Chapter 63

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Chapter 63: Free Dinner!

The fishing that followed went much more smoothly, with no treasure chests or strange finds. Aside from a surprise turtle, everything else was a normal catch from the Larech River basin.

However, each fish was exceptionally large.

Lolth’s tank, designed based on past experiences, now seemed inadequate. She caught a total of eight freshwater fish and a snapping turtle, each weighing around twenty pounds on average. The tank could barely accommodate two or three of them at a time.

Even if they could fit, the fish would struggle to move around.

The snapping turtle was the size of a large washbasin! It could only be placed diagonally or vertically in the tank.

This haul could already be considered a “bumper crop,” which made Lolth see the potential for aquaculture in the area.

But with a bumper crop came its own set of challenges.

To keep the fish active, Lolth used water elemental magic to create nine floating water orbs, each holding one of the eight fish and the snapping turtle.

Although elemental magic wasn’t Lolth’s specialty, it wasn’t something she struggled with either. After all, spatial magic was considered one of the most difficult types of magic, and Lolth had honed her precise control over her magic through this.

Creating water orbs and keeping them afloat wasn’t particularly difficult. Even official-level mages specializing in water magic could manage it.

However, controlling nine water orbs simultaneously required significant magical power and precision. Only an Elite Level or Superlative Level caster could likely accomplish such a feat.

After catching the fish, Lolth stood up and noticed it was almost afternoon. It was time to head back to the torture tower to prepare dinner.

With such a great catch, Lolth was sure there would be a feast of fish that evening.

Of course, eight fish plus a turtle would be far too much for just three people to finish—even if Isabella, the Grand Knight, had a slightly larger appetite than most.

After cleaning and packing up the fishing gear into her magic bag, Lolth didn’t hurry back to the torture tower. Instead, she wandered around the town again, working to improve the function of the automatic Space Magic Array.

She made a few simple adjustments, adding magical detection and alarm functions to the array. These upgrades were designed to prevent strange, non-living things from posing a threat to the safety of the town’s residents.

Moreover, if the same magic array was activated repeatedly in a short period or breached directly, Lolth would receive an alert. This would allow her to investigate the situation or remotely adjust the power of the array.

These changes not only prevented magical creatures from attacking the array repeatedly—even if influenced by Psychological Shockwaves, which could eventually break through—but also stopped the possibility of “visitors” or “residents” getting trapped. The latter could happen if they strayed from the main road and stubbornly tried to breach the array until they broke down mentally.

This upgrade ensured that, even if a powerful enemy arrived, Lolth would receive an advance warning.

However, Lolth didn’t know that, had she installed this feature on the automatic Space Magic Array yesterday, Isabella might not have nearly had a breakdown.

While Lolth updated and upgraded the array, moving along the outskirts of Hillenbrand Town, she encountered many of the town’s residents. Most had relaxed their guard and resumed their normal activities.

Some greeted her respectfully, while others still seemed a bit fearful, avoiding her as they went about their day.

However, Lolth soon noticed that the residents always seemed surprised when they first saw her, their eyes fixed on the direction of her back.

At first, she thought she might have attracted some unclean spirits or something similar. But by the time she met the third person, Lolth suddenly realized what the issue was.

Nine huge fish and an old turtle were swimming in the water orbs floating behind her.

Although many powerful people lived in this world, it was rare to see a real mage casting spells in a remote town like this. It was even rarer to see someone using water magic to transport fish—something that would be unusual even in a city in the clouds!

“Oh no, now I’ll definitely be seen as foolish!” Lolth groaned, feeling a bit helpless as she touched her forehead.

Of course, there didn’t seem to be much conflict between being a foolish lord and a good one. It just made her appear less reliable in the eyes of others.

Back at the torture tower, still feeling a little embarrassed, Lolth decided to cook all eight fish and distribute them to the residents in the town square, hoping to improve her image.

Perfect! Let’s see if our cooking, appreciated by nobles Tina and Isabella, will also be liked by the general public!

Thinking about serving the hardworking people of the town, Lolth decided to make the food bold and flavorful, with intense, fresh tastes.

Using magic, she killed the freshwater fish in the water orbs, drained their blood, and removed the scales, innards, and bones, setting them aside.

The turtle, luckily, was spared and kept in a water barrel for raising.

Lolth then went into the pantry’s walk-in fridge, where she took out the ingredients she needed from the mountain-like stacks of food. Chili peppers, pickled vegetables, tomatoes, potatoes, bean sprouts, pork belly slices, and various spices.

She planned to make tomato fish and pickled vegetable boiled fish.

Two types of tangy fish soup—one spicy and refreshing, the other rich and savory—would be excellent side dishes. Stewed with bean sprouts, potatoes, and pork belly slices, alongside steaming hot rice, Lolth believed the meal would impress the residents of Hillenbrand Town.

Soon, before the sun set, Lolth had finished preparing both kinds of fish soup.

After placing the two insulated iron barrels and covering them, Lolth used her magic to transport herself back to the central square, carrying a bucket of rice.

To her surprise, the stone tablet had already been raised upright!

Tina, dressed in a maid outfit, was directing a few young men who were cleaning up the debris and soil around the tablet, left over from the carving and erection process.

The stone tablet, about five meters high and two meters wide, displayed regulations carved in the common language of the continent, clearly visible from a distance.

“Not bad for efficiency…” Lolth remarked as she walked over, unable to resist complimenting them.

Hearing the praise, Tina turned around with a pleased expression.

“Of course! Master Lolth, these are the regulations you personally drafted! We had to get it done as soon as possible!”

The stone tablet had been set up quickly, and Tina certainly deserved some credit. The craftsmen were energized, especially with the help of the elf’s magical spells.

“There’s no need to rush. It’s important to balance work and rest,” Lolth said, taking out three large iron barrels from her magic bag and placing them on the ground in the square. Then she took out a white horn and switched it to town-wide broadcast mode. “Alright, everyone take a break now. Today’s work ends here!”

Her voice echoed through all of Hillenbrand once again.

“To celebrate the completion of the law stone tablet in Hillenbrand Town, the lord will host a banquet in the central square. There will be free food for everyone to enjoy!”