Change jobs, pet beast!

I woke up feeling refreshed after my afternoon nap.

On the table was a bowl of sausage fried rice and a stack of rolled-up parchment, but the old crane was nowhere to be seen.

"I didn't expect Uncle Duan to be so efficient; he finished the topographic map in just half a morning."

Jiang Mo glanced at the Fire Hound sleeping in its peculiar posture by the door, shook his head, and ate a large mouthful of rice.

He then unfolded the parchment, carefully examined it, and unconsciously fell into deep thought.

"A pet suitable for the 'farmer' role should first try its luck in the swamp area."

"We can't go to the far west. I've heard that Green Raven Ridge borders West Glow Crimson Marsh. Even a two-star pet beast would be at the bottom of the food chain there."

"The easternmost part is guarded by Xiongbing Town. Any refugee who dares to approach will not even know how he died."

Jiang Mo's gaze lingered on the three characters "Xiongbing City" for a long time, unable to look away.

Honestly, did he really have a really bad start to his life?

His grandfather, Jiang Yingtian, was a viscount!

The Jiang clan of Taoshi possessed a fiefdom with a population of over ten thousand!

Years later, he should have inherited all of this!

As a result, he became a refugee, exiled to Green Crow Ridge, left to fend for himself...

"Young master, look what this old servant brought back!"

The cheerful calls from outside the door interrupted Jiang Mo's hazy memories.

Jiang Mo exhaled deeply, his brows suddenly relaxing.

Fortunately, there was still the old crane.

Wait a minute, why is Old Crane dragging a large burlap sack in his left hand and carrying a huge iron pot on his right? He looks rather comical...

"Woof!"

The spitting insect smelled something strange, scrambled to its feet, and wagged its tail as it approached its owner.

"Huh, is that an explosive mushroom?"

The uniquely shaped ingredients in the burlap sack caught Jiang Mo's attention.

"Ha ha ha ha."

The old crane laughed heartily and said excitedly:

"Back home, those exploding mushrooms sell for at least 5 copper coins each, and they're always snapped up as soon as they're on the market. Here, they're only 1 copper coin each, and nobody wants to buy them. I bought them all—a total of nine! I made a whopping 36 copper coins!"

The gloom that had been hanging over Jiang Mo gradually dissipated, and he suddenly smiled faintly:

"Different regions have different resources, isn't that normal?"

"Old Crane, I still prefer your old, unruly self. You used to throw away tens or hundreds of copper coins with your eyes closed. You would never be so happy about making such a small amount of money."

"Young master, you're getting on in years, you can't deny that you're old."

He Zhifeng smiled and said, "With a total of 20 copper coins in assets, you should at least buy some spare clothes, and some firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea, right?"

"And what happened? I only have 12 copper coins left, but I still managed to gather all the ingredients for the 'Spicy Salad' recipe... Today is really strange, a whole series of good things have happened!"

Jiang Mo asked疑惑地问道：“Then this pot…”

"I greeted Old Man Duan and borrowed it from his house!"

He Zhifeng waved his hand, full of vigor, and carrying a large iron pot, rushed into the kitchen.

It's time to show off my skills.

Can you really call a leaping squirrel a delicacy?

It's nothing more than food to fill an empty stomach, not worth mentioning!

Jiang Mo followed him into the kitchen.

The kitchen was empty, with nothing but dust.

So Jiang Mo summoned a deep blue water snake, which quickly swept across the corners and edges.

This is the self-discipline of a bathhouse attendant; after all, cleaning is the easiest and most convenient job.

The kitchen was completely renovated.

He Zhifeng placed the iron pot on the stove.

Then, the wooden cutting board, stone bowl, bottles and jars... all sorts of random things were arranged one by one.

Finally, some dry firewood was poured out, along with nine exploding mushrooms wrapped in soaked cloth strips, three ghost fire peppers, three charred vegetables, and three sprigs of gourd grass.

"Hey trolls, get to work."

"Waaah..."

Firehounds hate doing chores.

Especially when it's used as a flamethrower.

However, the protest was ineffective.

Old Crane glared at him, and the troll had no choice but to open his mouth and spew out a half-meter-long burst of flame.

"Young master, please step back a bit."

Jiang Mo did as instructed and retreated to the kitchen doorway.

"Wash the lettuce, tear it into small pieces, and soak it for 10 minutes..."

"Slice the ghost fire chili peppers into even, neat strips, stir-fry in oil to extract their aroma..."

"Take the seeds of the Gourd Grass, simmer over low heat until golden brown..."

"Cut the 'Explosion Mushroom' into pieces, being careful to cut along the white lines, otherwise it will cause a small-scale explosion..."

He Zhifeng was busy for a while. Although the operation seemed simple, more and more sweat was pouring down his forehead.

His soul power... is being rapidly depleted.

Because what he wants to make is not ordinary food, but a chef's exclusive "magical cuisine", which requires a "recipe" as support.

"Bang!"

Without warning, the chunks of exploding mushrooms thrown into the pot to be cooked exploded in a series of explosions.

In terms of sound, it's exactly the same as a box of firecrackers being sealed inside a small container and then detonated.

"Old Crane, what a bad start!"

Jiang Mo couldn't help but tease him.

The first batch was completely ruined, with no room for negotiation.

Where did that excitement go?

Losing 3 bronze coins in anger, doesn't it hurt?

"...It's a ghost."

He Zhifeng's lips trembled, and suddenly he picked up the Fire Hound and pressed its head against the iron pot.

Caught off guard, the fire hound dared not struggle. It rolled its eyes, inhaled deeply, and swallowed all the burnt contents of the pot.

"Thank goodness, the pot isn't broken."

"Thank goodness, there are still six Blast Mushrooms left, enough to redo it twice more."

He Zhifeng patted his chest and breathed a long sigh of relief.

What's this called?

Failure is the mother of success!

It must be because the kitchen utensils are too outdated, or it's because I haven't made such simple and magical dishes in a long time, and my skills have become rusty!

"Woo..."༼༎ຶ෴༎ຶ༽

The fire hound, now free, ran a few steps, puffing out a trail of black smoke from its nostrils, let out a loud burp, and looked at its owner with a mixture of speechlessness and sadness.

What's wrong?

Bodyguard, flamethrower, trash can...

Please, have some decency!

Jiang Mo suppressed a laugh.

The old crane coughed lightly, not daring to turn around, and muttered to itself:

"Young master, look at this pot... isn't it dirty?"

wow——

The clean water flow rinses it again.

Jiang Mo, wielding a deep blue water snake, smiled and asked, "Chef He, is there anything else you require?"

"Enough, enough! Now watch what this old servant has to do!"

Old Crane was seething with resentment and just wanted to regain his dignity as soon as possible.

So, we started over.

Another half hour passed in the busy work.

Finally, the moment the lid was slightly lifted, a burst of crimson light shot out from inside the pot, and sparks fell like dust.

"Got it! We'll just say it was definitely a mistake!"

Old Crane grinned, about to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

The water flowed and then peeled away, instantly making the sticky clothes clean and refreshing.

The old man's beard and hair rustled slightly, and his smile became even brighter.

Just as he was about to scoop out the mysterious food in the pot that resembled a lotus flower.

A new set of data quietly appeared in Jiang Mo's field of vision.

[Amazing Food: The Popular Salad]

[Quality: One Star]

[Completion Level: Above Average]

[Effects of Consumption: Temporarily enhances fire elemental power (moderate); very low probability of permanently purifying fire elemental bloodline (very low)]

Shelf life: 7 days

[Review: Delicious food is supposed to heal, but salad reminds you of your suffering... Poor dog.]