Chapter 94
Whether food is good or not—the tongue knows.
Even monsters who enjoy eating human flesh have their own taste preferences, but they can still be moved by sincerity. Jiang Jitang pursued excellence in texture, presentation, and aroma. The perfectly balanced spices masked the gamy stench of the meat and highlighted the richness of red flesh. Almost every dish he served received high praise.
To get their desired food faster, these usually stingy monsters even generously tipped the waiters to make them move quicker. The low-level players who received the tips were shocked—this was their first time encountering such a thing.
Even the only experienced player thought it was incredible.
“What kind of person is this external support?” Looking at the brown “fingers” on the plate pinched with a rose flower—the thick dark sauce hiding surface details, petals as garnish—its eerie beauty suggested this person must be interesting.
At one hour and forty minutes, the game ended.
Jiang Jitang had delivered dozens of dishes, but the mini-game had its own calculation rule: no matter how many servings of the same dish were served, it only counted once.
So in the end, only twenty dishes were counted. Fortunately, all of them were rated positively, so his final reward was 400 points, one Wishing Star, and one commemorative item.
Item Upgrade Card. As the name suggests, used to upgrade in-game items. Can only be used on items originating from Cube Games.
Due to the task performer’s efforts, Vegetarian Restaurant received an overwhelming number of positive reviews and was upgraded, so the owner rewarded an upgrade card. Single-use item, no grade restriction.
A good thing.
The first thing Jiang Jitang thought of was Minister Jiang’s BGM Generator—upgrading that would effectively upgrade countless BGM cards.
He still wasn’t resigned. He wanted to try if the upgraded BGM Generator might treat him better.
Just as he thought everything was over, the system continued:
[You have successfully produced Children’s Hand Wash, 1-star…]
[Children’s Hand Wash”, 1-star — Effects: Satiety +3, Mental +2. A vegetarian imitation of human flesh made from chicken feet. NPC favorability +5 when consumed. Shelf life: 72h at room temperature, consume within 6 hours after opening.]
[Minced Meat Salad, 1-star — Effects: Satiety +3, Health +2. A vegetarian imitation of human flesh made from lamb. NPC favorability +5. Shelf life: same.]
[Jam-Flavored Fatty Liver, 2-star — Effects: Satiety +5, Stamina +3. Made from various livers, vegetarian imitation of human flesh. NPC favorability +7. Shelf life: same.]
—
Ten dishes were announced in total—seven 1-star, three 2-star.
The attributes were normal, but the effects were bizarre—they all increased NPC favorability. And the description still contained imitation human flesh, suggesting they were not meant for humans.
But if he encountered an NPC requiring favorability, these would be incredibly useful.
Jiang Jitang felt his scalp tingle. “You really scraped wool from their backs, huh?” Even in the mini-game, he had updated his recipe book—arming himself with the enemy’s firepower?
Still, he entered them into his recipe database. No matter how he obtained them, having more star-rated recipes was always good. These were universal NPC favorability items, classified as food.
Good stuff. Take them all.
The system ignored this smug yet pretending-to-be-humble guy. After confirming the recipes had been added, it coldly announced that the game had been cleared.
“External Aid?”
With the Vegetarian Restaurant clearance notification, twenty-five players appeared before Jiang Jitang. It was his first time seeing so many survivors at once—their appearances and clothing showed they were from different countries.
He didn’t know which of them had been favored by the system and triggered this mini-game.
“Hello.” Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Jiang Jitang waved. Half of his face was hidden by a black mask, only his smiling eyes visible.
“H-hello.” The survivors cautiously approached.
To these low-level players, external support was basically a legendary figure.
“Hello Mr. External Aid, I’m Xia Yue. It’s a pleasure to see you, and thank you for helping us.”
Xia Yue looked like a woman from the C-Nation. Her bearing was elegant. Jiang Jitang appreciated her demeanor: “No need to be polite—it’s also my game.”
Xia Yue sat down beside him.
The others looked at her, then at the mysterious external support. They were both from the C-Nation and seemed to share a similar temperament—gentle yet not weak, strong but not aggressive.
Looking at this C-Nation woman’s soft and composed appearance, no one would expect she was the type to stab someone directly in the carotid artery, managing blood loss while luring the monster into a private room and finishing the job solo—strong and decisive.
And this External Aid—even though they hadn’t witnessed his actions, the fact that he could create imitation human-flesh dishes adored by monsters was proof enough.
—Who, in daily life, studies how human flesh tastes?
The fact that he could, under pressure, cook human-meat-like dishes indistinguishable from the real thing… yes, he was a ruthless one.
C-Nation—terrifying indeed.
“Did you enter via team?”
Xia Yue was a five-tier cube player, but this was a three-tier game. High-tier players can only enter lower-tier ones by forming a team.
“Mm. Bringing low-tier players to earn some travel expenses.” She nodded. “I’m planning to go to Jin City. It’s more suitable for long-term stay. The earlier I go, the sooner I can claim a spot.”
Jiang Jitang immediately understood: Dream-Fulfillment Food House.
Since it was personal, he didn’t pry further. They chatted about recent player happenings.
Governments of various countries were cooperating, so players remained deeply concealed. Ordinary people continued their lives. How to say—once power is threatened, even the most incompetent-looking governments respond swiftly.
But changes were happening—like recent construction in Jin City, or small political fluctuations. But these were only the tip of the iceberg. What lay beneath—no one knew.
“Thank you.” The rescued woman earlier walked over. She had thick black braids and a nose ring—typical of a woman from the Indu region.
“Thank you for saving me.” She half-covered her face with her scarf, her eyes slightly red from lingering fear.
Perhaps to many, entering the cube world was descending into hell. But for someone already living in hell, this place held hope—in particular, for this poor woman beaten to death by her husband.
Poverty, coupled with being female, meant her life had always been unfortunate. When rock bottom was reached, she became a player—and began to rebound.
She cleared several games in a row, saw more and more, and asked more and more questions.
She learned—even women could live differently.
She learned—poverty was never a sin.
Another player had previously criticized her for not taking contraceptives to adjust her menstrual cycle, blamed her for not controlling her bleeding. Those words brought up everything she had lived through. Men seemed to never understand, while she ran endlessly trying to explain, but could never make it understood.
But that C-Nation player—stabbed that man in the artery and dragged him away like dragging a sacrificial lamb.
The man cried out in pain and despair, questioning and begging. The C-Nation player remained cold and composed. Everyone else silently stepped back. For the first time, the Indu player understood what power was.
It turned out—she didn’t have to explain.
“I want to become someone like that.” She now had a clear desire—she wanted to live differently.
Twenty minutes isn’t long. After a brief chat, it was time to disperse.
Once back in reality, Jiang Jitang quickly changed clothes, grabbed the upgrade card, and rode his electric scooter to upgrade the BGM Generator before anything could go wrong.
But the task hadn’t fully settled. The dialogue box chased after him, broadcasting the Sarla Tribe follow-up.
As Jiang expected, the Sarla Tribe found a high-quality beeswax mine in their new land—but their greatest gain was that every tribe member reached their new home safely.
The new settlement was deep in remote mountains.
Snowmelt flowed into clear springs, passing through fertile black soil. After consulting heaven and earth, the elder priestess chose to settle there.
Using the food, tents, and tools Jiang Jitang provided, the Sarla Tribe took root. They built homes, raised livestock, planted grains and vegetables.
The system sent several video clips. Jiang Jitang watched the passing of the seasons on this land. The Sarla Tribe, once with nothing, now raised axes and tools to reclaim barren land.
They worked from sunrise to sunset, in harmony with time and nature. The elderly, young, men, women, children, and mythical beasts—all smiling. Poor yet rich.
The elder priestess gazed toward the light’s direction, leading ritual offerings to the mountain forest, living in peace with the land, streams, and creatures. The Sarla respected life and hunted life—part of nature’s cycle.
The powerful beasts in the forest watched the newcomers. Gradually, the mountains accepted them, and so did the beasts.
One day, the elder priestess passed away. Her staff inlaid with beeswax was entrusted to another respected woman. Her body was buried directly in the earth—no tomb, no marker—becoming mud beneath blooming and fading flowers.
Death and rebirth were like sunrise and sunset—never ceasing.
As for the timeline without Jiang Jitang’s intervention…
The dialogue box told him that with the supplies and tools, the Sarla managed to complete the migration in only two months. Those who originally intended to annihilate them failed to catch up and lost their trail halfway.
But in the original timeline, the pursuers caught up. Red flowers bloomed across the wasteland—it was a night of blood.
“Remember the warrior named Asan? He and his child would survive—and only them. They carried the hatred of genocide, along with the mythical beast egg left by the priestess.
“In the World of Beasts would rise a black hero of a fallen nation—killing to stop killing, combating violence with violence. His position impossible to define. The youth who slayed dragons became the dragon. And the wicked dragon would eventually imprison itself in a canyon, never leaving for a lifetime.”
“And now?” Jiang Jitang’s voice was muffled by his mask, unclear.
“Now he is just a mischievous little rascal. Every day he’s either up the mountain or down the river—far from becoming a hero.”
“He will become one, right?” Jiang recalled the small child who once lay in his arms, face pale, clearly malnourished.
“Born an eagle, he will always want to test how high the sky is, how vast the earth is, how big the world is, how small the peaks are—just like the quester.”
Jiang Jitang laughed—laughed all the way to the kindergarten. He took off his helmet and headed straight to Minister Jiang’s office. He had already made an appointment.
Minister Jiang had prepared refreshments. She was curious to see what the BGM Generator would become.
“Use Item Upgrade Card.” Jiang placed the card on the BGM Generator. A light blurred its outline. When the light faded, the radio-shaped generator became pink headphones with bunny ears.
Minister Jiang scanned it with a special item:
Enhanced BGM Generator
- Daily uses: 3
- Each use generates a BGM card based on user’s current condition and desire
- Duration: 8–10 minutes
- During playback: randomly increases two attributes
- Comes with a special effect
The number of uses remained the same, but the generated BGM cards were significantly stronger.
“I’ll test it first.” Jiang put on the headphones.
Ten minutes later—
“On the long road I stride with you,
with courage and warmth at my side.
Seeking self and truth untold,
wherever I pause—I call it home…”
“On the Long Road I Roam” — Exclusive BGM card for Jiang Jitang. Duration 8:46. During playback, Attack +30%, Agility +30%, and one “Traveling Companions” effect: summon a partner to share the buff.
Description: In this world of wanderers, you are not alone. Who do you wish to journey with? State their name.
Summon who?
A name flashed in his mind—but unfortunately, he couldn’t invite others to join his adventure.
“With such a bold and carefree song—that suits me.” He stowed away the BGM card and tossed the upgraded BGM Generator to Minister Jiang. “Done. I’m off.”
“You’re not keeping it?” she asked.
“What for? I’m gone! Oh right—when are we heading to East Capital?” Jiang turned at the door. “Remember to call me.”
“Don’t worry.” If the great treasure wants to unwind, it must be granted.
—
The day before heading to East Capital, Jiang cooked 2-star rice wine glutinous rice balls and a 3-star pork tripe chicken set meal, preparing to upgrade the Dream-Fulfillment Food House.
[Upgrade conditions met. Upgrading Dream-Fulfillment Food House (Main Branch). Upgrade complete.]
A miniature virtual shop appeared in Jiang Jitang’s palm, with text beside it.
[Dream-Fulfillment Food House (Main Branch):
Level: 2
Area: 12 sqm
Includes: 2 x Level 1 street stalls
Current equipment: 4 standard vending machines
Built-in: Level 2 protective system, alarm system, and blacklist interception system
Business hours: 6:00 AM – 9:00 PM]
