The Phoenix Nirvana team began cleaning up the battlefield. She really wanted to make use of the treasures on the demon bear.
The bear gallbladder could be used medicinally, while the bear paws were a highly nutritious delicacy.
Yelena gestured for Yvette to put away the remaining Inextinguishable Flame at the demon bear’s severed neck, so as not to damage the entire bearskin.
Then the three worked together to remove the bearskin as proof of completing the subjugation quest.
Yelena also took down the bear gallbladder and paws, wrapped them up simply, and stored them together with the bearskin in her Space Ring.
She actually wanted to cook the demon bear meat too, but the flesh had been heavily eroded by demonic energy, so she had to give up.
Yvette and Anna didn’t understand why she took those two parts from the bear, but since it was their own divine chef’s choice, they didn’t ask further.
But as the three were packing up and about to leave, a strong wind began to howl.
A gust of cold wind swept past Yelena, billowing the hem of her skirt beneath her silver-white coat.
The biting chill attacked her legs, which were wearing thermal tights, and the warmth vanished instantly.
The little fox girl shuddered all over, so cold it made her question her fox existence.
“Ah-choo!”
Yelena was so cold that she put on the black headband again, leaving only her fox eyes visible. ‘To be honest, this thing is pretty warm.’
Seeing this, Anna quickly took out a blanket and wrapped it around her, then said to Yvette:
“Lady Family Head, looking at this weather, I’m afraid a blizzard is approaching.”
“Anna, we can’t stay here long. It’s getting dark. There’s a cave not far ahead. Let’s take shelter there.”
Yvette was familiar with the local terrain and knew there was a large natural cave at the northern foot of the Snow Moist Forest.
She directed the two of them to go there together. Even if the wind and snow continued through the night, they had outdoor tents to survive safely.
Fortunately, the distance wasn’t far. The trio took about half an hour to reach the temporary shelter before the blizzard arrived.
As soon as they entered the cave, Yvette looked around.
However, as if stand users attract each other, they ran into another group they didn’t want to meet.
The Golden Lion Holy Alliance squad.
It seemed the Hero party had also just finished a subjugation quest nearby and came here to take shelter at about the same time.
“Oh my, what a coincidence, everyone from the Golden Lion Holy Alliance. Are you also here in the Snow Moist Forest today for a subjugation quest?”
Yvette spoke first, with her usual provocative tone.
“Hello, everyone from Phoenix Nirvana. We just dealt with a B-rank subjugation quest for the demon wolf pack deep in the forest and came here in time to avoid the wind and snow.”
Aisha, as the leader, gave a simple Holy See salute before responding to Yvette.
“Oh, it’s just a B-rank quest. How does it trouble the Hero to come to this frozen land? Could it be that the Hero and your teammates really ran out of money?”
Yvette continued her offensive, speaking with a meaningful smile.
“…”
“You really are an annoying nouveau riche. Do you know you’re even more hateful at times like this?”
Unable to hold back, Kate jumped in when she saw Aisha being silenced.
“Eh?!” Sylvia was worried about the current atmosphere.
“Ah, forget it, forget it. I hate it. I won’t argue.” Yvette deliberately avoided looking at the Hero party and smiled brightly at Yelena. “Chef, start preparing dinner~”
Yelena looked at Yvette, who was winking at her repeatedly, and understood what she was thinking.
‘Use the demon bear ingredients we just harvested? Here? Right now?’
Well, Yelena took the hint. Still holding a grudge against the Hero party, she decided to show off her cooking skills on the spot.
‘Since they drove me away, I’ll make them drool with envy right here!’
Yelena immediately activated her Space Ring. A magical stove, grill, cutting board, kitchen knife, boiling pot, stew pot, as well as ingredients and seasonings, all appeared.
Let’s begin.
The talent of [Five Senses of the Cooking God] activated, and Yelena’s fox eyes seemed to blaze with fighting spirit.
She soaked the two bear paws in ginger water, then poured in the Dwarf race’s special Warm Sun Wine to enhance the flavor and ward off the cold.
After that, she quickly placed the bear paws on the grill and slowly roasted the skin.
When the outer skin began to curl slightly and white oil oozed out, she immediately added a mixture of parsley and roasted nuts, and the aroma instantly filled the air.
She was even more clear about the next steps.
She used the stew pot three times: to remove the gamey smell, to infuse flavor, and to make the soup.
While the stew pot was busy, the boiling pot was also cooking a pot of farmhouse chicken broth. The two complemented each other.
Finally, she added Ice Crystal Mushrooms, Snow Lotus Roots, and Silver Salt, then let it simmer on low heat.
Under normal circumstances, a dish that would take five to six hours to simmer was completed in just half an hour thanks to Yelena’s Cooking God System.
[The Five Senses of the Cooking God has detected: Frost Sky Bear Paw Soup, an advanced cold-resistant dish. Marked as “Superior Grade · Low-life Tier, Middle-spirit Enhancement.”]
Yelena first served a bowl and handed it to Yvette.
Yvette couldn’t wait and scooped up a small piece of bear paw meat with a wooden spoon. Who would have thought the meat would melt in the mouth?
The bear paw had been stewed until the meat separated from the bone. The meat cubes were translucent and soft, and they fell apart at the slightest bite.
The red-haired sword saint then drank the chicken broth jelly. The savory aroma, along with the slight drunkenness from the strong wine, made the dish more and more flavorful with every bite.
Yelena stood nearby with a smile on her face, hands on her hips.
She knew what she had made. Of course she knew it was delicious.
She had infused the emotion called desire into this dish, making it tangible.
As the red-haired sword saint feasted, the glasses-wearing mage and the little priestess from the Hero party next to them were already drooling.
The blonde-haired Hero had a subtle expression on her face as her stomach growled.
The brown-haired maid stood silently at the back of the group, seemingly lost in thought, her gaze fixed on Yelena.
“No one is allowed to come forward! Lady Yelena’s food must be paid for!”
That was what happened next…
Anna, spreading her arms to block the Hero party, was barely holding off the three of them who were pushing and shoving, but she still dutifully did her part.
“Miss Yelena! Can you sell us a portion of your mysterious dish?”
“Sorry, Hero, but I’ve used up all the ingredients.”
‘How ridiculous.’
Yelena refused Aisha’s gaze. In fact, she had deliberately kept two bear paws to take back.
‘I can’t waste something that’s even easier to cook than pig trotters.’
Aisha was very confused. Logically, this was only Yelena’s second time interacting with her, but her words were even more heartless than Yvette’s.
Then Yvette leaned in and lowered her voice so only Yelena could hear.
“Little fox, help me annoy her.”
Yelena looked up.
At this moment, there was a smile in Yvette’s eyes, but beneath that smile was blatant support.
She wasn’t simply using Yelena as a cooking tool.
She was telling everyone that Yelena now had someone to protect her, someone to cherish her, and someone willing to openly favor her.
Then Yvette scooped up a spoonful of bear paw meat and, in front of the entire Hero party, fed it to Yelena’s mouth.
[Captured key character emotion]
[Dejection]
[Mild sadness]
[Ding, Yvette’s Affection Points +10. Current Affection Points: 90.]