Cookware Liberation

She hung her head, staring blankly at her burning toes.

Wei Zhenzu curled a finger and tried tapping on the glass.

"Tap, tap."

Scorched Girl didn't even raise her head, ignoring him completely. Only the sparks on her body flickered slightly with the tapping.

"It's no use, Manager." Malkuth recorded her status in her notebook.

"These are only conceptual projections. They lack complete self-awareness. But the good thing is, even if her Qliphoth Counter reaches zero, she won't breach containment and run out to start fires. We only need to perform simple virtual work on her regularly to safely extract Enkephalin energy."

"Sounds like a hassle-free, fully automatic power plant." Wei Zhenzu nodded and followed Malkuth a couple of steps farther.

[Fairy Gentleman] was held behind the second door.

The strange creature, which had butterfly wings and a bright green head, was clutching an empty wine bottle and spinning around drunkenly.

Wei Zhenzu had just walked over and waved at it when it let out a loud belch and blew a string of colorful bubbles that burst against the inside of the glass.

"As long as we keep supplying the containment unit with the virtual concept of 'alcohol,' it will produce a continuous stream of energy."

Malkuth puffed out her chest proudly.

"The Control Team's output is very stable at the moment."

"That's odd. What about The Lost Passenger who chased me around the Mirror Dungeon, trying to cut me down?" Wei Zhenzu counted the rooms along the corridor, puzzled.

Malkuth opened her notebook and pointed her pen at one line:

"As for that passenger, you forcibly used the law of spatial cutting to destroy it. That power sliced its core concept to pieces, leaving no complete projection behind, so naturally, we couldn't contain it."

Wei Zhenzu understood.

Just then, he noticed an especially spacious special-grade containment unit at the end of the corridor.

There was no monster inside, nor was there any oppressive atmosphere.

Only a faint yet pure cyan breeze, carrying a familiar aura, circled quietly around the center of the containment unit.

"Dvalin..." Wei Zhenzu's eyes stirred.

That was the projection of the last remnant of his soul, intercepted by the system after the demon dragon's core was shattered.

He no longer bore any trace of frenzy or the Abyss's curse. Only the wind's gentleness and freedom remained.

"This is a very beautiful concept." Malkuth stopped as well and spoke softly.

"He isn't aggressive at all. He only makes people feel calm."

Just as Wei Zhenzu placed his hand against the glass of Dvalin's containment unit, something unexpected happened.

Hum.

[Golden Bough resonance threshold reached. New branch abilities unlocked for the Hell's Kitchen module]

A brand-new black-and-yellow panel immediately appeared before Wei Zhenzu's eyes. The information on it made him draw a sharp breath.

Ability 1: Concept Cooking

Description: The host can use "Hell's Kitchen" to extract the concepts of Abnormalities in containment units and convert them into temporary attribute buffs or passive skills.

Ability 2: Gluttony Hunt

Description: After defeating high-level wild Abnormalities or monsters in the outside world, they can be "consumed" through specific cooking methods. Consumption permanently grants some of the creature's abilities or elemental resistances.

Ability 3: Cookware Liberation

Description: Basic cookware gains the ability to change form. It can switch between different head chef's blades according to combat needs.

"So this means... from now on, I can not only get buffs, but also eat monsters to become stronger?"

Wei Zhenzu's eyes grew brighter as he read the descriptions. This was the ultimate evolution of Teyvat's Bear Grylls!

"Concept Cooking?" Wei Zhenzu stroked his chin and cast a mischievous glance at the containment units beside him.

"Does that mean I can use Scorched Girl's sparks to roast meat, or soak Fairy Gentleman in medicinal wine?"

Malkuth was utterly bewildered. Although she didn't quite understand what terrifying recipes the new manager was talking about, she still clapped enthusiastically in support:

"That sounds amazing, Manager! You'll surely be able to use it to collect even more energy. I'll help you keep the Control Team in perfect order."

The original black iron pot hummed, rapidly shrinking and lengthening.

Its rough cast-iron surface fell away as the metal rearranged itself, finally becoming a heavy, sharp, broad-bladed bone cleaver that gleamed with a chilling light. It landed firmly in Wei Zhenzu's hand.

The cleaver had a serrated spine and a dark red glow flowing over its blade. It was astonishingly heavy and could cut through gold and jade with ease.

"Nice blade." Wei Zhenzu casually twirled it, the heavy blade slicing through the air with a sharp whistle.

He wouldn't have to swing a frying pan at people in fights anymore. This cleaver, exclusive to the head chef, was clearly more intimidating.

Satisfied, Wei Zhenzu put the cleaver back into his system space.

He looked at the energetic Malkuth, then at the quiet containment units in the corridor. His heart filled with unprecedented confidence in his future life in this other world.

Whether it was the Abyss Order or distorted monsters, once they entered his Hell's Kitchen, they could only end up as a dish on the menu.

Several days had passed since the earthshaking fight to the death at Stormterror's Lair.

Wei Zhenzu leaned against the headboard in his single dormitory room at the Knights of Favonius, staring at the ceiling in utter boredom.

He had spent the past few days in partial recovery, and his muscles would ache whenever he exerted even a little strength.

"I'm so hungry... Traveler, Paimon's starving..."

Like a mosquito that had lost its energy in autumn, Paimon circled listlessly above Wei Zhenzu's head.

Clutching her stomach, Paimon voiced her eighth protest that morning.

"I know, I know. Stop circling. You're making me dizzy."

Wei Zhenzu sighed, threw back the covers, and rolled out of bed.

He walked over to the small open kitchen in the corner of the dormitory and looked at the few carrots and two pieces of fowl left on the chopping board.

"Let's make do with some carrot and meat stew."

Wei Zhenzu rolled up his sleeves.

With a thought, he passed over the ordinary kitchen knife hanging on the wall and tried to use the newly unlocked system function instead.

With a low hum, a ball of red light gathered in his palm.

The black iron pot he had used to make soup instantly changed form. Its metal rearranged itself and lengthened, becoming a broad-bladed bone cleaver that gleamed with a chilling light.

The cleaver was extremely heavy, with vicious-looking serrations along its spine. Holding it gave him the solid assurance that it could cut through gold and jade.

"These carrots are just right for testing how it handles."

Satisfied, Wei Zhenzu hefted the cleaver in his hand.

He placed a carrot on the solid wood chopping board, took a deep breath, and brought the cleaver down with a little force.

"Crack."

The sound was crisp, and the blade met no resistance.

Wei Zhenzu froze. He looked down to see that the carrot on the chopping board had been perfectly cut in two.

Immediately afterward, the thick solid wood chopping board gave a faint cracking sound and split down the middle.

Then the sturdy oak kitchen table beneath the board also split smoothly along the path of the blade.

With a muffled crash, the entire table collapsed into two halves on the spot.