Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 650 The warmth of everyday life is what truly comforts the human heart.
Wu Man raised her hands high, making a gesture of praise to the cauldron. The soup in the cauldron also shone with golden light. Everyone stared intently at the golden light emerging from the cauldron and looked up, until the golden light swirled in the air like a dragon, illuminating the entire City of All Beings.

The warm light shone on everyone's face.

"Mom, this light is so warm!!"

The girl's small hand tightly gripped her mother's palm. The warm feeling gave her an indescribable sense of relaxation, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her body. Her body was no longer as lifeless and listless as before.

Even after the light faded, people standing on the street still gazed at the sky, unable to let go of their feelings for a long time...

……

"Soup is served. Line up, everyone gets some."

Huang Le stood beside the large cauldron, moved out a stool and stood on it, holding a soup ladle in one hand, constantly pouring the soup from the cauldron into the bowls of the people in front of him.

While people were queuing, they took the time to feed themselves a bite.

Serving soup was something Wu Man didn't need to do herself, so Huang Le naturally became the first choice for the menial task.

However, Huang Le was naturally happy to take on this cushy job that allowed him to sneak a treat every now and then.

Xiao Ran and Wu Man sat to the side watching. Wu Man took out a cigarette from her pocket, put it to her lips, and squinted at the crowd queuing in front of her, seemingly lost in thought.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran spoke first, saying, "I'm a little surprised."

"An accident? What's the accident?"

Wu Man turned to look at Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran pointed to the people in front who were already eagerly drinking the soup. They drank the golden soup down, and everyone's face showed a satisfied expression.

This wasn't just a smile on the faces of beginners like those using omeprazole; it brought smiles to the faces of ordinary people as well.

That wasn't a stiff, fake smile; it was a smile that came from the depths of one's soul.

As smiles appeared on their faces, Xiao Ran saw that the resentment that had been lingering around them also vanished.

"People say that your appearance reflects your heart. You, a ruthless killer, have actually produced something of this caliber."

Xiao Ran said without any hesitation.

Xiao Ran didn't know how many lives Wu Man had on his hands, but the fact that the company issued a red notice for him showed just how heinous his crimes were.

Yet this very same wicked person created a delicious dish that allowed these wronged souls to find peace.

For a moment, Xiao Ran really didn't know how to describe it.

I remember a long time ago, when I was in No. 7 Middle School, I also met a beginner in the chef profession.

Xiao Ran couldn't remember what his name was anymore, only that he was fat and had a hideous appearance.

The other party viewed the chef profession as a way to enhance their skills.

Compared to Wu Man, this guy might be a normal person, but he could never make a dish as delicious as Wu Man's.

Upon hearing Xiao Ran's words, Wu Man was momentarily at a loss for words, and in truth, he was also wavering.

Just now, as she finished the dish and received Tang Ding's approval, Wu Man seemed to realize why there was a profession like chef in a place like the Lost City.

"Perhaps you could consider broadening your target scope and expanding your ingredient list. Don't just focus on people; there's more than one way to present food in this world."

Xiao Ran was referring to the golden light that had just shot into the sky. It was an inspiring force, a source of hope, and precisely the most precious thing in the Lost City.

Only hope is the driving force that allows people to survive in this godforsaken place.

Just like in the Fifth Hospital, Qingyao's actions of guiding many trial participants into sleep every night, though seemingly insignificant, gave a group of people hope to persevere in that hellish environment.

After Wu Man officially became a member of their team, Xiao Ran naturally hoped that Wu Man could guide her abilities in the right direction.

"Um……"

Wu Man responded softly, without replying to Xiao Ran.

This caused the atmosphere between the two to gradually become tense, and Xiao Ran didn't know how to continue. As the saying goes, it's easy to persuade someone to do good, but it's very difficult to persuade someone to do good.

Just as Xiao Ran was wondering how to proceed, she heard Jin Chanzi's voice from behind her.

"Well, it tastes delicious!"

Xiao Ran turned around and saw that Jin Chanzi was standing not far behind the two of them at some point, holding a bowl of thick soup from the soup pot.

He stepped forward, took another big gulp from the bowl, smacked his lips, and exhaled a breath of hot air: "So comforting, I've never had such delicious soup before."

As he said this, he handed the bowl of soup in his hand to Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran was stunned for a moment when she saw this, but she quickly realized what was going on and took the bowl from Jin Chanzi's hand without hesitation.

The broth resembled melted liquid amber, with tiny golden glints floating on its surface, and the rising steam carried the warm, roasted aroma of grains.

"Delicious soup!"

Xiao Ran took a deep breath while holding the bowl. He could feel Wu Man's gaze inadvertently sweeping across his face at that moment.

Xiao Ran smiled and took a big gulp of soup. Her tongue was first caressed by the refreshing sweetness of honey-soaked citrus peel, followed by the rich and complex flavors that had settled at the bottom of the soup. It was the freshness of matsutake mushrooms awakening in the snow mountain spring water, the mellowness of rock honey refined on volcanic rock, and the medicinal aroma of century-old ginseng roots unfolding in the moonlight. The three flavors, like a spiraling pillar of light, shot straight to the top of her head.

The sensation was indescribable, and even Xiao Ran couldn't help but feel somewhat intoxicated.

As the soup entered his stomach, a warm current spread from his esophagus to his chest, and Xiao Ran seemed to hear the long chimes of ancient bronze bells coming from the patterns on the ancient cauldron.

"Notification! You have consumed the soup blessed by the Soul of the Soup Cauldron, 'Assorted Delicacies Stew,' which increases your constitution by 15 points!"

"Hint! The power of the [Assorted Delicacies Stew] grants you extremely strong recovery abilities, lasting for 20 days."

"Notification! The Soul of the Soup Cauldron has bestowed upon you a blessing, Remnant of Cauldron Might: Immune to curses, dark damage, and soul-related damage below level D. Damage to level D and above is reduced by 50%, level C by 40%, level B by 30%, and so on... Duration: 20 days."

The continuous notification sounds echoed in Xiao Ran's ears.

"As expected of food made from an A-grade cursed artifact! The 15-point boost to my physique has made my body even stronger. I now have 85 points. After the second injection of [Potion No. 3], I should be able to break through to 100 points of stamina, which will just help me break through the 200-point mark in my mental strength!"

A satisfied look appeared on Xiao Ran's face as she opened her eyes: "Delicious!"

After saying that, he stood up, went straight to the soup pot, and shouted, "Give me another bowl."

"Hey, that's my bowl!"

Seeing this, Jin Chanzi couldn't help but call out. Seeing that Xiao Ran had already run far away, he shook his head helplessly. As he passed by Wu Man, he couldn't help but sigh...

"The flames of war still gnaw at the bones of the world, and the frozen earth of a thousand cities remains a nightmare. Firewood, rice, oil, and salt steam the sun and moon, and the spark of humanity continues the spirit of life."

Upon hearing this, Wu Man's heart stirred, and she looked at Jin Chanzi with a puzzled expression: "What do you mean?"

"The meaning is very simple." Jin Chanzi placed one hand on his chest, "The warmth of everyday life is what soothes the hearts of mortals."

Wu Man's spirits lifted, as if a long-sealed door had been opened, her eyes gleaming with a sharp light, and she muttered to herself.

"The warmth of everyday life...is what comforts the human heart the most."

He chanted repeatedly as if possessed, his gaze unconsciously drifting towards the residents. He saw a family sitting together in the distance, holding bowls of soup, their faces showing relaxed smiles and satisfied expressions.

Wu Man seemed to have understood something.

"Master Chef!"

Just then, the surrounding villagers surged forward.

Wu Man stared blankly at the people, who then raised their hands to their chests and bowed deeply to him, saying, "Master, thank you."

"Thanks!!"

Amidst the sincere thanks, Wu Man felt a little embarrassed.

After all, this was the first time in his life he had received so many thanks.

In a daze, Wu Man seemed to sense something. As if possessed, she opened her palm and gently grabbed something in the crowd. Suddenly, something seemed to appear in her hand, which greatly invigorated Wu Man.

He opened his palm, and there in his hand was a goose egg that was entirely silver-white, as if it had been cast in silver.

"This is!!!"

Wu Man was greatly surprised.

[Redemption for the Sufferers]: One of the raw materials for [Inspiration Seasoning], an advanced material for the B-rank profession [Inspiration Chef].

"So this is ah!"

Looking at the silvery-white egg in her hand, Wu Man suddenly realized what was going on.

The ingredients for this inspirational blend are: "The tears of those who care, the inspiration of the heartless, and the redemption of the suffering."

Wu Man had been searching for these three things for a very long time, and even disguised herself as an ordinary person for a period of time, but the result was completely unsatisfactory.

Heaven knows what these three things are. They only have names and no hints about the conditions for obtaining them, which caused Wu Man, who had already touched the threshold of the [Master Chef of Inspiration] but could not make any further progress, a lot of pain for a long time.

But unexpectedly, this thing ended up in his hands in this way.

Although it is only one of the three materials.

But this also gave Wu Man hope, at least it seemed that he had found the right way to obtain it.

It seems that this meal benefited not the villagers, but himself.

Looking back, Xiao Ran was holding a soup spoon and hitting Huang Le on the head, yelling, "You idiot, how many bites have you stolen? You didn't even leave any for me..."

Huang Le retorted without backing down, "I told you to come and eat earlier, but you kept it to yourself. How can you blame me? The last bowl was already taken away by Dai Long."

Upon hearing this, Dai Long looked up at Xiao Ran, then immediately buried his head in his bowl and downed the soup in one gulp, letting out a satisfied burp: "Now it's really gone..."

Jin Chanzi: "Hey, you two, don't break my bowl! This bowl is my heirloom. Old Demon, stop licking it! You've almost licked the inside of this cauldron clean..."

Watching the group playfully frolicking, Wu Man couldn't help but smile as the corners of her lips curled up on her sharply defined profile...

(End of this chapter)