A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

The extreme cold energy, capable of freezing the soul, was melted and warmed by the intense heat it contained.

Chapter 248 A Feast of Contradictions

The originally violent energy field, capable of destroying everything, gradually calmed down in the face of this dish full of contradictory philosophies, much like a tantrum child soothed by delicious food.

It did not disappear, but instead formed a completely neutral, domain-like safety bubble about three meters in diameter around Renn.

"Using food... to feed the laws?"

Dr. Clover watched this scene with disbelief filling his cloudy old eyes.

This young man's culinary skills have completely exceeded the scope of his knowledge.

Ignoring the shock of the crowd, Raine walked calmly out of this once-dead wasteland, protected by the small safety bubble.

Even when passing by the pot of food that had already been half-eaten by the energy field, he stopped with great interest, dipped his finger in the sauce, and put it in his mouth to savor it.

"Yes, the cooking time is just right. The flavors of the earth and the flavors of time are perfectly blended together, but there's just a little too little salt."

He calmly gave his assessment.

When Raine reappeared at the entrance to the rift, he was greeted by thunderous cheers.

Gatz was the first to rush forward, lifting Renn up and tossing him into the air.

"Hahaha! Long live the head chef! I knew you'd be alright!"

"Put me down."

Raine's voice came from the air.

"If you don't let go, all we'll have for dinner tonight is cold seaweed salad."

Gatz froze instantly.

A thrilling food gathering operation ended in a dramatic way.

Rein didn't delay upon returning to the back of the progenitor tortoise.

He took out the hard-won Neutral Core and then took out the bottle of the purest deep-sea tranquil spring.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, a cooking process that resembled alchemy began.

Renn did not use fire or a pot.

He simply suspended the neutralizing core in mid-air, and then, with exquisite control, dripped the water from the tranquil spring of the deep sea onto the surface of the core, drop by drop.

With each drop of spring water that falls, a trace of the balanced energy within the core of neutrality is stimulated, colliding with and annihilating the still power of the spring water's laws.

There was no explosion; instead, tiny white crystals, smaller than dust particles and shimmering with a faint light, appeared out of thin air and drifted down slowly like snowflakes.

Raine extended the jade plate he had prepared beforehand and carefully collected the falling crystals.

That is the salt of the wise.

It looks no different from ordinary salt, yet it seems to absorb all the light and sound around it, emitting a strange aura that can bring everything back to its pure and original state.

"Success."

Looking at the thin layer of white crystals on the plate, a satisfied smile appeared on Renn's face.

To obtain this mere few dozen grams of seasoning, they traversed half a new world, defied the laws of ice and fire, and even Raine himself nearly got trapped in the Earth's core.

But it was all worth it.

Because he knew that these tiny grains of salt would open a door to a whole new world of cooking for him.

That evening, a grand celebration banquet was held on the back of the ancestral giant tortoise.

The main course, of course, was the paradoxical feast that Renn had cooked in that rift valley.

Although half of it was consumed by the energy field, the remaining portion was still enough for the monsters on the ship to have a hearty meal.

When the unusual dish, a blend of lava rhinoceros meat and icy fish meat, was served, everyone was drawn to its indescribable aroma, a mixture of contradictions and harmony.

"I...I'm starting!"

Gatz was the first to resist; he speared a large piece of meat with his fork and stuffed it into his mouth.

As soon as the meat entered his mouth, Gatz's eyes widened in surprise.

It was a wonderful taste that he had never experienced before, one that could not be described simply as delicious.

The sizzling hot meat juices and the icy, fresh fish flavor exploded simultaneously in his mouth, creating a sensation as if half his body was soaking in a hot spring and the other half was in a sauna.

The collision of these two extreme experiences did not cause discomfort; instead, it produced an indescribable, ultimate pleasure that made every pore on the body open up.

"Oh oh oh oh oh!"

Gatz looked up and let out a roar filled with bliss.

"What...what is this smell! I feel like my soul is about to leave my body!"

Not just him, everyone who ate this dish showed an expression of utter fascination.

Newgate felt his slightly violent energy, which had become somewhat violent due to years of fighting, become more calm and harmonious under the soothing effect of this scent.

Dr. Clover felt his mind, which had become somewhat clouded from years of studying, become clearer than ever before, and many historical problems that had troubled him for years began to have answers at this moment.

This is a dish that truly works on the soul.

After the banquet, everyone left, still feeling quite unsatisfied.

Without resting, Raine went alone to the mobile library built by Dorum, which was like a sea fortress.

Dr. Clover, Robin, and the scholars of Ohara were already waiting there, their faces showing a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

They knew that tonight would be a moment to witness history.

Without saying much, Renn walked to the huge table made from a single piece of sea stone, on which lay a huge rubbing of the historical text.

It was covered with ancient, enigmatic, unknown script.

Raine took a deep breath and carefully picked up a small pinch of sage's salt from the specially made jade plate in his arms.

It was just a few tiny specks of white powder.

He didn't sprinkle salt directly onto the rubbing, as that would be a desecration of history.

He gently sprinkled that pinch of salt into a glass of the purest, rootless water that had been prepared beforehand.

Philosopher's Salt dissolves instantly in water without any chemical reaction; the water remains crystal clear, as if nothing had ever happened.

But Dr. Clover's cloudy old eyes suddenly narrowed; he could clearly see that the laws contained in that glass of water had undergone earth-shattering changes.

That was no longer just a glass of water; it was a elixir of truth that could wash away all pretense and return all things to their origin.

Ryan picked up the glass of water, but didn't drink it.

He closed his eyes and slowly released his sense of food, which had long been integrated with all things in the world, like an invisible, delicate net that simultaneously enveloped the huge rubbing and the cup of water.

He was using his soul to act as a medium for translation.

The next second, Renn's body jolted violently, and his face instantly turned pale.

An unimaginably vast torrent of memories, filled with sorrow, anger, glory, and resentment, surged into his mind like a flood bursting its banks, thanks to the translation of that cup of truth!

Chapter 249 I saw a... recipe

He saw it.

He saw a vast and prosperous ancient kingdom where technology and nature were perfectly integrated.

He saw the happy smiles on people's faces, smiles that radiated freedom.

He heard it.

He heard the proud and sense of mission in the sound of the stonemasons carving the historical text.

He heard a name, a name deliberately erased from history, a name that represented dawn—Joy Boy.

He tasted it.

He tasted the bitterness of betrayal, the spiciness of his home being destroyed, and the nauseating, decaying flavor of the eight-hundred-year-long darkness built with lies and blood.

Finally, all the flavors converged into a faint yet incredibly resolute, hopeful aftertaste.

That was an agreement.

A promise that has spanned eight hundred years, and one that will surely be fulfilled.

"puff!"

Renn suddenly opened his eyes, spat out a mouthful of blood, swayed, and almost fell to the ground.

"Brother Renn!"

Little Robin exclaimed in surprise and quickly went to help him.

"I am fine."

Raine waved his hand, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and looked at the still silent rubbing. His usually calm eyes were now filled with a hint of regret.

The air inside the library seemed to freeze because of the mouthful of blood that Raine spat out.

The flickering candlelight stretched the huge shadows of the books on the wall, making them look like struggling ghosts.

Robin's exclamation was tinged with tears as she used all her strength to support the swaying Ryan.

Dr. Clover and a group of scholars gathered around, their faces filled with shock and worry.

They had never seen this young man, who was always as calm as an abyss, reveal such a vulnerable side.

"Don't worry."

Raine's voice was a little hoarse. He then leaned on the sea stone table and slowly straightened up.

That massive torrent of memories still churned in his mind, like a never-ending storm, tearing at his spirit.

But his usually calm and even eyes were unusually bright at this moment, so bright that it was almost frightening.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze falling once more on the silent rubbing, the regret in his eyes growing stronger.

"Raine, what did you see?"

Newgate had been standing in the doorway for some time now; his mountain-like figure blocked out most of the light, plunging the entire library into darkness.

Marco, Joz, and others followed behind him, each with an unprecedentedly solemn expression on their faces.

They could clearly sense that something was wrong with Ryan at that moment; it was a kind of weakness that came from being overdrawn on his spirit, as if he were carrying a weight that did not belong to this era.

Renn remained silent for a moment, seemingly organizing his complex and chaotic thoughts.

He didn't look at Newgate; his gaze remained fixed on the ancient text.

"I saw a... recipe."

"menu?"

This unexpected answer stunned everyone present.

"Ah."

Renn nodded, then stretched out his finger and gently stroked the cold characters on the rubbing, as if caressing a long-lost kitchen utensil.

"A recipe that records how to cook an era, a soup called Dawn."

"I saw the main material, a vast and prosperous ancient kingdom, with technology that was perfectly integrated with nature, and smiles on their faces that were called freedom."

“I saw the seasoning, the betrayal of twenty kingdoms, the darkness built with lies and blood, and a name deliberately erased from history—Joy Boy.”

"I also saw the soup base, which is a promise that spans eight hundred years, a promise full of hope, yet incredibly heavy."

Ryan's voice was soft, yet it struck everyone's heart like an invisible hammer.

He simply stated some of the simplest concepts, but the sadness and anger contained within them sent a chill down the spines of all the monsters present.

"Those bastards!"

Gatz's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and for the first time, pure anger appeared on his honest face.

"They actually resorted to such despicable means!"

Dr. Clover and the scholars were trembling with excitement. The iceberg of the blank hundred-year history they had been searching for all their lives had been revealed in such a down-to-earth way.