Chapter 13 : Breakfast
Chapter 13: Breakfast
One hour.
Breakfast.
The four emotionless words from Hera pressed down on Lilia like four massive mountains.
She was still kneeling on the ground, completely stunned.
Her mind was blank.
Breakfast?
What kind of breakfast was she supposed to make for the Demon Queen?!
What did the Demon Queen eat in the morning?
Souls?
Or freshly harvested hero hearts, still carrying morning dew?
What kind of joke was this!!!
She had been transported here for less than twenty-four hours—how could she possibly know something like that?!
Just as Lilia’s brain completely shut down, that familiar and damned System notification arrived right on time.
【Ding!】
【Main Mission Issuance: The Queen’s Breakfast】
【Mission Content: Within one hour, prepare a breakfast that satisfies your master, Hera.】
【Mission Requirement: The breakfast must suit the master’s taste and receive a rating of “Satisfied” or above.】
【Mission Reward: D-Rank Life Skill · Culinary Mastery.】
【Mission Failure Penalty: Randomly taste a private dish from Demon Realm “gourmet” Lao Ba.】
Lilia’s pupils suddenly shrank.
Failure penalty…
It didn’t sound as terrifying as before?
No erasure, no drinking computer components.
Just as that thought arose, a small annotated icon popped up beneath the penalty description on the System panel.
Subconsciously, Lilia tapped it with her mind.
A high-definition three-dimensional dynamic image instantly unfolded before her eyes.
It was a massive plate… still writhing slightly.
At the center of the plate was a pile of colorful, grotesque insects.
Some had human faces, some dragged slimy tentacles, some were devouring each other.
They emitted shrill, teeth-grinding screeches. Thick fluids leaked from ruptured bodies, pooling at the bottom into a bubbling green sludge.
Below the image was a line of small text.
【One of Lao Ba’s Private Dishes: Abyss Hundred-Insect Feast (Live). Friendly Reminder: For optimal flavor, it is recommended to swallow them whole.】
“Ugh…”
Lilia’s stomach churned violently.
She quickly covered her mouth to stop herself from vomiting on the spot.
A demon!
This System was absolutely a demon!
This was worse than death!
【Remaining Time: 00:59:13】
The blood-red countdown had already begun ticking mercilessly.
Her instinct to survive overwhelmed all nausea and fear.
Lilia scrambled to her feet, not even caring about the pain in her knees, and turned to rush back into the room she had just left.
No!
Now it should be called the kitchen!
Rushing inside, Lilia stared at the shelves filled with bottles and jars, her mind racing.
What to do? What to do?!
Hera’s taste?
Who knew what her taste was!
Cold as ice, with apparent cleanliness habits… would someone like that even have an appetite?
Besides, did the Demon Queen even need to eat?!
That cup of “Morning Dew Blood Tea” she had earlier—its temperature was 36.8°C, exactly the same as her body temperature.
What did that mean?
It meant she might dislike food that was too hot or too cold!
But… what should she make?
Lilia looked around, her gaze sweeping past “roots,” “worm mucus,” “wraith crystals”…
Make breakfast with those things?
Forget whether Hera would be satisfied—she might poison herself during the cooking process!
Time ticked away second by second.
Lilia was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
Since she didn’t know how to cook Demon Realm food…
Then why not…
Make something she did know?
Yes!
Gamble on it!
Hera had previously called her “interesting” because of that “intuition” lie.
That meant she was curious about novel things outside her understanding!
A breakfast from another world that she had never seen before—
It might just hit that “interesting” point!
And even if it failed… at worst she’d eat bugs! Better than being erased!
With that thought, Lilia no longer hesitated.
She immediately began recalling the breakfast she was most familiar with.
Soy milk and fried dough sticks? Steamed buns? No, no time for dough fermentation.
After thinking it over, the simplest, most basic, and least error-prone option surfaced in her mind.
Pancakes, with fried eggs and grilled meat.
Simple, fast, and not too demanding on ingredients.
That’s it!
Lilia took a deep breath and immediately got to work.
【Absolute Senses】, activated!
She needed to find several things: something like flour, eggs, milk, and meat.
Her gaze swept rapidly across the room.
Soon, in an inconspicuous corner, she spotted a half-human-height stone storage jar.
Opening the lid, she found it filled with fine, snow-white powder.
【Absolute Senses】 immediately analyzed it.
【Name: White Bone Root Powder】
【Composition: Ground from the roots of the Demon Realm plant “White Bone Vine.” Rich in starch, non-toxic, neutral taste, suitable as a staple base.】
That’s it! Flour found!
Next—eggs.
Her gaze locked onto a woven vine basket beneath the counter.
Inside, cushioned with dry grass, lay over a dozen fist-sized eggs with gray-black speckled shells.
Lilia reached out and gently touched one.
Warm!
【Temperature Perception】 told her the internal temperature was slightly higher than room temperature.
Fresh!
【Absolute Senses】 provided more details.
【Name: Shadow Crow Egg】
【Composition: Eggs produced by the Demon Realm avian “Shadow Crow.” Rich in high-quality protein and magical factors, with a richer taste than ordinary eggs.】
Perfect! Eggs secured!
Next—milk.
This was a bit trickier.
Various liquids of different colors lined the shelves.
Lilia cautiously picked up a glowing green one—【Absolute Senses】 immediately warned: 【Highly Toxic】.
She quickly put it down.
She grabbed a black one—【Absolute Senses】: 【Highly Corrosive】.
Her hand trembled, almost dropping it.
Finally, her gaze landed on a brown clay jar containing a normal-looking white liquid.
【Name: Unicorn Goat Milk】
【Composition: Milk from the Demon Realm creature “Unicorn Goat.” High fat content, faint grassy sweetness, safe for direct consumption.】
Perfect!
Flour, eggs, milk—the three essentials for pancakes were complete!
Finally—meat.
Lilia searched the room but found no fresh meat.
Just as she was about to give up, she noticed strips of dark red dried meat hanging on the wall.
They resembled cured meat.
【Name: Air-Dried Boar Meat】
【Composition: Marinated with salt and various Demon Realm spices, then air-dried in abyssal canyon winds. Firm texture, savory flavor, contains a trace of fire-element magic.】
Not fresh bacon, but it would do!
All ingredients—collected!
【Remaining Time: 00:35:12】
More than half the time had already passed!
Lilia dared not waste another second.
She immediately got to work.
She found a stone bowl and, following memory, mixed White Bone Root Powder, Shadow Crow Egg liquid, and Unicorn Goat Milk in proper proportions, rapidly stirring with a metal rod.
Soon, a smooth, slightly thick white batter was formed.
Next, she found a flat black stone slab, like a griddle.
Complex magical patterns were engraved beneath it.
Lilia infused a trace of magic into it.
Buzz—
The slab instantly heated up.
Using 【Temperature Perception】, she precisely controlled the temperature. Once it reached an ideal range, she grabbed a piece of unknown beast fat and quickly greased the surface.
Sizzle—
A rich aroma of meat instantly filled the air.
She scooped a ladle of batter and carefully poured it onto the hot slab.
The batter spread quickly into a perfect circle.
Bubbles began forming on the surface.
A fragrance combining milk and grain drifted out.
So fragrant!
Even Lilia couldn’t help swallowing.
Using a stone spatula, she skillfully flipped the pancake.
The golden-brown side, with enticing char marks, appeared before her.
Success!
She quickly plated it onto an obsidian dish.
Then she cracked two Shadow Crow Eggs onto the slab and added several slices of the air-dried boar meat.
Sizzling sounds echoed through the small kitchen, accompanied by a rich, savory aroma.
That sound… that smell…
Made her feel as if she had been transported back to another life.
Soon, a standard breakfast was complete.
Two golden pancakes, two sunny-side-up eggs with flowing golden yolks, and several slices of crispy, fragrant meat.
Looking at her creation, a sense of accomplishment surged in Lilia’s heart.