"???""What did you say? What"s this about a breeding base in Warden Lake? Isn"t that the sacred lake of the elven race?! You"re breeding ducks in it?!" The earthenware lid almost slipped out of Mag"s grasp upon hearing this.
"Those aren"t ordinary ducks. Red-top Tricolor Ducks are an extremely rare breed of wild ducks. In contrast with normal wild ducks that are quite thin with tough and stringy meat, they"re more like geese in that they"re a lot more supple and with higher fat content, making them the perfect ingredient for cooking roast duck.
"On top of that, Red-top Tricolor Ducks are 1st-tier magic beasts that don"t dwell in packs and usually appear as pairs. During the day, they hunt for fish in lakes and swamps, and they sleep up in tall trees at night. They"re extremely alert and rare, and very difficult to capture.
"The water quality and diversity of the species of fish in Warden Lake makes it ideal for breeding Red-top Tricolor Ducks, and the system has bred thousands of these ducks on a semi-free-range basis. Now, all you have to do is capture a Red-top Tricolor Duck from Warden Lake and go through the experience of securing an ingredient from a breeding base. You"ll also find that the ducks being bred in Warden Lake are completely different from the ducks you"ll find elsewhere. Their soft feathers…"
The system quickly launched into a long spiel.
"Wait… the important thing right now isn"t what kind of ducks you"ve bred, it"s that you bred them in the sacred lake of the elven race! And why do we have to go all the way there to catch a duck? I"m really busy!" Mag interjected with furrowed brows.
He had just returned to Chaos City; if he were to go out on another trip, his customers would most likely revolt.
Of course, what was even more concerning was that he had to venture to Warden Lake, which was in the heart of the elven territory.
Elves were extremely territorial, so if an outsider like him were to be discovered in the Wind Forest, he"d immediately be seen as an intruder.
At Mag"s current power level, he was far from being able to visit and leave the Wind Forest as he pleased. Otherwise, he wouldn"t have had to make that one-year promise to Irina.
"The mission has already been released, and the 48-hour countdown will now commence. If you can"t complete the mission within the allotted time, 0.5 of a strength point will be deducted along with 1,000,000 copper coins."
"Oi, that"s not fair! You"re forcing this on me!" Mag exclaimed as he raised his eyebrows.
"Successful completion of the mission will garner a reward of a complete Quanjude[1] Peking Duck recipe, as well as all of the ingredients and kitchenware required to cook the dish."
"Peking Duck?" Mag"s eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this. That was one of his favorite dishes. The succulent roast duck dish was the perfect combination of crispy skin and juicy delicious meat. Regardless of whether it was eaten with spring onion strips and sweet flour sauce or wrapped in a thin chewy pancake, just the thought of the dish was quite a mouthwatering prospect to Mag.
However, after Quanjude had switched to electric ovens to roast their ducks, he stopped visiting the restaurant. Ducks roasted in electric ovens had no soul.
"Are we talking about the recipe that uses electric ovens or traditional woodfire ovens?" Mag asked.
"The recipe being offered is the traditional roast duck recipe used by Quanjude, where woodfire ovens are used and electric ovens are denounced. You"ll learn the specifics after you complete the mission," the system replied.
Mag was very intrigued after hearing this, but he still cautiously asked, "System, the Wind Forest is very far away and heavily guarded by the elven race; won"t I die there if I go in my current state?"
"The elven race is holding a ceremony to praise the G.o.ddess of Life tomorrow. Most of the elves will be partic.i.p.ating in the ceremony, so Warden Lake will be far less heavily guarded than it normally is. As for how to get to the Wind Forest, that"s something for you to figure out," the system replied in a nonchalant manner.
"A ceremony?" A contemplative look appeared on Mag"s face. The elven race believed in the G.o.ddess of Life, and held a ceremony to praise their deity every year. Most of the elves would attend the ceremony, so that was indeed when security was the most lax in the Wind Forest. However, no one could guarantee that mishaps wouldn"t arise. With that in mind, a concerned look appeared on Mag"s face as he said, "System, this is going to be an extremely dangerous trip; how about you give me another opportunity to return to the height of my powers? If I die, then you"ll have nothing left."
"As long as you don"t go looking for trouble, you only have a 5% chance of dying on this trip. Hence, you don"t need any special trump cards to ensure your safety. On top of that, an opportunity to return to the height of your powers is a big prize reserved for significant missions, not just something that you can request at any time. You should know your place and realize that you"re just a n.o.body," the system jeered.
"Fine. Don"t go crying when your father dies, though." Mag pursed his lips in response. It appeared that his ploy to try and trick the system into handing out a free trump card wasn"t going to get him anywhere. Otherwise, he could take the opportunity to intimidate the entire elven race during their ceremony, and that would significantly alleviate the pressure that Irina was facing in the Wind Forest.
Alright, looks like I"ll have to go on a duck-hunting trip to the Wind Forest tomorrow, Mag thought to himself. Amy was constantly dreaming of eating roast geese, but the traditional Peking Duck made by the old master chefs of Quanjude was a far superior dish. After obtaining that recipe, he should be able to adapt it to roasting geese as well.
What about this stinky tofu… Mag turned his attention to the brine before him. After making stinky tofu in the test field for the G.o.d of Cookery and even taking a sip of this brine for himself, it was no longer a foul-smelling concoction to him. Instead, he could only smell a rich fragrant aroma emanating from it.
I won"t release it as a new dish for now; I"ll do that after I come back. I can also experiment to see whether the molecular isolation system really can isolate foul odors. That will be the key to selling stinky tofu in the restaurant. Having made up his mind, Mag nodded to himself before placing the lid on the jug of brine, and the air conditioning system in the restaurant automatically filtered fresh air into the kitchen again.
"During this trip, I"m just going to hurry back as soon as I get the duck. It would be rather awkward if I were to run into Irina there… We only just made our one-year promise a few days ago, after all…" Mag murmured to himself as the image of the elven beauty in the flowing white dress surfaced in his mind. She was the most beautiful woman he"d ever seen.
Maybe it won"t hurt to steal a glance at her from afar…
…
The outcome of the contest between Gloria and Cyril quickly spread throughout the entire business circle within Chaos City. As it was one of the most esteemed families of the city, the heir to the Moreton Family had always been an intriguing topic for everyone.
After Lance had announced that he was relinquis.h.i.+ng the chance to become the heir of the Moreton Family to become a teacher at Chaos School instead, Cyril became Jeffree"s only choice.
Everyone had thought that Cyril would become the heir to the Moreton Family and take over after Jeffree"s pa.s.sing, but who would"ve thought that Lance"s daughter would be stepping into the equation?
"Breaking news! Young Mistress Gloria won! She"s taken over all of the textile-related businesses under the Moreton Family and has become a board member of the Chamber of Commerce! The business world of Chaos City could be in for a ma.s.sive overhaul!"
[1] Quanjude is a historic Chinese restaurant renowned for its Peking Duck dish