Timeline Player

A little earlier, in a side room of the church.

The bishop himself led several well-dressed people here.

This included a minor nobleman, two prominent merchants, the captain of the guard, and a well-dressed, smiling middle-aged man.

On a small table, several clean ceramic bowls were neatly arranged, containing the undiluted stew.

Its fragrance contrasts sharply with the much milder scents outside.

"Gentlemen, please." The bishop tried to maintain his composure, though he was equally eager for this rare delicacy.

The captain of the guard stood aside, gazing longingly at the delicious bowl that should have been his, but the distinguished guest he was entertaining had heard about the interesting events of the day and insisted on visiting the church.

Yes, the church did set aside a portion for him, but it wouldn't be appropriate to let that distinguished guest watch him eat, would it?

And so, things have turned out the way they are today.

He really wanted to swear, but looking at the calm, smiling middle-aged man, he swallowed the words back.

Compared to the captain of the guards, the minor nobles and merchants beside him were much more reserved. They carefully scooped up the soup, observed its tempting color, and then put it in their mouths to savor it.

"Incredible..." A merchant's eyes widened in disbelief. "This aroma is like a blend of many spices... I haven't seen so many spices since the blockade of the Far East."

The nobleman beside him also recognized the spices, but his thoughts went further: 'If we obtain them from that shopkeeper, whether for entertaining guests or sold to other nobles, it will be a tremendous fortune!'

He had even started planning how to make his move.

The middle-aged man waited until everyone had finished tasting before picking up his spoon, examining the stew carefully, and then putting it into his mouth.

He closed his eyes, savoring the aroma, before praising, "It is the finest spice. Even royalty would only use it at banquets on sacred days."

He paused, then said regretfully, "Unfortunately, too much was used, it was too extravagant, and the original flavor of the ingredients couldn't be tasted. Moreover, it seems that some foreign matter was mixed in, affecting the taste."

The nobleman flattered, "Lord Isaac, you are indeed a great man from the capital. For us, this is a delicacy we have never tasted before, but for you, it is just one of the most delicious."

Just then, Reed, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but speak up, "Lord Isaac, may I have a word to say?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at the unassuming apprentice.

The bishop's face showed anxiety, the captain of the guard looked disdainful, the merchants and nobles were curious, while Isaac showed a keen interest: "Oh? What do you want to say?"

Reed mustered his courage and said:

"Lord Isaac, this is merely a stew that our church has heated up. How can it compare to the taste of something freshly cooked?"

If you've tasted the stew the owner just cooked, then I think you certainly wouldn't say such a thing.

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent instantly.

Everyone was so nervous they couldn't speak.

After a few breaths in this heavy atmosphere, Isaac nodded slightly: "I admit that what you said makes sense, but in any case, the shopkeeper's cooking skills could not possibly surpass those of the chefs in the capital."

Reid seemed to want to say something more, but was stopped by the bishop, who smiled and said, "Sir, you don't need to care about this child's nonsense. He's from the countryside and doesn't know much."

"No, to be honest, I'm quite interested in that shopkeeper." Isaac glanced at the captain of the guards beside him, who was sweating profusely.

"Since Elizabeth is unwilling to see me, it would be a good idea for me to visit the extraordinary person under her jurisdiction."

A nobleman standing nearby chuckled, "Since you are so interested, why don't we accompany you tomorrow?"

"Okay," Isaac readily agreed to the request.

He then looked at the bishop: "Then I will rest here today."

Upon hearing this, the captain of the guard seemed to realize something and immediately said, "Lord Isaac, the Duchess has already prepared an inn for you to rest. Staying overnight in the church... isn't that inappropriate?"

"Are you questioning my decision?" Isaac glanced at him sideways. "Then let Elizabeth come and tell me herself."

"Your Excellency... has important matters to attend to and cannot leave for the time being..." the captain of the guard stammered, but seeing the other's expression, he wisely chose to remain silent.

......

Current timeline.

[Emergency Cooking - Cyan]

[Rank: Iron]

As a chef, cooking with available ingredients is a basic skill that comes naturally, but you've taken it too far.

[You can use points to perform emergency cooking, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. The more points you have, the better the effect. When blood is present in the ingredients, the probability of achieving extraordinary results will increase significantly.]

The first thing Chi Que did after waking up in the real timeline was to open the panel and draw new chef skills.

Between acquiring new skills and strengthening existing ones, he almost unhesitatingly chose the latter.

He's had enough of the food shortage!

However, after the enhancement ended, the original Emergency Food skill was renamed Emergency Cooking.

The original purchase limit hasn't increased at all.

Thus, Chi Que's plan to conquer the medieval natives' cuisine with spices ended before it even began.

He shook his head and got out of bed to wash up.

I heated up yesterday's leftover dinner over a fire, and the aroma of the food filled the air, attracting a certain little glutton.

"It smells so good..." Mi'er came downstairs, her hair still a little messy, and walked into the kitchen while rubbing her eyes.

"It's leftovers from last night, let's heat it up." Chi Que divided the heated stew into two portions and placed them on the table.

"Hmm? This taste..." Mi'er didn't mind at all, scooped up a spoonful and put it in her mouth, chewed it, and a look of disbelief appeared on her face, "It tastes even better than yesterday's fresh one? Is it just my imagination?"

Chi Que also took a bite, and it was indeed true.

He realized that after breaking through to the chef level, the overall level of cooking had also undergone a qualitative change.

Even just reheating makes it better than before.

"Maybe it's because it's been sitting out overnight, it's become more flavorful." He didn't mention this, just made up an excuse.

Mi'er nodded and focused on preparing the stew.

Chi Que also lowered his head, looking at the bright red sauce on the plate, and suddenly had the illusion that he was drinking blood.

"Why aren't you eating?" Mi'er noticed that something was wrong with him and asked.

"It's nothing." Chi Que quickly suppressed the strange feeling in his heart, picked up his knife and fork, and was about to start eating—

There was a knock on the door.

A voice came from outside the door: "I am the city's blood tax collector, open the door."