Chapter 59 — ILK Chapter 59

The Seafood Feast

To Sang Ye’s surprise, Matthews was comparable in size to his orca-like daughter, Lilibet, though he clearly wasn't a large-species fish. His tail was as ornate as his son Sireno's; the fins on his pale-gold tail unfurled like the wings of a butterfly, dotted with a gradient of golden light.

Matthews belonged to the Great-Mouth Viper-Dragon Merman species. While their physical forms are small and delicate, their mouths house hundreds of razor-sharp viper teeth. When attacking, they gape open, their fins fully extending to mimic a butterfly. He nodded to Sang Ye in greeting.

"Colonel, my father came out looking for me," Lilibet said, returning to her smiling self. "My mother returned today; she went to find Sireno. She heard about your delicacies and wants to ask if you could prepare a family feast for us. She’ll pay—Mother is very rich."

"Don't worry, you’ll stay in Sireno’s house. We’re gathering at my parents’ place next door."

Sang Ye had heard from Minur that the Tide Sea clan had also married into the Royal Family, but unlike the Snow Mountain tribe, Matthews and his wife were clearly on good terms. His wife frequently returned to Black Tower to visit.

"When the Royals decided to mine Black Tower, Mother got word early," Lilibet said proudly. "She came back specifically to beat some sense into the rowdiest members of the tribe, telling Father and me not to act rashly. Over the years, we’ve become the best-off tribe on the planet."

Sang Ye wondered why the mother hadn't taken them with her. Lilibet explained: "We can't leave the seawater. For short periods, it’s fine, but without it, our lungs dry out, our skin cracks, and we die. It's hard to find an ocean elsewhere that matches the Tide Sea or has King Coral. Here, we are protected."

…

Being asked to prepare a banquet was a task Sang Ye knew well. Normally, she’d ask for preferences, but here, it wasn't necessary. Since it was a family feast, the focus was on satisfaction rather than showmanship.

She spent the afternoon pestering Du Yuan to raid her secret stash of high-quality seafood. "Master, I just planted a whole nursery in the sea! I’ll pay you back once they harvest. Besides, why keep them hidden? Might as well eat them today!"

Du Yuan pouted but eventually relented, pulling out a haul of perfectly sized clams, thick abalone, a three-pound sea bass, scallops, money-shell mussels, sea cucumbers, and razor clams.

Sang Ye started with the Abalone and Chicken Claypot. She sautéed marinated chicken and abalone until golden, then transferred them to a claypot with garlic, onions, oyster sauce, and dark soy sauce to simmer. The aroma venting from the pot was a pure blend of poultry richness and briny sweetness.

Next was the Seafood Porridge. She fried shrimp heads to render bright red shrimp oil, then added rice, water, scallops, dried scallops, abalone, shiitake mushrooms, and salted duck eggs. The porridge simmered over a low flame until thick and savory.

Finally, she made Steamed Sea Bass and Garlic Butter Clams. The bass was butterfled and steamed with ginger and scallions to preserve its firm "garlic-flake" texture. For the clams, she sautéed ginger, garlic, and chilies in butter before adding the clams and letting them simmer in their own juices until they popped open.

The meal was split into two portions: one for the Royal family next door, and one for Sang Ye’s group. Sireno came to collect the food with his younger sister, Alicia. About ten years old, Alicia was a silver-haired sprite who moved with boundless energy. Sireno, uncharacteristically focused on his protective duties rather than his charm, only let her carry the light clam pot while he handled the rest.

At dinner, Wu Huansheng mentioned seeing a warship land in the sea. "That was likely Secretary-General Sayin," she explained. "She is the Emperor's spokesperson and the collector of all intelligence. Her influence is immense; her words can decide the fate of a small planet."

…

Next door, the family was gathered. Sayin was a petite, sweet-looking woman who spoke with a mesmerizing calm. She didn't want to get her hands messy, so she smiled as Matthews shucked the clams for her. Lilibet, meanwhile, was gulping down porridge like a hungry orca.

"Mother, is that Guide really worth befriending?" Lilibet asked. "You even told me to trade our family secrets for her."

Sayin smiled. "Believe in my judgment. I have access to infinite intelligence, including Royal secrets I can't tell you yet."

The day before she left, she had asked the Emperor if she should suppress that trending photo of the "Marshal Crying on the Roof." The Emperor had hesitated—unusually so—and told her to ask Lin Changli himself. When she did, he said nothing and climbed the roof again the following night.

Sayin’s sharp instincts told her something very unusual was happening.