Chapter 50

Chapter 50: Naya Wants The Cookbook, And The Price She Has To Pay Is…

Leo, who had already run far away, was shocked when he received Zelan’s call.

After hesitating for a moment, he still answered Zelan’s communication.

The familiar voice of the boy indeed came through the call.

“Yes, I’m still alive. But something unexpected happened.”

“What happened?”

“After you escaped, I was transformed into a dragon by the dragon queen. Now I…”

Zelan opened his eyes but found it hard to look at his reflection in the mirror. He sighed.

“Now I’ve become a black dragon, imprisoned in the dragon’s dungeon. They want me to surrender to the dragon race and pledge my loyalty to them.”

“Did you agree?”

“No. If I had agreed, how could I still contact you? Leo, why…”

Zelan wanted to ask why Leo had left him to escape alone, but since he needed help, he decided to say something nice to persuade Leo to come to his rescue.

However, Leo could tell what Zelan wanted to ask.

He explained from the other end of the call.

“Zelan, it’s not that I didn’t want to save you. The Dragon Queen, Iris, has the ability to suppress spatial teleportation. I tried to save you at that time, but it was impossible. Anything caught by her cannot be teleported away using any spatial magic. I can’t fight close up, and once she deals with you, I’ll be next. In that situation, the only option was to escape quickly, or else we both would have been captured, which would be a greater loss.”

Zelan closed his eyes, realizing Leo had a point.

After all, Leo was a long-range magician, with almost no close combat ability.

It was reasonable that he didn’t come to save him.

“True, if you hadn’t escaped, we both might have been caught by the Dragon Queen. Leo, it seems they know we have the System’s abilities.”

“They seem to know?”

“Yeah, a purple-haired dragon lady told me. She said I have a power that guides me here, a special perception of ley line energy. Isn’t that the System? She just doesn’t know its specific name and function.”

The System’s ultimate mission is to guide them to challenge the Dragon King. It helps them find treasures by sensing areas rich in ley line energy, gradually making them stronger and more capable of challenging the Dragon King.

“So they transformed you into a dragon hoping you could use that ability for them?”

“I think so.”

After saying this, the call fell into a brief silence.

Zelan waited anxiously for Leo to say the words he longed to hear, “Good brother, wait for me. I’ll find a way to rescue you.”

Fearing that Leo would hang up the call at any moment, Zelan hesitantly voiced his desire.

“Leo, can you find a way to save me? You have some understanding of dragon magic. I think you could break the spell binding me and get me out of here. That ability to suppress spatial teleportation should only belong to the Dragon Queen Iris, right? We’ve fought side by side for so long and haven’t seen any other dragons with such abilities.”

“Should be, anyway, I haven’t seen anyone other than Iris with that ability in all these years.”

“I’m underground, probably in the dragon’s dungeon.”

“I’ll come to save you, Zelan. Don’t lose hope. No matter how they torture you, you must stay true to yourself. Don’t betray humanity and side with the dragons, and definitely don’t reveal that we have the System.”

Finally, Zelan got the definite answer he was waiting for.

He passionately shouted during the call, “I would never submit to the dragons! No matter how painful the torment, I will remain true to my humanity! Behind me, there are millions of humans waiting for me to protect them. How could I forget my mission!”

“Good. Zelan, you may need to endure for a few more days. I can’t save you right away. I don’t even know where the dragon’s dungeon is or how many guards they have. I need to take my time to research the situation on the island. But trust me, I will do everything I can to rescue you.”

“Thank you, Leo. I believe in you.”

Tears streamed down Zelan’s closed eyes as a black dragon.

A good brother would never easily betray one another, and Zelan grasped the glimmer of hope.

“Stay strong, good brother. Wait for me and don’t give up easily.”

“Yeah, I’ll try to gather some information about this place from that purple-haired dragon lady. I’ll report to you in real time with the information I get.”

“Okay.”

That was great.

Zelan let out a long breath.

He kept his eyes closed as much as possible, not letting himself see the dragon scales covering his body, and he tried to relax, ignoring his immense size. He repeatedly told himself that he was still human.

Thus, in that bright dungeon, Zelan endured day after day while looking at his dragon form, waiting and harboring hope.

————————

In the past few days.

Iris announced to everyone in the palace that Naya was her Queen.

They had officially moved out of the castle.

And Naya’s long-anticipated recipe reward task had finally been issued.

[Side Quest 2: Make Iris 250 grams of stir-fried bitter melon, with the slices not thinner than 8mm, and ensure she finishes it all. Reward: Cookbook x1.]

But why did the task content have to be like this?!

[Please complete the task as soon as possible!]

[Did you come up with this task?]

[Yes, host.]

Naya gritted her teeth.

Bitter melon is a nightmare for dragons, even worse than vinegar.

If Naya couldn’t accept it, how could Iris?

On Earth, bitter melon is considered a medicinal food, known for its anti-cancer and beautifying effects, but here in this other world, dragons need high-energy foods like fish and meat to replenish their magical power. For already strong dragons, bitter melon serves no purpose other than self-torture.

Moreover, the limit of 250 grams was probably a lethal dose!

The System thought it was truly a genius.

Want a cookbook? Here it is.

But before that, let’s destroy Iris’s trust in you and make her dislike the food you prepare. Even if you want the cookbook, it will be of no use.

Maybe Iris would even start to doubt Naya’s intentions.

As long as the System successfully sows discord between them, there’s hope for Naya to rekindle her heart for dragon slaying.

[Let’s just do it! Who’s afraid of whom!]

I must get that cookbook!

On the third night after moving to the palace, Naya was in her private kitchen, fiddling with the bitter melon that the maid had bought.

She stuffed paper towels in her nose beforehand. Otherwise, the bitter taste would choke her when she cut the bitter melon.

First, she tried to process the bitter melon, soaking it in salt to remove some of the bitterness.

Naya filled a plate with water, grabbed a bag of salt, and poured it into the water. The System quickly warned her.

[Host, stir-fried bitter melon, do you understand? You’re not allowed to process the bitter melon in any way, keep its original flavor as much as possible.]

Her hand froze in mid-air.

Listening to the System’s smug tone, Naya felt a surge of anger and threw the salt bag aside in frustration, shouting in her mind.

[I won’t do it! I’m done!]

Her chest heaved with anger, and her face turned red from frustration.

[It’s just a recipe! Who cares! We’ll just travel together and buy every recipe from the human side, and I can cook for Iris in various styles for hundreds of years.]

The System knew Naya would sulk and refuse to complete the task.

The System had long anticipated this situation. Simply offering a cookbook reward wouldn’t persuade Naya to cook toxic dishes for Iris.

[This cookbook includes all the recipes from Earth and the other world. Its function can enhance your cooking skills, making your dishes more fragrant and delicious. It can also make your dishes richer in magical power, providing some mana replenishment, and certain dishes can give temporary buffs to attack and defense.]

[…]

What should she do? She was tempted.