The Paladin in the Abyss

After leaving the Mercenary Hall, the group first went to the market, where they purchased some ingredients and red wine, and they also picked up the "Turn Wine into Blood" Spell Scroll that Kalalin had ordered previously for the little vampire maid.

They returned to Hagrid Manor in the evening. Isabella was still asleep, but she had done her duty and tidied up the room very cleanly.

As soon as Bruto entered, he threw himself onto the sofa in the living room and soon after, snores could be heard.

Kalalin headed straight to his room to examine the newly acquired scroll. Based on his estimation, little Isabella would soon experience withdrawal symptoms if she continued without fresh blood.

Lancelot took out a tenderloin of shark lizard meat from the Dimensional Bag. After an exciting and fruitful battle, it was time to reward the team members with a delicious meal.

He was not skilled in cooking, but his years of field combat had provided him with a wealth of experience in handling various kinds of meat.

The shark lizard tenderloin was quietly lying on top of the Cold Iron Ore. The feel of that part during the dissection had convinced Lancelot that it would definitely taste good. The tenderloin was firm and resilient, with a marbling of fat resembling snowflakes between the dense muscle fibers, emitting a faint scent of meat—it would be surprising if it weren't tasty.

Lancelot decided to go with pan-frying, as almost no kind of meat would turn out bad with that method.

He took off his sword belt, shed his armor, and put on an apron that Isabella usually wore when working, which he took from the kitchen wall. He cut about five pounds from the meat, enough for eight ordinary humans to eat, but Barrend would be joining them soon, so Lancelot decided to make a rather aggressive estimate of the dwarf's appetite.

The remaining meat and the Cold Iron Ore were put away in a large cupboard in the kitchen. He also threw in a couple of frost crystals, which could turn water into ice in low temperatures. The cold would slow down the spoilage of food, a very practical knowledge that the Elves had taught the Rebel Army.

He first washed off the ore dust on the meat with clean water, and then placed the meat on a chopping board lined with absorbent parchment. Before slicing the meat, he used the back of his knife to tenderize the muscle fibers, ensuring a tender texture once the steak was cooked.

With a little use of True Qi, the originally stiff meat soon became as soft as a girl's waist. He then rubbed a layer of salt and black pepper onto the surface, along with some other spices highly recommended by Kalalin, and set the meat aside to marinate.

This small amount of powder had cost him ten Gold Coins at the market district, which Lancelot found rather painful. Considering their situation where they could die at any moment, he thought it best not to regard money too heavily whenever there was a chance to enjoy oneself.

After the preparations were done, Lancelot started to prepare the sauce to pour over the meat. He opened a bottle of red wine and took a small taste, very satisfied with the smooth palate of the wine that had cost them thirty Gold Coins. He then poured all the red wine into the pot and lit the stove, waiting patiently for the wine to boil.

5 minutes later, the dark red liquid began to bubble, and Lancelot added a handful of sugar cubes he had prepared earlier. The ratio of red wine to sugar was about two to one, the golden ratio for barbeque sauce.

Right then, there was a knock at the door; Barrend had arrived. Lancelot turned down the heat and ran to let the old dwarf in.

"Good evening, Sir Lancelot." Barrend glanced at Bruto, who was sound asleep on the sofa, and didn't bother to wake him. The performance of Bruto in this adventure had far exceeded his expectations, making him realize that he had been too harsh on him in the past. Bruto was a real warrior, and his future was not by the anvil, at least not until his thirst for adventure was quenched.

"How's the blacksmith shop?" Lancelot invited Barrend to sit down on the chair next to the sofa and then returned to the stove in the kitchen.

"The ores are already in the forge; melting Cold Iron requires a bit of patience. Adrick and Adbeke brothers are keeping an eye on it. The first batch of material won't be ready until this time tomorrow. After that, it's going to be really busy."

"Haha, can I reserve a Great Sword? You saw what happened to the last one; it got crushed by that monster in one bite." Lancelot checked that the sugar was completely dissolved, turned off the heat, and poured the prepared sauce into a large bowl. "Thinking about it makes me mad. I'll have to eat more later to relieve my anger."

"Heh, no problem at all! Any special requests?"

"Just make it the same size as my old one," said Lancelot as he put a large lump of butter into the pot, watching it slowly melt in the high temperature, "and if possible, make it a bit heavier."

"Are you sure?" Barrend sized up the decorations in the living room. "Most great swords are designed to be as light as possible, aren't they?"

"Well, you know about my bloodline power," Lancelot said, gradually cranking up the heat to make the oil in the pot get hotter. "This weapon will be used specifically against enormous enemies, so I need enough destructive power."

"Understood, leave it to me."

A deep red gemstone flew into Barrend's hands.

"A ruby!" the old dwarf exclaimed. "It's so big!"

"Please don't refuse, we've already discussed this topic last time."

Barrend struggled to take his eyes off the gemstone, opened his mouth, and finally just said,

"I'll bring my highest level of craftsmanship to it."

"I'm very much looking forward to it."

With the oil now at the right temperature, Lancelot laid the steak in the pot, and with a sizzle, the aroma of meat immediately filled the whole room, causing Bruto on the couch to sit up with a start.

"Wow! What smells so good! Oh, old man, you're already here." The young dwarf dashed over to Lancelot, eyes fixed on the steak in the pot. "I didn't see it coming. When will you show Tijana how to do this?"

No sooner had he spoken than he noticed Lancelot's expression suddenly stiffen.

Then a familiar voice sounded from behind the dwarf.

"What is it you want to show me?"

Lancelot had just sensed an anomaly in the space, and Tijana appeared in the living room. As the mistress of Twin Bridges Town, she could use portals to appear anywhere in town at will.

Her wings were not visible behind her, probably under the effects of some kind of transformation magic. For now, she looked like an ordinary human female.

No, she didn't look ordinary at all. Lancelot had to admit in his heart that mortals couldn't possess such lethal beauty, and he almost let a piece of steak burn.

"Good evening, my lady," Lancelot said, spreading his hands, one with a kitchen knife and the other with a spatula, and nodded to Tijana. "What brings you here?"

"What are you doing?" Tigana asked, staring wide-eyed at Lancelot in his pink apron, blurting out before adding, "I came looking for Barrend."

"He's right behind you, I'm making dinner for everyone," Lancelot said, pointing at Barrend, then skewered a shark lizard steak as a gesture, "Um, would you like to join us?"

"It smells delicious," a gentle female voice piped up. The vampire maid crawled out of the basement. "Ah! We have guests! I-I-I, I'll go make some tea!"

"What's all this?" Tigana burst out, "Where did you pick up another girl to bring home?"