The Devil's Cage

Kieran returned to Ai City that very night.

When he returned to the alleyway where Leaf Dining was, he couldn't help but take a deep breath.

The aroma of mutton! And without the stench!

The smell was pure meaty essence!

Kieran's spirit was lifted. The minotaur and horseman even started to drool a river.

"This is our new house? This is great! I like this place!" said the minotaur.

"I like this place too. It's better than I thought!" The horseman showed a smile.

"Stop copying me!" Minotaur scolded the horseman.

"You are copying me, you shameless ox-head!" The horseman turned around and mocked.

"What did you say, you ugly piece of horse-face?" The minotaur stepped up to argue.

Kieran didn't care about the little squabbles between his followers. He strode to the restaurant door and then went in.

Starbeck was waiting behind the counter in an apron, showing a smile when Kieran came in.

"I'm back," Kieran said when he saw Starbeck's smile.

"You want to eat something first or bathe? I have mutton stew and warm water ready."

Starbeck went around the counter and then took Kieran's coat off to hang it over the side, his eyes glued to Kieran the moment he came in.

As for the new company?

Starbeck saw them but didn't care.

No matter how scary the monsters were, Starbeck believed deeply that those who came in with Kieran were harmless.

"I'll eat first," Kieran said.

"Mm," Starbeck smiled and nodded. He went into the kitchen, and a while later, brought out a claypot.

Steam, carrying a fragrant aroma, came out of the steam hole.

When Starbeck lifted the lid, the smell filled the entire restaurant.

The tender, white mutton slices, which were crescent shaped, were arranged in the pot neatly.

Lush coriander, spring onions, and fresh chilli with a little goji berry were sprinkled on top as garnish.

The rich soup, which the mutton slices were simmered in, was still boiling.

Kieran took a deep breath, receiving a spoon from Starbeck, and tasted the soup first.

Fresh!

When the tip of his tongue came in contact with the soup, a shallow yet ungreased flavour spread on his tongue, followed by the taste of coriander, spring onions, cooking wine, bayleaf, anise, bell pepper, and chilli, appearing layer after layer.

It didn't feel out of place, it was woven smoothly with the soup, especially the goji berry, which added a little bit of sweetness to it.

After the first mouthful of soup, Kieran went for the second spoon and this time with a piece of mutton on top.

The mutton wasn't too dry or greasy, the tenderness just right, lifting Kieran's appetite.

He gobbled down all the mutton on the surface, the other ingredients like chinese yam, carrot, and glass noodles revealed underneath.

The chinese yam was soft, the carrots retained a little crunchiness and the glass noodles was smooth.

Kieran didn't use the chopsticks, he picked the claypot up and shovelled everything into his mouth with the spoon.

After this pot was emptied out, Starbeck came out with the second.

Two more buns appeared in his hand and were handed out to the monster duo.

"I've made some mutton oil buns with the leftovers of the mutton stew, if you don't mind…"

"DON'T MIND!"

The minotaur and horseman grabbed the buns and tossed it into their mouths.

When they chewed on the bun, their expressions froze—DELICIOUS!

They had never eaten something this delicious!

The duo mostly ate raw meat throughout their lives, roasting some other monsters once in a while, but had never really cooked food before. Starbeck's cooking instantly conquered their hearts.

"I swear this is the life that I will be living!"

"This is great beyond words!"

The minotaur and horseman said one after another.

Elite Hound, who was lying down behind the counter, showed disdain for the duo's reaction.

Bunch of narrow-sighted clowns!

Elite Hound woke up, stretched, shook its fur, and then lowered its head to push it against Starbeck's leg, whimpers sounding.

"I did not forget about you. Hold on," Starbeck returned to the kitchen with a smile.

He then brought out another basin of cooked lamb bones.

The bones of the spine had tendons and meat attached and it instantly attracted glimmering gazes from the monster duo.

Although they were poured into the dog bowl, the duo didn't mind eating from it.

The Elite Hound felt the lousy thoughts from the duo, turning to them and baring its fangs. The other five Hounds came out from the corners too and were looking at the minotaur and horseman with cautious hostility.

The minotaur and horseman didn't care about the five little 'puppies', but their faces were heavier when they looked at the Elite Hound. They felt this particular Hound was different from the others, but will it be the reason for them to give up on the food?

"Come, come, it's time to eat."

"I still have some buns left, anyone wants a refill?"

Just when the minotaur and horseman were cracking their fingers, Starbeck called his 'guardian hound' back and then offered the monster duo more buns.

"YES!" The two of them nodded repeatedly.

"Then sit down. I'll be right back," Starbeck said.

"Okay!"

The duo behaved like children in nursery school, sitting down straight and waiting patiently.

Starbeck brought out two big tray of buns

The buns piled up like a little hill and were placed in front of the minotaur and horseman.

"You're welcome," Starbeck smiled.

The two did not hold back either, they grabbed the buns with both their hands and tossed it into their mouths.

Starbeck wasn't even startled when he saw how quickly the two ate, he was used to such eating speed by always being around Kieran.

Therefore, Starbeck brought out two more trays of buns and even provided them two bowls of lamb soup, leftovers from Kieran's lamb stew.

The two monsters didn't care, they were very happy to eat anything that Starbeck brought them.

Starbeck smiled and sat back on his chair behind the counter, touching the Elite Hound's head, who was munching on the bones. He then glanced over the two monsters, who lost themselves in the buns, and ultimately shifted his gaze at Kieran, who was still gobbling down the food.

There wasn't any verbal communication, but a single gaze made Starbeck happy.

Starbeck loved what he had right now. There was no need to fake it, no need to pretend to be something that he resented.

As long as he could cook well, people would admire him and his talent.

What else was better than that?

Being admired by Kieran.

Munching and slurping filled the quiet restaurant, undoubtedly making the food tastier. Starbeck poured a glass of water for Kieran after he finished another pot and was finally full.

"I've put some lemon and mint inside, it will cure the oiliness," Starbeck said.

"Mm," Kieran nodded and drained every drop of the water.

He then stood up, grabbed the apron he had hung at the side of the counter, and brought the empty dishes inside the kitchen.

The minotaur and horsemen were stunned for a second before they copied what Kieran did: they brought their own trays and bowl into the kitchen.

The manners struck a sense of danger in the Elite Hound's heart, as if its master was there to clean up its bowl and it hadn't noticed until now.

Too careless!

The Elite Hound's heart sank. It quickly held the empty bowl in its mouth and walked into the kitchen.

The spacious kitchen was crowded by the amount of people, but Starbeck watched the scene with a smile.

Kieran was only gone for a couple of days, but for Starbeck, it was years of torture.

Now?

Everything had returned to normal.

Ding Dong!

The bell rang and Song Shi, the eldest daughter of Song Shi Family, walked in.

"Food! I want food!" Song Shi cried out loud.

"We only have lamb soup and some buns."

Starbeck showed a very polite smile to his regular customer.

"Lamb soup and buns it is."

Song Shi pulled out a stack of money, as always, and placed it on the table.

Soon, her food was served.

Song Shi dug in without any concern for her image as a lady.

Even when she saw Kieran and the two monsters come out from the kitchen, she did not stop.

Food was more important than Kieran, period.

After a dozen buns went down her stomach, Song Shi, the food grinder, finally slowed down.

"Phew! I am alive! Do you know, Roye, I lived some inhumane days in Ring City! Aside from the danger and worries, I had nothing to eat! Now, come to think of it, I do not want to live that kind of life for a single day for the rest of my life!" Song Shi exclaimed.

Her words immediately attracted resonance from the minotaur and horseman.

"That's right! Those days in Ring City were inhumane! I will never go back! It's like some rural village troubled by poverty!" said the minotaur and horseman, even the Elite Hound nodded in acknowledgement.

'Right, you two are some short-sighted clowns.'

After the comment on the two monsters, Elite Hound wagged its tail and then laid down in front of the kitchen entrance, closing its eyes as though it fell asleep instantly.

The monster duo obviously sensed the contempt from the Elite Hound, but they held back their urge to start a fight when they saw Starbeck.

They were not too familiar with the people and the new place, yet they ate people's food and at first glance, they knew the cook had an unusual relationship with their boss.

They couldn't simply start a fight!

They were planning to stay for a while, mixing around a little more to observe the situation before they made any rash moves.

Just like how they robbed carts and convoys back in Ring City, they never failed for so long because they knew themselves as well as their target.

Kieran didn't care about the little thoughts of his followers, he sat back down in his place and looked at Song Shi.

"I have a business proposal, I was wondering if Song Shi Family would be interested," Kieran asked.

"Business? The convoy you robbed from Ring City?" Song Shi asked.

"Mm. I want to exchange all of those Crossing Coins, items, and equipment for Crossing Gold Coins," Kieran said frankly. Song Shi knew what had happened, so he had no reasons to hide it from her.

"Sure," Song Shi nodded.

She then frowned and continued in a softer voice, "The explosion in Ring City, is that your handy work?"

"No! I really wanted to, but Victor beat me to it. If it wasn't for my sensitivity towards danger that I had cultivated in the mountains, we both would have drowned in the Reek River," Kieran shook his head certainly.

"I am eating! Don't you dare mention that place!" Song Shi grumbled.

The Reek River, with a stench that rivaled feces, really toppled her appetite.

A major reason why she never wanted to go back to Ring City was because of the Reek River.

"Not talking about it doesn't mean it doesn't exist…like Victor."

Kieran switched the topic back to Victor.

"Victor? Don't tell me you want to go after him too?" Song Shi paused and looked at Kieran with some doubt.

"Why not? He did steal a hundred years of treasures from Ring City," Kieran replied.

"If you know he stole the treasures from Ring City, do you know how many eyes are on him right now?" Song Shi frowned.

"I can imagine," Kieran replied.

"No! It's beyond your imagination! If the Battle of Winter Night was dangerous, this pursuit of Victor will be lethal! What we went through in Ring City is like child's play compared to this! The Battle of Winter Night was only participated by a portion of youngsters representing each of the mystical factions, but this hunt will involve the whole mystical world!" Song Shi raised her volume.

Kieran didn't answer her this time, quietly taking a sip of water.

Song Shi sighed when she saw Kieran's reaction.

"I don't care what you want to do, but don't you dare bring Roye into your business!"

"Roye is…"

"Wait a freaking moment! You said all that right into my face, are you trying to ask me to take care of Roye for you?! You twisted bastard! You can just tell me to take care of him frankly, no need for so many detours!"

Song Shi looked at Kieran with realization on her face, thinking she had seen through Kieran's intention and stood in front of him with her hands on her waist, waiting for Kieran's reply.

"You can leave after you have had your meal, we are closing early today," Kieran chased her off.

Her self-assumed thought remained unchanged, but she wasn't unhappy when Kieran chased her out. Instead she chuckled.

"Mian Yi will deal with you tomorrow morning. Of course, if you really want me to take care of Roye for you…"

"Thank you very much, please come again."

Before Song Shi could finish, Kieran pushed her out of the restaurant and grabbed the little blackboard back before shutting the door on her.

"You two, go pick an empty room on the second floor."

Kieran told the monsters before he gave a meaningful gaze at Starbeck, then headed down to the basement.

Bloody Mary the Superior Demon had been waiting.

"Boss," Bloody Mary bowed.

Bloody Mary then walked into the room that it stayed in, moving the junk and abandoned goods aside to reveal stairs leading further down.

Bloody Mary walked down and Kieran followed.

More than 15 minutes later, they finally saw the end of the stairs.

Du was standing there.

"My lord."

The scaley monster saluted Kieran with utmost respect and then pushed the stone door open.

Golden radiance shone brightly and dazzlingly.

It was finally time to count the spoils.