Chapter 390: Dragon’s Lair

Chapter 390: Dragon’s Lair

All of the people were red with shame and left speechless. Very few of them had actually spoken about their own country and that they would do well. They only opted to talk about the three Athenae powerhouses. Robert Duval even loosened his tie.

Then, Team Leader Park Minggyu stood up and said, “The meeting is over, right? Well then, please excuse me, I have to go back to make preparations for the competition.”

Team Leader Park Minggyu opened the door and left.

“Cough, cough, cough. Korea might not even win a gold medal after losing Black Mage Ali. He’s very arrogant.”

“He’s very absurd. How dare a team leader like him...”

Almost all of the people in the room began to speak ill of Park Minggyu to hide their shame the moment the man left. However, one person among them stared at the empty seat with a smile and said, “I have to admit it.”

“What?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Korea is also one of the favorites to win this competition. We’re all very bitter about it, but everyone knows that this is a fact.”

The branch managers were all left speechless. It was man’s nature to always try to deny and belittle anyone that was better. In fact, the branch managers were fully aware that it was them that had stepped out of line as well.

“The Food God. Once his participation is confirmed, he would prove to be the biggest variable in this competition. All of you should stop flattering me and start making preparations against South Korea...” Robert Duval said with a smile.

Robert Duval might just be the branch manager of the American branch, but he had more power than any of the people present here. To be honest, the discussions and words from the others were nothing more than flattery to curry favor with Duval. After all, America was one of the strongest candidates to win in the Athenae: World War. He had also tried to deny the fact that Korea could create a big splash in the World War because he was very much afraid about the steps that they planned and were going to take. On the other hand, he also could not wait for it.

‘Will Team Leader Park Minggyu’s words prove to be true?’

***

Minhyuk had once again turned Atlas into a City in the Skies and moved his territory from the Continent Cloud, now named Apocalypto, back to its original location somewhere near Eivelis Empire. For the first time in a long time, Minhyuk was preparing to cook for himself.

There was a pleasant smile on his face. The dish that Minhyuk was preparing to cook right now was none other than ‘Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken.’. He had cooked this dish for God Juis in the past. However, this ‘Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken’ was slightly special.

(Heaven’s Boneless Chicken)

Ingredient Grade: ???

Special Abilities:

• ???

• ???

• You might be able to receive a ‘hint’ about something once you eat it.

Description: This is the boneless chicken that Black Dragon Vormon enjoyed eating the most. It has a special power, but it is yet to be known.

Unlike other ingredients, there was nothing written in the ingredient description about what kind of ingredient it truly was. He would only know once he cooked it and tried it for himself. Minhyuk quickly brought out the grill pan that was usually seen in spicy stir-fried chicken restaurants and placed it in front of him.

“Oink!”

Beanie sat in front of him, like a customer waiting for his meal. Beanie, sans his golden armor and black kitchen knife, waited with the golden crown still on his head. After his ‘Predator’s Authority’ had temporarily reached MAX, the skill had returned to Level 1. Now, what Beanie needed to do was to follow the step-by-step process and grow up slowly.

Minhyuk poured the ingredients that he had prepared earlier onto the large grill. The ingredients were the boneless chicken, rice cakes, sliced sweet potatoes, chopped perilla leaves, and gochujang. There was also pre-boiled ‘udon’ placed on the table that could be added at any time.

Sizzle—

The ingredients started to cook on the well-heated grill. Beanie stretched his paws out with a solemn expression, wanting to try something. And with some flashy movements...

Tak, tak, tak, tak, tak, tak, tak—

...he started cooking the spicy stir-fried chicken. His hand movements looked exactly like the seasoned hands of a spicy stir-fried chicken restaurant’s part-timer!

“Oooh...” Minhyuk exclaimed in amazement. Then, Beanie threw the udon noodles and mixed it in with the glossy and red spicy stir-fried chicken. The udon noodles were gradually colored red as it got mixed well with the stir fried chicken.

Shwaaaaaaa—

“Oooh...!”

Beanie’s hand movements became even more flamboyant and flashy, as he split the spicy stir-fried chicken in the middle, just like Moses’ miracle in the red sea. Then, Beanie sprinkled white cheese right in the empty space. And the cheese...

Tak, tak, tak, tak, tak, tak—

...had been struck swiftly as it melted on the grill. Minhyuk smiled happily as the cheese spread out nicely in the middle of the grill.

“Oiiiink!”

There was also the fact that it was located in ‘Black Dragon Vormon’s Lair’. In fact, the Five Legendary Ingredients could be acquired after taking Black Dragon Vormon’s quest. However, hunting Vormon had created an anomaly which allowed him to proceed. It was actually just in time for the members of the Let’s Eat Sect Guild to gather together and raid Black Dragon Vormon’s lair. Then, Genie and Haze entered the office.

“Minhyuk. We’ve finished all of the preparations for the raid. Also, Ali has returned and it seems like he wants to talk to you about something.”

“Is that so? I understand. Ah, wait. I found something about the Ingredient Heaven.”

Minhyuk discussed and explained everything in a calm and orderly manner. Both Haze and Genie looked at Minhyuk in surprise, especially Haze. She looked like she had thought about something. She said, “Perhaps the crops and produce from the Ingredient Heaven don’t have a permanent effect.”

“Permanent effect?”

“Yes, that’s right. I believe there are two main reasons why it’s called Ingredient Heaven. First, you can get plenty of ingredients. Second, Ingredient Heaven probably referred to the land itself. If we can research and study the Ingredient Heaven, then we might be able to continue growing crops like theirs. It will definitely become a huge stepping stone for the Let’s Eat Sect.”

Minhyuk’s mouth broke into a smile when he heard these words. Then, Haze continued, “Ah, please don’t forget about building our kingdom and participating in diplomatic discussions.”

“Of course,” Minhyuk nodded in agreement. Diplomatic discussions between Cairon Continent and Asgan Continent were very important. It was especially so after the empire’s emperors said that they would elect foreigners to participate and engage in diplomatic discussions with them. Simply put, this was the perfect opportunity for the guilds to build relationships with the other continent’s empires. It was definitely nice to get acquainted with them.

“In that case, Genie, Sir Corr and Abel will go to Cairon Continent for the diplomatic discussions.”

Minhyuk nodded in agreement. Genie and Abel were very smart and quick-witted. They would definitely find a solution to any problem that would arise.

‘But, why Corr? What about him?’

“There must definitely be a lot of people suffering from hair loss in Cairon Continent. Fufufufu. We’re currently short on funds to build our kingdom by 2,000 platinum. We need to do business there too,” Haze chuckled.

“...Uhmm.”

Minhyuk had always been in awe of Haze’s merchant’s disposition. However, there was still another problem.

“We also have to step up in our efforts in building our kingdom. However, the numbers of our citizens are far too lacking. We should have at least 3,000 people and a larger territory.”

Minhyuk nodded again. However, they could not receive just anyone in the Let’s Eat Sect.

Not too long ago, he had received updates about Huang Xuan and the rest of the Chinese players. The Chinese players still had not collected the ingredients. However, even if they did collect the ingredients, the guild would not accept them wholeheartedly. The guild still had to let the Chinese players undergo meticulous and rigorous screening, and take into consideration if they would betray the guild or not.

“We’re also expecting to spend huge amounts of money for the development of Atlas and Valhalla territories.”

Simply put, it was also another funding problem. Of course, Minhyuk was the son of a chairman, but he did not want to borrow his father’s wealth and financial abilities to become king.

“So, how much do we need to develop and build our kingdom?”

“Around 1,000 platinum.”

“That’s quite a large sum.”

A thousand platinum was around 100 billion gold and it was truly quite a large sum.

“Do we have another way to secure our funds?”

Haze, Genie and Minhyuk racked their brains for a solution. And then...

Knock, knock—

A knock broke them out of their reverie. The door opened and in came Great Sage Aruvel, or to be exact Best-Selling Author Aruvel. After coming in, he suddenly placed several large bags in front of Minhyuk and said, “A writer should always be hungry.[1]”

He turned around after leaving this famous saying as a notification rang for Minhyuk.

[Aruvel has gifted you 612 platinum.]

“...?”

“...?”

“...?”

The three people were all shocked and speechless. Calculating it in ordinary gold and not platinum, Aruvel had left behind 61.2 billion gold. How the hell did he get so much money? There was only one conclusion that they could make...

“‘Why Did the Prince Go Out Tonight?’ was such a blockbuster...?”

“Keok!”

“OMG...?”

It was at this moment that they realized just how popular the Great Author Aruvel was.

1. Apparently, there was a saying that masterpieces would appear if the author is starving and has no money. ☜