Wizard: I Have a Cultivation System

"What’s the rush," Murphy said with a smile. "You have to add the ingredients one at a time and let them cook just right. The real flavor comes from the anticipation."

Mo Ling leaned against her father, and the air around them seemed to grow much warmer.

She wrinkled her little nose, watching her mother carefully slide a plate of plump, round fish balls into the boiling broth. The balls soon bobbed up and down in the milky-white soup.

"I know, Father," she whispered, her eyes still glued to the pot. "But... while I’m waiting, my stomach is rumbling so loud it sounds like thunder."

Aurora chuckled at her words.

She took the first slice of beef she had just cooked, dipped it lightly into a small dish of prepared sesame sauce, and placed it in Mo Ling’s dipping bowl.

"Here, go ahead and eat," Aurora said gently. "Be careful, it’s hot. Blow on it a little."

Mo Ling already had her little chopsticks at the ready. She carefully picked up the fragrant, sauce-coated slice of beef, puffed out her cheeks to blow on it earnestly a few times, and then eagerly popped it into her mouth.

Savory, fragrant, tender, and smooth... A mix of the rich sesame sauce and the delectable broth exploded on her taste buds.

She closed her eyes in satisfaction, her little face flushed with happiness as she mumbled indistinctly, "So... delicious!"

Aurora watched her daughter, her eyes crinkling in a smile. She took a slice of premium hand-cut beef and swished it in the broth just until it changed color, preserving its utmost tenderness, before placing it on Murphy’s empty plate.

Unlike Mo Ling, who loved to slather her food in thick sesame sauce, Murphy always ate his hot pot plain.

He picked up the slice of beef. Without dipping it in any sauce or even blowing on it, he put it straight into his mouth.

As he bit down gently, he felt no searing heat—only the rich, meaty flavor of the beef itself, mingled with the savory richness of the broth, filling his mouth.

The meat was tender, its grain distinct, with a faint, almost imperceptible milky aroma. It was a cut of short rib from a grain-fed cow, specially chosen by Aurora.

"Father, you’re not using sauce?" Mo Ling asked curiously, noticing her father was eating differently. A little smudge of sesame sauce dotted the corner of her mouth.

"No," Murphy said, swallowing his food and smiling at his daughter. "This way, I can taste the true flavor of the meat and the broth."

"The true flavor?" Mo Ling tilted her head, her clear black eyes filled with curiosity.

She looked at the beef swimming in rich, dark sauce on her plate, then at the plain, unadorned slice on her father’s. After a moment’s hesitation, she turned to Aurora and held out her little bowl. "Mother, I want a piece too... I want to try one like Father’s, without any sauce."

Aurora smiled. She did as requested, picking up a freshly cooked slice of beef, shaking off the excess broth, and gently placing it in her daughter’s bowl. "Careful, it’s hot."

Copying her father, Mo Ling carefully picked up the slice of beef, blew on it a little, and then put it in her mouth.

After a few careful chews, her little brow furrowed slightly.

It was a world away from the explosive satisfaction of the beef coated in rich sesame sauce. The flavor of the plain beef seemed much more subdued.

The meaty flavor was there, as was the savory taste of the broth, but it felt like something was missing.

She managed to swallow it, then immediately scrunched up her face and told Murphy honestly, "It’s not good, Father. It’s too plain, and it has a weird taste. It’s not as tasty as the one with sauce."

As she spoke, she quickly picked up the piece of beef she’d had before, the one smothered in sesame sauce. She took a big bite, and the look of satisfaction finally returned to her face.

Aurora couldn’t help but laugh out loud at her daughter’s adorable reaction.

She reached out and gently poked Mo Ling on the forehead. "Silly girl. You should eat things the way you like them. Your father has his own habits and tastes. Everyone’s palate is different, so of course they find different foods delicious. There’s no right or wrong about it."

With her mouth full of beef, Mo Ling listened to her mother and nodded, only half-understanding. She looked over at her father.

Murphy calmly picked up another slice of plain beef. "Your mother’s right," he said to Mo Ling. "I think it’s delicious this way because it’s how I like to eat, and it lets me taste more of the ingredients. If you think it’s delicious with sauce, then eat it with sauce. When it comes to food, the most important thing is that you’re happy and think it’s delicious."

"Oh..." Mo Ling swallowed her food, thought for a moment, and then suddenly asked, "Then Father, can you still taste the ’true flavor’ in my meat when it’s covered in all this sauce?"

The question gave Murphy a slight pause. Then he smiled. "No, I can’t. The sauce is too strong; it overpowers all the other flavors. That’s why I choose not to use sauce, and you choose to use it. We’re both just enjoying this meal in the way we like best."

That explanation seemed to clear things up for Mo Ling.

She stopped fussing over it and happily went back to tackling the sauce-covered food in her bowl.

Seeing this, Murphy and Aurora looked at each other and shared a smile.

...

「In a study, deep within the Church Court complex in the Holy City.」

The firewood in the hearth burned brightly, letting out a sharp CRACKLE. The dancing flames gilded the expensive wool carpet and dark oak furniture with a warm light.

In the four corners of the room, expensive whale oil lamps cast a steady, bright glow, banishing all shadows.

The temperature was pleasant, and the air was scented with the faint aroma of expensive spices.

By all accounts, it should have been a comfortable and cozy room.

However, Cardinal Ambrosius Marconi felt not the slightest bit of warmth.