Chapter 343 – Special Chef, Expert in Monster Cooking

Outside Tianyuan Territory, waves of refugees appeared one after another, their momentum so fierce that even the prepared Tianyuan Generals were caught somewhat off guard.

However, compared to the past, not a single wandering monster could be seen around Tianyuan Territory. The newly arrived refugees would no longer face threats from wild creatures.

Otherwise, with the refugee emergence being so rapid and their locations so random, the guiding squads and patrol teams might not have been able to protect them all.

“The main emergence points for refugees are still in the southern part of the territory.”

“However, likely due to the overwhelming number of refugees, three refugee groups have also appeared in the north. Given the current situation, we need to send additional support to the North District.”

In the past, the vast majority of refugees appeared in the south.

This was because all of Tianyuan Territory’s Guiding Beacons were erected in the southern region.

The residential and work areas for the territory’s inhabitants were also located in the south. The core area, along with the eastern, western, and northern districts, were restricted zones, accessible only to a select few capable and trusted inhabitants.

Currently, refugees appearing in the eastern, western, and northern areas of the territory would ultimately be guided to the southern city entrance.

The journey from the northern to the southern city spanned several kilometers. Considering that most refugees were ordinary people, some of them sallow and emaciated from malnutrition and unable to walk such distances, Mu Yuan had long established ‘temporary stations’ in various districts.

The vehicles were alchemical creations, designed by Isloria and crafted by Master Li.

These trial transport vehicles were not highly technical and could not travel long distances, operating only on the leveled and constructed roads within the territory.

The transport vehicles were not hastily assembled.

Mu Yuan had always planned to implement a public transport system in the territory. As Tianyuan Territory continued to expand, with one district after another being developed, there was a need for transportation for people to use.

These transport vehicles were the trial run of the public bus system. Isloria would make improvements based on the trial results and launch second and third generations.

Time passed slowly.

The rate of refugee emergence began to decline. The various squads responsible for guiding refugees gained experience and handled the situation with increasing ease.

At the entrance of Tianyuan Territory’s southern city gate.

More and more people gathered here—refugees from all over the world, as well as seasoned Tianyuan inhabitants who were busy to the point of having no time to rest.

“Welcome, everyone, to Tianyuan Territory. From now on, you will begin a new life here. Here, no one will be oppressed. You will have enough to eat and wear, and you need not worry about threats from monsters. Of course, the premise is that we all abide by the territory’s laws.”

“…Let us join hands and work together to build a better tomorrow.”

A Town Hall official repeated his speech over and over, soothing and dispelling the confusion and fear in the hearts of some refugees.

When the refugees followed the guidance of the world, passing through the mist to arrive here, they also heard the subtle prompt from the world. However, not all refugees understood what a ‘Miracle Territory’ was or what ‘guidance’ meant. Some were even more startled and bewildered by the sudden change in their surroundings.However, the fact that they appeared here and were guided by the heavens indicated that the arrivals were in dire straits themselves, yearning for a peaceful home in their hearts.

They were confused, bewildered, and panicked, but upon seeing fellow humans and the steaming soup and porridge in the distance, much of their unease instantly dissipated.

“Those in need of food, line up to help yourselves—one portion per person. I’ll repeat: form an orderly queue. Anyone who disrupts the order will have their benefits revoked and be sent to the prison. Serious offenders…”

The speaker was a battalion commander from the Garrison Legion.

His voice boomed, easily carrying across several hundred meters.

He thrust his heavy halberd into the ground as effortlessly as piercing tofu, sinking it deep into the earth.

This battalion commander had risen from the ranks of the Halberdiers and was deliberately chosen by Lu Liu for being the most ferocious-looking among the company and battalion commanders.

Lu Liu had initially considered inviting Rakshasa to take on the role of “intimidator.” Rakshasa was the kind of powerhouse whose mere appearance could make children cry.

But upon second thought, Lu Liu realized that being too terrifying might easily overwhelm the already anxious refugees.

Besides, stationing a powerhouse like Rakshasa as a mere gatekeeper would be a waste of talent.

Battalion Commander Li Gui glared with eyes as large as bronze bells, his fierce gaze sweeping the surroundings, causing some refugees who had thought to take advantage of the chaos to stiffen and fall silent.

After all, the number of refugees was simply too large. Expecting everyone to possess the lofty morals of someone like Mu Someone and consciously abide by rules and discipline was utterly impossible.

Especially since many refugees were starving, with food right in front of them.

Once the situation descended into chaos, even the patrols would struggle to control it, and bloodshed would be nearly unavoidable.

These were all his Palu, and Mu Yuan cherished them dearly.

However, with such a large refugee population, there were always bound to be a few fools who lost their senses.

“I am a baron! How dare you treat a noble baron like this? Making me stay with these lowly commoners—absolutely outrageous! Where is your Lord? Summon your Lord to see me at once!”

The speaker was a pot-bellied man.

Disheveled and grimy, his robes covered in dried leaves and twigs, the fine quality of the fabric was still faintly discernible. His claim of being a baron was likely not false.

But so what if he was a baron?

Viscounts, marquises, and dukes would receive the same treatment here. In Tianyuan Territory, all residents, regardless of their past status, must earn higher privileges through their own abilities.

And this self-proclaimed baron, a middle-aged man, possessed only a white-tier trait, not even qualifying as SR-tier talent.

Of course, even if this man were talented, Mu Yuan had no intention of employing him.

Poor character and insufficient loyalty—the higher the position, the more trouble they would cause.

The baron from some fallen minor kingdom was dragged away, destined for a life as a miner. Sewing machines? Nonexistent—this was considered a premium job.

Such minor incidents were rare and caused no ripples.

The work of absorbing refugees proceeded in an orderly manner.

City Lord’s Mansion.

Mu Yuan opened the panel, scrolling through the information of the newly absorbed residents.

Once the refugees were “recruited” and their status changed from refugees to Tianyuan residents, their information became accessible for review.

However, the data for the vast majority of refugees was extremely simple—only a name and gender, male or female.

These were the ordinary residents.A small number of the settlers possessed simple white tags.

“Herb Identification,” “Leather Crafting,” “Hunter,” “Brewing,” “Skilled Lockpicking,” “Corpse Stitcher,” and so on.

These were ordinary talents, individuals who had mastered professional skills in certain areas or possessed specific strengths, such as natural physical strength or proficiency in swimming.

Some refugees arrived with classes like Lancer or Archer, and these were also categorized as ordinary talents.

Lord Mu naturally valued the former more.

Skills like brewing and herb identification could be acquired through learning, but that required a learning process. How could that compare to the convenience of technical talents who could start working immediately? Moreover, for ordinary people to learn, they still needed experienced masters with relevant skills to teach them.

There were quite a few ordinary talents, and they formed the foundation for managing and developing a territory.

Compared to ordinary talents, SR-level talents were much rarer. After most of the day had passed, Mu Yuan had only encountered four.

“Herb Expert,” “Alchemist”

“Forging Mastery”

“Alchemist”

“Advanced Blacksmith”

These talents had green tags, indicating that these settlers had high expertise in a particular field or had entered a profession involving extraordinary elements.

Such talents were already top-tier in small territories, capable of forming and leading a team.

However, their numbers were small.

Firstly, reaching an advanced level in any industry was already quite difficult, so there weren’t many advanced talents. Secondly, talents of this rank often held relatively high status and were less likely to fall into the refugee category.

Naturally, it was challenging to unearth advanced talents from among the refugees.

SSR talents were individuals with blue technical tags, blue-level talents, or exceptional-class professions.

These were the top-tier talents that could possibly appear during refugee recruitment.

Purple tags? They weren’t nonexistent, but they wouldn’t appear among refugees. Lords couldn’t even recruit purple-level characters at the Festival Grounds, let alone through refugee recruitment.

But after most of the day, not a single SSR talent had appeared in his territory.

Mu Yuan wasn’t particularly surprised.

Back when Master Li first arrived at Tianyuan Territory, he was only an SR talent at best, though Master Li’s innate talent was quite high, making him top-tier among SRs.

After years of tempering and working year-round without breaks, Master Li’s forging skills had greatly improved. In terms of craftsmanship, he could be considered SSR level.

Top talents with blue technical tags were probably even rarer than exceptional-class troops.

The first 24 hours passed quickly.

Small-scale battles occasionally broke out north of Wolfhead Mountain, and the Soul Sand Mine base had also faced an assault from a monster horde.

It was quite lively outside.

But Tianyuan Territory and the surrounding several kilometers were under the coverage of the Night Sky Concealment formation. Here it was quiet, peaceful, and tranquil—not a single monster hair would appear.

For now, at least.

“Over the entire day, we’ve taken in a total of six thousand three hundred twenty-two refugees. Very good.”

Mu Yuan was quite satisfied.

This meant that territory advancement could be expected soon.

When the first Refugee Recruitment Scroll ended, Mu Yuan immediately used the second one—he didn’t use all three simultaneously, worried that the scroll effects might not stack. Even if they did, too many refugees pouring in at once would overwhelm their available manpower.Teams worked in rotating shifts, ensuring the refugee intake process continued uninterrupted around the clock.

Amid the busy activity, the second 24-hour period quickly passed.

This time,

“Only 4,986 refugees were admitted. It seems the effectiveness of the Refugee Recruitment Scroll has significantly diminished.”

“However…” He glanced at the population count on the panel. “It should be about enough.”

Please don’t let us fall short by a few hundred people in the end!

He continued using the third Refugee Recruitment Scroll.

Sunset, sunrise.

As dawn arrived, the rate at which refugees appeared seemed to increase considerably. A long queue formed outside the South City Gate, bustling with activity.

In the distance, refugees slowly approached like grains of sand converging into a long river.

Suddenly, some refugees fled in fear to the side, trembling and not daring to look directly at the main road.

“Monsters?”

Lu Liu, who hadn’t slept for three days and two nights while monitoring the entire situation, was the first to notice what was happening here.

He cast his gaze over.

Then withdrew it.

It wasn’t monsters, nor was anyone causing trouble—it was simply that the newcomers… looked rather ferocious.

Still, he needed to pay a little attention.

…

On the wide dirt road, several figures strode over from the distance.

Their appearances were striking.

There was a towering man over three meters tall, suspected to have giant ancestry;

A short figure less than a meter in height, suspected to have dwarf ancestry;

And a fierce-looking sub-human with a large swaying tail, suspected to have lizardman or dragon ancestry.

Each looked menacing, with traces of blue and red bloodstains on their bodies.

The leader of the group appeared to be an old man. His face showed signs of age, but his physique was equally robust. Scattered scales covered his face, making him appear even more fearsome.

On his back, the old man carried a massive iron pot nearly as tall as a person.

He walked step by step toward the city gate, leaving a trail of clear footprints on the dirt road.

「Monster Chef · Pao Tu」

He was a master chef dedicated to pioneering the Dao of monster cuisine. For decades, he had traveled with several like-minded companions, deeply researching monster recipes.

They had visited many places and encountered all kinds of exotic monsters.

The small giant, dwarf, lizardman, and even himself—they were all pure humans. However, during their early research into monster cuisine, his skills were insufficient, leading to varying degrees of mutation among them.

But it didn’t matter.

Pioneers always have to make some sacrifices. These were also the medals proving their dedication to the Dao of cuisine.

“Grandpa, this territory seems to have quite a large population? Should we pledge allegiance to the Lord here?”

The dwarf asked.

“Let’s observe further.”

Grandpa Pao said.

They weren’t ordinary destitute refugees; they even possessed the ability to survive long-term in the Wilderness. Naturally, they wouldn’t casually swear allegiance to any Lord.

They had the power to choose and refuse.

Ordinary refugees desperately begged Lords to take them in, but they were different. Wherever they went, they were treated as honored guests, and often it was the Lords who desperately pleaded for them to stay.

But Pao Tu’s requirements were high.

He wouldn’t choose to stay just because a territory was prosperous or grand.

While he certainly hoped for a relatively stable life, the prerequisite was having a platform where he could realize his grand ambitions.

Half a year ago, following guidance, they passed through a city-level territory.The treatment offered by the Lord back then was quite decent, unfortunately, the ingredients the Lord could provide were all conventional ones.

“Cooking with conventional ingredients holds no joy at all!”

“Monsters are steeped in pollution, but extracting those few pure elements from the Filth is the very soul of cooking! Only in this way can the most delicious food be crafted. It’s a pity most Lords fail to grasp this. Hah, how ignorant!”

The inability to promote the Dao of Monster Cuisine weighed heavily on his heart!

Pao Tu and his companions soon arrived at the city gate.

His gaze swept over several counters: the registration desk, the special skills application area, and others.

Naturally, they did not join the queue at the relief food section. As experts capable of surviving in the Deep Wilderness and sourcing ingredients on the spot, they never went hungry and had no interest in soul-less ordinary fare like porridge or bread.

First, register, then enter the city to assess the situation before deciding their next move.

Thus, several fierce-looking burly men lined up obediently.

They were strictly abiding by the rules, but the refugees in front of them grew increasingly uneasy, as if being watched by some ferocious beast.

Offering their spots? The men had no intention of cutting in line.

Lu Liu approached.

Just from their appearance, these individuals were at least SR-tier talents. Moreover, they were all Elites above the second order. The elderly leader had even reached the Fourth Order.

As a ‘wild’ Fourth Order commander, the burly old man’s grade was undoubtedly Advanced, most likely high-tier Advanced.

He was a formidable figure.

However, a mere Fourth Order was nothing remarkable in Tianyuan Territory.

With Lu Liu stationed at the southern gate and several Polar Star Arrows keeping watch within the city, along with many squad leaders possessing Fourth Order combat prowess nearby, Tianyuan Territory was sufficiently strong. There was no need for excessive vigilance—just a bit more attention would suffice.

At this moment,

Since Pao Tu and the other travelers had not yet pledged allegiance, Lu Liu, as a Hero, could not view their information.

But after a brief exchange, Lu Liu understood their professions.

“So you’re chefs. Our territory is indeed in need of high-level chefs.”

“Not ordinary chefs—Monster Chefs! If you can provide some monster ingredients, this old man can demonstrate right away. Whether I stay or not, I’ll prepare a feast of monster cuisine with special effects for you!”

That was his expertise.

The food he crafted was not only delicious but also possessed miraculous effects.

Not ordinary boosts like ‘energy recovery,’ ‘strength enhancement,’ or ‘spirit uplift,’ but more unique ones…

「Lizardman Bloodline +1」

「Blood Elf Bloodline +1」

「Rock Element Affinity +1」

「Slash Concept Comprehension」

…and other special effects!

Only unique monster ingredients could produce such wonders. This was the greatness of the Dao of Monster Cuisine!

Pao Tu had assumed that even if the local Lord agreed, the process of hunting monsters, packaging the ingredients, and bringing them back would take considerable time.

But the outcome…

“Monster ingredients? That’s not difficult.”

Lu Liu led Pao Tu and the others to the kitchen in a nearby camp and arranged for two carts of ingredients to be brought from the Advanced Warehouse in the city.These ingredients, without exception, were not livestock raised in captivity, but monstrous ingredients with ferocious appearances and varied forms, yet meticulously packaged and preserved.

“Venomous Ironclad Scorpion!”

“Blue Silver Tyrant Dragon!”

“Crimson Flame Rock Armor Beast!”

“Hiss—”

Pao Tu swallowed hard.

It was true they could survive in the Wilderness, but with their current capabilities, hunting high-grade monster ingredients wouldn’t be so easy.

Even if he could defeat them, he still needed to find and capture them first.

The territory he yearned for was one that could provide various Advanced ingredients.

And the Tianyuan Territory before him…

“The Tyrant Dragon is one thing, but they even have reserves of ingredients like Rock Armor Beast and Venomous Scorpion, clearly…”

The local Lord also had a fondness for monster cuisine.

Pao Tu felt he had met a kindred spirit—they were not alone on the Dao of monster cooking. As he thought this, tears of contentment streamed down the corners of his mouth.

5K

(End of Chapter)