Chapter 126: The Enchanted Kitchen

After the kitchen of the Wolf Totem restaurant was sealed off, Tatar could not simply go without food or drink, so he converted one of the yurts used as a guest room into a makeshift kitchen.

On the day Wu Miaoran and her two companions arrived, Tatar planned to host a feast featuring a whole roasted lamb and instructed his servers to prepare the meat in this temporary kitchen.

Unexpectedly, just as the stove was lit and the roasting rack was set up, and just as Tatar was about to have the lamb placed on the fire, something went wrong. All the servers inside the yurt suddenly vanished, leaving only one person standing alone beside the three guests.

What was even stranger was that Tatar had never seen this remaining server before. The staff at Tatar’s restaurant were all robust, sun-kissed Khampa men, but this mysterious waiter looked bizarre; he appeared sickly, not like a living person at all. He was tall and thin, resembling the mummified corpses dug out of ancient tombs in television shows. His skin was pulled tight over his bones, coated in a thick, waxy yellow layer, and his expression was completely vacant.

The gaunt server moved his stiff body toward the private room and said to them, "Distinguished guests, welcome to the Wolf Totem restaurant. I will bring the roasted lamb shortly. However, eating only roast lamb is quite dull. You may order anything else you wish, and the kitchen will serve it up quickly. Please, do not stand on ceremony."

At first, Wu Miaoran thought this was some sort of performance arranged by Tatar and found it quite amusing, even joking that if they could really order anything, she wouldn’t hold back, regardless of whether it was rare or exotic. But as soon as she finished, she noticed Tatar’s face turn a sickly liver-color and realized something was wrong.

Tatar was also shocked. He scolded the waiter several times, but found the creature did not retort or leave. Furious, Tatar lashed out and slapped him, only to find that the server felt no pain; instead, the waiter left a layer of sticky, butter-like residue on Tatar’s hand. Tatar then realized that this creature must be connected to the two large yellow spheres. He stopped hiding the truth and told the three of them exactly what had happened.

The trio was astonished, but out of curiosity, Wu Miaoran ordered three types of river delicacies that were nearly impossible to prepare on the grasslands. Just as Li Tianque witnessed earlier, the server noted the order and walked straight through the wall into the kitchen. Before long, the West Lake vinegar fish, the "Three Whites" of Lake Tai, and the lemon-scented red oil yellow catfish were all served. Not only was the food prepared with astonishing speed, but it also smelled incredibly appetizing.

Even so, Wu Miaoran, who usually prided herself on being a great gourmet, remained unexpectedly calm. She was not swayed by the delicious aroma and immediately pulled out her detection device.

After scanning, she confirmed the presence of nuclides, meaning that nuclear insects were definitely involved. Since the food was created by these insects, she would not eat it, no matter how good it tasted.

Wu Miaoran then proceeded to order several nearly impossible dishes, all of which the server had the kitchen prepare. The speed was incredible, and the aroma remained equally enticing. Seeing this, Wu Miaoran couldn't help but laugh: "Tatar, you are a truly honest man. If I had such a magical kitchen in my restaurant, I wouldn’t be in such a hurry to restore it to its original state. I’d expand the business—it would be a massive success! Good heavens, there isn't a dish from across the country that it can’t make, and the speed is startling. You don’t even need to rush the orders. Where else could you find such an amazing chef?"

Tatar, however, had a growing headache. He didn't believe in such things as free lunches. While the magical kitchen appeared to be a godsend for his business, he was well aware of the eerie mysteries hidden behind it, such as the disappearance of the servers in the main tent and the increasingly harrowing wails of "Grey Ice" coming from the kitchen after the cooking was finished.

After much struggle, Tatar ended up calling someone to bring some instant food from home, while he and the others tried to find a way to breach the kitchen. Unfortunately, even with their combined efforts, the kitchen remained impenetrable. After discussing it, Wu Miaoran decided to suspend their efforts until the nuclide data was transmitted to Xiao Yu and they had results, at which point they would find a way to break in. In the meantime, she told Tatar to keep outsiders away from the central yurt, leaving only that eerie server inside.

The next day, Wu Miaoran and her companions decided to try a different approach. Since the yellow sphere had split in two and one was fixed in this kitchen, the other might be easier to track. They spent three days under Tatar’s guidance searching for clues to the second sphere, but found nothing. That was when Li Tianque arrived to join them.

After hearing Tatar’s account, Li Tianque felt as if he were turning to stone. He rushed to the bathroom and frantically shoved his fingers down his throat, vomiting uncontrollably. Heavens, he had just eaten with such relish, never imagining he was consuming food created by nuclear insects. If he connected this to what Tatar said, the food he had just eaten might even have been made from the vanished servers. *Oh god, have I been eating human flesh?*

The thought made his urge to vomit even more violent, like a flood bursting through a dam. The sounds of retching echoed, and Li Tianque’s vision blurred with tears of physical distress.

Looking at the vomit in the toilet, he felt slightly relieved: it was nothing but a yellow, oily, viscous liquid with a strong fishy odor, though not foul-smelling, and streaked with thin lines of green fluid, much like bile.

After a long while, Li Tianque stumbled out of the bathroom and glared at Tatar, shouting, "You... why didn't you stop me?"

"Don't worry, I've eaten that stuff too. Aside from the stool being a bit smelly the next day, there's no major problem," Tatar replied with an air of indifference.

The server stood to the side, watching them impassively.

"Those... those Khampa dishes, were they also made in this kitchen?" Li Tianque asked with difficulty.

"Don't worry, those were not," Tatar stroked his beard.

"Good... that's good..." Li Tianque felt the world spinning; he didn't even have the strength to be angry anymore.

Just then, footsteps came from the second floor as Wu Miaoran and Ling Chi descended. Ling Chi saw the exhausted Li Tianque and let out a boisterous laugh, louder even than Tatar’s.

"Hahaha! Old Tatar, you grassland people are too hospitable! Who forces someone to drink first thing in the morning?"

"Heh..." Tatar gave a noncommittal, dry laugh.

"The Mongolian eagle flies in the sky, with two cups hanging from its wings. How many circles did you take our new handsome friend on?" Wu Miaoran asked with a smile, stroking the dirty doll in her arms.

"I didn't drink... I ate the food this kid brought from the kitchen..." Li Tianque said, his expression pained as he pointed angrily at the gaunt server.

Unexpectedly, Wu Miaoran merely adjusted her backpack and smiled, "Great, since we’re all wined and dined, let’s get going!"

Li Tianque’s head spun with frustration; he was nearly furious enough to pass out.