Chương 251

Silas, the territory administrator, immediately stepped out from the gatehouse shadows. The young Viscount held his golden abacus tight against his chest. He had been quietly calculating the resources required the entire time, as he knew that the beastmen would come under the command of his lord.

"I have already drafted the initial zoning plans, My Lord," Silas reported quickly.

"The uncleared eastern forests near the mountains will be fully allocated for their residential district by nightfall. The soil there is undisturbed."

"Good work, Silas," Rudra said. He turned to Garrick.

"Get your people inside. We have a lot of feeding to do." Rudra didn't waste any time. He turned around and marched straight back to the central courtyard. He had thousands of new, starving citizens to feed.

"Piaro! Winfred!" Rudra called out as he jogged back.

"I need you guys to coordinate with you knight divisions to focus on crowd control. Line them up by clan."

"Understood, My Lord," Piaro and Winfred said in unison. The Sword Saint and the Red Sage immediately commanded their divisions to help gently direct a group of nervous Beastmen toward the center of the yard. High above, Vritra watched the massive crowd of Beastmen pour into the city. The giant white serpent rested his head on the wall. Partner, Vritra's voice echoed in Rudra's mind. That is a lot of fur. Are they on the menu?

"No, Vritra. They are our guests," Rudra replied telepathically.

"Don't eat the citizens." Rudra reached into his inventory. He pulled out three heavy metal blocks and dropped them onto the cracked cobblestones. He tapped them quickly. They unfolded and expanded into three massive [Protean Crafting Cauldrons]. He rolled up his sleeves. He grabbed a clean white apron and tied it around his waist. He opened his status window and checked his current class quest.

[Class Quest: The Path to the Cooking Saint (Phase 2)] [Quest Clear Condition: Create 10 Unique-rated dishes using only Normal-grade ingredients.] [Progress: 1 / 10] He needed nine more Unique dishes. He walked over to the territory supply wagons. He grabbed heavy sacks of wheat. He grabbed dozens of potatoes, carrots, and white rock salt. He dumped the vegetables onto a massive wooden prep table. Rudra grabbed his knife. His abnormally high Dexterity and Agility stats took over. His hands literally blurred.

Chop, chop, chop. He diced hundreds of carrots and potatoes in a matter of minutes. He threw them into the boiling water of the three cauldrons. He didn't use fire magic to heat the pots. He adjusted the wooden logs beneath the cauldrons manually. He kept the flames at a perfect, rolling simmer. He watched the bubbles carefully, making sure the heat didn't destroy the texture of the vegetables. Stolen novel; please report. He poured the wheat flour onto the board. He cracked chicken eggs into the center.

He pressed his palms into the dough, throwing his massive Strength stat into every single knead. He slammed the dough against the wood, forcing the gluten to bind together rapidly. Sweat dripped down Rudra's forehead. He wiped it away with his forearm. He closed his eyes. He activated [Empathic Cuisine]. He thought about the starving Beastmen standing in his courtyard. He thought about them freezing in the harsh mountain peaks for years.

He thought about the mothers hiding their cubs from Imperial slavers in the snow. He thought about the scene where they pledged their loyalty. Rudra poured a sense of warmth, respect, and absolute safety directly into the boiling stew. He wanted the food to taste like a shielded fortress. He wanted it to taste like a promise of equality. He grabbed a heavy wooden paddle and stirred the massive pots. He added the hand-torn noodles.

He sprinkled the rock salt over the top, perfectly balancing the earthy flavor of the root vegetables.

"Time," Rudra grunted. He pulled the paddle out. [You have successfully created 'Sanctuary Root Stew'!] [Rating: Unique] [You have successfully created 'Mountain Hearth Stew'!] [Rating: Unique] [A unique-rated dish was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +12 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +300] [A unique-rated dish was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +12 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +300] [Class Quest Updated: Create Unique dishes using only basic ingredients (3 / 10)!] Rudra grinned. He wiped his face with a towel. The heavy gamble worked.

His pure focus and emotional drive managed to elevate the cheap ingredients again. He grabbed a stack of wooden bowls. He scooped up a massive portion of the thick, golden stew. He walked over to the front of the line. Garrick was salivating at the sight of the mouth-watering food, but his warlord pride kept him from begging.

"Eat," Rudra said. He handed him the hot bowl. Garrick took the bowl. He looked at the oddly aesthetic potatoes and noodles floating in the clear broth. He picked up a wooden spoon and took a cautious bite. Garrick completely froze. The Chieftain's yellow eyes went wide. The rich, salty broth melted on his tongue. But it was the feeling that hit him the hardest. A massive wave of pure, comforting warmth flooded his chest. The lingering aches from his old battle scars vanished.

The exhaustion of his years of hiding in the freezing peaks simply washed away. Garrick's tough-guy warlord persona shattered into a million pieces. The seven-foot-tall Panther Beastman closed his eyes. A loud, deep rumbling sound vibrated in his chest. He started purring. It wasn't a quiet purr. It sounded like a running engine. Garrick's long silver tail started wagging frantically behind him, kicking up dust from the cobblestones.

He scooped the stew into his mouth as fast as he could, making happy, desperate noises.

"This is incredible," Garrick mumbled through a mouthful of hot potatoes. He scraped the bottom of the bowl clean. He held it out to Rudra with wide, pleading eyes.

"More. Please." Rudra laughed brightly. He grabbed the ladle and filled the bowl up again.

"There is plenty for everyone," Rudra promised. The courtyard turned into a massive, happy feast. The Bear clan members sat on the ground, loudly slurping their noodles. The Wolf beastmen wagged their tails, completely overwhelmed by the taste. They looked at Rudra standing by the cauldrons. The Duke wasn't just a highly distinguished, honorable leader with an overwhelming aura. He was the greatest chef they had ever met. Up on the wall, Vritra watched the feast closely.

Partner, Vritra's voice echoed loudly in Rudra's mind. I require five bowls of that immediately.

"I'll bring a bucket up," Rudra replied telepathically. Rudra smiled as he served his new citizens. He was three steps closer to the Cooking Saint class. His military had just gained an incredibly fierce vanguard. Stormbreak was thriving. He just needed a little more help to manage it all.