"I'm not sure, possibly."
Chen Shu shook his head. The retreat of the fierce beasts either meant a king had fallen, or they had changed their plans.
Could there be some hidden masters among the populace?
"Uncle Liu, I'm heading back to Blue Star."
Chen Shu called out, then turned and left the alternate dimension with Da Li.
With the fierce beasts having retreated, it meant the kings were also gone. If he went searching for them himself, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack.
"You all be careful, the kings might still be around."
He reminded them, worried that the Spirit Suppression Army would relax their vigilance and be caught off guard by a sudden attack from the fierce beasts.
Commander Liu nodded, "Don't worry."
...
On Blue Star,
As soon as he returned to the town, his communication device received a message from the headquarters of the Imperial Dragon Guard.
"Huh? All the kings have retreated?"
Chen Shu's mouth twitched. His ominous premonition had been confirmed.
If they were killed by some hidden masters, then that would be fine.
What he feared most was that the fierce beasts had simply retreated.
He still needed to kill three more kings to complete his objectives.
But to have them disappear at such a critical juncture was utterly ridiculous!
"Damn it, this is over..."
He only had half a month left, and finding three kings wouldn't be easy.
"What's wrong, Chen Pi?"
Zhang Da Li was cooking and turned to look when he heard Chen Shu's lament.
"Your ingredients are gone."
Chen Shu sighed, racking his brain for solutions.
He was so close to getting the reward, and now this happened, it was killing him...
Zhang Da Li frowned and asked, "What's going on?"
"Sigh..."
Chen Shu turned and explained briefly.
"What? These things can't even die decisively?"
Zhang Da Li also showed anger in his eyes. He had finally made some research progress, and now it was going to be interrupted like this?
"Sigh, if they've retreated, there's nothing we can do."
Chen Shu shrugged. For him, fighting wasn't difficult, but finding them was a monumental task.
"Actually... I have a way..."
Zhang Da Li rubbed his chin, a thought brewing in his mind.
"You do?!"
Chen Shu's eyes widened in surprise. Da Li was an ordinary person, what could he do?
"Don't you remember, I'm the God of Cookery..."
Zhang Da Li smiled slightly and said,
"Since I can cook food that both humans and contracted spirits like, I can naturally cook food for fierce beasts."
"Really?!"
Chen Shu's eyes widened, and he suddenly felt a glimmer of hope.
"What ingredients do you need? I can give you the flesh of the kings we killed earlier!"
"No need."
Zhang Da Li shook his head and said, "Although the flesh of kings is tempting to other kings, it's not enough."
"Then what do you need?"
Chen Shu frowned and asked, "You don't mean using people, do you? Should I go find some ashes?"
"..."
Zhang Da Li's mouth twitched. Can't you say something less morbid?
"I need the flesh of king-level contracted spirits!"
"Hmm?"
Chen Shu was slightly taken aback, then nodded.
The contracted spirits that Archbishop 'Hugh' had lost before hadn't all been cooked, and their taste and nutrition were far inferior to those of kings.
Zhang Da Li added, "I need time to cook, and the success rate might not be 100%."
"It's okay, I believe in you!"
Chen Shu patted Da Li's shoulder, a smile in his eyes.
The food Da Li cooked had even captured the alien bully elf, so it was naturally highly effective.
"Let's go, back to the alternate dimension."
The two returned to the [Thunder Giant Peak], where the Thunder Flood Dragon King was also one of his targets.
The commander of the Spirit Suppression Army was slightly startled and asked in confusion, "Little Chen, you're back again?"
"The king inside is not dead yet."
With that, the two left the stronghold without further explanation.
Chen Shu asked, "Where should I cook?"
"It's best to be closer to a king; the effect might be better."
Da Li said, even if his dishes were enticing, they had to ensure the kings could smell them.
"Closer location?"
Chen Shu looked at the massive mountain peak before him, its base shrouded in faint lightning.
"The Spirit Suppression Army's stronghold is halfway up the mountain. As for a king, it's more likely to be at the summit."
He rubbed his chin and continued,
"Let's go to the foot of the mountain!"
"?"
Zhang Da Li's expression was startled. What kind of master analyst is this?
"If it were that easy to guess, this thing would have been hunted long ago."
Chen Shu explained, performing a reverse analysis.
But it was only a guess. If it was wrong, they would have to move closer to the mountain.
An hour later, the two arrived at the foot of the mountain.
"Let's cook it on Da Huang's head, and use a little wind to spread the scent further."
Zhang Da Li nodded, took out his exclusive cooking utensils, and began to focus on cooking the new dish.
He had already cooked quite a few kings and naturally understood their structure, but it only had a chance of attracting kings.
Before long, a pot of fragrant white broth appeared, with wisps of steam rising.
However, compared to the king's dishes, it was still a notch below.
Chen Shu raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is that it?"
"Of course not!"
Zhang Da Li smiled slightly, then took out a bottle of purple potion and dripped two drops into the pot.
"What is that? You, a God of Cookery, are using additives?!"
"..."
Zhang Da Li's mouth twitched. "This is the King Essence I developed!"
"It can diffuse the aroma of the dish and has a special attraction for kings."
"That good?"
Chen Shu raised an eyebrow and thought to himself, "Is this a weakened version of the system's lure potion?"
"Can you get me some?"
"What do you need this for?"
Zhang Da Li was slightly surprised. "This needs to be mixed with the dish."
"Is that so..."
Upon hearing this, Chen Shu lost interest. His dark cuisine could wait.
The two chatted casually while their four contracted spirits stood ready, awaiting the arrival of a king.
Roar!
Suddenly, a Thunder Lizard King roared at the flying Little Huang, its eyes filled with desire, a large amount of saliva dripping down.
"What are you yelling about?"
Chen Shu's mouth twitched. He wanted to kill it instantly but restrained himself.
What if the king saw this and thought it couldn't defeat him, and ran away?
Two hours passed.
More and more lord-level fierce beasts gathered, but the kings were nowhere to be seen.
"Da Li, your soup is almost cooked dry..."
Chen Shu glanced at him and asked, "What's going on?"
Zhang Da Li looked at the beast soup beside him, deep in thought, then said faintly,
"The situation is quite clear..."
"What is it?"
"I... failed."