Chapter 13.3 – The Making of the Golden Aromatic Ring

From the time the first Golden Aromatic Ring came out from the pot, Nian Bing had already forgotten about everything else. He was completely immersed in the essence of Ming Yuan’s culinary arts. At this instant, with his chopsticks he took a Golden Aromatic Ring and took a  bite. He nodded his head in praise and was soliloquizing, “Ah! Fragrant, crunchy, crispy and crumbling a bit from the bite. As expected from an expert with skills!”

Ming Yuan glared at Nian Bing, as he exceeded his place and meddled in other people’s affairs. He strongly wanted to flare-up, but he heard Nian Bing continue to speak. “Delicate hands which keep kneading until it becomes a jade countless people long for, jade oil pan fried to produce a delicate dark yellow color. Night comes to the sleeping spring without severity, narrowly pus.h.i.+ng down on a beautiful woman’s coiled golden arm. Delicious, as expected of a first-rate Golden Aromatic Ring.”

Xue Jing resentfully said, “Nian Bing, what are you doing? Who let you eat my breakfast?”

Nian Bing cried out in alarm. He was now completely clear-headed. He hurriedly stuffed the rest of the Golden Aromatic Ring in his mouth and put back the chopstick on the side of the place. He mumbled, “I’m sorry Miss. Head Chef’s skills were so exquisite that I…” While he was talking, he took a moment to swallow the rest of the Golden Aromatic Ring. His expression was extremely awkward.

Ming Yuan looked at Nian Bing with astonishment and asked in a heavy voice, “Who are you? How can you so quickly memorize the method of production of the Golden Aromatic Ring?”

Nian Bing blanked for a moment and then, said with a smile, “I once heard about it from someone at a vendor’s stall on the street. I felt that what was said was very suitable for the Golden Aromatic Ring. I’ll write it down for you to take a look at.”

Ming Yuan snorted. “Blindly saying words without looking at who’s the target of the words, in the case someone knows the production formula of the Golden Aromatic Ring, I also will not need to be confused.”

Xue Jing looked at Nian Bing in surprise. She just wanted to say something, but she heard the sound of hurried footsteps coming from outside. “Miss and Head Chef, things are not good. Something has happened.”

Xue Jing lifted the curtain and came out. She only saw a servant from Pure Wind House hastily running towards her with his forehead beaded with sweat. She couldn’t help, but frown and said, “Why are you getting all panicked for? Slowly tell me what the matter is about.”

The servant gasped for breath before he said, “Miss, I just heard news that, for some unknown reasons, the City’s Lord suddenly sealed up all four gates of Ice-Snow City. He doesn’t allow anyone to go out. What’s more, the Grand Pavilion is suddenly closed for today. I just heard that their Third Manager suddenly died last night.”“Died? That mangy mutt dog Third Manager Liao died? How could this happen?”

At this moment, Nian Bing and Ming Yuan had already came out. Ming Yuan calmly said, “Calm down! First, you need to leave quickly. Let’s go find your dad and see if he knows something about this situation.”

Xue Jing nodded her head impatiently. She and Ming Yuan made haste to leave the kitchen. Before he left, Ming Yuan turned around and looked a Nian Bing. “I’ll come back to look for you. Return to the firewood house first.”

Nian Bing finally relaxed and thought to himself, ‘Originally, I planned to stay here for a long period of time, but it looks like my culinary skills can’t be concealed any longer. It’s unfortunate that I still don’t know the special skill of the Grand Pavilion chef. Forget it. If I can’t conceal my skills any longer, I just need to go somewhere and wait until Feng Nu completes the True Sun knife. Afterwards, I’ll just secretly leave the Ice and Snow City. Today, Ice and Snow City sealed it’s entrances and the Grand Pavilion temporary closed. What is the reason for this? I doubt that Manager Liao’s death could lock down the whole city.’

At the Grand Pavilion

Today, the dazzling grand hall’s atmosphere was filled with seriousness. The whole grand hall was clean until it was spotless. There were ten tables that surrounded a table in the center that seated only one person. The rest were waiting respectfully behind that person.

It was a woman with long white hair that sat there as if she was a sculpted ice jade statue. The white chang pao embroidered with gold, highlighted her distinctive cold and n.o.ble air. Her absolutely beautiful complexion made people unable to have any impure thoughts. Her body was surrounded by a layer of something similar to a mist of frost. Her eyes were closed. Her whole being was ice-cold and discouraged people from approaching near her.

There were ten other people standing behind her. Apart from a mage wearing a cyan mage’s gown, the rest of them seemed to be trembling with fear. On the chest of the mage’s blue gown, there was a golden emblem with a six-pointed star on it. In the middle of the star, a gradually rising vortex was embroidered and appeared to be extremely sumptuous.

“Why is the president of the Warrior a.s.sociation not here yet?” Sitting upright, the white clothed woman opened her mouth to ask.  It felt like the grand hall became slightly colder.

A middle aged man wearing magnificent clothes hurriedly stepped forward and deferentially said, “Reporting to the Lord G.o.ddess’ Wors.h.i.+pper, the Warrior a.s.sociation’s president is out for business matters. Also, he seldom stayed in Ice and Snow City. Therefore, he could not be present.” This person sitting upright in the Grand Pavilion’s grand hall was precisely the one who went out in order to search for the Ice Snow G.o.ddess’s stone. On the continent, she was the only Descended G.o.d known as the Ice Snow G.o.ddess’ wors.h.i.+per. She was also the only representative of the Ice Moon Empire as her magic realm was the strongest. It could be say that she was the reason of the lockdown of the second biggest city in the Ice Moon Empire.

The Ice Snow G.o.ddess’s wors.h.i.+pper indifferently said, “You are all respectable leaders of Ice Snow city. I’m giving you three days to search every nook and cranny of the city to find the Ice Snow G.o.ddess’s stone. If that person’s abilities are very powerful, you only need to force him to use the magic inside the G.o.d stone. I will personally take care of it.”

With the previously words, the middle-aged man somehow managed to say something, “G.o.ddess’s Great Wors.h.i.+pper, you also know that Ice and Snow City is very big. Three days time, isn’t it very short?”

The Ice-Snow G.o.ddess’s Wors.h.i.+pper’s eyes slowly opened. A pure cold blue electric ray shot out, illuminating the middle-aged man. Immediately, his whole body quivered and he retreated back several steps before he stood firmly. “Marquis Noah, if you feel that the position of Ice and Snow city’s lord is not fit for you, I can easily arrange something for you anytime.”

When Marquis Noah heard these words, immediately, his complexion changed greatly. He hurriedly said, “No. G.o.ddess’s Great Wors.h.i.+pper, I didn’t mean what I say. Whatever your commands are, we will not dare to disobey. However, without any clues, I also cannot guarantee you that we will find it, but we can certainly try to search for it.”

The Ice Snow G.o.ddess’s Wors.h.i.+pper coldly snorted and said, “Last night, when I was on the road, I clearly felt the energy that Ice Snow G.o.ddess’s stone emitted. It is certainly inside the Ice and Snow City. If this matter does not produce any result, you are the first one to be questioned by me.”

At that instant, Marquis Noah had a bitter look. In such a big city, to try to find a tiny stone, this was akin to fish a needle from the sea. What’s more, it had to be done in three days. Sealing the city for three days would inevitably have enormous repercussions on the Ice and Snow city’s business operation and problems would show up. However, at this moment, he didn’t have any others methods and trying to reason with the Ice Snow G.o.ddess’s Wors.h.i.+pper wasn’t of any use. He helplessly nodded his head and said, “I will certainly try my utmost.”

“Great G.o.ddess’s Wors.h.i.+pper, I have a matter I don’t know if inappropriate to speak of.” The words were from a low and petty voice coming out from behind. The owner of the voice was Grand Pavilion’s Second Manager. He and the First Manager  stood in the back from the start. Only at this moment, did they suddenly open their mouth to talk. Immediately, it drawn the attention of several people in front. Amongst them, an elderly man dressed in golden clothes said with a deep voice, “Impudent! In front of the Lord G.o.ddess’s Wors.h.i.+pper, when will it be your turn to speak!”

Fear appeared in the Second Manager’s eyes as he hurriedly said, “Yes Owner.”

“There’s no harm in listening to what he has to say, just in case, it has something to do with the Ice Snow G.o.ddess’s stone.” The Ice Snow G.o.ddess’s Wors.h.i.+per’s gaze fell on the body of the Second Manager. As her gaze set on him, his whole body only felt a burst of ice-cold seemingly like he was all naked and didn’t have any secrets.

“Ye-yes, Great G.o.ddess’s Wors.h.i.+per. So, it’s like this, last night, Third Brother, who is Grand Pavilion’s third manager, unexpectedly had an unfortunate encounter with his murderer. The person who killed him is a mage.”

“What kind of magic killed him?” The Ice Snow G.o.ddess’s Wors.h.i.+per’s speech was very succinct.

The Second Manager looked distracted a bit before he said, “I don’t have much comprehension towards magic, but it seems to be large fireb.a.l.l.s.”

The Owner of the Grand Pavilion said in anger, “Does your brain has a problem? Didn’t you heard what the Great G.o.ddess’s Wors.h.i.+pper said earlier? What does that had anything to do with the Ice Snow G.o.ddess’s stone? You get out of here, don’t waste her time!”

The Second Manager anxiously said, “No, Boss! You have to let me finish. Although, Third Brother was killed by the fireb.a.l.l.s, but it’s very strange. His whole body was bombarded by fireb.a.l.l.s and caught inside a sea of fire until he was charred into charcoal. Yet, his head did not turned black like the rest of his body. Instead, there was a layer of cold frost covering it. Up until now, there has yet exist something like this. Perhaps, perhaps…”

A cold light flashed inside the Ice Snow G.o.ddess’s Wors.h.i.+pper’s eyes. She coldly said, “Bring the dead body here for me to examine.”

“Yes, Great G.o.ddess’s Wors.h.i.+pper.” The owner of the Grand Pavilion hurriedly responded. It took a moment to carry Manager Liao’s corpse. Because of the burning heat of the exploding fire, his whole body had long since become a piece of burnt charcoal. The stench of it directly a.s.sailed their nostrils making everyone with no choice, but to cover their nose. A layer of white light enveloped the G.o.ddess’s Wors.h.i.+pper’s body. Without anyone seeing her using her power, she had already appeared in front of the corpse. Her lilly-white hands like spring onions emerged from white chang pao and stretched down into the empty air. Through the use of her spirit force, she condensed the ice element on the burnt black corpse in a flash. Perhaps, no else had sense what she did, but as the president of the Ice Moon Empire’s Mage a.s.sociation Headquarter and Wind Magic Scholar, Long Zhi, exclaimed in admiration in his heart. Although because of his status, it wasn’t the first time he saw a Divine Descent’s abilities, but it’s the first time, he saw the Ice Moon Empire’s teachers of the state, Ice Snow G.o.ddess’s Wors.h.i.+pper, use her magic. Without even the need to chant, she can easily activate a search spell with her spirit. She truly deserved her t.i.tle has the best mage on the continent.

The Ice Snow G.o.ddess’s Wors.h.i.+pper slowly raised her head. In her eyes, a cold light was emitted. Her sight fell on the Second Manager. “Speak! Tell me the details of last night’s situation.”

Second Manager made a sound in agreement and hurriedly with fear and trepidation carefully described in details once everything that happened yesterday’s night, not daring to omit anything as he felt the invisible and enormous power of the Ice Snow G.o.ddess’s Wors.h.i.+pper pressing down on him. He retold about the matter of Third Liao going to visit prost.i.tutes not daring to conceal anything. When he spoke about the black clothed man who called himself the Magic Reaper, everyone’s complexion couldn’t help become unsightly. On Venerate Light continent, the people that were most loathed weren’t prost.i.tutes, thieves or bandits, but killers, particularly close combat mages who killed as a business were the most disgusting. The reason being that no matter how high the mage’s rank was, if the mage was a bit careless and encounter a killer that made a sneak attack, it would be very difficult to luckily escape. However, it was the first time that they heard about a killer being a mage. Moreover, it was clearly not an ordinary mage.