When the game shut down, I took my skills with me.

The afternoon sunlight softened, and Lu Yuan stretched and sat up from the beach chair.

A perfect afternoon nap.

He took off his sunglasses, squinted at Ye Tian standing straight beside him, and the three bottles of cola neatly arranged at his feet.

"Thank you for your hard work," Lu Yuan said casually.

Ye Tian was flattered and quickly waved his hand, "It's no trouble at all! It's my honor to stand guard for you, sir!"

He has now fully embraced the role of "Guardian of the Divine Realm".

Lu Yuan didn't pay attention to his form of address. His gaze fell on the waterproof bag containing the deep-sea star eel not far away, and he smacked his lips.

"We have the fish, but..." He looked at Ye Tian, ​​as if talking to himself, yet also as if giving an order, "We're still missing some things. Charcoal, a barbecue grill, and some cumin, chili powder, and stuff like that. Go get some."

After saying that, he lay back down, put his sunglasses back on, and looked relaxed, as if he was waiting for dinner.

Ye Tian's body tensed instantly.

A new mission!

And it's a follow-up to the main quest, "Beach Security"!

He glanced at his task panel, and sure enough, a new task popped up.

[Family Exclusive Chain Mission: Preparing for a Barbecue]

[Task Description: Prepare all necessary supplies for the "World Administrator's" dinner. List: 1 barbecue grill, 10 kg of top-grade charcoal, and various seasonings.]

[Task Time Limit: 3 hours]

[Quest Reward: 500 Experience Points, [World Administrator's Praise] (Temporary Buff, effect unknown)]

[Failure Penalty: Loyalty -10]

Ye Tian looked at the task, and sweat immediately poured down his forehead.

Barbecue grill? Charcoal? Seasonings?

This is the apocalypse where the game has arrived! Where are we going to find these things? Even if they exist, the survivors have probably hoarded them as strategic resources!

Besides, what you want, sir, could it be something ordinary?

"Top-grade charcoal"... These four words made Ye Tian's eyelids twitch.

He dared not delay and immediately thought of his only backup—Dragon Shield.

He quickly ran to the edge of the beach and pulled a black communicator, about the size of a matchbox, from his pocket. This was something Agent Li Mo from Dragon Shield had insisted on giving him, saying it was "the only hotline to communicate with Heaven."

He pressed the call button.

……

A hundred miles away, the command ship of the Dragon Shield Bureau's "Ocean Exploration Vanguard".

A piercing alarm suddenly blared throughout the command center, and red lights flashed wildly.

"Report! The dedicated communication channel for 'Divine Realm Number One' has been activated!"

"It's an 'oracle'! It's the master's oracle!"

Qin Shiyue jolted awake, jumped up from his seat, and sprinted to the communications station. He put on the headset himself, his expression as solemn as if he were listening to an imperial edict.

"I am Qin Shiyue! Comrade Ye Tian, ​​please speak! What are your instructions, sir?"

Ye Tian's voice, sounding both anxious and uncertain, came through the earpiece: "Director Qin... Mr. Qin... he wants to eat barbecue."

"Barbecue?" Qin Shiyue was taken aback.

"Yes, sir, you need a barbecue grill, ten kilograms of top-grade charcoal, and seasonings such as cumin and chili powder." Ye Tian rattled off the task list in one breath.

Communication was interrupted.

Qin Shiyue took off his headphones and fell into a long silence.

The command center was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; everyone held their breath, watching their leader.

Suddenly, Qin Shiyue slammed his hand on the table, his eyes flashing with an unprecedented light.

"I understand! I completely understand!" His voice was loud and clear, filled with the joy of sudden enlightenment.

The chief of staff quickly stepped forward: "Director Qin, what have you realized?"

"A test! This is still a test!" Qin Shiyue waved his arms excitedly. "Do you all think Mr. [Sir] really wants to eat barbecue? Superficial! So superficial!"

He pointed to the tranquil beach on the screen and said, slowly and deliberately, "This is 'the warmth of human life'! The Master is enlightening us! He is telling us that even if we possess divine power, we cannot escape the mortal world, and we cannot forget our roots!"

Dr. Chen adjusted his glasses, his eyes shining, and quickly jotted down notes in his notebook: "That makes sense! 'Barbecuing,' seemingly a form of cooking, is actually a primitive use of 'fire'! Charcoal is the essence of plant life! Seasonings are symbols of all the flavors of the world! Sir, you're using the name of 'barbecuing' to evolve the 'Way of the Mortal World'!"

"That's right!" Qin Shiyue nodded emphatically. "Therefore, what we prepare absolutely cannot be ordinary barbecue ingredients! This must be the most devout 'sacrifice'!"

He took a deep breath and issued a series of instructions.

"Order! Immediately contact headquarters and use the highest authority to allocate Inner Mongolian lamb chops and Kobe A5 grade Wagyu beef, specially supplied for state banquets, from the national strategic reserve!"

"Order! Immediately dispatch the expert team from the Institute of Botany to the outskirts of the 'Elf Forest' instance that just appeared in the Shennongjia region to find a spiritual plant called 'Star-Patterned Ironwood'! I need it to make the 'Spirit Charcoal' for this sacrifice!"

"Order! Send the National Geographic Exploration Team immediately to the newly discovered 'Elemental Secret Realm' deep within the Kunlun Mountains to collect chili powder made from 'Millennial Earth Fire Crystallized Salt' and 'Three Suns Sacred Fruit'!"

"As for the barbecue grill... contact the Ministry of Aerospace Industry and have one made immediately! Right now! It has to be a work of art!"

The orders were quickly relayed.

The entire extraordinary power system of China was operating at unprecedented efficiency for the sake of this barbecue.

……

Two hours later.

A state-of-the-art stealth transport aircraft hovered a hundred miles away from "Divine Realm No. 1".

Several sealed boxes made of special materials were airdropped into the sea and respectfully delivered to the edge of the beach by a team of frogmen from the Dragon Shield at top speed.

Ye Tian was dumbfounded when he saw the boxes piled up like a small mountain in front of him.

He just wanted some charcoal, but D.H.I.E.L.D. delivered an armory to him instead?

He opened one of the boxes, and a warm energy wafted out. Inside were not charcoal at all, but pieces of "spirit charcoal" that looked like black crystal and had star-like patterns on their surface.

In another box were crystallized salts emitting a soft glow and a packet of chili powder that was as red as if it were burning.

As for the barbecue grill, its design is full of sci-fi and artistic beauty, and the silver-white metal shines in the sunlight, clearly indicating that it is not an ordinary product.

Ye Tian swallowed hard, and with a sense of pilgrimage, carefully moved these things in front of Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan sat up at this moment, staring blankly at these props that were clearly "beyond the scope".

"I just wanted some barbecue, are you guys preparing to launch a rocket?" He picked up a piece of "star-patterned ironwood charcoal," weighed it in his hand, and asked, "Will this thing even light?"

As he spoke, a small cluster of golden flame appeared at his fingertips and he lit it on the charcoal.

"boom!"

The charcoal ignites instantly without a trace of smoke, instead emitting a pleasant and unique aroma, with a flame as steady as a gas stove.

"Hey, it works pretty well." Lu Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

He glanced at Ye Tian, ​​who was still standing there in a daze, and casually took out a piece of Wagyu beef that was vacuum-packed and had an impossibly perfect snowflake pattern from a box and threw it over.

"Hey, don't just watch, have some too."

Ye Tian caught it in a flurry of activity.

[System Notification: You have obtained a special item "A5 Grade Wagyu Beef (A Gift from the Gods)" x1.]

Before he could react, Qin Shiyue, on the distant command ship, had already witnessed this scene through high-powered binoculars and was so moved that tears streamed down his face.

"He accepted it! The sir accepted our sacrifice!"

"He also bestowed a portion of the 'sacrifice' upon the 'Chosen One'! This is recognition! This is supreme glory!"

"I understand!" Qin Shiyue suddenly realized something again. "The Master is very satisfied with our first sacrifice! He has given me the order to designate this as a top-level 'routine mission'! Establish the 'Divine Realm Supply Department,' and from today onwards, every day, every hour, every moment, we must prepare the finest supplies, ready to await the Master's next 'divine decree'!"

On the beach, Lu Yuan was skillfully flipping the grilled meat and sprinkling it with "Millennial Earth Fire Crystal Salt," which filled the air with a wonderful aroma.

He had no idea that his impulsive barbecue had been formally established as a national, institutionalized, long-term offering project.

Meanwhile, his loyal "fellowship" Ye Tian was holding the piece of raw beef, pondering whether he should enshrine it as a family heirloom.