Chapter 267 – Basil Snake Meat Stew

The other young witches were in much the same situation.

Though they had all spent the break at the end of second year self-studying some magic to prepare for the opening of the Inner Region, they hadn’t mastered the knowledge nearly as fast as Mo Lan. They’d only learned the bare basics, and the entire process was riddled with mishaps.

From time to time, a young witch would suffer serious injuries and be rescued by the Guardian Headmistress, ending up lying in a row on the Magic Waterbeds.

They were all in similar mountainous woodland environments, encountering more or less the same wild beasts, though not in the same locations.

When Mo Lan watched the other young witches’ surveillance screens, she could ponder how she would handle the situation if she were in their place.

She found it quite entertaining to watch.

Over by the kitchen, the first batch of holly snake meat skewers began giving off their aroma. Mo Lan glanced over, decided they looked about done, and grabbed one to taste.

She had to admit—holly snake meat was delicious grilled too! Fresh and fragrant!

After finishing one skewer, her appetite was wide open!

The aroma of meat drifted over, and the stomachs of the young witches lying on the waterbeds began to protest.

It was nearly past noon, and they still hadn’t had lunch! How could they possibly resist such a smell?

The Amishas couldn’t help stealing glances in her direction.

In the end, it was Mo Lan’s own Guardian Headmistress, No. 69 Amisha, who came over to ask, “Are those skewers for sale?”

“Don’t talk about selling!” Mo Lan wore an expression that said the Headmistress was being far too formal. “This holly snake is so big I couldn’t finish it alone. I was always going to share with everyone—if you’re here, you get a share! This batch should be done now. I’ll hand them out right away.”

She had used the largest grill rack, roasting a hundred and fifty skewers in one batch.

After giving three skewers each to the Headmistresses and the young witches on the Magic Waterbeds, there were still leftovers.

Mo Lan used the Levitation Spell to float the snake meat skewers off the grill, distributing them three at a time to all the Lady Amishas.

But when she floated the skewers over to the waterbeds, the purple-robed Lady Amisha stopped her: “Course tasks are not yet complete. Outside food assistance is not permitted.”

The young witches, practically drooling: “(‵□′)!”

How could Lady Amisha say something so cruel!

Mo Lan had no choice but to give Lady Amisha a few extra skewers, then consoled the young witches: “Focus on your lessons first and finish the course tasks. There’s plenty more! I’ll save some for you to eat after class!”

The young witches: “()”

The Headmistress was mean, but Moira was kind!

After the grill rack was emptied, the second batch of skewers went on, flipping back and forth over the heat.

Mo Lan did indeed set some aside for the young witches still in class, not rushing to grill everything.

Even so, the young witches on the Magic Waterbeds felt it was absolute torture.

As more and more dishes erupted with fragrance from Mo Lan’s mobile kitchen, their saliva flowed uncontrollably.

The hateful Headmistresses were mooching food and drinks from Moira, while they lay here unable to move a muscle, forced to concentrate on reading with empty stomachs amid the tantalizing aromas.

When their injuries healed and they were teleported back to the Inner Region, they actually breathed a sigh of relief.

The Inner Region wasn’t exactly a pleasant place either, but at least there were no delicious smells tormenting them.

Mo Lan ate skewers and drank beer while watching the surveillance screens, feeling almost as if she were back on Earth before the apocalypse, eating barbecue and watching variety shows.

The young witches, perhaps driven to desperation by the barbecue aroma during their healing sessions, had apparently been pushed too far.

On the surveillance screens, several young witches killed their prey, flipped through their books to confirm it was edible, then immediately skinned and butchered it and started a fire to roast the meat.

You could tell at a glance they hadn’t even finished reading the 《Common Wilderness Terrain Survival Guide》—they didn’t even know to clean up the smell of blood. The scent of blood in the wilderness was a cardinal sin!

Besides, in the forest without proper seasonings, how good could roasted meat really taste?

Sure enough, many of them ended up back on the Magic Waterbeds for treatment before the meat even reached their mouths.

Those who survived the beast attacks had indescribable expressions while eating their meat.

Watching them, Mo Lan found the meat in her own hands even more delicious.

After a few skewers of grilled snake meat as an appetizer, she followed up with a bowl of rice alongside stir-fried snake meat with chili peppers.

After the meal, she sipped a small bowl of three-delicacy snake shred soup.

Then she grabbed a bag of salt-and-pepper snake pieces as a snack.

When she grew tired of watching the surveillance screens and listening to Lady Amisha’s commentary, she took out her own Grimoire and continued reading the 《curse Witch Spellbook》 that she had copied from the Second-Year Reading Room.

She was now studying Curse Magic.

The holly snake stew made according to the Valen recipe was still simmering slowly—it needed to cook for several hours to be considered done.

Since Mo Lan had finished her task early, No. 69 Lady Amisha no longer had a charge requiring constant attention, so she would check on the stew’s progress from time to time.

She even added some herbs to the stew:

“When I was young, I studied Culinary Magic on Delicacy Island. Adding a little basil to holly snake stew makes the flavor even richer!”

And just as No. 69 Lady Amisha had said, after the basil was added, the stew grew more and more fragrant as it simmered.

The aroma was rich without being cloying. Mo Lan caught whiffs of it while reading and couldn’t help glancing several times at the large pot of simmering snake stew.

If she hadn’t had the crispy, salty salt-and-pepper snake pieces to munch on, she would have been unable to resist standing guard by the pot.

If even she felt that way, the young witches on the Magic Waterbeds had it far worse.

After the basil was added to the stew, the frequency of young witches arriving at the Magic Waterbeds dropped significantly.

On the surveillance screens, the young witches seemed to have suddenly developed extraordinary tenacity. Though their journey to find water sources was still fraught with mishaps, they had become much better at protecting themselves in combat, and the number of times they called for the Guardian Headmistress dropped dramatically.

No. 69 Lady Amisha quietly returned to sit among the other Guardian Headmistresses, her merit concealed and her fame unsung.

In the evening, Sylph encountered a century-old nanmu tree in the mountain forest. Guided by Tree Friend, she found the water source before sunset, becoming the second young witch to complete the course task.

The moment she emerged, Mo Lan called her over to eat: “Your timing is perfect! The holly snake stew is almost ready!”

Sylph didn’t even glance at the things she herself had hunted, throwing herself straight into Mo Lan’s arms.

No matter how well those things she’d hunted were prepared, they couldn’t compare to the snake meat that had been tempting her all afternoon.

After the stew was done, Mo Lan served a bowl to each of the Lady Amishas.

She and Sylph each held a bowl and drank as well.

“This stew is so fragrant!” Sylph felt an entire day’s exhaustion wash away. “No wonder even dragons drool at the sight of it!”

Mo Lan nodded vigorously. “Delicacy Island truly lives up to its reputation!”

“How so?” Sylph asked, her words muffled by a mouthful of stew.

“The trick of using basil leaves to bring out the flavor of holly snake meat isn’t in the library’s recipe—Lady Amisha learned it on Delicacy Island. I absolutely have to visit Delicacy Island someday!”

Mo Lan was now brimming with interest in Delicacy Island, the place that gathered all the finest cuisine of the Continent of Valen.