Chapter 11: Drawing Conclusions.
Kael lifted the delicate skewer of glistening meat toward his lips with the same focus and reverence a priest might offer when lifting sacred relics.
The scent alone could make a grown man cry, savory and smoky, with hints of something sweet and spicy lingering underneath.
The dish was called Stormfire Boar Belly, and it was, apparently, the pride of this village’s finest restaurant, the Fragrant Lotus Pavilion.
A modest yet elegant eatery tucked right across the street from the now-familiar merchant shop. After one bite? Kael was convinced the name undersold it.
The meat melted in his mouth like slow-burning butter kissed by the sun, while thin green pepper oils exploded against his tongue like fireworks.
It was the kind of flavor that made you reconsider your life choices. For a moment, just one blessed moment, Kael forgot about sect plots, stolen artifacts, fake recoveries, or scheming sky disciples.
Because this... this was heaven on a stick. He chewed slowly, carefully, like each bite was an ancient treasure being unlocked.
"This world," he said between mouthfuls, "has its chaos, its monsters, its psycho cultivators with too much muscle and more than enough brain. But this food? I might forgive it all."
Helga, ever the composed warrior, was seated across from him, arms crossed and posture regal as ever.
But even she wasn’t immune. Her plate was filled with crispy lotus root chips, a sizzling plate of vinegar eel strips, and a side bowl of creamy white rice soaked in sweet-tangy plum sauce.
She didn’t speak. But the fact that she had just ordered a second bowl of eel strips said everything. Kael gestured at her with his chopsticks.