Chapter 39 — ILK Chapter 39

Sweet Glutinous Rice Balls

The Sentinels who returned first ate first.

In the old restaurants of the previous world, a Whole Roasted Lamb feast was a luxury reserved for grand occasions—weddings, graduations, full-month celebrations, or milestone birthdays. It was a dish used to showcase the host's prestige, usually accompanied by a dozen other side dishes. Such a centerpiece had to be placed in the most prominent, well-ventilated spot.

Today, the group worked together to clear a clean area in the main hall, pushing aside collapsed beams, broken instruments, and construction debris. This wasn't for prestige; it was purely to give the lamb enough space.

They lit the fires. Unlike the bonfires used for warmth, these were fueled by the Lychee Wood Sang Ye had provided. The logs were stacked in a tripod shape to allow enough oxygen for complete combustion, ensuring they wouldn't emit choking black smoke.

One person per rack slowly turned the lamb, watching as the fat seeped from the skin. An indescribable, primal aroma of roasting meat began to waft through the air. Half of the chickens were in the oven, while the other half were skewered and tucked inside the lamb's cavity to roast over the open flame. Fruitwood roasting imparted a unique fragrance, seemingly locking the sweetness of the lychee into the oily skin.

Lamb skewers and vegetable kabobs were placed over charcoal. The charcoal was something Sang Ye and Lin Changli had just "made" together. Making charcoal was simple: you let wood smolder in an oxygen-deprived environment. Once extinguished, it became reusable charcoal. One had to admit Lin Changli’s abilities were incredibly convenient, even if it felt like using a legendary sword to slice vegetables.

Food cooked in an oven wasn't bad, but it lacked the soul of charcoal-grilled meat. Humans seem to possess an innate instinct for grilling; the Sentinels didn't even need Sang Ye’s instruction to know how to rotate the meat or brush on honey and pepper. Compared to Rong Cheng—who could only "explode" a kitchen—they were naturals.

Thinking of Rong Cheng, Sang Ye looked around the room, but the girl was nowhere to be seen, nor had any messages arrived on the terminal. Sang Ye was a little worried, but not overly so; as a divine beast, the Three-legged Golden Crow had unique survival methods. Rong Cheng had likely run into some trouble, but nothing life-threatening.

The silver-haired Guide, after finishing a mental channeling for the most severely injured Sentinel, sat down to rest. She was old, after all, and her energy didn't recover as quickly as the youngsters'. She sat beside Asu Ment, who was frowning while processing intelligence. Asu shot a glare at the Gu-Eagle that had poked its head out, and the creature obediently retreated into her mental landscape.

The elderly Guide secretly extended a thread of mental energy toward Asu.

"Mother," Asu said without looking up, "aren't you tired? Rest for a while."

Sophia Ment ignored her daughter and pushed her mental energy straight in. "Stop letting her out to wander; it drains too much of your energy." She was referring to the Gu-Eagle.

"I only have a few years left anyway. Why keep her locked up?" Asu Ment said nonchalantly. "Even if she’s trapped on Black Tower and can't see much scenery, it's better than being in a mental landscape."

Sophia looked at her with sadness. "It hasn't come to that point yet."

Asu looked up at the Sentinels in the hall, who were cheering and basking in the baptism of mental energy. Their conditions had improved significantly. Many wounded soldiers were eager to try their hand at the grill, and some were already sneaking bites of half-cooked meat, chewing with ecstasy.

"Mother, don't worry too much," Asu’s voice was low, nearly lost in the noise of the crowd. "The time I have left is enough to arrange everything for you. Then, I will reunite with Charlene. Honestly, since Charlene left... all these years, I’ve had enough."

She once had the ambition to climb to the top, but since the mental riot, the conviction that supported her had collapsed. Being the Executive Officer of Black Tower gave her some power and the right to speak directly with the Imperial high command, preventing her from being completely marginalized.

Unlike Lin Changli or Wu Huansheng, she didn't have a top-tier powerful family backing her. Asu Ment had risen from nothing; this was the best ending she could secure for herself. She would be buried with full state honors as a General and Executive Officer, earning a place in the Imperial Mausoleum, and her mother would be taken care of. Then, she could leave this world holding her daughter’s ashes, never to be separated again.

Under Asu Ment’s combat suit, a thin spatial button was pressed against her chest—it contained Charlene Ment’s ashes.

She gazed toward the makeshift kitchen. The red-haired woman was dazzling, seemingly possessing inexhaustible mental energy and an indomitable spirit. Asu knew the truth behind Sang Ye’s death sentence—she wasn't someone who couldn't tell right from wrong, which was why she no longer showed hostility toward the Guide.

And beside Sang Ye, the normally arrogant Imperial Marshal was working as a compliant assistant, making racks and skewering lamb and green peppers. The atmosphere between them was inexplicably harmonious.

…

The staples for today were an "everything" mix. Those who wanted instant noodles got noodles; those who wanted rice balls got them heated up; those who wanted rice noodles got a bowl in high broth. The robots handled these simple tasks.

As time passed, the whole lambs were ready. The skin cracked into fine patterns under the heat, and caramel-colored grease dripped from the knife tips into the fire with a sizzle. The air in the hall was saturated with the scent of cumin and lychee wood. Nearly everyone was staring fixedly at the massive portions of meat.

A Sentinel with excellent knife skills borrowed a carving knife from Sang Ye and sliced the meat along the grain, plate by plate, handing them to the crowd. The Sentinels sat in groups on the floor, sharing plates like a traditional banquet.

The meat was barely on the table before they grabbed it with their bare hands, shouting "Hot, hot, hot!" yet unwilling to let go. After a few frantic puffs of air, they shoved it into their mouths. One companion scolded another, "Look at you, eating like you're rushing to be reincarnated!" though his own behavior wasn't any better.

Before the soldiers got theirs, the first plate was placed before Asu Ment. Despite their rough edges, the Sentinels maintained basic social etiquette.

As for Lin Changli, he didn't need anyone to wait on him. He and Sang Ye had claimed an entire fire to themselves! Behind them was the temporary kitchen filled with ingredients. Before the others had even finished their lamb, he had already begun his "buffet," eating a bun here, a drumstick there, followed by a glass of milk. He looked as comfortable as the master of the house—which, technically, he was.

Asu Ment preferred the fatty lamb brisket. One bite was a burst of flavorful oil and chewy meat. Her appetite was staggering; she finished an entire leg by herself and still looked for more. Beside her, Madam Sophia had taught herself a crude sandwich—lamb and cucumber between two slices of bread, satisfying yet not greasy.

The roasted chicken was a different kind of delicious, the meat even more tender. When the "pistol-shaped" thigh was pulled off, the oil and steam rushed out to greet the senses. Such satisfaction was hard to describe.

The Wu family sat nearby. Mu An, having channeled too many Sentinels, leaned wearily against Wu Huansheng’s shoulder as she fed him bite by bite. If he were still an A-rank Guide, this number of Sentinels would be nothing; but now, it was an exhausting task.

The baby-faced young Guide, Xia Meilong, an A-rank Guide, sat sharing food with a group of Sentinels, looking particularly close with one female soldier. Almost every Guide on Black Tower had family here; it was an unspoken truth.

Except for Sang Ye.

There’s a saying that a chef gets full just by making the food. Sang Ye leaned against the counter, nibbling on a rice ball, her eyes wandering toward the door, waiting for Rong Cheng.

"She was sent to retake the ore vein," Lin Changli said suddenly, reading her worry. "The message came back that they were successful. She’s on her way back now."

Sang Ye was startled, then looked at the back of his head. That streak of gold-red hair was truly eye-catching. She gave a genuine smile.

She handed a steaming, sweet rice ball to Lin Changli. He took it. This one was made with sweet glutinous rice, filled with meat floss, cucumber, purple sweet potato, sweet corn, and a whole fried pork chop. Most importantly, it was drenched in a layer of salad dressing. It was a calorie bomb of extreme sweetness, designed specifically for Lin Changli’s taste.

"Made this just for you. It’s very sweet," Sang Ye said, sitting beside him with a plate of roasted sweet potatoes she’d made on the side. "These sweet potatoes aren't sweet enough; the variety isn't great. I’ll look for better ones later. There’s a kind called 'Honey Sweet Potato.' When you roast them, the sugar oozes through the skin until the whole rack is sticky."

From an outsider's perspective, the pair sitting by the rustic kitchen looked like a perfect match. The woman was laughing, a plate of golden food on her lap; the man listened intently, holding the rice ball she had just given him.

"How did the Prince think to come along this time?" Sophia asked Asu in a low voice. People at the base called him "Prince" or "Marshal" interchangeably. "He didn't reject the Guide the Emperor sent this time."

Asu looked over, then took a bite of bread. "Who knows? Maybe his personality flipped."

Amidst the chatter, the Fish-Lamb Umami Soup was ready. A mental energy far more aggressive than the roasted meats swept through the hall like a drop of water in hot oil. Sang Ye had used the best ingredients: the same high broth she used for the Emperor’s noodles, fish from a spiritual mountain spring, and lamb from her Master’s dimension.

The mental energy was palpable. With a dash of white pepper, the milky soup was pure bliss. Everyone drank their fill. Sang Ye felt a wave of warmth and satisfaction after finishing her bowl.

Just as she was beginning to feel drowsy, the mechanical sound of the base gate unlocking rang out. Several silhouettes appeared at the entrance, accompanied by a rush of freezing mountain wind.