Chapter 178 - The King and the General’s First Encounter (Part 2)

When Lu Ran returned from Limitless City #5, Xia Ri was still practicing the Precise Spear Technique. He temporarily called her to a halt.

“Take a break and switch to another training task for a change of pace.”

Xia Ri was speechless.

“It’s almost mealtime. Today, I want you to start practicing basic cooking using your spear intent.”

“How do I do that?” Xia Ri put away her spear and looked at Lu Ran in confusion. Lu Ran glanced at his phone, stepped out, and soon returned with a large bag.

“I’ve prepared some common ingredients for you to experiment with. “For example, this bag of pig eyes. You’ll use an iron skewer, imbue it with Dark Spear Intent, and pierce the eyes on it one by one. After that, you can head to the courtyard and roast them over the grill there.

“You’ll taste for seasoning as you cook. Since it’s Dark Cuisine, your Black Panther familiar should enjoy it as well. I suggest staying in a fusion state with your familiar while eating. It’ll help you experience your Dark Culinary Intent from a different perspective.”

“I need to eat them too!?”

Xia Ri’s eyes twitched as she stared at the bag Lu Ran had opened. Inside, a pile of grotesque pig eyes stared back at her, sending shivers down her spine.

“Do I really have to eat them?” she asked.

“I can just roast them, unfuse, and then let the Black Panther eat them alone instead.”

“That’s not ideal,” Lu Ran said.

“Push through. Honestly, they’re pretty tasty. They’re a specialty snack from Guangxi!”

Xia Ri’s hands trembled slightly as she gripped her spear. She had initially assumed Dark Cuisine referred to dishes imbued with Dark Culinary Intent.

How had it turned into creepy cuisine? Roasting pig eyes...for people to eat?

She would rather eat fried insects than roasted pig eyes.

“Come on, you can do it. Once you’re proficient enough, I’ve got another Rare resource for you. It’s Dark Sea Octopus King eyes. I’ll personally manage the fire and teach you how to handle it; after that, all we need to do is ensure that your Dark Culinary Intent complements the cooking process.”

Lu Ran offered words of encouragement. The food supply for Dark Crow was counting on Xia Ri. If she could master Dark Culinary Intent, it would elevate the nutritional value of the octopus eyes significantly.

Right now, Lu Ran felt like a manipulative boss using psychological tricks on his employees. The harder Xia Ri worked, the more comfortable he would be.

“I’ll try my best...”

Xia Ri, a resolute spear-focused combatant, showed a rare expression of distress. Cooking seemed far more grueling than practicing her spear techniques. Moments later, with her nearly shattered morale, Xia Ri went to set up the grill, hauling the bag of pig eyes to the courtyard. Meanwhile, Lu Ran went off cheerfully to find Dark Crow.

“How’s it going, little crow? How does it feel to be hatching an egg?”

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The crow, holding a familiar egg, remained silent for a moment before replying in anguish, “My King, I’d rather train in sniping. This is so boring!”

“Keep your beak shut next time!” Lu Ran glared at the crow.

Good thing it was just Xia Ri this time. If it had been Dr. Gu, and the crow started spewing nonsense, Lu Ran felt like he’d have to strangle it.

“Go, go, go. Practice in the courtyard by yourself. Make sure not to hit the house. Just aim your projection skills at the sun. Oh, and the chef’s in the courtyard, grilling food. Once she’s done, you can try some and critique her work. Point out what doesn’t suit your taste and have her improve it.”

“You’re a wise ruler!” Dark Crow eagerly set the egg down and flew off to the courtyard.

Lu Ran shook his head, cradling the egg himself.

Egg, oh egg... Hatch quickly, please.

He was itching with curiosity about what the egg would produce. He’d even delayed his plans to enter the ascension realm for this.

[Name: Egg]

[Attribute: Unknown]

[Species: Unknown]

[Description: A special lifeform species, this egg possesses innate King Potential.]

Although the species was unknown, Lu Ran was now almost certain it would hatch into an elemental lifeform. This was because the ascension realm where the guild leader had broken through was located in the elemental world.

Apart from the guild leader, another first-generation beastmaster from England had been there. These were the only two individuals who had completed the mission in that world.

Both of them had been rewarded with familiar eggs. However, the species of the eggs appeared to be different. The English beastmaster’s egg had a yellow shell, while this egg from Xia had a white shell.

Moreover, the English beastmaster’s egg had already hatched, producing an Intermediate-King Species of Rock elemental lifeform.

Therefore, the chances were very high that Lu Ran’s egg would also produce an elemental lifeform. After all, both eggs had been obtained from the same world.

Of course, there was always a chance of exceptions. The elemental world did contain Common Transcendent Species, though they were not the majority. Still, the likelihood was heavily tilted toward a Unique elemental species.

“Please don’t overlap with my team’s existing familiars’ attributes,” Lu Ran prayed.

Unlike Fang Lan, who focused on a single extreme specialization, Lu Ran preferred a more diversified approach to handle different scenarios.

After all, most of the time, Lu Ran operated solo. If his familiars had a broader range of attributes, he would be less likely to encounter situations where he was at a disadvantage.

***

Meanwhile, as Xia Ri wrestled with the pig eyes, Dark Crow emerged from the house, perched on a rock, and began gazing at the sky. It gathered Crow Feather Arrows, preparing to shoot at the sun.

Whoosh!

The black energy of the Crow Feather Arrow ascended dozens of meters before dimming and dissipating rapidly...

“It’s shrinking. Under the sunlight, my Crow Feather Arrows are shrinking—” Dark Crow muttered to itself.

“

Ahem.

”

Nearby, Xia Ri couldn’t help but glance at this peculiar crow, trying to figure out what made it Lu Ran’s third familiar. Other than its ability to speak and its Rare Dark attribute, it didn’t seem particularly impressive in terms of strength.

“Hey, are you the one called Dark Crow?” Xia Ri asked while skewering a pig eye on an iron skewer, casually starting a conversation with the bird.

“Hm? Laziness is not a good habit!” Dark Crow exclaimed.

Seeing Lu Ran’s subordinate dare to slack off while cooking, it immediately launched into a lecture.

“Huh?” Xia Ri was taken aback.

“But yes, my name is indeed Dark Crow. You can call me General Dark Crow.”

With a flourish of its wings, Dark Crow performed a polite, gentlemanly bow.

This crow is so intelligent. Its wisdom seems almost on par with an adult human,

Xia Ri thought, marveling.

“How did you meet Lu Ran? And why do you call him your king?” Xia Ri asked, her curiosity prompting further questions.

However...

“Woman, you’ve crossed the line!”

Dark Crow’s pupils shrank, nearly turning dark with rage.

How dare she pry into such classified information?

“Is it a secret?” Xia Ri blinked, slightly taken aback.

Fine, never mind.

She was just curious as she just didn’t understand why Dark Crow and Lu Ran were so close even without a contract.

“It’s not really a secret.”

Dark Crow then fell into deep thought.

I suppose there’s no harm in sharing.

“Well, where do I even begin...”

Dark Crow’s thoughts drifted. The crow species was considered a symbol of misfortune in Xia, often shunned and despised by humans. Everywhere Dark Crow went, if it encountered humans, it was inevitably driven away.

Over time, it developed an instinctive fear of humans, fleeing at the first sight of them. That was until it met Lu Ran. Dark Crow vividly remembered the day of their first encounter.

It had been scavenging a piece of carrion in the back hills when Lu Ran appeared. Alarmed, the crow had been ready to abandon its meal and escape to avoid attack. But unexpectedly, Lu Ran’s voice penetrated its mind.

“Huh? A crow’s here? You actually look pretty cool. Hey, crow, want to become my lieutenant? I’ll get you better food. Why settle for carrion?

“Don’t ask who I am. Just call me King. I’m destined to become the King of Animals and the King of Beastmasters. Join me, and we’ll rise together!”

“Caw?”

Reflecting on Lu Ran’s delighted expression—so genuine, so free of rejection—Dark Crow knew then that Lu Ran was different from other humans. Some people were simply born to be kings, destined to shine in a brand-new era!

“What? You two met before the Spiritual Energy Revival?” Xia Ri was stunned.

And then...

“Pfft...”

She couldn’t hold back a laugh.

King of Animals? King of Beastmasters? What kind of nonsense was that? Was Lu Ran really this much of a show-off back in the day? Although, I guess it’s pretty typical for boys of that age...

“Hmm?”

Seeing Xia Ri’s lips curve into a smile, Dark Crow froze, realizing something was wrong.

Shit! I’ve said too much!

Lu Ran had warned it to stay low-key and not reveal his ambitions to claim the throne too early. Still, this was an internal person—their chef, so it should be fine.

“Remember to take this to your grave. For now, focus on doing your job well,” Dark Crow declared strictly.

“We’re going to build high walls, gather resources, and bide our time! Our goal is the stars and the sea.”