Chapter 121 Calm Before The Storm 3 (1/2)
Zero ate with gusto. It didn't matter if he was already bursting at the seams. The combination Grandma Moppo and Zoe's cooking was a powerful drug that left him craving for more. It only became more delicious with every plate. Zero saw how there were no signs of stopping from the two women in the kitchen. They whipped up new dishes every ten minutes and Zero wondered how extensive their culinary repertoire was.
Hua Tuo was mortified. He'd never seen his student ate as much as he did. Sure, Zero would occasionally end up finishing a whole roasted boar but the physician chalked it up to Zero's abnormal need for energy. He'd never seen the brunet smack his lips and grab food with both spoon and hands. In fact, Zero moaned and smiled with every plate he cleared as if he was truly enjoying the moment.
”Don't choke, there's more from where that came from!” Grandma Moppo laughed heartily as she set down two more plates.
Zero nodded and gave them a huge messy smile before digging into the piping hot pie. Zoe came to clear the plates. Leon, Jacqueline and Rima had stopped eating half an hour ago. They were too full and have fallen asleep after eating too much. Hua Tuo shook his head. A few hours ago when they received lunch invitations, he didn't think that it meant a party to celebrate Zero's miraculous cure. It was actually Amaraline's suggestion. Clowis and Lowis arranged a secret hunting trip to bring back all the food they could. Cleo and Latitia worked extra hard so that the harvest would be bountiful for the celebratory feast. The whole village worked together to thank Zero in the only way they knew. Zero was in bliss, savouring every bite. He blushed at their thanks but didn't turn down the food.
Zoe and Grandma Moppo didn't stop. As the most experienced members of the village when it came to cooking, they pulled out everything they had from their reserves. Zero loved authentic dishes and unique cuisines so Zoe tried to replicate everything she knew. Thankfully, the villagers of Half Moon village had a very diverse background so Zoe had many options. Grandma Moppo decided to bring back some original cuisines from her childhood. It was the first time in many years that the old lady made such nostalgic food and it was quite the treat for the village. Zero found the exotic dwarven-fae food exciting and Zoe took the opportunity to commit those recipes to memory.
One by one, the party died down with villagers excusing themselves after eating their fill. Some brought food for their comrades who have yet to eat and the only left eating was Zero.
”Mii,” Zero called out from their mental link. ”Are you able to remember the taste of all these food? I'd like to be able to replicate them for Truen and the Gods when I see them again.”
The strawcherry assistant gave Zero a snappy answer, annoyed at being disturbed from her initial task of monitoring enemy movements for Zero.
”I can't do two things at once... you have to make up your mind, Zero.”
The brunet made a face when he heard Mii's reply. Zoe saw it and was slightly alarmed. She signed to Zero using her hands to ask if he was alright.
Zero took the chance to learn some basic sign language from Zoe earlier so he understood the gist of what she was saying. He gave her a reassuring smile and signed back that he was fine.
”Why are you so snappy?” Zero groaned to Mii who huffed.
”It's only natural to be snappy when somebody asks the impossible of you. I'm not able to multitask just yet. I can only do one thing at a time since you're not strong enough to unlock the rest of my abilities. The world you've seen is still too small and your understanding too shallow.”
Zero winced. Mii knew exactly what to say to make it hurt the most. ”I'm sorry... I just wanted to make people happy...”
At Zero's dejected tone, the strawcherry fairy sighed. ”Look, I'll tell you what I can do. Since the villagers are patrolling the area and keeping watch on the enemy's movements, I'll work on getting those recipes you wanted. As long as you absorb a part of it, I can analyse it and recreate the recipe. Do you still have that magic reader?”
Zero nodded when Grandma Moppo and Zoe were not looking. Mii sounded satisfied and told Zero that once she was done analysing it, she would compile all the recipes in a book to the magic portable library. Zero was thrilled and Mii warned him that knowing the recipe wasn't enough to recreate the dishes perfectly.
”Cooking is an art. It requires a lot of patience, practice and trials to get it right. A novice like you wouldn't be able to get it right on the first try.”
Zero was deterred. In fact, he became determined. ”I'll do it again and again until I get it. I'm sure master would be happy if I took over kitchen duties for a while.”
Mii considered it for a moment and agreed before cutting off their mental connection.
Hua Tuo observed how his student had that strange expression again as he ate. He was probably talking to someone using mental connections but Hua Tuo wasn't sure who it was. Was it Demon King Baal again? Also, the physician was slightly worried.His student didn't show signs of slowing down but Grandma Moppo and Zoe were already showing signs of fatigue. They'd been cooking non-stop for two hours and had yet to eat anything themselves. As a doctor, that wouldn't do.
”Grandma Moppo, Zoe... please rest. I'm sure Zero knows how thankful the village is by now. You need to eat something yourselves.”
Zoe blinked and shook her head. Grandma Moppo wiped the sweat off her brows and grinned. ”Don't worry doctor, we have just a few more dishes to finish up. I'll eat later. Zoe doesn't really need to eat but she'll rest up. She'll be fine tomorrow morning.”
Hu Tuo didn't know much about Zoe or Grandma Moppo. He didn't pry his nose into the villager's business too much after all. Zero who listened on the side-lines blinked.
”Zoe, won't you be hungry?”
Zoe signed to Zero and Hua Tuo could only wonder what she was saying. Zero smiled brightly after Zoe finished signing and grinned. ”I see, that's great!
Twenty minutes later, Grandma Moppo finally sat down to eat and Zoe was entertaining Zero with some stories. Hua Tuo took the moment to return back to the apartment to make up for his lack of progress in meditation over the past few days. He'd been too busy after all. Zero waved goodbye to his mentor and chatted one-sidedly with Zoe.
”That's nice, I'm sure Rima will find her fated person one day. I'm just really worried about the village now.”
[Don't be,] Zoe signed. [The warriors are strong and the children can protect themselves.]
Zero frowned. ”Wouldn't it be sad if everyone had to leave?”
Zoe looked wistful at that. [The day would eventually come, Zero. It will only be a matter of time before this home is abandoned. It's an honour for a Zashikiwarashi like me to have lived for so long. Usually, we don't serve masters with long lifespans and many generations. Half Moon village has always been a little special.]
”What do you mean?”
[We're ghosts born from the feelings of family love. Grandma Moppo is the last living master of this village. I've been here for a very long time, longer than you can imagine.]
Zero looked slightly worried. ”What happens when she leaves?”
Zoe smiled sadly. [I will no longer be bound to this village. Zashikiwarashis exist to serve and protect the homes of their masters. If the master abandons their homes, the Zashikiwarashi will continue to be bound to the home until the master's lineage completely disappears.]
Zero was mortified. ”That's incredibly lonely! But everyone else is still here... will you really disappear?”
Zoe shrugged. That's something no Zashikiwarashi had the opportunity to find out. Normally, a clan didn't accept so many strangers without common blood. Nobody knew what would happen to a household spirit if the family they served adopted heirs.
[We'll get to find out what happens when Grandma Moppo returns to her ancestors.]
Zero didn't like it. Grandma Moppo had just regained her ability to walk without her staff. Life wasn't fair.
Grandma Moppo heard Zero's half of the conversation and chuckled. She put away the washed dishes and joined their conversation in the living room.
”Zero, it's only natural to die. All living things need to return their lives to Gaia so that we can be reborn again with new bodies.”
Zero froze at Gaia's name. Wasn't it En who oversaw the rebirthing cycle? How was that related to Gaia?