Chapter 16: Awakening! The Time-Talking Chef!

The soothing vibrations of the massage chair gradually subsided, and Su Liu felt the stiffness in her body ease significantly. The persistent soreness was kneaded away, leaving only a light, pleasant fatigue and... a rumbling stomach.

[Fatigue Level: 62]

“It’s time to cook!” Su Liu stretched lazily, her bones emitting soft cracks as she rose from the chair. Her gaze fell upon the brand-new stove and the well-spread copy of “100 Home-Style Recipes” laid out on the simple dining table.

It had been years since Su Liu had last eaten a proper meal.

Not that the supply box couldn’t provide hot food, but for some reason, it always lacked soul.

With a desire to improve her quality of life and a craving for genuine cuisine, Su Liu resolved to try making a decent dinner with her own hands.

She approached the sleek stove and ran her fingers over the cool metal surface.

Within this space, energy was no issue. She ignited the stove with a mere thought, blue flames burning steadily as warmth spread.

“The first step…” Su Liu flipped open the slightly dog-eared recipe book, her finger landing on the first entry.

“Hm... ‘Pan-Seared Windbeast Meat Steak with Seasonal Vegetables’?”

“Wait... is this a home cooking recipe?”

Su Liu blinked in disbelief and turned to the cover page—indeed, it was labeled as a home cooking recipe.

Suddenly, her eyes caught a small line of text at the upper left corner of the cover—

“Published by Jinli Book Bureau, Dawn Empire”

Dawn Empire? There was no such country or dynasty in recorded history.

Could it be connected to the background behind the game? Su Liu thought it highly likely. But last time, she hadn’t studied those details systematically—survival had been hard enough. She’d only heard snippets from high-level players in the chat hall.

This time, as the emissary of the Goddess of Time, Su Liu decided to gather and piece together these fragments carefully, gradually uncovering the truth behind it all.

But for now, these musings were mere asides; what mattered most was living well.

“Windbeast meat…”

Su Liu immediately recalled the attribute-labeled meats she had obtained earlier in the supermarket area.

Among them was a small, palm-sized cut of meat with fine marbling and a faint cyan glow—the label read “Swiftwind Rabbit Rib Chop.”

“Perfect!” Su Liu’s eyes lit up.

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This was not just to fill her stomach, but also to test whether the food might grant some additional benefit.

She retrieved the precious Swiftwind Rabbit Rib Chop from the storage grid, along with some fresh potatoes and a crisp head of lettuce.

Her handling of the ingredients was somewhat clumsy.

Holding the newly bought sharp kitchen knife, Su Liu carefully peeled and diced the potatoes.

The blade slipped a few times on the potato’s surface, but relying on the steady grip honed from wielding daggers, she quickly found her rhythm.

Washing the lettuce was much simpler.

She evenly rubbed a pinch of salt onto the faintly glowing meat and gently massaged it, following the recipe’s instructions for marination.

As her fingers touched the cool flesh, a strange sense of “liveliness” seemed to emanate from the meat’s grain, reminding her of the gentle air currents that surrounded Little Tuanzi when he unleashed his wind magic.

“Tuanzi,” Su Liu called to the small fox dozing on the massage chair, “help me grab a plate!”

She pointed to a white porcelain plate freshly washed and resting in the corner.

[Okay, Sister Liu Liu!]

Little Tuanzi immediately sprang up, his fluffy tail sweeping through the air and sending out a barely perceptible ripple of spatial energy. In the next moment, the plate appeared steadily beside the stove, just ten centimeters from Su Liu’s hand.

“Perfect!” Su Liu praised without restraint. “This talent is essential for both home life and travel!”

She indulgently used the Hourglass of Dawn to accelerate the marination by ten minutes, ensuring a full flavor without losing time, then heated oil in the pan.

Olive oil sizzled in the skillet, releasing an aromatic fragrance instantly.

Su Liu inhaled deeply—the scent of oil meeting heat, filled with hopeful, earthly warmth, a stark contrast to the cruel, eerie roars beyond the space.

Carefully, she laid the marinated windbeast steak into the pan.

“Sizzle—!”

The meat hissed against the hot oil, emitting a pleasant frying sound. Simultaneously, a faint cyan glow, like a summer night’s breeze, rose from the steak’s edges, swirling and condensing within the pan, as if conjuring a tiny wind vortex!

This wind field did not scatter the droplets of oil; rather, it acted as an invisible film, evenly enveloping the steak, which took on a near-perfect caramelized hue while locking in its juices.

[Sister Liu Liu! Look! The meat is glowing!]

Little Tuanzi pointed excitedly at the pan.

Su Liu was stunned! A cooking special effect? So this was the charm of attribute-enhanced ingredients?

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She focused intently on the magical steak, instinctively adjusting the heat and timing her flips according to the changing currents and the dance of oil sparks.

Time seemed to slow under her concentrated gaze. The faint cyan currents within the pan appeared to convey an indescribable rhythm—a harmonious resonance of wind and fire in the art of cooking.

At that moment—

A gentle warmth, far softer and more life-affirming than when she manipulated the Hourglass of Dawn, suddenly surged from Su Liu’s heart, flooding through every limb and fiber.

There was no pain or discomfort; instead, a joyful awakening of a long-dormant talent blossomed within her.

Simultaneously, a clear system notification, carrying the warmth of hearth and home rather than cold machinery, echoed in her mind:

[Ding! Player “Doomsday Renegade” has successfully guided a special elemental resonance through cooking, triggering a hidden awakening of the life profession!]

[Congratulations on awakening the rare life profession: Time-Tongued Chef (Lv.1)!]

[Profession Traits: Your hands can capture the elemental rhythms within ingredients, exhibiting extraordinary affinity and control. Your dishes better unlock the essence of the ingredients, bringing unexpected attribute bonuses and spiritual delight.]

[Passive Skills Acquired:
Time-Tongued Hands (Lv.1): Activated upon successfully creating a complete dish meeting basic quality standards, granting a permanent random attribute bonus.
Momentary Preservation (Lv.1): Temporarily freezes molecular activity when sealing dishes, extending freshness duration to 12 hours. (A gift from the Goddess of Time to her emissary)]

[Active Skills Acquired:
Temporal Harmony (Lv.1, Cooldown: 2 hours): Consumes 5 spirit energy to perceive the internal time flow within ingredients, guiding temporal elemental power to enhance flavor and effects.]

With this awakening message, Su Liu’s perception of the Swiftwind Rabbit chop in the pan sharpened tenfold!

She could “hear” the subtle bubbling of juices enveloped in elemental energy, “see” the heat’s uniform penetration through the meat fibers.

Flipping, once a matter of feel, now became precise and effortless.

[Sister Liu Liu! You... you seem different!]

Little Tuanzi keenly sensed the change in Su Liu’s aura—not mere sharpness now, but a gentle mastery imbued with the aroma of food.

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