In just a day's time, Huo Yuhao followed Shi Meng and his group, finally dawdling their way to the Axis Cult territory on the west side of Thunder City. The further they went, the more noisy and boisterous the road became, a completely different scene from the deserted streets they had passed through on their way here.
At some point, many small stalls had popped up on both sides of the road, selling incense, snacks, and even scalpers patting their chests and promising to help you skip the line to receive a "sacred object." The hawking rose and fell, vividly turning this place into a burgeoning temple fair.
"Good grief, look at this setup!" Shi Meng clicked his tongue in wonder. Having spent so many years in the Jianghu, he had never seen any sect gather such popularity in such a short time; it was like a giant magnet, drawing people from all directions.
Huo Yuhao remained silent, his thin lips pressed into a line, while his deep blue eyes quietly observed the surroundings. There were all sorts of people in the crowd—farmers with their families, emaciated poor people from the city, and even a few who looked like low-level Spirit Masters mixed in. Everyone had a look of expectation on their faces as they moved in the same direction.
At this moment, in the slightly dilapidated but neatly kept courtyard of the Axis Cult, Furina stood with her hands on her hips, staring blankly at several disciples with distressed faces.
"Lord Pope, it's really not that we aren't trying!" Old Zhang, who was in charge of procurement, had a bitter face, his wrinkles almost squeezed together. "We've run our legs off and asked every medicinal herb shop in the city. Usually, those bosses are very polite to us, but today, they either claimed to be out of stock or just gave us the cold shoulder and refused to sell! Even the regular customers at the grain shops were hesitant, saying the new grain hasn't arrived yet..."
The Fat Auntie in charge of catering beside him also rubbed her hands in anxiety. "Yes, yes, the flour jar is almost empty! If that batch of cake for the afternoon can't be made, how will we explain it to all those people waiting outside with such longing?"
Furina rolled her eyes at this and waved her hand impatiently. "Fine, fine, I get it! Make a list of what's missing and give it to me; I'll find a way!"
She knew perfectly well in her heart that that petty Thunder Leopard must be making trouble behind the scenes!
Cutting off her supply? Hmph! Was she, Furina, the kind of person who would be stumped by mere medicinal herbs and grain?
It didn't matter if there were medicinal herbs or not; anyway, the Medicinal Pills were exchanged from the system mall. Besides, the mall had opened up some new goods that could completely replace those herbs. It was all for show anyway; at worst, she'd just drop this layer of disguise.
cake? She herself was a human cake-making machine! It was just a bit more tiring to directly use Soul Power to make "premium" cake. Even without grain, they wouldn't starve in the Axis Cult; she could just go directly to the villagers to buy some.
She turned to find Neuvillette to discuss it, but saw him being pestered by two well-dressed but arrogant-looking men, seemingly arguing over tax accounts.
Neuvillette remained as calm and unruffled as ever, holding an account book and responding unhurriedly sentence by sentence. His tone was steady yet carried an unquestionable weight, leaving those two choking with faces turning blue and white.
Furina curled her lip, not bothering with them. As she was calculating whether to exchange some points for an emergency or just lazily make a batch of ordinary cake to get by, the System notification sound in her head "dinged" without warning, giving her a start.
[Emergency Mission: Destined Mandate] [Content: Find and recruit the child of destiny of this plane, making him sincerely join the Axis Cult.] [Reward: Soul Power directly increased by 5 Ranks, 1x adaptive 10,000-year spirit ring.] [Note: A rare opportunity, now or never. The person has already arrived nearby.]
Furina froze suddenly, her eyes instantly widening into circles.
child of destiny? Who else could be the child of destiny in Douluo 2? It's Huo Yuhao!
She had previously sent Mademoiselle Crabaletta and the others to give him money! If it weren't for the System's restrictions, she would have kidnapped this kid long ago. Who would have thought that after all those twists and turns, he would actually deliver himself to her door? Is this fate? Hehe, the child of destiny that Buddha Tang is obsessed with has now fallen into her hands. Isn't this the perfect chance to help him escape the Palm of the Buddha, so he won't be trained into Buddha Tang's watchdog in the future?
Looking at the rewards: five Ranks of Soul Power plus a 10,000-year spirit ring. Furina was incredibly excited. She had been stuck at Rank 35 for a while. A Food Element Soul Master's Cultivate was naturally as slow as an ox pulling a cart; she had previously relied on completing System missions to level up. Now she could jump five Ranks directly and get a 10,000-year spirit ring for free? Plus, this mission wasn't even hard; it was practically a gift to her!
Wait... he's nearby?
She immediately looked as if she'd been injected with chicken blood, her head swiveling like a radar toward the courtyard entrance, her eyes gleaming as she searched through the crowd.
Just then, Shi Meng's loud voice rang out at the courtyard entrance, carrying the frankness of a man of the Jianghu: "Who's in charge here? I'm Shi Meng, a Rank 22 Spirit Grandmaster, and I've brought these folks to join the Axis Cult! Just give us some food; we have the strength and can do any kind of work!"
Everyone's attention was immediately drawn over. Furina followed the sound as well, her gaze passing over the tall man and landing precisely on the black-haired youth behind him who seemed somewhat out of place in his quietness.
It's him! Huo Yuhao! He looked even smaller and thinner than she imagined, but those blue eyes were very bright. He was tightly clutching an old bundle, cautiously observing the courtyard.
Over on Neuvillette's side, he also seemed to have temporarily dismissed the Tax Officials. He closed the account book and looked calmly at Shi Meng's large group: "Welcome, everyone. To join the sect, you must first register and state your purpose and abilities so that arrangements can be made. Please come forward in order."
The line began to move slowly. Shi Meng was the first to step forward, loudly introducing his Spirit Master Rank and skills. The villagers who followed also spoke up one after another, seeking nothing more than a place to settle, an Awakening of a Martial Soul for their children, or a job.
When it was the turn of Huo Yuhao at the very back, he took a deep breath and stepped forward, his voice not loud but clear: "My name is Huo Yuhao, and I've come... I've come to seek a job in the kitchen. I can cook. The wages... it's fine if the wages are a bit low, but could I... could I get a small advance? I want to buy medicine for my mother..." As he reached the end, his voice gradually grew quieter, the tips of his ears turned slightly red, and his fingers unconsciously twisted the corner of his clothes.
When Furina heard this, her heart bloomed with joy! Good kid! It really is a case of whatever I want, it appears! She was just worrying about having no reason to get close to him!
She immediately darted in front of Huo Yuhao before Neuvillette could speak, her face wearing what she thought was her most amiable (but was actually a bit too brilliant) smile: "Oh my! You want to be a chef? That's wonderful! We're just short of hands here! I can tell at a glance that you're a steady and reliable good child!"
Without waiting for Huo Yuhao to react, she immediately turned to Neuvillette and said, her words coming out as fast as a machine gun: "Neuvillette, I find this child especially pleasing to the eye; his culinary skills are definitely not a problem!"
There was nothing wrong with these words; after all, in the original work, Huo Yuhao's culinary skills were among the best, and he could be called the God of Cooking of the Douluo Continent. Since the Douluo Continent was a culinary desert, her cake was already better than the vast majority of desserts, surpassing even those of other Food Element Soul Masters, let alone Huo Yuhao's cooking.
"The wages will be... at the top scale for formal employees! Advance him half a year's pay! No, a year's! And go get some medicinal herbs for conditioning the body to treat his mother! Do it now!"
This series of actions was so smooth that not only was Huo Yuhao completely stunned, staring wide-eyed and at a loss, but even the people waiting to register beside them were dumbfounded, whispering to one another.
Shi Meng scratched his head, muttering in his heart: This Lord Pope is indeed just as the legends say... uh, a bit excessively enthusiastic? To be so generous to a kid she's never met before?
Huo Yuhao was even more at a loss, his face flushing red as he waved his hands repeatedly, unable to even speak clearly: "No, no need for so much... really... I, I just want a job, a tiny advance is fine... the medicine, the medicine is very expensive..."
"Not expensive, not expensive! Our Axis Cult might not have much else, but we have plenty of medicine! More than enough!" Furina gave a grand wave of her hand, wishing she could just shove the Medicinal Pills into his arms, fearing that this duck in hand... no, this "5 Ranks of Soul Power + 10,000-year spirit ring" bundle would fly away. "The kitchen will be your responsibility from now on! Work hard!" She could already see her own rapid level-ups and her fourth spirit ring shining as a 10,000-year spirit ring in a beautiful future.
As for Neuvillette, although he was slightly puzzled by Furina's sudden and almost abnormal "enthusiasm," he only looked thoughtfully at the ill-at-ease Huo Yuhao, then glanced at the obviously excited Furina. He didn't say much, only nodding calmly: "As the Pope wishes. I will go now to fetch the medicinal herbs and the advance wages." He turned to leave, his pace as steady as ever.
Huo Yuhao stood there, watching the White-haired Envoy's departing back, then looked at the Lord Pope in front of him who was grinning from ear to ear. He felt lightheaded, as if he had been hit on the head by a giant meat pie falling from the sky, completely unable to understand why the Goddess of Luck (though this goddess seemed a bit eccentric) had suddenly smiled upon him.
He naturally didn't know that what this "Goddess" saw in him was not just his God of Cooking-like culinary skills, but even more so the invisible and intangible yet immensely valuable Luck behind him worth "5 Ranks of Soul Power + a 10,000-year spirit ring." Nor did he know that this Lord Pope before him was, in a way, an "old acquaintance" of his.