Chapter 248: Starving ’Resentment

Chapter 248: Chapter 248: Starving ’Resentment

Liang He’s request to personally investigate the Mysterious Sea Area had been politely declined, so she could only listen in silence as Goring and Leila discussed their next steps. After all, this was Goring’s territory, and Leila had been specifically dispatched by the Federation Army to handle the matter. It truly wasn’t Liang He’s place as outside help to take such risks. If it weren’t for the fact that the lives of the animals in this sea area—and perhaps even the entirety of Skalan Star—were at stake, Liang He wouldn’t have been so noble as to insist on playing the savior.

"AWOO~"

The Mojin King Tiger, who had sneaked back from who-knew-where, walked over to Liang He and lay down affectionately beside her. Seeing her silence, he intentionally acted cute, constantly rubbing his head against her palm.

"Where did you go to play? Where’s Lanton?" Liang He’s attention was successfully diverted by Cedriel. However, seeing that Lanton still hadn’t returned, she asked out of curiosity, "Don’t tell me he went fishing again? We can’t possibly eat all of that."

"AWOO~"

Lanton had simply gone to intensify his physical training. Back at the Tianyao Star Protection Zone, his daily activity levels had been insufficient because it was winter. Now, the weather on Skalan Star was perfectly mild, making it an ideal time for Lanton to stretch his limbs. As the First Commander, Lanton had a premonition that there might come a time when Liang He would need him.

"Alright then. Are you hungry? I don’t think we’ve had lunch yet." Liang He suddenly realized she had been so busy that she hadn’t eaten yet. Seeing that Leila and the others were still deep in discussion, she didn’t want to interrupt them. She conferred with Huo An, and they decided to go out to eat and have the dining hall send some food to the lounge, which had a table they could use anyway.

"Let’s step out first, then," Huo An said. Since Liang He was leaving, there was no reason for him to stay; he was considered an outsider here anyway. Seeing them leave, President Lucas and Lick gave Goring a brief nod and followed them out.

"Where are you all heading?" President Lucas asked. His old bones would be of no use for an underwater expedition to the Mysterious Sea Area, so he figured he shouldn’t stick around and make a nuisance of himself.

"We’re going to get some lunch. Would you like to join us, President?" Since they were all acquaintances, Liang He felt relaxed.

"Yes, yes! I’ve been hungry for a while, but I was too embarrassed to say anything." As a strapping young man, Lick naturally got hungry fast. Seeing that no one else seemed to have any intention of eating, and out of respect for President Lucas’s dignity, he hadn’t felt comfortable bringing it up. "I was just about to go back to my room and snack on some biscuits."

The biscuits Lick mentioned were actually a novelty he had recently discovered: compressed biscuits from Blue Star, which were compact yet highly filling. Although they didn’t taste as good as a proper meal, compared to the bizarrely flavored nutrient solutions, they were an absolute delicacy.

"Let’s go to the dining hall together, then, and see if there’s any food left," Liang He suggested. Since it was past lunchtime, she wasn’t sure if the dining hall was closed. If the chef was gone, she figured they could just borrow the kitchen and some ingredients; she could cook something herself.

"Sounds good!"

The group of four people and one tiger made their way to the dining hall. Just as Liang He had anticipated, the kitchen staff was already on their break.

"Could we borrow the kitchen?" Liang He looked at President Lucas, figuring he would be more familiar with how things worked around here.

"I think so. I’ll have Goring arrange it." Seeing that Liang He intended to cook, President Lucas contacted Goring and asked him to send someone over with the kitchen keys.

When Goring learned they wanted to eat lunch, he felt he had been a poor host and offered to have the chef work overtime, but Liang He declined.

"It’s our fault for not eating on time. We shouldn’t demand special treatment and disturb the chef’s lunch break." Liang He knew exactly how exhausting cooking could be. Besides, the chef on the Sea Ship was responsible for feeding all the crew members three times a day. They had very little downtime, and she didn’t want to cause any trouble.

"Alright, Goring says he’s already sent someone to the kitchen for the keys," President Lucas said, quite agreeing with Liang He’s reasoning.

Standing to the side, Lick only felt more certain that he was a fan of the right person. Other fans might have to deal with their idols causing scandals and ruining their reputations, but with Liang He’s stellar character, he never had to worry about that!

Soon, a crew member delivered the kitchen keys. After figuring out which ingredients and utensils were available for use, Liang He began to cook.

"Brother Hao, could you help me prep the ingredients?" In Liang He’s eyes, President Lucas was an elder, and Lick wasn’t a close enough friend for her to feel comfortable ordering around.

"Sure. You give the orders, and I’ll do the work." It wasn’t Huo An’s first time acting as Liang He’s sous-chef. Practice makes perfect, and he was now a fully qualified kitchen assistant.

"Liang He, make this kid help out too. Don’t let him stand around doing nothing." Lick, shoved forward by President Lucas, nodded eagerly to show his willingness to pitch in.

"As long as you don’t mind me being a bit clumsy, hehe." In truth, Lick had wanted to offer his help earlier but was too afraid Liang He would find him a hindrance to actually speak up. President Lucas had noticed his hesitation. Feeling a bit embarrassed that he couldn’t help and would just be eating the fruits of their labor, he conveniently pushed Lick forward.

"Not at all. Could you help me wash the vegetables, please? Thank you." With three people dividing the workload, they would undoubtedly be more efficient. Naturally, Liang He had no reason to refuse. She assigned Lick the simplest, most foolproof task and left him to it with complete peace of mind.

"It’s past three o’clock, so it won’t be long until dinner. Let’s just have something simple; otherwise, we won’t have an appetite tonight and will just end up hungry later," Liang He said. Keeping the upcoming dinner in mind, she avoided making anything too complex. "How about we each have a bowl of spare rib noodle soup and stir-fry a couple of side dishes?"

Liang He noticed the kitchen was fully equipped. If she used the specialized pressure cooker to stew the ribs, they would be tender and flavorful in half an hour at most.

"Sounds wonderful!" When it came to food, President Lucas was always enthusiastic. He had been worried that Liang He might prepare too many complicated dishes, which would take up a lot of time, leave them waiting, and result in too much leftover food. Hearing her plan now, he thought it couldn’t be better. He was completely on board!

"I’ll get the ribs stewing first, then." Considering that someone might not be able to handle spicy food, Liang He decided not to add any chili peppers. Once the ribs were done, she would divide them up and make tomato ribs and potato ribs. "One sweet and sour, one savory. You can all choose which one you want later."

"Stop, please. Just hearing about it is making my mouth water." Lick gave Liang He a slightly plaintive look, wishing she would hurry up, and began washing the vegetables with even more vigor.

Sensing everyone’s famished eagerness, Liang He chuckled and nodded. She started stewing the ribs, not forgetting to prepare some food for Cedriel first.

"Cedriel, I’m sorry for making you go hungry. Eat up." Liang He placed Cedriel’s exclusive food bowl on the table in front of him. Given his size, the height was perfect; he didn’t even have to bow his head.

"AWOO~"

Knowing that Liang He hadn’t eaten either, Cedriel didn’t want to fill his own stomach first. He wanted to wait and eat with her.

"Oh, Cedriel, how can you be so well-behaved!" Touched by her furry companion, Liang He gave him a huge hug and playfully rubbed the smooth fur on the top of his head. "Haha, what a fluffy, frizzy big kitty!"