Chapter 108 - A Chef in Space

”I believe her! I’m going to trust in her! I’m sure she’ll return with Laika!” ~Yoshelle Ya Yobore

Laika had a few things keeping her sane, luckily enough. Lack of food wasn’t an issue. Her sources of sustenance were magically preserved, enchantments locking in the taste and nutrients without letting them spoil. She had no idea how long those containers had been preserving the food for, but what was contained inside neither smelled nor tasted bad, and that was good enough.

She was also given a cozy room that had some light. While she had to supply the mana-crafted torches with her own mana, and they were far harder to light when compared to the normal ones, being able to see her moderately sized room had given her heart a much needed break from the constant darkness. The room was equipped with a bed, a restroom, and a study.

She also thanked the heavens that there was water to help clean herself. She didn’t bother thinking about the mechanics of it, understanding that a base on the moon would have had figuring those things out as a number one priority. Though, there were no windows.

Without much to do, Laika had been tempted to entertain her curiosity about space, what it looked like, and what Ysvil looked like from the moon’s perspective. Stachie, however, was adamant that she remained inside. Not only breathing would be an issue, but the things to be seen out in space would also be dangerous for the unprotected mind.

[If you see something you shouldn’t, even by accident, you wouldn’t be Laika anymore.]

The dog-ferim was easily convinced after that.

The last one to keep Laika sane was Stachie. Every night, before the dog-ferim went to bed, she would receive updates via System Console on how the guild was performing.

When she read about the ridiculous situation of the fourth floor and the equally matching absurd strategy the guild had come up with, Laika was filled with a lot of different emotions and feelings.

First was worry. She had no idea how strong Valor’el was, but offering to deal with the boss monster, with only two supports, while the guild destroyed the raid pillars was indeed a crazy move. She could only hope that the seraph could really hold his end of the strategy.

Second was hope. When Stachie had given an update that the strategy was working, Laika was able to relax. It would only be a matter of time before the guild conquered the dragon.

Third was regret. Laika had wanted to keep going with the raid until the very end, or until she couldn’t fight anymore. Being stuck in the moon base, while it was a surreal experience, only made her a burden to her guild. She didn’t like that feeling.

But then, she was updated with the strategy’s current success, which had helped her get the bad thoughts out of her mind. She was rooting for them to succeed.

The next day arrived. The last update she had received was that there was one raid pillar remaining. Knowing her guild, they would take care of the last pillar, recover, and prepare for the rest of the day, before dealing with the Raid Boss tomorrow. But given the situation of the raid floor, she had no idea what adjustments they might do.

Laika was prepared to spend the next couple of days meditating and rationing her food. While there was an abundant supply of preserved food in the nearby kitchen, the fact that it still had a limited amount made her wary. There could be any reason that the raid’s progress would be stalled, and she needed to be prepared for that possibility. Especially since they had no idea how many floors the raid would have this time.

As soon as she settled on what to eat for the day, nodding to herself with a satisfied smile, something out of the routine appeared. Stachie’s communication via the System Console popped out.

[Laika, Shallies was able to interfere with the rift. She’s coming for you. She’ll explain everything.]

The dog-ferim blinked twice, wondering what the Guiding Star halfsie had anything to do with the moon base. Sure, she, just like everyone else, had noticed the unusual favor that both Yoshelle and Guildmaster Maxims had given to Shallies, but that didn’t justify any of her involvement with something this grand and out of reach.

Still, Laika had nothing to go on save for Stachie’s message. And since she had been able to survive thanks to this person on the other end of the System Console, the dog-ferim had no other choice but to wait.

Shallies was greeted by darkness. She didn’t panic. With her absurd senses, she was able to quickly confirm that she had ended up inside her moon base. While she’d been able to identify the rift’s destination before jumping into it, actually making it to that destination was another matter entirely.

This time, fortunately enough, they were one and the same, and there was no need for the Godkiller to make any adjustments mid-transportation.

As soon as Shallies’ feet touched the cold floor, her moon base, the Infinite Gaze, expressed its longing for her. The base was starved of Stellar mana, abandoned by its master for centuries. And while the place had no actual soul or sentience by any stretch of the imagination, being a Divine Domain, it had developed a desire to interact, to express.

In fact, it had been trying to reach out to Laika nonstop, in order to assure the dog-ferim of her safety. But as someone with an intact Divine Innocence, she didn’t possess the necessary senses to recognize the signs.

Shallies calmly hushed the Infinite Gaze. It wasn’t the time to fully activate the domain, but she wasn’t one to deny it its request. Like a loving mother providing for her child, the Godkiller gave her Stellar mana.

Slowly, the moon base began to regain its light. Dim light, a soft glow of white just to push away the darkness. It had been completely immune to withering or decline, and had protected itself from even the tiniest smudge of dirt.

The Infinite Gaze began to breathe, feeling alive once more. And after running every mandatory check to make sure that the domain was fully functional and undamaged, it finally quieted down, awaiting its master’s orders.

Orders that, for now, wouldn’t be spoken.

Shallies walked slowly, reminiscing as her hand brushed down the marble walls of the hallway. She remembered when it had been built, recalling the name of the pirate captain she would no longer give voice to. It had been a long time, and she deserved to rest.

Taking her mind off the tedious memories, the Godkiller quietly moved within her labyrinth. There really wasn’t much to do other than retrieve Laika and return to the raid, but there was one thing that had been bugging her mind since the first rift had opened.

Why here?

“Hello?”

Before she could ponder on her question, however, Laika’s voice echoed throughout the hallway. Shallies sighed, pushing the thought at the back of her mind. Whatever reason the answer might be, she would deal with it, if needed.

“Over here, Laika,” she called out. “I’m heading for the kitchen.”

The condition of the moon base’s kitchen was, surprisingly enough, well-maintained. It didn’t boast anything as fancy as her kitchen back at the Adventurer’s Beginning, but it had a still functioning mana-crafted stove and oven, despite having been left abandoned for centuries.

Shallies pulled out everything she needed to cook, making sure she only partially opened her Class Inventory. By the time Laika found her way, the kitchen was filled with ingredients and tools for cooking.

“Woah… Are you cooking in space?” asked the dog-ferim, forgetting every other potential question she should’ve asked first.

“You’ve been out here for a while,” Shallies started. “Are you craving something?”

Laika gulped. “Chicken roast… If it’s not too much to ask…”

Shallies looked around her kitchen while recalling whatever additional ingredients she might need. After confirming that she had everything on hand, she gave Laika a nod.

“As long as you don’t mind something simple…”

“Yes, please!”

[Chicken Roast with Stoneglow Puddings - Lazy Version]

For the roast:
1 whole chicken
2-4 potatoes
2-4 sweet potatoes
1-2 carrots
olive oil or corn oil
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
rosemary, to taste
thyme, to taste
garlic, to taste
lemon juice, to taste

For the pudding:
100g plain flour
2-3 eggs
200ml milk
olive oil or vegetable oil or beef tallow
salt, to taste

For the gravy:
200ml chicken stock, use more if needed
2-4 tablespoons of Worrenshire Sauce
salt, to taste
corn flour slurry

The roast was pretty easy. All Shallies had to do was chop the potatoes and the carrots into small, bitesize pieces before throwing them all in a pan with the whole chicken. Then she basically threw them all in a big tray. She added the herbs, the cooking oil, salt and pepper, squeezed the lemon juice in, and then mixed them all up with her clean hands.

She washed her hands again before placing the tray in the oven to cook for about forty-five minutes, taking into account her Cooking Mastery. The good thing about mana-crafted ovens was that preheating wasn’t necessary.

Shallies took a gander as she took a bowl and prepared the ingredients for the Stoneglow Puddings. Laika was quiet, staring intently at the cooking in front of her.

“How are you holding up?” the Chef asked, trying to get the dog-ferim’s attention somewhere else.

In the meantime, she dumped all her pudding ingredients into a bowl—except for the oil—and began mixing them together with her precise mana-control.

“Oh, I’m okay,” Laika replied. “I honestly didn’t expect to be on the moon. Frankly, I’m not sure I still believe it, since I can’t see anything outside.”

Shallies tilted her head. “Do you want to see Ysvil from here?”

The dog-ferim blinked twice. “Can we do that? Really?”

“Yeah. As long as you don’t look anywhere else. I’m pretty sure Stachie’s already told you about that.”

Shallies retrieved a muffin tray, wiped the indents with some cooking oil, and then poured over the pudding mixture. She would have used some beef tallow, if it was available. But alas, her options in space were limited. Her tray had six portions, which she all filled equally.

“Hold on,” Laika started, finally recovering from her speechlessness. “I’m still confused. How come you’re here? I mean no offense, but it just doesn’t make sense to me.”

“Well, I’ll cut to the chase,” Shallies said as she placed the muffin tin in the oven with the chicken. She started cleaning, now that all she needed to do was wait. “It’s a secret, but given the situation you’re in, there’s really no other way to explain this. I was one of Godkiller Bernadette’s students. And this is one of her domains.”

“Shut up…” Laika said reactively. “No way…”

“The seraphim know, Yoshelle knows, Vice Guildmaster Coraline knows. And I’m pretty sure Guildmaster Maxims already had an inkling from the get-go. They had promised not to tell anyone, and it would be best if you also promise the same.”

“Oh… Umm… Yes, I promise.” Laika scratched her head. “I don’t mean this in a bad way, but I don’t think anyone would believe me, even if I told them.”

“Well, let’s just forget all about that. I’m no longer the Godkiller’s student, since I took a profession class. Though I don’t think she’ll mind that we’re here, since this is an emergency of sorts.”

Suddenly, the dog-ferim stiffened. “Is she here?”

“Don’t think so,” Shallies said, smiling at the humor of her reply. “Never mind that, do you still want to look at Ysvil, or not?”

“Umm… If everything you said is true, I think it’s safer for me to just stay. I’ve already caused enough trouble, and I don’t want to risk complicating things more than it is already.”

Shallies respected the dog-ferim’s choice. “Alright. Then just give me a few minutes to finish lunch.”

The conversations became simpler after that. Shallies shared her personal updates about what had happened with the raid group after Laika fell into the rift. It was a delicate balance between telling the dog-ferim how much the guild was worrying for her, and convincing her that it wasn’t her fault.

The pudding was quick to cook, and after a while, the chicken as well. Shallies allowed the roast to rest, returning the tray to crisp up the vegetables a bit more. After that it was time to make the gravy.

Separating the vegetables, Shallies then poured the juices that had seeped from the resting roasted chicken back into the tray. Then, she placed it on the stovetop and poured the chicken stock in, along with the Worrenshire Sauce. With a spatula, she then scraped up all the bits to mix the gravy, added the corn flour slurry to thicken up the mixture, and finally, when the gravy was finally cooked, she poured it through a sieve and into a small jar.

It was finally time to plate. Shallies retrieved an extra large one made up of porcelain using mana-control, putting the chicken at the center and surrounding it with all the vegetables and the puddings. Then she grabbed the jar of gravy and poured it over the dish as she presented it to Laika.

The dog-ferim gulped, stopping herself from salivating.

Shallies passed a plate, a fork, and a knife. “Go ahead.”

“Thank you!”

Laika didn’t hesitate. She grabbed one of the chicken legs and pulled as it came off easily. Her other hand worked with filling her plate with the vegetables and a single pudding.

She took a bite of the chicken leg.

Laika started to tear up. She squealed with joy and satisfaction, finally able to eat something else other than rationed preserved food. She had been longing for the taste of meat, of something that she could sink her teeth into. The burst of flavors made her forget where she was, and she didn’t care.

The potatoes were crispy on the outside and soft inside, coated by the flavors from the chicken and gravy. The carrots, too, were just as delicious.

And the pudding. Laika had never tasted something so crispy, soft, and savory from a pudding. It complemented the chicken so well.

She finished her entire plate in a flash, and she was ready to go back for more. But as she grabbed the other chicken leg, she noticed Shallies was just looking at her.

“Umm… Aren’t you going to eat?” Laika asked. Conscious of her actions, she switched to grab a wing and breast instead, and filled up her plate with more carrots and potatoes.

“I am,” Shallies replied, moving to get the other leg that was left for her. “I’m just wondering when you’re going to ask the next important question.”

The dog-ferim tilted her head and the chicken wing that she was biting into. She racked her brain, trying to get a question to form, but her mind was too busy appreciating the food. She gave up.

“What question?” she asked, barely forming the words with her mouth half full.

Shallies smiled. “If it’s possible for me to bring you back or not.”

Laika’s eyes widened. “You can?”