Chapter 71

Number Four pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Alright, Number Nine is right. Whether it's Gaia or Alaya, there must be a reason why they have existed for so long. Helping each other is entirely beneficial."

Next, all the beasts nodded in agreement to the "cooperation." Lan Ze looked at the beasts, his gaze quickly landing on Number Two, who had remained silent until now.

"The person who never speaks, don't you have anything to say?"

Of everyone present, only Number Two remained silent throughout. Was he trying to conceal his identity, or... was he uninterested in the collaboration?

Upon hearing this, Number Two looked up at Lan Ze, tilted his head, and asked, "Aaa?"

Lan Ze: "..."

Okay, so it turns out she wasn't pretending to be an expert by not speaking; she just would expose herself as soon as she opened her mouth.

Lan Ze was fine when he didn't speak, but now that he opened his mouth, Number Two was instantly awakened from his drowsy state.

"Aaaa!" She suddenly slapped the table, staring intently at Lan Ze, her eyes sparkling.

"Mom, don't expose me..." Lan Ze thought to himself, then quickly said, "If there's nothing else, I'm going to close this hall now."

"Mr. Number Ten, would you be interested in revealing the address? I'd like to pay you a visit sometime." Number Five's voice was alluring and seductive, making one's blood boil.

Lan Ze smiled and said, "I'll definitely tell you next time."

Number Five pursed his lips and chuckled softly, "Since that's the case, then I'll just wait and see with some anticipation."

After Lan Ze closed the hall, his gaze returned to the vicinity of the Tower of Radiance.

He glanced around, not daring to linger, and quietly left the scene.

After wasting nearly an hour, Lan Ze finally returned to his room. Without any hesitation, he opened the system menu and selected the "Exit Game" button.

He needed to discuss this with the two beasts at home to avoid his identity being exposed unexpectedly next time.

After opening his eyes, Lan Ze got out of bed, intending to go find Tiamat.

Suddenly, he felt a bulge in his pocket. After rummaging around in it for a moment, he slowly pulled out a Crystal Ball...

This thing actually left the game with me...?

Lan Ze looked surprised. Soon, he felt that there was something in the other pocket as well. He reached out and touched it, and found a small, narrow-necked bottle.

... the Magic Potion Morgan le Fay had given him earlier.

Lan Ze was slightly taken aback, thinking to himself, "Could it be that anything I hide in my pocket can be taken out of the game?"

If that's the case, wouldn't we be able to bring out more items in the future? Who knows, they might even become Holy Relic later...

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly heard Tiamat shout "Aaa" from outside.

Lan Ze didn't have time to think it over. He placed the Magic Potion on the table beside him, then got up and left the room.

Stepping out of the living room, Lan Ze faintly heard the clanging of a cleaver coming from the kitchen. When he went into the kitchen, he saw Tiamat chopping away at the cutting board with a cleaver, looking more like she was butchering a pig than chopping vegetables.

Sajyou Manaka's cabbage, which she bought just yesterday, was chopped into tiny pieces.

If the little girl saw this, she'd be absolutely furious... Lan Ze's eyes twitched, and he smiled as he stepped forward, "Mother, what are you doing?"

When Lan Ze saw the cabbage chopped into tiny pieces on the cutting board, he silently mourned for it for two seconds.

"Here you are, dinner is ready," Tiamat said softly, looking quite shy.

"I see..." Lan Ze smiled and patted Tiamat's head. "Leave the rest to me. Why don't you go and rest in the living room?"

"Aaa." Tiamat shook her head firmly and quickly.

She had finally finished chopping the vegetables and was preparing to heat the oil in the wok, just like the video she had just watched, and she wasn't going to give up now.

"It would be more efficient if I did it," Lan Ze explained.

"I want to prepare dinner for you," Tiamat whispered. She was wearing the yellow scarf that Sajyou Manaka, and because she didn't seem to be wearing underwear, large expanses of her fair skin were exposed.

Tiamat had gone this far, so Lan Ze couldn't very well discourage her good intentions and could only nod. "Alright, then... please continue."

Under Lan Ze's worried gaze, as if his own kitchen might explode, Tiamat suddenly seemed to remember something, tilted her head slightly, and said, "Was that you just now?"

"You mean that space?" Lan Ze asked.

Tiamat nodded.

Lan Ze hummed in agreement. "If I ever enter that space again in the future, I hope you can pretend you don't know me."

Tiamat tilted her head, then nodded with an "Aaa" sound, "Understood."

After saying that, under Lan Ze's terrified gaze, Tiamat picked up a bucket of oil from the side and was about to pour the whole bucket into the pot.

"Just a little bit, just a little bit! Don't pour too much!" Lan Ze quickly reminded him.

"I know," Tiamat said softly, then glanced at her son who was standing to the side staring intently at her. She blinked, thought for a moment, and then pushed Lan Ze out of the kitchen.

"Mother, I'll just watch from the side. I definitely won't bother you, okay?" Lan Ze plowed the ground with his feet to resist Tiamat's push, turning around to speak from time to time, but Tiamat was completely unmoved. He was slowly pushed out of the kitchen by Tiamat's shoulders.

"Wait for me outside." Tiamat said, then rolled up her sleeves and closed the kitchen door, seemingly to prevent her child from spying on her any longer.

Lan Ze stood outside the tightly closed kitchen door. He could only vaguely hear the "Aaa" sounds coming from inside, and he had no idea what was going on inside.

He didn't really care, but he was worried that if Tiamat made a huge mess of the kitchen, Aika would be angry when she came back and saw it...

I have to think of a way, think of a way... Lan Ze stood anxiously at the door, trying to think of a way to help Mother of All, but he couldn't come up with a suitable solution.

You can't exactly barge in now and say to her, "Mom, your cooking is terrible, let me do it."

Although Mother of All might obediently leave, seeing her too upset would still be a little heartbreaking.

"Hello..."

As Lan Ze was still pondering, a soft call came from behind him. He turned around and saw Miss Ereshkigal, who had just moved into the apartment yesterday.

"What are you doing? Why do you look so anxious?" Ereshkigal asked, puzzled.

Lan Ze merely glanced at the Goddess of the Underworld, shook his head, and sighed, "Forget it, you can't help me even if I tell you."

Ereshkigal immediately objected, "Tell me first, maybe I can help?"

"Can you cook?" Lan Ze asked.

Ereshkigal paused slightly, then her eyes Gilgamesh, and she ruffled a few strands of golden hair that fell across her forehead, shaking her head somewhat embarrassedly. "... Sorry, I don't know how."

"But what does this have to do with cooking?" she immediately asked again.

"My mother is cooking in the kitchen," Lan Ze said.

Ereshkigal's eyes widened immediately. She looked at Lan Ze, then at the tightly closed kitchen door. "Can Mother cook?"

"... I don't think so," Lan Ze said.

"Then why didn't you stop her?!"

Lan Ze smiled and spread his hands, "You're going?"

"..."

After a long, silent stare, Ereshkigal quietly looked away and gave a dry laugh, "Um... good luck, good luck..."

She silently turned and left the kitchen.

"Wait, where are you going?" Lan Ze called out. "I might have been a bit harsh just now. If you don't mind, why don't you stay and have dinner with us?"

"What are you thinking? How could I be so easily discouraged?" Ereshkigal turned around and glared at Lan Ze, then whispered, "Miss Aika asked me to come here to get a blanket and pillow, saying that most of her things are with you."

Lan Ze was taken aback. "No blanket or pillow... then how did you sleep last night?"

"I don't need to sleep," Ereshkigal said matter-of-factly. "Don't forget I'm a god... and that guy might sneak out and cause trouble while I'm sleeping."

Towards the end, her voice trailed off, almost as if she were muttering.

"That guy...?" Lan Ze repeated, then, as if suddenly realizing something, he said in a strange tone, "You're not talking about Ishtar, are you?"

"Who else could it be but her?" Ereshkigal sighed softly. "If Aika hadn't reminded me yesterday, I probably wouldn't have known that guy had been out and about while I was sleeping."

Ereshkigal quickly pulled herself out of her thoughts, gently patted her cheeks, and said, "Anyway, I'll go get the blankets and pillows first, and then come back to find you later."

After saying that, Ereshkigal turned and left the kitchen.

While Lan Ze was still staring blankly at the back of the Goddess of the Underworld, a shout of "Aaa" suddenly came from behind him.

Lan Ze took a sniff, and a burnt smell filled his nostrils.

"Oh no, my kitchen!"

Lan Ze woke up with a start. He turned around and was about to push open the kitchen door when a sudden idea flashed into his mind.

He held his breath, concealing his presence, before quietly pushing open the kitchen door and sneaking up behind Tiamat. The woman was frantically pouring oil and vinegar, looking rather flustered.

I was right to come in and take a look. If we really let Mother of All cook dinner herself, this kitchen probably won't be usable tomorrow... Lan Ze looked at the flustered Tiamat and was about to go closer to take a closer look.

But at that moment, Tiamat, who had just been busy with her work, suddenly turned her head and looked at Lan Ze, who was shielding his aura.

After exchanging a glance, Lan Ze opened his mouth slightly, about to speak, when Tiamat reached out, grabbed Lan Ze by the back of his collar, and threw him out of the kitchen without a word.

Meanwhile, Ereshkigal was standing in the corridor, looking blankly at the three rooms in front of her.

Of these three rooms, one belongs to Tiamat, and another to Lan Ze... Logically, the blankets and pillows should be stored in another empty room.

But after searching inside, she didn't see any extra cups or pillows.

"Could it be in Mother's or Lan Ze's room...?"

Ereshkigal muttered to herself, then quickly raised her head to look at Lan Ze's room.

She walked slowly forward and pushed open Lan Ze's door.

His gaze swept around the room and landed on the cabinet above the bed.

"If there were blankets and pillows stored there, they would probably be kept there, right?"

She muttered to herself, then climbed onto the bed, stood on tiptoe, opened the closet, and peeked inside; it was completely empty.

"So it should be in Mother's room..." Ereshkigal muttered to herself, just as she was about to leave the room.

But her gaze was quickly drawn to a small, narrow-necked bottle on the table.

The narrow-necked bottle contained a pink potion, which seemed to faintly emanate a chilling magical aura.

Ereshkigal stared at the narrow-necked bottle for a moment, a hint of doubt in her eyes. "This thing doesn't seem like a modern artifact..."

"Did that guy Lan Ze get this from somewhere again...?"

After hesitating for a moment, Ereshkigal slowly reached out and picked up the bottle of Magic Potion.

Ereshkigal opened the bottle and took a gentle sniff.

It smells... kind of nice?

This is clearly a prop that only an extremely skilled Magecraft could create; among the people she knows, it seems that only Sajyou Manaka could do it.

But even if it were Sajyou Manaka, she couldn't possibly make this kind of Magic Potion without the necessary ingredients...

Also, why did this thing end up in Lan Ze's room?

Ereshkigal frowned slightly as she gazed at the pink potion. She dipped her slender fingers into the pink liquid at the bottle's opening and gently licked it with the tip of her tongue.

"Ugh... this potion tastes so sweet."

Lan Ze waited outside the kitchen for a while, and every now and then he could hear a scream of "Aaa" coming from inside the kitchen, followed by the clattering of pots, pans, bowls and chopsticks. Those who knew would know that Tiamat was cooking in the kitchen, but those who didn't would probably think she was tearing the house down.

"What should we do, what should we do... Even though this is my mom and she's incredibly strong, if we just let her tear the kitchen apart like this, Aika will be furious when she gets back..."

Lan Ze was filled with inner turmoil at this moment.

He worried that stopping his Mother of All might dampen her confidence... Seeing how confidently Mother of All was preparing dinner for her child, he really couldn't bear to stop her.

Moreover, although Mother of All has a good temper, if you anger her, who knows what terrible things might happen.

After thinking for a long time, Lan Ze walked to a cabinet near the restaurant and took out a bag of snacks.

Then, he pushed open the kitchen door and strolled inside.