Chapter 869: Kitchen
The villa’s facilities were indeed very complete, even including a separate kitchen. The kitchen was equipped with stockpots, frying pans, and even an oven, though it was covered in a layer of dust, clearly indicating it hadn’t been used in a long time.
The designer of this villa likely never considered whether these senior managers and capitalists would actually cook for themselves. They simply built it to standard villa specifications.
It’s not impossible that some bosses enjoyed cooking, or had maids or mistresses to do it for them, but at least this Deputy Manager didn’t have such an inclination.
Therefore, we still had to clean the oven before we could use it. Via and Sherris also received their first lesson as maids: how to clean and tidy a kitchen. Of course, we all pitched in together.
Seeing everyone busy and enjoying themselves, El felt a bit guilty and wanted to help. However, she couldn’t stand steadily, and as a High Elf, she had never done such housework before. I felt she would only get in the way.
Just as I was about to refuse her, El conjured a green light in her palm. She then scattered the light, and the shimmering green glow danced like small sprites, passing through every corner of the kitchen.
As the light spread, all the dust in its path was automatically cleared, including hardened, old grime. Soon, everything from the stove and boiler to the ceiling was as good as new, and even the air felt much purer and fresher.
“Alright, this should do it. This is our dust-clearing spell, which is often useful when we’re out in the wilderness,” El said, clapping her hands.
Looking at the spotless kitchen, I thought it would take at least half an hour for the four of us to clean it to this extent. Well, Elven talents were truly enviable.
It’s no wonder High Elves seem so detached from the mortal world. They wouldn’t be able to maintain such aloofness without some ability. After all, they too have to eat, wear clothes, and sleep.
The rest was simple: put charcoal in the bottom of the oven. The oven was quite large, and then El ignited the charcoal with her Elven fire.
Lighting a fire is a small task that Brother Jayad and I could have handled. However, seeing how happy El was after using her magic to help us, I left it to her.
While High Elves are proud, their self-esteem is also unusually high. El is already a very approachable sort, but that still doesn’t alleviate her sense of frustration.
For her, the greatest torment isn’t being forced to leave her kin and being parasitized by strange creatures, but rather her current immobility and reliance on others. She has received so much help but has no way to repay it.
So, when El found she could do even a small task to help us, she would be very happy. I was happy to let her do these things, satisfying her pride.
Next, we just needed to heat the pre-cooked food on the grill. The quantity was just a bit large; I had laid out all the takeaway meals we bought on the table.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that there are only three sets here. Via and Sherris don’t eat normal food – one is a vampire and the other is a ghoul. Lorna doesn’t need to eat either; she usually just tastes it for novelty.
So, these three meals are actually for Brother Jayad, me, and El. Even judging by the standards of the Hunter’s Guild, these three meals are very substantial and won’t be grilled quickly.
The main issue is that the oven is too small; it’s just for household use. If it were an outdoor grill like those used in Feliny, it could roast dozens of ingredients at once. Now that’s efficiency.
However, while waiting for the food to heat up, I started to worry again. Lorna still hadn’t returned. What if the little ghost had gotten into some trouble?
Although I don’t think ordinary workers could pose a threat to her, it’s always better safe than sorry. What if a Demon Hunter happened to pass by? Or what if one of the factory’s senior executives had some protective Magic Apparatus? It’s hard to say.
“Perhaps we should go into the factory and look for Eldest Miss?” Sherris was even more worried than I was and suggested we go and see.
“How would we get in? It’s not simple. The factory is still operating, meaning there are many workers inside. It’s almost impossible to go in without being seen,” I said, as the booming sounds from the factory could still be heard.
“I have a way. In the clothing room on the first floor, there are some worker’s clothes. They should be from this factory, and we can disguise ourselves as factory personnel to get in,” Via said.
I followed Via to look at the clothes she mentioned. Specifically, they weren’t employee uniforms, but rather protective suits, similar to those used for welding or cutting to protect the skin.
I wondered why the Deputy Manager would keep worker’s clothes. So, they were protective suits for himself. This factory probably doesn’t have uniforms; the workers I saw outside were all wearing ragged clothes.
Protective suits could indeed be used to disguise ourselves as factory workers. However, this also meant that our disguised identities would be relatively high-ranking, at least skilled workers in the factory.
Furthermore, Sherris and Via found a rough map of the factory in the workshop. This gave us a general understanding of its internal layout.
“But won’t we be easily recognized? There probably aren’t many skilled workers in the factory, let alone female ones. The factory’s senior management should know them,” I said.
“That won’t be a problem. There are female workers in this factory; I confirmed it today. And the internal management is likely quite lax. At this time, senior management should have gone home for dinner,” Brother Jayad said.
I suspected his so-called observation and confirmation were professional habits of a thief, especially observing where the loopholes and entry points were.
“So, we still have to go in and look for Lorna?” I picked up one of the protective suits with a sigh. This little ghost is never one to make things easy.
“Then how many of us will go? Or will we all go?” Sherris asked, but her eyes were eager. It seemed she couldn’t leave her Eldest Miss behind; there was no way she’d agree to staying home.
“I’ll go too. My abilities are very useful for finding people, and I can hide in the shadows. I can go in without disguising myself,” Via also said.
Brother Jayad would definitely go too; he’s the most skilled at infiltration here. I looked around and realized I was probably the least necessary to go.
“You all go look for her. I’ll stay here and guard. Don’t worry, by the time you find her and return, I’ll have finished heating the food,” El said.
I almost forgot about her. And with El’s leg trouble, she could only stay behind. Although it felt a bit awkward to have a guest guard the house, I still said, “Then if you’re hungry, just eat something casually first. We’ll be back soon.”
