Ruby [C172]

The plump man stood immobile, seated on a chair.

Possessing a height of two meters and a round shape, he would normally be easily noticed from distance, yet the Longevity Realm experts could not perceive him at all despite being barely at a meter of distance.

It was the same plump man who once stood in a food-filled room of the flying ship, a member of the Winged Freaks. As he stared at Pyrus Ignait his eyes revealed a glint of both excitement and fear.

While everyone was expectant for the upcoming spectacle from the chef, two silhouettes suddenly fell from the flying ship, dropping on the plaza and making two additional pits.

*Boom!* *Boom!*

The two bangs alarmed the crowd, who turned their heads to the source of the commotion.

In their sight entered two silhouettes concealed by the dust.

One was a slim figure who walked forward impatiently, clearly the one of a girl. At her side, the figure of a man who played with a deck of cards, not moving his attention from it.

The two were Faithe Malkia and Hynvers Azharde.

Before jumping down, Hynvers Azharde had made a divination which stated that the food would taste horrible; however, he nevertheless came down. If it was due his trust on the chef, or because he himself felt that his own divinations were always wrong was something no one knew.

As she searched for a seat Faithe Malkia glanced mischievously toward the plump man for a second, but her expression quickly returned normal.

The two then greeted everyone and also found a place where to sit.

Unlike the crowd who quickly lost interest, Shu Mo stared blankly at the two new craters.

As the current Emperor he was supposed to worry about the funds of the Kingdom, and although the annexation of the Remir Kingdom stabilized the economic situation, it was not to the point they were able to waste money in random reparations!

He felt truly vexed. If Shu Himo and his friends were to continue breaking everything, what was he supposed to do?

Ignoring the three newcomers, Pyrus Ignait took a big pot and placed it on top the crater he had made when he fell from the ship. Compared to the other craters his was thinner, making others wonder if he had made it on purpose.

Once he had filled half of the pot with water he chanted "Hellfire."

A second later, a purple flame formed inside the crater, increasing the heat of the water in the pot. Since the flame could sustain itself just by consuming mana there was no need to worry about a lack of oxygen for it to persist.

Walking up to the table where he posed earlier the carcass of the Thrichorn, he took a kitchen knife.

Sizing up the creature of the same size as a room, he sliced open its belly and carefully extracted all of its organs before separating its body into many parts.

He posed the whole belly of the monster in a table and put the rest of the meat in his special storage ring. Unlike normal storage rings, his personal storage ring had an additional function which froze anything he placed in it, allowing the ingredients to not decay.

Even while he was preparing the meat his attention never left from the pot, and as soon as the water started boiling he swiftly grabbed the three horns and threw them inside of it.

The three horns had the same size of a sword, yet the moment they fell on the water there wasn't any ripple on it as if they merely passed through a membrane.

He then grabbed the heart which he had previously separated from the body and extracted the blood from it, before pouring it in the pot. The moment the blood entered in contact with the boiling water, the sauce acquired a soft-red texture, as the three horns began to soften.

After adding various ingredients he made from a compound of herbs he covered the pot with a lid, sealing the soup from the external environment. This way the herbs could be used at their best; spreading their flavor in the soup without losing their proprieties by being released outside.

With the kitchen knife in hand, Pyrus Ignait stared the monster's belly for a moment before he sliced the belly in hundreds of slices. His movements were firm and precise, showcasing his experience.

Moments later, on the side of the table were placed thousands of cubes of meat. The meat did not lose a single drop of blood as if it were sealed.

Taking a big pan, he set it on an apposite grate. Extending his hand underneath he quietly chanted, "Hellfire."

With his ability in using the flames, it was not a problem using two magic spells at the same time.

As soon as he completed his chant a purple flame reminiscent of hell grew underneath the pan, heating it up. The purple flame had a demonic yet aesthetic appearance, harmless to allies yet lethal to enemies.

He poured a bit of oil on the pan, and once he noticed that it was heating up he also placed various cubes of meat on it. He then scooped a spoon of sauce from the pot before pouring it on the meat. As soon as the red sauce made contact with the meat, it wrapped the meat completely, creating a thin, red membrane around it.

At the same time as he had scooped the spoon of sauce the flame under the pot dimmed, still preserving the heat of the sauce yet not bringing anymore further alterations.

As Pyrus Ignait shook the pan to turn the cubes of meat, a strong yet sweet fragrance suddenly spread throughout the plaza, making everyone intoxicated by it. They could not help but stare at the black pan, shallowing their saliva.

Hand on the handle, Pyrus Ignait's concentration never left the meat for a single instant, sensing every change within the pan.

Minutes later, the corner of his lips curled up, as he halted the flame and placed the now cooked cubes of meat on the plates. Wrapped by the red membrane, the meat did not appear as simple meat anymore, but as a red jewel called ruby.