressions varied, and some even gave him sympathetic looks.

Another young person driven mad by this city.

Perhaps it was pressure from family, or perhaps it was the recent wave of unemployment that made them unable to accept reality and instead immersed themselves in fantasy.

The young man's expression and gait made it seem as if the entire city belonged to him.

Those people shook their heads helplessly.

Ethan ignored the gazes of those around him and looked up at the night sky. He saw colorful lights illuminating the high-rise buildings, and airships adorned with advertisements appeared and disappeared among the clouds. Soon after, the commercial plaza not far away was illuminated by a mesmerizing holographic projection, which was perhaps the most popular idol group at the moment. They twisted their bodies and danced a hot dance.

Next up is music.

Heavy metal rock is more suited to the city's current theme, while in the more distant city center, a skyscraper is rising from the ground.

It is growing at a speed visible to the naked eye, reaching straight into the sky.

This is the scene depicted in "City of Truth," where the "Consensus Obelisk" is located—the seat of the democratic parliament.

The power center of the City of Truth is located atop a towering building, offering a panoramic view of the entire city. Countless times, a follower of the God of Truth stood atop the tower overlooking the city, witnessing its lights and prosperity, and constructing his ideal kingdom.

The pedestrians around seemed oblivious to the colorful lights that suddenly lit up overhead and the eye-catching holographic projection on the commercial street. To them, it was as if it had always been there. They naturally blended into the rock melody and swayed their bodies to the music.

No one would question the existence of the Democratic Parliament; from the very beginning of the City of Truth, it served as a compass, guiding everyone on the path forward.

The verification went smoothly.

When he wished the city's nights to be brighter, the lights were turned on, even though they had never been there just seconds before.

More importantly, all of this is taken for granted; "reality" seems to be just how it should be.

No need for learning or research, just let an idea pop into your head.

At that moment, Ethan realized the existence of the "other him" that Xiao An had mentioned.

He walked down the steps of the subway station and quickly blended into the crowd. He was about to take a subway train that would take him across most of the city.

Zhuang Xiao, who was also in the Pioneer Technology Building, witnessed the entire process of the "Consensus Monument" rising from the ground through her office window. It was located not far from Pioneer Technology, and she could clearly see the staff in the high-rise building across the street, who were equivalent to government officials.

This sudden strange phenomenon must be related to Ethan.

It defied common sense, yet it was enough to make her tremble with excitement.

This was absolutely groundbreaking progress, and she couldn't wait to bring the news to the shelter. If Ethan could build a skyscraper out of thin air, then... perhaps restoring the city above the shelter wouldn't be too difficult.

Compared to the backstabbing in the office and the cryptic intentions of the shelter's higher-ups, she truly saw hope in Ethan.

And now it seems that only one question remains – how do they invite Ethan to the shelter?

They still had plenty of time to think. It was only the second day since the "dream" began, and such significant progress had already been made. Although she still had some reservations, she had to admit that Merlin's plan had been a great success.

Time to get off.

Zhuang Xiao guessed that Ethan should already be on his way home. Soon, their second day in the "dream" would come to an end. Just like before, time in the whole world would stand still because of Ethan's departure, and they, as "intruders," would be forcibly expelled from the country.

It would be accompanied by severe headaches and dizziness, but Zhuang Xiao believed it would all be worth it.

……

Nearly an hour later, Ethan returned to his apartment.

It is now located in one of the most bustling areas of the city, an 88-story building that is one of the landmarks of the area. The elevator stopped at the top floor of the apartment building, and he walked along the circular corridor back to the somewhat unfamiliar door and knocked on the door.

The black cat opened the door for him, and at the same time, crackling sounds came from the kitchen, and the aroma of spices spread throughout the living room.

Busy in the kitchen, Winter rested her chin on her left hand, intently watching the hot oil in the pan. On the cutting board were chopped chicken pieces and newly bought seasonings. She professionally marinated the chicken pieces before frying them, and even tied on a printed apron. Her long white hair was tied into a neat single ponytail.

Winter (Homebody): Ethan feels he has returned just in time, unlocking a special illustration for Winter.

“We originally planned to eat fried chicken, but we read online that many fried chicken restaurants have questionable hygiene conditions and use black oil, so we decided to make it ourselves.”

Black Cat stood at the kitchen doorway explaining, clicking her tongue in admiration, "This woman truly lives up to her reputation as a high-level alchemist; she cooks with remarkable skill."

In Ethan's memory, Winter rarely cooks. Rowena complained more than once that since the first day she met Winter, Winter has lived a life where food is served to her. The most torturous thing is when the mission location is deep in the mountains and forests, and Rowena has to solve the problem of food. Winter is like a noble lady and would never touch pots and pans. Even the work of marinating and roasting meat and starting a fire has to be done by Rowena herself.

Ethan suddenly realized that although he had known Winter for so long, she had only ever invited him out to eat.

He observed from the kitchen doorway for a while longer. Winter treated cooking with the rigor of conducting a chemistry experiment. The number of chicken pieces and the ratio of seasonings had to be perfect. In just ten minutes, she even used her domain magic twice, using the time-stop property to stop and check the recipe to prevent the chicken pieces from overcooking in the oil.

The cuckoo alarm clock was placed in the most conspicuous place on the kitchen counter.

But then, Ethan discovered the problem.

The black cat kept saying, "We've decided to cook dinner together," but since then, she's just been sitting outside the kitchen doing nothing, acting like an expert and giving unsolicited advice.

"What can I do? I wanted to help, but I was kicked out."

The black cat activated its mind-reading ability and argued, "I think that woman is taking it a little too seriously."

"What's up with her?"

“I was supposed to be in charge of marinating the chicken pieces. You should know how to marinate them, right? It’s just adding a little of this and a little of that, then mixing them together and kneading them, right? But she insisted that I was making a mess.”

"What did you add?"

"White powder, red powder, black powder."

"Wait a minute, what is the black powder?" "I don't know."

"That's just the dregs from the bottom of the pot!"

A cold voice came from the kitchen. Winter glanced at the black cat. She felt that she was already being merciful enough by not grabbing the pot and smashing it on Keycap's forehead. And now was the most crucial moment for this fried chicken. She didn't have time to argue with Keycap.

This was her first time trying fried chicken nuggets, and she applied the same attitude she had when she was working on alchemy.

The third domain magic was activated.

She became a little impatient. The dish was missing one crucial seasoning, but time was of the essence, and the tablet tutorial said not to fry the chicken pieces for too long.

She was racing against time, and this final ingredient was no less difficult than the most complex alchemical recipe.

"Are you having any difficulties?"

Seeing this, Ethan went into the kitchen.

He glanced at the pot and saw that even setting aside the fact that she was a beginner, Winter's dish was surprisingly well-made. The breadcrumbs coating the chicken pieces were fried until golden brown, and all the seasonings had been prepared in advance and neatly placed in several small plates. Although Ethan had lived alone for a long time and had plenty of cooking experience, he was ashamed of himself for his lack of rigor in cooking.

The fried chicken is done; now it's ready to be scooped out with a slotted spoon.

"One ingredient is still missing."

Winter seemed very distressed.

She tapped the tablet, and Ethan keenly caught the video's title.

Heartbeat Kitchen: Cooking is more effective than confessing your love - 100 recipes to help you win over your boyfriend's stomach (Fried Chicken Edition)

The video's subtitles stopped right on the last ingredient:
"Finally, add a spoonful of love."

"How do I add this?"

The chicken pieces in the pot were about to be overcooked. Winter was stuck on this last step for a long time. She saw the video creator add a spoonful of air, but as an alchemist, she could instantly think of more than a dozen colorless, odorless, and difficult-to-identify materials.

The word "love" mentioned in the video immediately brought several formulas to mind.

Aphrodisiac?
A cocoon of passion?

If we consider that it is colorless and formless...

Is this a sign of a bewitching heart?
This potion originated in the Fourth Age. A prince, seeking to win the heart of his beloved, obtained a colorless, odorless, and invisible potion from a witch. He applied the potion to a handkerchief and gave it to his sweetheart, thus beginning a magnificent and tragic royal love story. This story was later adapted for the stage by the Kingdom of Garrog many times and is one of the most famous plays.

Ethan panicked at the sight of Winter's serious yet confused expression.

This is perhaps what veteran anime fans call "cute and innocent charm," a rare occurrence in Rindou's character.

But problems then arise.

How should he explain "a spoonful of love" to the cold winter?
Actually, nothing needs to be added; it's just a gimmick used to create the video.
However, this would undoubtedly ruin the romantic atmosphere.

"Is my fried chicken still not ready?!"

Just as Ethan was deep in thought, a booming voice burst into the kitchen.

The black cat couldn't stand it any longer. She nimbly jumped onto the kitchen counter, then used it as a stepping stone to smash into Ethan's head like a cannonball.

She had seen through it all.

It's just a small spoonful of love, isn't it? I completely don't understand why these two clueless humans are dragging their feet and talking about love for so long.
The black cat bumped into the back of Ethan's head, causing him to lean forward due to inertia. Her paws rested on Ethan's head, adjusting the angle like a driver to ensure that their mouths would be accurately pressed together when Ethan leaned forward.

Winter was startled by the sudden attack, her mouth slightly open, which gave the black cat an even greater opportunity.

"Well--!"

Faced with the lips pressed together, Winter could only let out a soft, unintelligible gasp.

The black cat's attack didn't stop there. Her tail suddenly grew half a meter longer, binding their heads together like a rope. She stared intently at the boiling oil. "Quick, now! Oh, let me do it!"

Before the words were even finished, the long tail bizarrely split open, and the other half of the tail curled up Winter's wrist, which was holding the spoon, adding this freshly baked love into the pot.

Having accomplished all of this, the black cat, like a true culinary master, performed a beautiful backflip in mid-air and landed steadily on the countertop, also turning off the stove in the process. Then, she satisfiedly used her tail to curl up the strainer and scooped up half of the fried chicken into a large plate that had been prepared beforehand.

"These are all mine!"

She declared ownership of the plate of golden fried chicken, "Hehe, the strong prey on the weak, first come, first served, that's the law of nature... Hey, why are you two blushing so much?"

Black Cat was ready to fight for the fried chicken, but neither Winter nor Ethan showed any intention of attacking her, and the atmosphere in the kitchen became a little strange.

Faced with her provocation, Lin Dong, who usually had a bad temper, actually swallowed her anger and picked up a piece of fried chicken with her chopsticks, put it in her mouth and tasted it. Then her eyes narrowed into slits with satisfaction. This was the taste of happiness.

The creator of that video is indeed very knowledgeable; Winter has decided to add this series to her favorites.

But until then...

She picked up a piece of fried chicken with her chopsticks, carefully blew on it a few times, and then extended the chopsticks toward Ethan.

The first cooking went smoothly, and with the help of the keycaps, she finally cracked the last ingredient.

The black cat on the kitchen counter tilted its head, looking completely bewildered.

Why do these two humans look so furtive?

Then something even more incomprehensible happened—Winter used a slotted spoon to scoop up the remaining fried chicken and dumped it all onto her plate. The golden, tempting fried chicken piled up into a small mound on her plate, which made Black Cat hardly believe her eyes.

Why did this usually bad-tempered woman suddenly change her ways today?

"You, eat more."

The tone was still a bit stiff.

Having finished all this, Winter patted the black cat's head, then took Ethan's arm and led him out of the kitchen, closing the kitchen door behind her.

The black cat glanced at the closed door, then at the chicken pieces on the plate.

She decided to put her curiosity aside for the time being.

Hey,

No one can take her fried chicken away!

(End of this chapter)