Chapter 949: The Struggle of Ingredients

“I don’t like cooking; this thing just gathers dust sitting here. I’m giving it to you as a kitchen decoration—hope you put it to good use.”

A small note was stuck to the massive golden pot, its handwriting elegant, ending with a simple sketch of Astrós giving a thumbs-up.

Dorothy scratched her head at the sight.

The Wealth Goddess’s personality was surprisingly lively—nothing like the composed, efficient business elite she’d imagined.

But that was fine.

Come to think of it, Astrós was also Long Wang’s youngest daughter. The youngest in the family is usually spoiled, so a lively personality made sense.

Besides, the House Witch thought, she couldn’t picture the Wealth Goddess standing in a kitchen cooking for herself—she couldn’t even picture Sister Mia cooking.

After all, rich women are stereotypically served food and clothes by servants; why would they ever cook themselves?

Still, no matter if they actually cook, rich women always have kitchens—and the cookware is always top-tier, the most expensive brands.

Using a pot forged by the supreme witch-gold? Such extravagance was beyond the imagination of a poor girl like Dorothy.

This pot alone was probably worth several empty islands of the Witch House.

But getting such a premium kitchen tool for free? That was perfect.

Dorothy reached out and grabbed the handle of the giant golden pot.

She’d expected to struggle moving such a massive vessel, but the moment her magic tendrils wrapped around the handle, the enormous pot shrank automatically—until it became a normal-sized wok, snug in her hands.

“Whoa, is this thing that smart?”

Dorothy exclaimed.

She examined the golden pot closely: its craftsmanship was flawless. Size adjustment was just a basic feature—it also had auxiliary temperature control, even heating, automatic stirring, and the ability to freely change its vessel type—all incredibly convenient.

Moreover, judging by the forging technique, this was classic Golden Country gold alchemy—and the precision far surpassed even Sister Sterle’s.

“Could this have been made by Astrós herself?”

Dorothy wondered.

As the founder of the Golden Country, the Wealth Goddess’s alchemical mastery was unquestionable—undoubtedly among the top three beneath the Three Kings. Anything she personally crafted was unquestionably a top-tier divine artifact.

So this wok might well be her most powerful possession right now, after the Hammer of Genesis and Adam’s recent gift, the Hundred-Head Slayer.

“Heh, Dad gave me a bow, the Goddess gave me a pot—does this mean I’m supposed to hunt and eat right on the spot?”

The House Witch imagined the scene and couldn’t help but chuckle.

She tucked the golden pot away, then left the fridge to rejoin the others, stepping together into the icy world beyond the door.

After that, the young witches’ jaws stayed wide open.

No wonder this was Long Wang’s collection—these high-grade ingredients were beyond even the House Witch’s wildest dreams, and even rich girls like Sister Mia had never seen anything like this.

Ancient dragons, primordial phoenixes, octopus deities, cloud-sea demon whales, anti-world white oxen—all the legendary beasts only spoken of in myths were here.

Each of these demons, alive, could have been a world-ending calamity—terrible entities beyond the world’s constraints. Now, they were all frozen statues in this icy realm, stored as Long Wang’s provisions.

Dorothy had the Time Talent. She casually cast a Dating Spell on the ice sculptures—a simple time magic that, as its name suggested, instantly revealed the target’s age.

This spell was usually used to authenticate ancient artifacts, a must-know for witch-world archaeologists—but for identifying ingredients, it was perfectly suited.

She didn’t expect what she found: every single one was tens of thousands of years old.

Chronologically, these must have been relics from Long Wang’s mad Grand Expedition. Many of these ingredients were likely once rulers of ancient worlds.

But Dorothy didn’t mind their age—these ingredients had long since achieved eternal freshness; spoilage was impossible. And the ice encasing them wasn’t ordinary ice—it was the temporal freeze effect of the ultimate ice spell, Absolute Zero.

Time inside these ice blocks was frozen, preserving the ingredients in their freshest possible state.

Indeed, they were startlingly fresh—even some retained their last breath. They weren’t fully dead; some could still move within the amber-like ice, even communicate with the group.

“Let’s make a deal. I’m the sovereign of the Deep Sea. Free me, and I’ll crown you King of the World.”

A giant squid inside an ice block whispered to Dorothy as she passed by.

Dorothy immediately stopped.

“Wow, the ingredients are talking.”

She marveled.

“Ingredients? You insolent brat, what are you saying? When I, Dagon, ruled the Western Cosmos, your witches hadn’t even been born! How dare you treat an ancient god as food?”

The squid inside the ice grew furious, its countless tentacles sprouting countless terrifying eyes—horrifying to behold.

“Have you eaten humans?”

Dorothy wasn’t fazed. She could tell that if this squid broke free, it could kill her a thousand times over in a single tentacle strike—it was a top-tier pseudo-god, equal in power to an ordinary sage.

But Guinevere was right beside her. Dorothy trusted the Queen’s strength far exceeded any ordinary sage.

Look—this squid deity didn’t even dare speak aloud to tempt her; it had to whisper telepathically.

She glanced at the other girls and noticed they showed no reaction. Dorothy realized only she had received the telepathic message.

As for why this happened.....

Well, because she was the weakest among them—at least on the surface.

The squid deity fell silent at Dorothy’s question.

Humans? She’d seen them—weak creatures, everywhere, like cockroaches. In the Deep Sea, humans were bred as pets and food by the deep-sea deities. Of course, she’d eaten humans.

When the witches first came, the deep-sea gods hadn’t taken them seriously—they thought they were just another evolved human variant. Until the colossal Grand Expedition fleet descended upon the oceans, those brutal humanoid beings split the seas and dragged away the deities hiding in the deep, including even its own self, the Deep Sea’s primary deity, now frozen in this damned place.

It had assumed this icy realm was a witch prison—until just now, it realized it was a refrigerator, and they were all ingredients.

“I don’t eat humans. I’m just a peaceful, good-natured squid.”

It dropped its anger and lied.

As a deity, it could perceive others’ alignments. It had instantly seen that this little witch was a naive, pure-hearted good soul—her soul-light was utterly upright and pure.

Based on its centuries of manipulating humans, this girl clearly had no worldly experience—innocent, easily fooled. If you played the victim, she’d soften and try to save you.

In the past, it loved doing this: transforming into harmless little animals, being picked up by innocent children, then devouring their families right before their eyes, finally eating the broken children themselves.

It found it amusing.

Humans were weak, but they possessed souls rare among higher beings—the agony of watching pure souls shatter into despair never lost its charm.

Dorothy: “......”

She tilted her head, staring at the giant squid in the ice. Though a terrifying deity, to her eyes it now looked pitifully cute—like a wounded little animal.

It was so pitiful. Maybe she should save it.

The thought surfaced in her mind.

And so, she did.

“Your Majesty, could you release it?”

She turned to Guinevere beside her.

“Uh, this thing is dangerous—and its life force is incredibly resilient. Don’t be fooled by its current state; once freed, it’ll recover fully in moments. Re-capturing it afterward won’t be easy.”

“It’s fine. I think it’s cute. It’ll be good—I believe in it.”

Dorothy blinked her eyes, pleading.

Guinevere: “......”

The Queen hesitated, then surrendered to Dorothy’s shimmering, doe-like eyes.

“Fine. But keep your distance from it.”

She warned.

Well, with her watching, this little squid wouldn’t dare stir up trouble.

Guinevere waved her hand. Instantly, the massive ice block surrounding the squid deity—like a snow-capped mountain—began to melt.

Soon, the terrifying giant squid was fully freed. Without the ice’s concealment, its overwhelming aura became unmistakable.

Merely its presence made breathing difficult—even Sophie Lyra, strong as she was, felt icy limbs and a foggy mind, flooded with countless whispering voices.

Fortunately, Guinevere stood before them, shielding them. The group only felt discomfort—no real harm.

Surprisingly, the giant squid deity seemed genuinely well-behaved. Its aura was terrifying only for an instant after release; then it voluntarily suppressed its power, shrinking its massive form slowly until it became a tiny, cute, pink chibi squid.

“Thank you, kind lady. Truly, thank you—you’re such a good person. Allow me to offer my deepest gratitude.”

The pink squid spoke sincerely, then spat out a massive crystal orb.

“This is the Deep Sea’s sacred treasure—the Heart of the Ocean. As repayment for saving my life, I offer it to you.”

It held the luminous crystal with its tentacles.

Of course, it was all a lie.

The squid deity secretly gloated, delighted that this weak witch was so naive and gullible—she’d softened so easily.

But this wasn’t enough.

It glanced warily at Guinevere beside it. The woman radiated an aura of terror—it was no match for her, not yet fully restored.

To escape, it needed cunning.

This naive little witch seemed unusually important—this terrifying woman obeyed her. That made things simple.

Control the witch, use her as a hostage.

The Heart of the Ocean was real—it was the squid’s own sacred treasure, the core of the Deep Sea. Only by holding it could it command the Deep Sea’s power and remain its sovereign.

Though the Deep Sea had been destroyed by the witches, it didn’t matter. As long as the Heart remained, the Deep Sea could be reborn. Once free, it would soon be King of the Deep again.

Little girls couldn’t resist shiny treasures. Come on, take the gift.

The squid deity prayed inwardly.

But it wasn’t sure the girl would fall for it—especially with that dangerous woman nearby.

Sigh. If all else fails, I’ll just pretend to be good and hide near this little fool.

It thought.

But to its surprise, the little fool walked right toward it—without a single guard up.

"Holy shit, I actually ran into a real idiot."

The Squid God was overwhelmed with joy—it had been imprisoned for tens of thousands of years and finally saw a chance to escape.

As it watched the little witch approaching step by step, its heart pounded with dread, terrified that the terrifying woman beside it might intervene.

Fortunately, the woman stood silently to the side, making no move, and the little witch eventually entered its attack range.

Then, the Squid God dropped the act.

"Hehe, you little fool, didn't expect this, did you? You're my escape route."

Instantly, it revealed its true form as a god and roared these words.

Yet Dorothy merely sighed helplessly.

"Sigh, I really do love eating squid. I gave you a chance, and you still failed me."

Then, the Yellow Sign Lord descended.

....tentacle monster infighting in progress...