Chapter 274: Flawless Development

Chapter 274: Flawless Development

“I’m the man of the house, I make the rules.” Zheng Yichen waved his hand dismissively and started handling the ingredients he’d prepared. He’d dug up many recipe books from the Library. But reading them was one thing; actually cooking was another. Maybe because he’d been doing nonstop research lately, Zheng Yichen couldn’t help but take his research approach to cooking. It felt…

Honestly, Zheng Yichen treated the ingredients less like food and more like lab specimens. If this method somehow produced tasty food, he figured he could enter some kind of bizarre cooking contest.

Still, habit became second nature. Zheng Yichen felt he was starting to figure out how to make things taste better through his… methods. Sure, it wasn’t real cooking anymore, but if it was delicious, did it matter? Maybe he’d even pioneer some kind of gourmet food magic later on… Wait… That actually sounded like a brilliant idea.

Zheng Yichen’s eyes narrowed slightly, a sharp gleam flashing in them. The Ghost Maid standing nearby with her hands on her hips, looking a little annoyed, took two small steps back. While the master’s daily habits were sometimes unreliable, he was undeniably genius at research and invention. Even the most knowledgeable Ghost Maid among them respected him for it.

Rumors even spread among them: Zheng Yichen knew they longed for a ‘body’. So someday, he’d likely succeed in researching an Alchemical Body usable by Ghost Maids. Even if it wasn’t his main project, he’d surely look into ways they could speak… Ghost Maids might be used to gesturing to communicate, but the chance to actually talk was a huge temptation.

“Huh? What’s with that look?” Zheng Yichen asked, noticing the Ghost Maid’s subtly evasive stare. She quickly swapped to an innocent, clueless expression. She grabbed ingredients from the fridge and started making the regular meal. The ingredients she took out were special, though—treated with Zheng Yichen’s blood.

He’d experimented: with Mana sustaining the fridge, his blood didn’t lose effectiveness. Without Mana, it just became ordinary Dragon Blood… Well, with the added perk of a much longer shelf life.

“So this is what you cook?” Dan Marina crossed her arms, skeptical as she eyed the unnaturally perfect, plastic-like dishes. It looked like one of those ‘picture for display only’ images—heavily altered!

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Zheng Yichen rubbed his hands together, admiring the food piled on a plate ten times the usual size.

“It’s beautiful, sure. But… is it edible?”

“Of course!” Zheng Yichen grabbed chopsticks as thick as sticks, plucked a huge piece of immaculately carved lean meat, stuffed it into his mouth, and crunched down. It looked like plastic, tasted like plastic… but self-made food earned extra tolerance. Even if awful, the ‘I made it’ label made it swallowable.

“…” Dan Marina chuckled at the sight, not touching the artfully assembled plate. As for the one in front of Loris… that was definitely custom-made. Trying to steal it likely meant getting punched. Thankfully, Zheng Yichen had the sense to have a Ghost Maid prepare a normal portion for his guest.

“Are dinners around here always… this quiet?” Dan Marina finally broke during the heavy silence.

“Something wrong with that?”

“It’s too gloomy!”

“Gloominess isn’t the problem. The problem is it’s impossible to liven up.” Zheng Yichen twirled his stick-thick chopsticks with a claw, sighing. Loris wasn’t the chatty type. Knowing her personality, Zheng Yichen couldn’t be a clown anyway—she wouldn’t play along.

“In that case… have you considered adding someone to brighten things?”

“!!?” What did she just say? That’s way too obvious! Zheng Yichen wasn’t stupid; her meaning was crystal clear. Loris’s expression instantly darkened. The chopsticks in her hand silently shattered into dust finer than powder. If she hadn’t retracted her hand quickly, the table might’ve followed.

She glared icy daggers at Dan Marina. Great. I never trusted you much before, and now you’re openly trying to steal someone from under me? Want to die? But… Zheng Yichen has that long-term project… Loris settled for annihilating just one pair of chopsticks.

“You can cook?” Zheng Yichen rolled his eyes.

“She can,” Loris answered before Dan Marina could speak. Zheng Yichen shot her a baffled look. When did they meet? Shouldn’t they have had no connection before me?

“That… dates way back,” Dan Marina mused, spinning her own chopsticks like she often did. (Chopsticks were another of Zheng Yichen’s inventions—simple, practical.) “I was young, back then. Someone tricked me, and it kickstarted his rise to Legend…”

“And then?” Zheng Yichen leaned in, intrigued. Getting one over on Dan Marina was rare. And ‘young’ could mean decades or centuries ago.

“Then he died,” Dan Marina shrugged casually, displaying the distinctive Witch-brand ruthlessness. Even the most gentle Witch had a cold streak mortals seldom understood. Their ‘normal’ selves only showed to those they knew intimately. Strangers? Forget it.

Even Zheng Yichen recently caught glimpses of Loris’s quirks—like walking into his room once to find her gently nuzzling his large pillow… He’d quickly backed out, wide-eyed. Had she noticed? He hadn’t seen her for the rest of that day.

“Oh? Got collared by the Sheng Tang Church then?”

“Could it be… that?” Zheng Yichen frowned. Being collared by Sheng Tang Church sounded suspiciously like a Witch’s ‘Curse’ situation—always meant trouble.

“Heh. If it was a real Curse, think I’d have lived long enough for us to meet?” Dan Marina smirked, though she flinched back slightly as cracks spiderwebbed across her plate. “He was cunning, and I was a bit naive back then. Fell for a scheme, not knowing he had a double trap laid with Sheng Tang Church… Ha! Too bad he underestimated me. Even with the Sanctuary Church backing him, his precious shield ended up crushing him.”

Oho? Classic borrowed-knife murder. That guy must’ve died choking on frustration—strong shield becomes your smothering pillow.

“Are you sure this wasn’t Sanctuary Church’s plan all along?” Zheng Yichen pressed after a pause.

Dan Marina’s expression froze briefly. She didn’t deny it, letting out a light sigh. “Pretty much. Looking back, Sanctuary Church planted plenty of seeds… Tch! My help back then sped up their growth significantly!”

“So despite sympathizing with you, no Witch feels friendly toward you now,” Loris stated coldly. Dan Marina’s past naivety wasn’t stupidity; she’d kept crucial boundaries. Otherwise, it wouldn’t just be cold shoulders—more like constant assassination plots. Back then, they could’ve erased her, the Witch who could counter them flawlessly, before mutual distrust erupted.

“And you? No desire for payback?”

“Payback? Annoying them at most. Not worth it unless targeting Sanctuary Church’s core leadership,” Dan Marina explained. Low-level members did enormous, genuine good for the Continent. She wasn’t some oppressed lunatic seeking cosmic vengeance—tormenting innocents lowered her way below her standards. She enjoyed games, yes, but wasn’t desperate or cruel enough for indiscriminate harm.

“Honestly… if Sanctuary Church collapsed, the fallout would be catastrophic.” Dan Marina spoke earnestly now. Sanctuary Church kept countless dark elements suppressed or eradicated. Though they targeted Witches, their overall impact was massive. Dan Marina, having spent years undercover within them, knew best: mostly selfless, despite hidden motives.

They were exactly what they appeared—a shining beacon. Rooted in integrity, unfazed by plots or conspiracies. Anyone attempting to undermine them wouldn’t meet Sanctuary Church’s retaliation first, but sheer outrage from common folk protecting their shield.

“Unbeatable, really.” Zheng Yichen scratched his bare Dragon’s scalp. “With all that, they don’t need dirty tricks against you Witches. Just march in openly.”

Persecution? With Sanctuary Church’s policies—rarely harming stability, with no glaring faults—even that charge wouldn’t stick. Their ‘righteous virtue’ development… flawless. Try sneaky tactics? They were an unassailable mountain.

“It’s not just Witches. Every petty faction faces this headache. Their growth model is just… infuriating.” Dan Marina rested her chin gloomily. If they’d been internally rotten, she’d have shattered them effortlessly. Sanctuary Church? Impossible with all that public goodwill. Attack them = fight the masses. Even massive Empires sensed their influence but limited themselves to cold-shouldering tactics—no bloody plots. That’s the power marrying massive might to righteous virtue. No comparison to plainly evil empires fueled purely by terror. Those fall apart once fear wanes. Sanctuary Church? Even weakened, public support ensured endless rebounds. Facing that kind of foe… The more Zheng Yichan saw, the less he wanted to engage.

“This development model… some genius thought it up,” Zheng Yichen marveled.

Dan Marina gave a humorless chuckle. “Doesn’t matter who started it. Maintaining its core purpose this long is their greatest feat!”

Time eroded everything. But Sanctuary Church had become virtually decay-proof—frighteningly stable. Zheng Yichen frowned anxiously before shaking it off with a sigh. Fine. If they keep protecting the world, let them be. Didn’t his ‘Black Moon Project’ arise precisely because he couldn’t shake their roots? ‘I defy the heavens’? Eh. Good to bolster conviction, but not meant for stubborn, pointless battles against unbeatable forces. Changing tactics was pragmatic… within limits. He’d shift his approach… until pushed too far. Then it’d be a fight to the utter, mutual end. Respect worked both ways.

“Tch! We’re eating! Why’d you have to drop all this hopeless talk? Eat!” Zheng Yichen waved his chopstick clubs emphatically.