Chapter 166

Chapter 166
## Chapter 166: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

Lion cast a glance outside before pulling off his protective gloves.

While they were helpful for working with fire, bare hands offered far better dexterity when prepping raw ingredients.

“Let’s see here…”

There was significantly more on his plate than he had initially anticipated.

After scrubbing his hands meticulously at the basin, Lion washed the grains and carefully reserved the cloudy rinse water.

‘When actual anchovy broth isn’t available, this works wonders.’

That milky rice wash would make an exceptional foundation for almost any soup.

He transferred the clean grains into a pot and left them to soak for a moment.

While cooking them immediately was an option, he was preparing pot rice after quite a long hiatus, so he wanted to put in a little extra care.

‘People always say adding a splash of oil to the rice helps these days…’

He recalled hearing that it gave every single grain a glossy sheen.

Since the dish he had in mind today was quintessential home-style comfort food, he decided to keep things straightforward and traditional.

Besides…

His cooking skills were already decent, but hadn’t his innate culinary talent elevated his sense of taste even further?

Combined with top-tier ingredients, even a modest amount of effort would yield the rich, savory flavor of a masterfully prepared homemade meal.

Gulp!

Lion swallowed the saliva that pooled automatically in his mouth.

‘Nothing cures an empty stomach quite like home cooking.’

That deep, enduring satisfaction from a hearty bowl of rice—filling an empty void that takeout or restaurant food could never quite touch.

A single spoonful prepared with genuine care for oneself within the quiet sanctuary of home!

Hasn’t everyone experienced that feeling at least once?

Eating a slightly oversized portion of rice, side dishes, and stew, then leaning back with a contented sigh, muttering, ‘Ah. Now I remember what it feels like to be alive.’

That blissful sensation of your entire body melting into a cozy exhaustion, shifting past mere warmth into a comforting, radiant heat!

It serves as a brief, precious escape from the grueling and unjust hardships of the world, letting you reclaim your inner peace.

Home-cooked meals offered that exact brand of steadfast comfort.

Some might scoff, calling it nothing more than an ordinary meal, but to Lion, it meant everything.

And hadn’t he come to understand something else as well?

The simple joy of cooking for others.

“…Well, it’s a bit of both, I suppose.”

Still, wouldn’t sharing the meal together be the ideal scenario?

Lion trimmed the fresh green onion, sliced away the roots, and set them beside the reserved rice water.

Then…

“Hmm.”

He fixed a steady gaze on the purple carrot.

While shaped like a standard carrot, its deep pigmentation looked remarkably similar to a beet.

He knew from experience that incorporating this would bring profound depth to the broth.

‘The catch is that if I handle it wrong, it’s going to be a complete visual disaster.’

Vigorous, highly colored vegetables tended to bleed their hues heavily into liquids.

If he tossed in too much…

‘It’ll turn into a bowl of purple sludge.’

Naturally, whether bean sprout soup ended up clear or purple wouldn’t change its fundamental nature, but he preferred to avoid colors that actively discouraged an appetite.

“First… maybe I should slice a piece and test the flavor?”

Lion cut a clean section of the purple carrot and popped a tiny morsel into his mouth.

Crunch!

Alongside the crisp, earthy freshness of the vegetable, an intense wave of salinity hit his palate, as if someone had dumped coarse salt straight onto a raw carrot.

“Hmm…”

Lion pulled a curious face at the ambiguous flavor profile, which was neither entirely pleasant nor entirely bad.

As he chewed it a bit longer…

“Oh?”

The taste shifted dramatically!

Where it had initially tasted like a raw garden vegetable, a rich, unidentified savory note suddenly blossomed.

Lion knew that profile instantly.

That savory depth, combined with the natural umami and saltiness, could only mean one thing…

‘Soy sauce?’

Strangely enough, the longer he worked the salted carrot between his teeth, the more distinct the flavor of aged soy sauce became!

At that revelation, Lion’s eyes lit up.

Soy sauce!

‘I was genuinely stressing over how to season the broth without actual soy sauce, but this solves everything!’

The only obstacle was the carrot’s stubborn purple pigment, but a straightforward solution was already forming in his mind.

All he needed to do was mince the salted carrot finely, add a touch of water, and reduce it down!

Boiling usually turned purple pigments toward a rich brown tone, meaning this unique carrot held genuine potential.

Furthermore, reducing it would erase the raw vegetable taste entirely, making it an ideal substitute for liquid soy sauce.

Lion immediately put the strategy into motion.

First, he poured a very shallow layer of water into a pan and set it over the heat.

The thin layer of water boiled away rapidly in a flurry of bubbles, preventing the minced carrots from scorching against the metal.

Just to be safe, he kept the mixture moving with a spatula.

While carrots normally demanded a long cooking time, chopping them down to a fine mince and subjecting them to high heat caused them to break down and soften almost instantly.

Once the moisture had completely vanished, leaving only the concentrated carrot paste behind, he scooped up a tiny bit to test.

“…!”

Just as he anticipated. No, the depth of flavor surpassed his expectations, resembling the authentic soy sauce from an old, traditional estate.

The harsh raw edge had vanished, replaced by a surge of pure umami.

He could still catch a faint, refreshing crispness unique to fresh produce beneath it all…

“This is insane.”

Muttering to himself in disbelief, Lion gathered the cooked carrot paste, wrapped it neatly inside a piece of cloth, and wrung out the liquid.

A thick, dark brown extract dripped steadily from the fabric.

Though the volume was modest, it was authentic soy sauce through and through!

‘Once I get back home, I’m tracking down those carrot seeds first.’

Or perhaps, given how useful they were, he should acquire a batch to cultivate directly within the labyrinth?

Lost in that thought, Lion pulled out the generous heap of bean sprouts he had gathered earlier.

“Look at that. They’re in pristine condition.”

Given that they originated from Easter’s warehouse—or mart, rather—he had anticipated a high grade of quality.

He simply hadn’t inspected them closely during the initial harvest.

Now that he was actively prepping them, however, they looked even better than expected!

The sprout heads were entirely free of papery husks, and the stems grew uniformly straight without a tangled mess in sight…

‘Trimming these is going to be effortless.’

Unlike standard market bean sprouts, these rapidly cultivated specimens came with their lower roots entirely detached, eliminating the need to prune them individually!

All he had to do was grab a handful and slice off the remaining base in a single motion with his knife.

After a couple of quick cuts, he dropped them into a basin of fresh water to rinse away any lingering debris, and the prep work was complete.

“They really are top quality.”

Lion finished prepping the remaining components, set the rice pot over the burner, and dropped the reserved rice water and green onion roots into the soup kettle to boil.

Once the green onion essence infused the liquid thoroughly, he fished out the roots, topped up the water level, and added the bean sprouts to adjust the density.

Then, he brought the mixture to a rolling boil over high heat.

While certain cooking protocols called for covering the pot to trap the initial fishy aromas, Lion chose to leave the lid off entirely.

If the pot boiled over with a lid sealed tightly in place, wouldn’t he be forced to crack it open halfway through anyway?

‘Though some claim it doesn’t make much of a functional difference…’

Lifting and replacing the lid mid-boil tended to lock in and intensify that distinct, unwanted smell, so he preferred keeping it uncovered from the start.

Besides, he needed to monitor whether the bean sprouts’ color would actually shift as they cooked.

Bubbling vigorously…!

As a few minutes ticked by, the vibrant hue of the sprouts gradually mellowed into a classic, familiar shade.

The stems turned a translucent, glossy white, while the heads took on a soft, pale yellow tint reminiscent of a hard-boiled egg!

True to form, the broth beneath remained clear and milky white, untainted by the vegetable’s original pigmentation.

‘Phew!’

Lion let out a quiet breath of relief and moved on to seasoning the soup.

He added a measured pinch of salt followed by a splash of his freshly crafted carrot soy sauce.

Next came…

“Naturally, garlic is non-negotiable.”

Lion retrieved a spicy fruit from his storage inventory.

Standard garlic would have worked, but the pulp of this particular fruit carried a far superior flavor profile.

He minced the spicy fruit finely and tossed it into the pot.

A few seeds were ground down lightly on a grater and dusted over the surface as a final touch.

Lastly, to introduce a clean, sharp edge of heat, he sliced in a fresh hot chili pepper…

“Ah, this is going to be phenomenal.”

Pepper, garlic, and chili pepper combined.

The assembly of the three great appetite stimulants was almost too much to resist.

He felt a sudden urge to dig right in with a bowl of rice… but forced himself to exercise restraint.

The meal wasn’t finished yet.

“For now, keep the soup on a gentle simmer…”

Lion dialed down the burner under the soup and pulled out a wide skillet.

He didn’t forget to adjust the heat beneath the pot rice simultaneously.

The soup and rice were practically ready, but the cornerstone of the meal was still missing.

That meant the side dish.

“Heh heh…”

He had a foolproof, exceptionally delicious side dish in mind—one that even people who despised bean sprouts would devour.

Namely, Spicy Stir-fried Bean Sprouts and Pork.

He had uncovered a magnificent cut of meat tucked away in the warehouse’s refrigerated section.

Specifically…

“Having a magic utility tool that slices meat to exact specifications is a blessing!”

An automated meat slicer!

It could divide fresh raw meat into any precise thickness he desired, down to paper-thin sheets.

‘Stir-frying bean sprouts directly in rendered pork fat is always a winning combination.’

And if you loaded the pan with an abundance of meat rather than a miserly amount, how could it possibly fail?

Even though he had finished a fantastic brunch not long ago, his stomach began to rumble in protest.

Lion picked up his pace slightly.

Truth be told, making Spicy Stir-fried Bean Sprouts and Pork was a remarkably straightforward process.

‘You essentially toss everything into the pan together and keep it moving.’

It might sound careless at first glance, but one bite would instantly dispel any doubts.

He began by piling the bean sprouts and meat high into a preheated skillet, forming a small mountain.

The meat hit the hot surface with an immediate, satisfying sizzle as rendered fat began to pool around it.

The surrounding bean sprouts greedily absorbed that rich oil as they cooked.

While the ingredients fused together, he quickly turned his attention to the seasoning paste.

He scooped a generous mound of chili powder into a bowl of the salted carrot soy sauce, pushing the proportion to an aggressive level.

Since traditional bean paste wasn’t available, leaning heavily on chili powder worked as an ideal substitute.

…Though the Second Prince wouldn’t have any trouble handling that, would he?

‘He drinks heavily, so he can probably tolerate spicy food just fine.’

Even if it proved a bit much, the milky bean sprout soup would easily soothe his tongue, rendering any issue moot.

Rikshel possessed a far higher tolerance for spice than he initially let on.

Lion gave an approving nod, whisking in a bit of sugar, minced spicy fruit, crushed chili seeds for lingering warmth, and a spoonful of cooking wine.

The moment the seasoning mixture came together, he poured it directly over the sizzling bean sprouts and tossed the entire contents vigorously.

Subjected to the intense heat, the ingredients developed an authentic, unintended smoky char.

The thick paste, initially clumpy and unmixed, dissolved smoothly the moment moisture released from the collapsing bean sprouts.

And then…

“Oh, wow…”

A wave of rich, mouth-watering aroma drifted straight into his nostrils.

It was that distinct, appetite-awakening scent of caramelized seasoning reacting to high flame!

‘Even though I’m the one cooking it, this is genuinely impressive.’

Lion kept the mixture moving with his spatula to prevent any scorching, tossed in a handful of chopped green onions, and finished it off with a dusting of finely minced catnip right before cutting the heat.

He dipped a spoon in for a quick final taste test to ensure nothing was missing…

“…”

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Indeed. This was it.

This was the exact flavor profile!

You know those rare moments, right?

When you cook something and catch yourself thinking, “Wait, did a certified genius make this?” simply because it tastes too good to be true.

That was precisely the category this Spicy Stir-fried Bean Sprouts and Pork fell into.

The satisfying crunch of the bean sprouts paired with the tender chew of the pork filled his senses completely.

Was that all? The lingering sweet-and-spicy kick danced actively across his tongue.

Meanwhile, the bean sprout soup—initially poured with a slightly generous hand—had reduced down to a concentrated, flawless consistency while he managed the stir-fry, and lifting the lid of the rice pot revealed a row of gleaming, perfect grains.

“All right, then.”

Time to pack it up!

Do you know the exact reason he chose Spicy Stir-fried Bean Sprouts and Pork as the centerpiece side dish?

Because the flavor deepens and magnifies exponentially once it cools down slightly and the rich seasoning fully penetrates the ingredients.

And with that final touch, “Lion’s Delivery Home-Cooked Meal” was officially complete.