Chapter 11

Chapter 11

After tasting them, Lu Cian finally understood why the variety of seasonings in the Zerg was so limited. These beverages offered a full spectrum of flavors—sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and salty—yet they weren't used as seasonings. Instead, they were consumed as drinks. What a waste of potential!

Thus, Lu Cian sought out a few more seasonings.

Using these beverages as condiments was the only way to truly honor the effort put into extracting them.

Zerg meats and vegetables differed significantly from those on Earth, and so did their seasonings. Some flavors overlapped, so after tasting them, Lu Cian categorized them by taste—sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and salty—before deciding how to combine them for cooking.

Failures were inevitable during the process.

Lu Cian cut a small portion from a soccer-ball-sized piece of organ meat and divided it into several portions for experimentation. He also selected the smallest trotters and chopped them into tiny pieces.

The perfect state of cooked ingredients hinged on precise control of heat and seasoning.

Perhaps Lu Cian truly possessed a natural talent for this. His fluid movements and seemingly casual yet perfectly measured seasoning made him appear like a master chef with years of experience.

Frying, deep-frying, boiling, stewing, braising, steaming, roasting, mixing, stir-frying…

After trying them all, Lu Cian decided to marinate, deep-fry, and then roast the remaining organ meat.

He prepared a special marinade for the organ meat, placed it in a dedicated cooking box to speed up the process, coated it with an unknown egg mixture and flour for a light fry, and finally sprinkled it with aromatic spices before roasting it over charcoal.

This method not only completely masked the organ meat’s gamey flavor but also gave it a crispy exterior and tender interior, resulting in a uniquely fragrant dish that would make any Zerg's mouth water.

As for the trotters, he boiled, deep-fried, and then steamed them—a straightforward preparation.

The techniques and ingredients used were similar to those for the organ meat, with the main difference lying in controlling the heat and timing.

Fortunately, Lu Cian kept a close eye on them, poking them with chopsticks from time to time, ensuring they reached the perfect state for consumption.

The last ingredient was a bundle of vegetables that resembled weeds. Stir-frying them made them taste intensely bitter.

The trick, however, lay in blanching and seasoning.

But blanching them for too long before stir-frying made them look unappetizing, so Lu Cian opted for a cold tossed dish instead.

After experimenting with several seasonings, he finally developed a sauce that suited the vegetables perfectly.

With the right seasoning, it could make anything taste good.

Once the dishes were ready, he packed them into an insulated container generously lent by Uncle Fei Yi and made his way directly to the boss’s room.

Lu Cian had to document the status of the cells daily. Even with Blair splitting duties, he still had to inspect the boss’s room every other day.

Thus, he knew exactly where the boss’s room was located, including every detail of its furnishings.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!* The metal door reverberated loudly under his pounding, and his hand stung from the impact.

But without such force, the occupant would never hear him.

Lu Cian had no idea what material this metal door was made of. It wasn’t particularly heavy, yet its soundproofing was astonishingly good.

Normally, prisoners in a prison weren’t allowed to move around freely, with numerous prison guards keeping watch.

But this prison was different.

The entire facility was encased in a protective shield and covered by a high-voltage perimeter, making escape impossible.

The guards also feared that excessive restrictions would spark unrest among the prisoners.

Thus, as long as they completed their daily tasks, prisoners were allowed to move within approved zones for a limited time.

The reason prisoners feared the guards wasn’t because the guards were powerful, but because the stronger inmates wore suppression rings—devices controlled by the guards.

With a suppression ring on, an insectoid’s psychic abilities were greatly suppressed, leaving only their physical abilities. Against the guards, they stood little chance.

Lu Cian and Blair didn’t wear suppression rings because they were too weak—the guards could easily subdue them single-handedly. Putting rings on them would be a waste.

There was one living legend and anomaly in the prison—the boss, Nair Inan.

Rumors claimed Nair Inan possessed SS-level psychic abilities, making him one of the most powerful psychics in the entire empire.

No one knew whether this legend was true. Many dismissed it as an exaggeration, writing it off as tall tales.

After all, if the boss was truly as formidable as the rumors suggested, why would he be locked up in such a backwater penal facility?

Planet Larenha was just one of many ordinary planets, its size far smaller compared to the homeworld.

Lu Cian, however, was a provincial thinker. To him, this prison was impressive in scale—on Earth, many countries didn’t even have prisons this large.

"Brother Nan, open the door! It’s me, your new underling. I’ve brought you food!"

The moment he finished speaking, the door slid open.

Lu Cian let out a relieved breath and walked in with a smile, carrying the insulated container.

"Brother Nan, the cafeteria said they got a fresh batch of ingredients today. I thought since they’re so fresh, I’d show off my skills and prove I’m not just a useless hanger-on."

Nair Inan remained silent, but Lu Cian was unfazed by the silence.

This interaction pattern was exactly like the one he had with his older brother—he was used to it.

Lu Cian laid out the dishes one by one, gesturing for Brother Nan to help himself.

The smell was incredibly enticing. Though Nair Inan wasn’t hungry, the aroma alone made his mouth water. His face stayed impassive as he picked up a piece of roasted meat and took a bite.

His expression remained unreadable, but the fact that he reached for another piece revealed his true thoughts.

Lu Cian figured someone like Brother Nan must have tasted every luxury dish. If the food wasn’t good, he wouldn’t have taken a second bite.

"Brother Nan, these trotters are steamed until they’re tender—the meat falls right off the bone. Give them a try."

Nair Inan didn’t respond, but his chopsticks obligingly moved toward, picking up a piece of meat barely clinging from a bone and placing it in his mouth.

After expressionlessly removing the bone, he took another piece of trotter before returning to the roasted meat. It seemed he liked the steamed trotters, but the roasted meat was clearly his favorite.

Seeing that Brother Nan had already eaten half the plate of roasted meat, Lu Cian spoke up again, "Brother Nan, this cold tossed dish is really good too. I spent a long time perfecting the dressing. Won’t you try it?"

When Lu Cian recommended the cold tossed dish, Nair Inan continued eating the roasted meat, occasionally taking a bite of the steamed trotters, without even glancing at the vegetables.

But upon hearing that Lu Cian had worked hard on the dish, Nair Inan hesitated for a moment before picking up a leaf and methodically chewing it.

To his surprise, it was surprisingly palatable. Relieved, he went back to eating the other two dishes.

Even someone as unobservant as Lu Cian noticed something unusual. His white-knuckled grip gave away his excitement—it was like he’d discovered a major revelation.

"Growl, growl."

Nair Inan glanced over at the sound, and Lu Cian awkwardly covered his stomach.

He hadn't eaten before cooking, and even the failed attempts were given to Fei Yi. Without taking a single bite himself, he had eagerly brought the finished dishes to Brother Nan.

It hadn’t expected its stomach to growl at such an inopportune moment.

By now, there probably wouldn’t be any leftovers left for it in the cafeteria.

Nair Inan hadn’t anticipated that this little female insect would be so earnest—coming to deliver the meal without having eaten dinner itself. It likely wasn’t the scheming, deceitful type.

"Sit down. Eat together." As he spoke, he pushed over the plate of cold mixed vegetables, which he had only taken one bite from.

Lu Cian’s welling tears of gratitude abruptly retreated: "..."

He was now certain that the boss really hated vegetables.

But skipping vegetables could lead to nutritional imbalances.

It seemed he’d have to prepare more dishes where vegetables were unavoidable—like dumplings or *shaomai* in the future.

When he left, Lu Cian carried an extra box—filled with nutrient packs gifted by the boss.

"Blair, look! This is the good stuff!" Lu Cian proudly showed off the box in his hands.

Blair curiously approached and took the box. "What’s so good about it?"

As soon as he spoke, Blair saw the box packed with nutrient packs. "Little Lu, did you come into some good fortune?"

Lu Cian grinned smugly. "Yep! Told you I’d look out for you. These were all given to me by the boss. I’ll split half with you."

Upon learning these were from Lu Cian’s patron, Blair handed the box back. "You worked hard for these. I can’t take them."

Lu Cian, rejected, froze for a moment before pushing it back. "Come on, you’ve looked after me for so long. Now that I can finally repay you a little, how can you refuse?"

Blair shook his head firmly. "I didn’t do much. No need to thank me. Besides, if not for you, I’d still be mining every single day."

Now he only mined half the week.

Back then, when Luo Ke reported to the warden, he must have played up how badly off Lu Cian was to win sympathy from their superior.

Moreover, Lu Cian had been kidnapped by space pirates and abandoned on Larenha—an utterly undeserved misfortune. The patrol team hadn’t helped him and instead treated him as a stowaway, sending him to prison. The patrol team was to blame.

The warden, out of respect for the patrol team, looked the other way and assigned Lu Cian easier work, making his year-long sentence more bearable.

Lu Cian grabbed a handful of nutrient packs and pressed them into Blair’s hand. "Then consider this a gift for Uncle Blair."

Hearing the name "Uncle Lai," Blair couldn’t help but tap Lu Cian’s head. "I told you not to call me that! You’re making me sound old!"

He forgot to refuse the nutrient packs in his hand.

Realizing he’d fallen for Lu Cian’s little trick, Blair sighed and accepted them, muttering, "Honestly, you shouldn't have given me these. The cafeteria food is edible. These have a long shelf life—when you get out, they could last you a good while as rations..."

Listening to Blair’s grumbling, Lu Cian was at a loss for words. Did Blair think he’d starve to death after getting out? Sure, he was weak, but it's not that bad!

Lu Cian lowered his head and counted the remaining nutrient packs, figuring out how long they’d last.

He really didn’t want to eat that awful cafeteria food.

"What’s this?" Lu Cian’s sharp eyes spotted something else at the bottom of the box—a few small packets. Pulling them out, he realized they seemed to contain pills.

Blair looked over, surprised. "Those are premium nutrient tablets! I didn’t expect such high-quality stuff in prison. You better keep them safe—they’re worth a fortune, worth ten times as much as nutrient solutions."

"A single tablet can keep you going for half a month."