The fat head fish struggled in Mag’s hands hysterically as it tried to escape from Mag’s grasp.

  However, Mag’s hands were like pincers that wouldn’t let go no matter how hard it struggled. He took that black longsword and swung it. The fat head fish was cut into two from the center.

  Rom, who was still vexed over letting a chef use a weapon he forged to kill a fish, widened his eyes. The clean and smooth cutting skills hacked that 3rd-tier big fish into halves. The cut was clean and tidy, and the intestines were separated equally in the two halves perfectly without any damage.

  Even all the different species’ powerhouses that lined up at his shop every day couldn’t have done that.

  The intestines were removed, and the sword was flipped over. Tiny scales began to fly off. In the blink of an eye, the entire fish became two equal halves of fish head on the plate.

  The fish tail was cut off by Mag. Because this fish’s body was extremely short and the flesh was very succulent, there was still a section of flesh left just beneath the head. The entire fish could be utilized very efficiently.

  Mag looked at the small fish tail in his hand. He used a bamboo skewer to go through it, and then grilled it over the fire straight away. This was Ugly Duckling’s dinner.

  After removing the gills and making a few cuts on the flesh, he rubbed cooking wine, pepper, and salt over it. Then, he left it aside to marinade.

  He took out the chaotian pepper and pickled ginger that he had bought from the System, and cut them up on the small chopping board that he brought along. Then, he added a little cooking wine to them, and put them into a bowl.

  He sliced the raw ginger and chopped spring onions into sections before placing them on the bottom of a deep dish. He placed the marinated fish head on them before putting the bright red chopped peppers on top of the fish head.

  There was a steaming pot hanging over the fire. The water in the pot was taken from a well nearby.

  The fire quickly got the water boiling. Mag lowered the plate with the fish into the pot and covered the lid. The fish was now steaming in the pot. All he needed to do was wait patiently for it to be ready.

  Rom walked to the fire and stared at Mag in amazement.

  He had never cooked for himself. He was used to having a big piece of meat with hard liquor at the pub for his meals. He had never watched someone cook so closely and attentively.

  He had always imagined that a chef cooked in a simple and rough manner, but Mag was different. The way that he focused on his cooking was way above the best smith he had ever seen. He was calm and confident, and his actions were practiced and smooth. He reminded him of himself.

  The way he looked when he was focused made the people watching him hold their breath, afraid to interrupt his exceptional performance.

  Mag flipped the fish tail over to the other side, and when he raised his head, he was surprised to see Rom next to the fire. Smiling, he said, “Please wait for a moment, Master Rom. It still needs some time before we can take it out.”


  “Mm-hmm.” Rom cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment after staring, but he didn’t think he was going to lose this bet—after all, he was one deciding if this dish suited his taste.

  In the empty space in the street corner in front of the workshop, an old dwarf, a young cook, and a half-elf child were standing around the fire, waiting patiently for the steamed fish head with diced hot red peppers to be ready.

  And Ugly Duckling was staring at that fishtail with its head up. It swallowed its saliva subconsciously. The aroma of grilled fish began to spread, and it was a smell that mesmerized the cat.

  Mag picked up the bamboo skewer and turned it around once. He was sure that this fish tail was already ready, so he was about to remove the skewer and give it to Ugly Duckling.

  Amy came forward with a sacrificial expression, and said, “Father, let me try the taste for Ugly Duckling first.”


  “Meow!” Ugly Duckling shook his head at Mag quickly.

  A smile appeared on Mag’s face. This little one was so greedy that she even wanted to eat Ugly Duckling’s food. He looked at the small fish tail in his hand, and then broke off a tiny piece to give Amy, and placed the rest in front of Ugly Duckling.

  “Meow, howl~”


  Ugly Duckling meowed at Mag with gratitude before climbing up a big tree at the side with the fish tail. It sat on the branch and enjoyed its dinner.

  Amy put the piece of fish into her mouth and chewed. Her eyes lit up as she said, “Although Father didn’t put salt on it, it is still very scrumptious.”


  Then, her gaze started to move toward Ugly Duckling, which was sitting on a branch.

  As if it could sense Amy’s gaze, Ugly Duckling turned its body around slowly and faced her with its butt, pretending not to see her at all.

  “Alright. That is Ugly Duckling’s dinner. Let it eat in peace. It had a hard time on the journey too,” Mag said laughingly as he took out a packet of rice vermicelli, and put it aside as he looked at the steaming pot.

  “I hope you’ll get too fat.” Amy gave Ugly Duckling one look before looking at the steam pot too.

  After steaming with a big fire for 10 minutes, Mag removed the steam pot and took the fish head. He scattered some chopped green onions over it, and drizzled a tablespoon of soy sauce above it too. Then, he heated up some oil and drizzled it over the fish head.

  Psst……

  A beautiful sound appeared. The spicy chopped chilli covered the entire fish head, and the oil was dancing on the plate. The hidden freshness was ignited at this instance.

  The fiery red chopped chilli on top covered white and tender fish head, and a piping hot aroma washed over them.

  “Gulp.” Rom’s Adam’s apple moved, and astonishment appeared on his face lit up by the fire. There was a light in his eyes.

  Rom stared at the steamed fish head with diced hot red peppers with disbelief. A storm was already brewing in his heart.

  His stomach growled beyond his control, and that made him blush.

  A curl appeared on Mag’s lips. Everything would be easy now as his stomach had growled. He changed the water in the pot, and placed it over the fire again.

  “Have a seat here, Master Rom. We have only one fish for you today.” Mag invited him as he took the plate of fish head, and went over to the simple tables and chairs that the old folks used to sit under the sun. He placed the plate on the table.

  Amy had already jogged over and climbed up onto a chair.

  Rom thought as he walked over to the table too.

  “Please taste it.” Mag passed a pair of chopsticks to Rom.

  Rom took the chopsticks and glanced at Mag before picking up a piece of chopped chilli and putting it into his mouth.

  “No—” Mag couldn’t stop him in time.

  “Ugh!!!”


  Rom’s face flushed red instantly. The sourish and spicy taste exploded on his tongue. His tongue didn’t seem to belong to him anymore. The spicy feeling spread from his tongue toward the rest of his body. The chill in his body was expelled instantly, and fine sweat appeared on his forehead.

  “Phew~”


  Rom let out a breath. His whole body felt unblocked after eating that piece of chilli.

  “—you should have eaten the meat.” Mag only managed to get the rest of his words out now.