CHAPTER 255: CHAPTER 255: OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION, FAIRY PALACE FOOD GOD

EDITOR: DRAGON BOAT TRANSLATION

After finally managing to send off the assassins who had come for a free meal, the Ghost Stall resumed its normal business rhythm.

Customers would then sit down. First, they’d cast fearful glances at the mascot, the Little Nine-Tailed Fox, and then give strange looks to Stedley, the Door God next to the Ghost Stall, before finally placing their orders.

After reforming the Spade Squad, Stedley’s attitude towards the female shop owner shifted from ’admiration’ to ’respect’. He took it upon himself to act as the top enforcer, insisting on guarding the Ghost Stall.

After all, he was a former Half-Demon and a True Half-Ghost. Having contended with the Spade Squad for so long, his combat power was clearly not low, so Ren Suo let him be.

However, when new customers were leaving, Ren Suo asked them, "Did you hear any gunfire when you came here? Did you notice the police surrounding this place?"

"No."

The Half-Demon, beaten half to death by the man, woman, and fox, confessed honestly, "It’s very quiet around the park, nothing out of the ordinary."

Ren Suo nodded thoughtfully. He had long felt something was off. If the combat near the Ghost Stall could generate sound, the gunfire and battle noises should have attracted the attention of people nearby.

Yet, no one disturbed the Ghost Stall. It seemed that, in addition to deliberately choosing a secluded location, the Ghost Stall also possessed a Barrier that ’let the game proceed smoothly.’ It even had a ’light concealment’ effect—ordinary people wouldn’t notice the Ghost Stall unless they came very close.

With the Little Nine-Tailed Fox and Stedley present, Ren Suo decided to rely on himself to complete the challenge that night. He didn’t spend many Merit Points, as the entire process involved him listening to stories to season the food, which naturally triggered numerous battles.

In battles, the female shop owner, Little Nine-Tailed Fox, and Stedley were all allies. However, Ren Suo couldn’t control the Little Nine-Tailed Fox and Stedley; he could only control the female shop owner.

Stedley’s damage output was quite good, while the Little Nine-Tailed Fox didn’t inflict any damage but instead applied very severe debuffs to the enemies—

"Chaos: 30% chance not to attack but to throw out their personal belongings instead."

"Fear: 30% chance not to attack but to flee instead."

"Lose Heart: Under the command of Little Nine-Tailed Fox."

Ren Suo began to understand why the Little Nine-Tailed Fox could live so prosperously and grow plump in New York...

Then, perhaps because the black-cloaked figures had consumed too much game time, several extremely temperamental and incredibly difficult-to-handle customers appeared during New York’s final hour!

They were not True Demons dining and dashing, just Half-Demons. Their life experiences weren’t much more complex than those of the assassins, but their demands for the ’degree’ of seasoning were very high—

"This taste is so cloying it disgusts me; it reminds me of the lover who betrayed me."

"A familiar flavor, just like my mother used to make. She loved me so much... as if I were a copy of herself. The efforts she couldn’t bear became the pain weighing on my shoulders..."

"This is awful. I don’t like this flavor; it’s too intimate. I want to enjoy Loneliness as well as friendship. Why can you only give me one?"

What else could Ren Suo do? Together with the man and the fox, he beat some sense into their stubborn heads.

Ren Suo felt this was a sign of increasing difficulty. After all, the number of True Demons in a big city couldn’t be that high—few cities were as lax in law enforcement as Mumbai. Most future customers would likely be Half-Demons with extremely suppressed emotions, perhaps even depression.

But the 1% Holy Water could only extract keywords and a general sense of their concerns. Ren Suo had to guess and fumble, unable to accurately capture the exact flavor profile they needed.

And as the four-hour stall operation was about to end, New York’s final boss finally appeared—

It was an older man.

Dressed like an ordinary Caucasian older man, he sat in front of the food cart. He glanced at the cart’s notice, and his scar-covered face revealed a fierce smile.

However, the mascot, the Little Nine-Tailed Fox, who had been lying curled up, stood up. Staring intently at the man, she said, "Little Jiu can’t defeat him."

Stedley, beside the Little Nine-Tailed Fox, was also on high alert. His body trembled slightly as he clenched his teeth, remaining silent.

Naturally, Ren Suo recognized who it was—

Uncle Angel, Zack!

In terms of combat power, he was the strongest human Ren Suo had encountered, even though he wasn’t the World’s Strongest.

But if it came to a battle, Ren Suo couldn’t guarantee the female shop owner could beat him! Angel Zack’s Recovery, combat ability, and Movement Speed were all extraordinary. Even if turn-based combat could limit his attack power and mobility, the mere fact that he could resurrect after being thrashed countless times by the Handsome Monkey King demonstrated that no ordinary tactic could defeat him.

"Don’t be nervous," Zack said. "This is a really strange feeling... I heard a call from within my heart and found my way here, unable to resist my own Desires: I have to eat here."

Zack could subtly resist the Ghost Stall’s psychological suggestion?

"Don’t worry," Zack said, looking at the Little Nine-Tailed Fox and Stedley. "Besides, I don’t think I can affect this young lady. She possesses a power far deeper than mine."

Stedley snapped back to his senses and nodded fervently. "Of course! She is the Fairy Palace Food God, here to save the world. How could you possibly harm her?"

Only then did Ren Suo feel that saving Stedley had been the right choice—at least when it came to bluffing, the female shop owner wouldn’t have to personally step forward.

Zack’s expression changed; he was clearly intimidated.

The Fairy Palace, the World Tree—these two names weighed like mountains on various supernatural organizations. This was especially true for Zack, who had been beaten like a punching bag by the Fairy Palace’s pet, the Handsome Monkey King. No one in this world understood the terror of the Fairy Palace better than Zack.

"Then, please make me a salad," Zack said. "As for sharing my life story... I apologize. I’m now a Federal Watcher, bound by an obligation of confidentiality, so I cannot divulge my information to others at will."

Ren Suo was slightly taken aback. However, the female shop owner had already started making the salad, which meant he needed to season Zack’s dish without hearing his life story.

Ordinarily, only Obnoxious Customers who dined and dashed would make such a demand, but Zack had clearly stated he would not resort to violence.

This was either a matter of luck or required the Player to analyze the situation themselves.

A thought struck Ren Suo: Zack had sought out the stall on his own, indicating he was a Half-Demon whose Desires had been twisted by immense psychological pressure. So, what was the source of this immense pressure?

The salad was prepared faster than any other set meal. Ren Suo had already made his decision: to primarily add a seasoning of "Confidence".

He then supplemented it with a modest amount of "Justice," "Compassion," and "Enthusiasm" from the Chicken Soup Set Meal.

Upon tasting the first bite, Zack’s ferocious expression changed.

He quickly finished the bowl of salad and said with a faint smile, "Indeed, you are the God of Cookery. I always denied it, but the fear hidden deep within my heart... it has..."

Zack paused, then laughed loudly. "I’m no longer afraid! One day, I will find the Handsome Monkey King for another confrontation, even though just thinking about him now makes every part of my body ache."

Ren Suo didn’t know much about Zack; there was no information about him on the internal network either. The Federation guarded Zack’s information as carefully as if he were a panda, preventing any details from leaking out.

Undoubtedly, the event that had placed such immense pressure on Zack was his defeat at the hands of the Handsome Monkey King.

And it wasn’t just any defeat. It happened in front of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and billions of netizens worldwide. The Handsome Monkey King had thrashed him from the ground into the sky, then slammed him back down to earth—a devastating rout that left him utterly battered.

While the Handsome Monkey King was overwhelmingly powerful, Zack, as the Federation’s top figure, hadn’t even been able to fight back. Although he later participated in battles in "Mage Under the World Tree," no one knew the internal changes he had undergone.

It now seemed Zack had developed psychological trauma from the experience.

"I am truly grateful to you, Food God of the Fairy Palace. If it hadn’t been for this meal, I might have strayed from my path," Zack said.

"May I bring others here to eat?"

Ren Suo replied, "I won’t be here tomorrow."

"That’s a pity," Zack smiled. He reached for his neck, removed a cross, and placed it down. "I have received a great kindness and have no way to repay it. This cross has been with me for over thirty years. My intuition tells me this is the best gift I can offer."

The female shop owner nodded and accepted Zack’s cross:

"Cross of Self-Doubt: Health Points +300. Automatically consumed upon death for instant full health revival."

As expected of a final boss, the gift was amazing!

"Please allow me to apologize in advance," Zack said. "As a Watcher, I must report your information, Miss. The matter of the Fairy Palace Food God is simply too important."

"It doesn’t matter," Ren Suo thought, unconcerned. With Zack, a Federal Watcher, spreading the word, the ’Fairy Palace Food God’ identity seemed about to be solidified.

After seeing Zack off, as closing time arrived, the female shop owner began to pack up the stall. Stedley came over and asked, "Are you leaving?"

"Yes."

"Where can I find you?"

"You can’t."

Stedley hung his head, then suddenly said, "I am going to sabotage the Cards’ plan. It’s a mission with almost no chance of survival... but I believe that tonight, and the night I escaped from the base, will become two indelible memories in my life."

"With these two memories, my grey life should have gained a bit of color."

"Thank you... May I know your name?"

The female shop owner replied, "If you believe I am the God of Cookery, then I am."

"Alright, thank you, God of Cookery. I hope you will also remember my real name: Stedley. My name is Stedley Gould."

After Stedley left, the Little Nine-Tailed Fox jumped onto the female shop owner’s shoulder and asked, "Will you come to see Little Jiu again?"

"No, I won’t."

"Then where can Little Jiu find you?"

Ren Suo thought for a moment and said to the Little Nine-Tailed Fox, "When you can hide your nine tails and appear as an ordinary animal, come to Lianjiang in the Mysterious Country."

Ren Suo’s suggestion was actually rather pointless. Even if Little Jiu came, he wouldn’t know. Still, shortening the geographical distance was something. Ren Suo believed that one day, he would personally be able to touch the Little Nine-Tailed Fox’s fur!

The Little Nine-Tailed Fox nodded, then quietly slipped away.

Ren Suo stretched lazily. What was supposed to be a four-hour gaming session had been dragged out to eight hours due to conversations, pauses, battles, and other interruptions. After having dinner at the Dong Chengling Family home and practicing Cultivation until midnight, Ren Suo continued to wander the night streets alone, masquerading as a different kind of night owl.

Ren Suo didn’t notice that, from a window in another dormitory building, someone was watching his retreating figure.