Chef in the Apocalypse

Jayce opened the door to what would be his home for the next 12 months. The place was spacious with simple furniture, yet it suited his tastes just perfectly.

The bedroom was equipped with two kinds of arrays. From his rudimentary knowledge of arrays, he could make the assumption that one was a detection array, similar to an alarm system while the other was a Qi gathering array.

His eyes widened upon seeing the Qi gathering array. The Qi was already dense this close to the heart of the Volcano, so with this array he would essentially be doubling his cultivation speed if he were to use this every day.

Add on the spirit stones that he would be receiving as a stipend from the Vermilion Flame Sect and his cultivation should be able to skyrocket in the next 12 months as long as he didn’t encounter any bottlenecks.

Jayce continued to walk around the place, eventually stumbling upon the kitchen area. While it was a far cry from what he was used to back on modern Earth, he had cooked in far less savory places.

There was something of a chest located in the kitchen which he curiously opened. A cold rush of air came out upon opening the lid, surprising him greatly.

"Is this like a fridge?" He exclaimed in surprise.

The chest was packed with some unidentified meats and other condiments, piquing his curiosity greatly. Jayce pulled out a few things, placing them atop the bench.

At the bottom of the chest, he saw a spirit stone or what he knew as a mana stone surrounded by a small array.

"This must be what is producing the cold air." Jayce muttered.

It was a simple looking array, but it greatly impressed him. This would have been very useful on Earth, especially after they could not use the system or access the inventory.

Once he had retrieved a few things, he closed the lid of the chest and looked around once more. He had no salt or spices, let alone rice to pair with the meats he had selected to cook. While he could probably make do with this, Jayce really felt like rice.

"If this is like Ancient China, there should definitely be rice around here."

He browsed the cupboards within the kitchen, hoping to find a miracle.

"Bingo!" Jayce almost cried out in joy as he came across a bronze container which was packed to the brim with rice. He had not eaten since before he flew over to Russia before the battle had commenced.

He then found a few different sized woks and pots packed away in one of the cupboards.

"It’s time to get cooking." Jayce said with a smile.

In the center of the residence there was a courtyard equipped with a gorgeous garden and even some small ponds. The surroundings were beginning to light up from the sun who had finally decided to grace them with its presence.

Jayce decided he would cook in the courtyard, to avoid the smell of the food being stuck in the house. As he brought his equipment outside, he saw a bunch of herbs in the garden.

"Lucky~"

He tried a few, getting an approximate flavor profile for each of them. While they were not the same herbs that were on Earth, they were similar enough that he could confidently construct a meal without any issues.

Soon enough, Jayce had his rice boiling and was heating up his wok. The meat he had chosen seemed similar to beef yet with a lot more fat. Although he had not had it before, the marbling resembled wagyu.

The sound of chopping rang out within the courtyard, creating a serene atmosphere along with the rising sun and the rippling of the ponds and water features.

Jayce’s mind began to wander, mainly to his companions who he had been separated from on Earth. Lianna, Colin, Jackie, Ben, Amber, Heath, Macie. Their faces appeared in his mind one by one, filling him with a sense of loneliness.

"I wonder if they’re doing okay." He thought wistfully.

***

Within another residence in the Core Disciples area, a woman sat in the lotus position, deep in meditation. The Qi was so thick that it was almost visible in the air as it danced around her body before being absorbed.

Xia let out a breath of turbid air after completing her round of cultivation. She stood up gracefully, adorned in a bright crimson robe which clung to her voluptuous figure.

Her long black hair was tied into a traditional Chinese bun, revealing her soft and pretty features. Were it not for the powerful aura which was emanating from her, one might mistake her for a beautiful and defenseless woman.

"What is that amazing smell?"

Xia lifted her head and began to smell the air, her eyebrows knitting together. There was a delicious fragrant scent that had permeated the surroundings.

’Are the servants making food?’ She thought, feeling her stomach grumble loudly in response.

She left her residence almost in a trance, heading towards the source of the smell. With her heightened senses, Xia was able to pinpoint the exact place where it was coming from.

"Isn’t that residence empty?" She muttered, tilting her head in thought.

"Is it a new disciple? But I haven’t heard any announcements..." Xia pondered for a while before deciding to make her way over anyway. Worst case scenario she could just say she had come to introduce herself.

Knock Knock

"Huh? Did Elder Ji return?" Jayce’s attention moved to the front door of his residence from which he heard the knocking.

He placed the wok ladle down and headed to the door before opening it.

"Um, hello." A cute and feminine voice sounded out.

Jayce saw the beautiful woman which looked to be straight out of Ancient China with her soft features and jade white skin staring back at him. She was rather short, however her figure had curves in all the right places.

After blinking a few times, Jayce closed the door abruptly and headed back out to the courtyard. Nothing good would come out of associating with a beautiful woman that was not his own.

’Damn, that was close.’ He thought, feeling his heart beating fast in his chest.