Chapter 75: Do It Right, Get a Reward; Fail, Get a Punishment
“Of course. If you do it right, you get a reward. If you fail, you get a punishment. Since you did it right, I’ll give you a reward.”
“Then… can I choose a punishment?”
“W-What? Why would you want a punishment? I said it’s a reward, you can only choose a reward.”
Peiya bit her lip, not knowing what to say for a moment. This Elise really liked to do things in unexpected ways.
“Then… can the reward be anything?”
Uh…
Peiya hesitated at first, but then nodded.
“Yes. You worked hard to learn a new skill, so of course I should reward you. Besides, you said last night that we’re partners~ And I said this is a dream, so at least today, let’s make it a good dream.”
Peiya reached out her hand, as if inviting her.
Elise’s gem-like eyes shone brightly. When she did all this, she never expected to get any reward.
So… this was a surprise?
A surprise just for her from Peiya~
“Have you decided? We don’t have much time this morning,” Peiya urged.
“I’ve decided. The reward I want… is for you to teach me how to cook during this period.”
Elise thought of the honey candy her sister mentioned and decided to give it a try.
Since she didn’t know how to cook, she planned to start from the basics, just to be safe.
Peiya scratched her head.
“Ah, what kind of reward is that? Who would actively ask to do more work?”
She really didn’t understand this request. In her impression, a noble young lady wouldn’t say something like this.
“Is that not okay?” Elise looked at her, slightly frowning.
“It’s not that it’s not okay, but are you sure? Cooking is hard work. Preparing ingredients, cooking, even cutting ingredients, each part is a deep skill to learn. If you just want to eat good food, I can cook for you.”
Elise shook her head.
“I’m not afraid of hard work. If you keep cooking all the time, you’ll be tired too. So please teach me. I also want to learn from you.”
“Th-this…”
Seeing Elise’s serious attitude, Peiya finally softened.
Fine.
If she wants to learn, then let her learn.
Having more skills is always a good thing.
“Alright, come here. Watch my hands carefully. I’ll move slower so you can follow.”
“Mm.” Elise nodded obediently.
Peiya took the ingredients and began demonstrating in front of her.
With a flick of her wrist, the knife moved quickly on the cutting board, making clear “tap tap tap” sounds. A large vegetable quickly became neat, even slices.
Since Elise was still a beginner, Peiya chose a simple dish. A “Three Fresh Soup,” which was easy to learn.
The ingredients were simple. Three kinds of vegetables mixed together, plus the right balance of seasoning, creating a surprisingly rich taste.
It kept the fresh flavor of the soup while also preserving the natural taste of each ingredient.
With a gentle scoop, Peiya lifted a spoonful of clear soup, forming a smooth arc like a silver moon.
She added a few more slices of vegetables to enhance the flavor.
This dish required good control of heat and knife skills, making it great for practicing basic techniques.
Once you learn this dish, it becomes much easier to understand and learn other recipes.
“So, how was it? Did you understand what I just did? Now you try.”
Peiya stepped aside and gave up her spot.
Elise looked a bit stunned and pointed at herself. “Me?”
“Yeah. Any problem?”
Peiya had already chosen a fairly simple recipe. Logically, there shouldn’t be any problem.
But Elise suddenly looked a bit clueless. She puffed her lips and gently poked Peiya’s arm.
“I don’t know how… teach me again.”
“Huh?”
Peiya returned to the stove.
“The ingredients are already in the pot, I can’t take them out now. Give me your hand. I’ll guide you step by step, alright?”
“Okay~”
Elise smiled sweetly and stretched out her fair hand, grabbing Peiya’s wrist.
“Hold the spoon, not me. I’m not the spoon.”
“Oh…”
Elise nodded quickly like she did something wrong, then placed her hand on the ladle.
At that moment, Peiya stood beside her and gently placed her hand over the back of Elise’s hand.
“Alright, follow me. Stir from the bottom of the pot, lift the vegetables up, and keep stirring in one direction.”
Elise focused on the pot and followed Peiya’s movements slowly. At first, her actions were a bit exaggerated. It even looked like she might suddenly use the ladle as a sword.
But luckily, that didn’t happen. Gradually, Elise learned how to stir properly, avoiding the food sticking to the pot.
At the same time, her control over the heat improved, and she was no longer as nervous as before.
Seeing this, Elise let out a slow breath.
This pot of food was finally done.
“Not bad. Looks like you really have some talent for cooking.”
Peiya gave her a thumbs-up. For a beginner, reaching this level wasn’t easy.
Of course, Peiya wouldn’t make things difficult for her at the start.
It was better to increase the difficulty step by step.
“It’s mainly because you taught well. What should we do next?”
“Let me think… this pot is enough for both of us. Making more would just be a waste. Let’s wait for it to cool down.”
Peiya took a fork, placed the small pot on a safe spot on the ground, and then took out a map from her bag.
“While we wait, I’ll explain how I plan to deal with the Ice Bear King today. If you have any ideas, tell me anytime.”
She spread the map on the table.
“Yesterday, we basically found the Ice Bear King’s location. If nothing unexpected happens, I plan to—”
Before Peiya could finish, Elise took out another map from her pocket and placed it down.
The difference was that this map had much more detailed information. It covered almost all the important locations nearby.
Elise smiled slightly.
“Don’t worry about that. Let’s eat first. I already marked all the important spots for you.”
Peiya stared at the detailed map, frozen for a moment.
“Wait… where did you get this map?”
“I made it this morning. I knew you wouldn’t eat properly, so I prepared it in advance. Now the map is ready, so eat your meal properly. Put work aside. And don’t bring up work again for now.”
“Huh?”
They came here to work, and now she was being told not to talk about work?
What kind of unreasonable request was this?
Peiya felt both angry and helpless.
They came to this dungeon to work. It couldn’t possibly be for a honeymoon, right?
Obviously not.
But looking at Elise’s attitude… it really felt like she was here on vacation.
Ice Bear King… Ice Bear King, please come save me…