Hot Pot

(Free this chapter)

Even while sealed, Pagliu was far beyond Athena's level, so she couldn't bring out her full strength against the Poison Dragon. But against Gangke, her greatsword immediately showed its astonishing power.

Athena swung down at him again. This time, she used the blade. Sparks flew as Gangke's iron hammer split in two, and his feet sank even deeper into the ground. Athena had controlled her strength with remarkable precision: after cleaving the hammer, the greatsword stopped right above the Horned Demon's head.

Chen Rui hurried to Alice's side and whispered an explanation to her, then handed the little girl a basket.

"Get lost, you little nobody! Tell that coward Allen to come out!" Athena wasn't stupid. She immediately guessed who was behind Gangke, then slowly lowered her sword.

Gangke felt the terrifying killing intent lift from above his head, and cold sweat covered his forehead. He knew Athena had held back; otherwise, that terrifying slash would have cut through more than just his hammer. As the standoff continued, a loud shout suddenly rang out: "Stop!"

The one who had shouted was Chen Rui. Pointing at Gangke, the human called out, "Gangke, you've got some nerve, attacking Lady Athena! Her Highness Princess Alice is a princess, and she hasn't even spoken yet, but you're already issuing orders on your own. Do you have any respect for the Little Princess, the Eldest Princess, or the Lucifer Royal Family?"

"I didn't!" Gangke panicked when Chen Rui accused him of ambushing Athena. Athena had clearly struck first, and he hurriedly tried to explain. But Chen Rui had just brought up the Lucifer Royal Family.

An eerie silence fell over the crowd. The only sound was Alice crunching on a Green Dragon Fruit. With her mouth full, she mumbled, "You ambushed Athena? Do you have any respect for me and my sister?"

"I didn't! I do! I..." Gangke was startled. He couldn't tell whether to answer yes or no, and for a moment he was at a loss for words. "Little Princess, this human is too cunning. Don't believe him!"

"This human is indeed cunning," Alice agreed. Just as Gangke began to feel relieved, the little girl pointed at Chen Rui with the hand holding her Green Dragon Fruit and changed her tone. "But he makes more sense than you."

Whether she meant Chen Rui's argument made sense, or the Green Dragon Fruit did, Chen Rui was reminded of a corrupt official in some joke. Either way, preparing a Green Dragon Fruit for Alice in advance had clearly been the wisest move.

"Chen Rui, since you remembered to pick fruit for me while gathering 'medicine,' I'll forgive you this time." Alice glanced at Gangke, who was sweating profusely. "Big guy, don't be foolish. Go tell Allen that if he wants to use me to kill someone, he'd better make more sense than the others."

"Make more 'sense'"? That was a blatant demand for a bribe! The little girl understood everything, and was obviously just being deliberately unreasonable. Seeing that Alice wasn't going to punish him, Gangke felt as if he'd been granted a new lease on life. He quickly led his soldiers away. Chen Rui couldn't help thinking that the Demon Realm was relatively simple. In the ancient world he'd come from, a charge like this could have gotten Gangke's entire family executed.

"Let's go, Athena." Alice affectionately linked arms with Athena, as if she'd never been angry.

"Isn't Her Highness the Little Princess angry with me for sneaking out to play?" Athena deliberately shook Alice off, feigning displeasure. Jia watched them from the side, smiling behind her lips.

Alice was every bit the flexible, scheming sort. She smiled apologetically and whispered something to Athena, then cracked a joke. By the time they reached the palace gates, the two had already made up and were as close as sisters again. When Alice heard Athena had brought back some game, she remembered their last picnic and couldn't help drooling. She turned to Chen Rui with a beaming smile.

Under that gaze, Chen Rui felt as if he'd turned into a piece of meat roasting on a skewer. He hurriedly said, "There's a new way to prepare it this time. It's different from roast meat, with its own unique flavor. I just don't know if the Little Princess can handle spicy food."

"Is it really as tasty as roast meat?" the little girl asked quietly. After the human gave her the same chest-thumping assurance Athena would have, her voice suddenly grew louder. "The words 'afraid' have never existed in the Lucifer Royal Family's dictionary! I, Alice Lucifer, fear nothing!"

The palace guards saw the Little Princess speaking with such righteous fervor and cast her admiring looks. They stood even straighter, proud to be warriors of the Lucifer Royal Family, completely unaware that the little girl's bold declaration was really just an excuse to mooch food.

Basking in everyone's admiration, Alice fearlessly headed toward Aldas's laboratory.

When they arrived, Sli saw the three of them and hurried over. From Sli, Chen Rui learned that Master Aldas had urgent business and had gone to the palace to discuss something with Princess Shea.

With the Lesser Devil's help, Chen Rui got to work. Jia and Athena lent a hand from time to time, though Athena was so lacking in talent in this area that she mostly made things worse. Bored while waiting, Alice picked up the Independent Diamond Chess set Aldas had left on the table and began playing with it. Chen Rui figured the beautiful new set would meet the same fate as the others in her hands, and some poor master would have to go draw circles in a corner again.

After quite some time, Chen Rui finally finished.

Alice, who had been greedily sniffing the fragrant air, stared at the strange, large pot on the table, with a flame burning beneath it. She asked curiously, "It smells wonderful! What is it?"

"This is called hot pot. Here, give it a try." Chen Rui asked Sli to bring out the tableware and distribute it to everyone. He put the sliced meat into the pot, then added some vegetables. After the last barbecue, he'd become familiar with the seasonings commonly used in the Demon Realm. He had Alice, that little glutton, to thank for bringing along such a complete assortment. The ingredients and seasonings here were nowhere near as varied as those in his previous world, but a few unique spices didn't exist there, either. He could now handle ordinary home cooking with ease.

Alice copied Chen Rui, trying to pick up a slice of meat and put it in her mouth, but she couldn't manage his homemade chopsticks. Giving up, she used a spoon to scoop out the meat and some broth, then put it in her mouth.

"Wow, it's so hot! So spicy!" Alice cried dramatically, but her hands moved faster and faster. Before long, not only the little girl but Athena and Jia as well had fallen in love with this new hot pot.

"Don't rush. We can keep adding ingredients and cooking them as we eat." Chen Rui handed Alice some raw vegetables. Then he noticed the Lesser Devil standing nearby with his mouth watering, but still waiting respectfully. "Sli, what are you doing? Come eat!"

"Sli can eat too?" Sli could hardly believe his ears. It took him quite a while to come around. Remembering all the mistreatment he'd suffered growing up, his little eyes immediately filled with tears. Oh heavens, what a great and merciful master! He's practically a gift from the Demon God! Even without that contract, Sli would never betray his master! Unless... there were a hundred Black Crystal Coins right in front of him! No, two hundred!

Chen Rui didn't have Alice's Mind Reading, so he had no idea about the bargaining going on in the little devil's mind. He added some more food for his new servant. After all, one needed both the stick and the carrot. This touching gesture immediately doubled the number of Black Crystal Coins Sli would demand to betray his master, bringing it to four hundred.

Sli's deep-rooted belief in the lower classes kept him from daring to sit at the same table as royalty like Alice. He took his bowl and served himself some food, then sat in a corner to eat. It was the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted.

After the food had been devoured in a whirlwind, Alice contentedly rubbed her round belly and gave Chen Rui an approving look. "Chen Rui, you're pretty good. I've decided: from now on, you're my favorite courtier!"

Her emphatic declaration echoed through the laboratory, leaving the courtier in question completely speechless. Even his servant looked envious.

At least it wasn't that male lover she'd mentioned last time. One word made all the difference.

Come to think of it, if he really dared to become Alice's male lover or consort, the Eldest Princess would probably promote him immediately—to the rank of eunuch.

"This is a tremendous honor." Alice counted on her fingers. "A favorite courtier is one of my closest aides. You have to tell stories and make tasty food every day, hand over half the Magic Crystal Coins you earn, and pay whenever I go out to eat."

Wouldn't that be worse than being a servant? Chen Rui broke out in a cold sweat and decisively shook his head. He was always upright and principled, never currying favor with the powerful. He'd rather let someone else have this tremendous honor.

Athena had seen Chen Rui put the fake "antidote"—actually a seasoning—into the hot pot. Alice hadn't suspected a thing, and she and Jia had both eaten plenty of it. At last, Athena felt reassured. She secretly admired her human friend's cleverness, then said, "Alice, stop fooling around. We've eaten the hot pot, so we should head back soon."

"Why do I keep feeling like you're sticking up for this guy?" Alice looked at Athena suspiciously, then glanced at Chen Rui. "By the way, at the city gate, didn't you say that a certain human was your friend?"

Athena's face warmed slightly, but she admitted it frankly. "That's right. Even though we haven't known each other long, I think Chen Rui is a friend worth having. He's much better than that sinister coward Allen!"

"Chen Rui can tell stories, and he can make fun things and tasty food." Alice tilted her head, thought for a moment, then nodded. "Since he's Athena's friend, I suppose he can count as Alice's friend too..."

Chen Rui felt utterly helpless at Alice's standards for choosing friends. Alice walked over and patted him on the shoulder with the air of a gang leader. "If anyone bullies you, just tell them my name. No one will dare touch you. Except when I bully you, of course..."

Just then, Aldas appeared in the laboratory doorway.

"Master!" Chen Rui stepped forward. "Come, try this delicious new dish."

The Dark Elf master shook his head, out of character for him, and said nothing. Only then did Chen Rui notice the unprecedented gloom and heaviness on Aldas's somber face.