[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-armed-witch":3,"chapter-armed-witch-armed-witch-chapter-974":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Armed Witch",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2354514,4604,"Chapter 974","armed-witch-chapter-974",974,"\u003Cp>\"Of course.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing Galahad’s invitation, Dorothy nodded without hesitation; she too wanted to see just how skilled this grand chef of the Dragon King’s imperial kitchen truly was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although she wasn’t particularly fond of the imperial kitchen’s overly “ban-like” atmosphere, to be fair, aside from lacking “Cook’s Heart,” the chefs here possessed no flaws in pure culinary skill—especially the head chefs, whose abilities would earn even a Home Witch’s nod of approval: “Not bad.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Galahad’s cooking, standing above even the head chefs, must surely bring her some surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, Dorothy did enjoy tasting others’ cooking; even if their skills paled in comparison to hers, no rule stated that only perfect dishes could be delicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone had their own preferred flavor: some loved sweetness, some sourness, some preferred light tastes, others favored heavy ones—these were deeply personal matters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, no single dish could satisfy everyone; only what suited the individual’s palate truly mattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If culinary skill were graded out of 100, Dorothy’s dishes might reach a perfect 100, but in reality, anything scoring 60 or above was already delicious enough to eat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, higher scores were better, but if a dish couldn’t rise higher, it didn’t matter—eating a 100-point meal didn’t make a 90-point one taste bad; it was still wonderfully delicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Dorothy’s divine beauty was unmatched, it didn’t stop her from seeing her sisters as rare beauties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Home Witch had eyes skilled at spotting beauty—her standards were broad—and likewise, she possessed a tongue adept at savoring flavor; unless a dish was truly inedible and failed to meet even basic standards, she remained eager to taste it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, to her, what she cherished more than mere culinary excellence was the unique Cook’s Heart embedded in each person’s creation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as a master swordsman could communicate through his blade—by sparring, one could understand the opponent’s spirit—Cook’s Heart never lied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So come, Miss Galahad—let us connect through cooking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then, if you don’t mind, please taste my cooking as well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dorothy replied thus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That would be most welcome.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Galahad did not refuse; she clapped her hands happily in agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then let’s prepare together—should we decide on a specific dish?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pure, petite knight asked again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lady Galahad, we’re not competing, just exchanging—better to be spontaneous; too much formality will ruin the flavor of the food.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dorothy shook her head, saying so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Galahad’s eyes brightened further; she admired the girl before her more and more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, as a First-Generation Round Table Knight, she was naturally one of the Dragon Heads; though all Dragon Heads were reincarnations of Emora’s fragments, they had reached a consensus at the first Round Table meeting: “We are all Emora.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the Dragon Heads were not merely soul fragments—they had absorbed other souls during their reincarnations, completing themselves, and thus each possessed distinct personalities and preferences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the Dragon Heads were Emora’s incarnations, yet more than that—they were a family bound by unconditional trust and eternal loyalty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This aligned perfectly with the image of the Dragon King as the Dragon with a Thousand Eyes and a Hundred Heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each head held its own thoughts and tastes, yet they shared one body, one identity, and one common ideal and goal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeking unity while preserving differences—this was the Round Table’s fundamental principle; the Knights were one family, one fellowship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet whenever differences existed, some lingering doubts inevitably arose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Galahad didn’t know if the other Dragon Heads harbored such thoughts, but sometimes she herself overthought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “unity” of the Round Table was Emora’s soul-deep resentment and regret: her past self, a worthless fool, had craved power, yearned to change everything, wished every story could end perfectly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This obsession was so powerful that even after countless reincarnations, the Dragon Heads remained unconsciously influenced and driven by it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, before Emora’s soul within them was activated, their behavior merely manifested as a hunger for power and happiness, occasional strange dreams—vague memories, yet the dilapidated church, the beautiful girl in the dream, and the warmth like winter sunlight always fascinated them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after Nidhogg rose and summoned the Dragon Heads, activating their Emora souls, did those dreams become clear, and only then did they truly understand what they sought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Galahad had no doubt she was driven by that obsession; otherwise, she wouldn’t have chosen to become a Round Table Knight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, truthfully, she hadn’t been entirely willing to join at first—she’d been too afraid to refuse Nidhogg.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Think about it: you’re sleeping peacefully at home, suddenly hear a voice calling you, then grow dazed, and when you finally regain consciousness, you find yourself on a colossal round table surrounded by strange, unfamiliar “people” you’d never seen before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“People” here is just a placeholder—back then, the table truly held every bizarre race imaginable: angels and demons above, dragons and witches; elves, dwarves, giants, moon rabbits in the middle; below, beings like herself—dwarves, orcs—and even goblins and slimes, which was absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, the scene was truly a demonic carnival, terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even then, though Galahad was merely a dwarf, she was already the strongest assassin in her clan—not panicked at all; her strength had surpassed the bronze-race limit of dwarves, and even facing silver-race elves or moon rabbits, she wasn’t intimidated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What truly unsettled her were the few gold-race beings, especially the Dragon Witch—Nidhogg, the gathering’s initiator—who sent chills down her spine; she knew she could never defeat such a being.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, when she glanced at the slimes, goblins, and a weak human girl beside her, she felt a flicker of safety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure, slimes and goblins were weak too, but at least they were supernatural races, and these few clearly shared her status as a mutated being—not to be underestimated—but the utterly powerless human girl—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was truly pathetic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, everyone at the first Round Table meeting was genuinely startled; only after Nidhogg awakened their Emora souls did they understand what had happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even after understanding, not everyone could immediately decide to join the Round Table Knights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone had their own lives; clearly, not all could abandon everything to fight for some vague past obsession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Galahad hadn’t been eager either, but she was terrified—terrified of Nidhogg, that dreadful being.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though Nidhogg repeatedly insisted that refusing to join wouldn’t harm them—only that they mustn’t interfere, and she’d reclaim their Emora souls upon their natural deaths—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who believed such nonsense? At the time, she certainly didn’t, so she ultimately chose to join.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sigh, weak races like dwarves were used to clinging to the strong; she was accustomed to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, mainly because she secretly envied the beauty and happiness of that soul’s past life; as a dwarf starting out, she’d endured immense hardship to grow strong, and even now, though not weak, in the war-torn West Universe, she still lacked security—happiness was a foreign word to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet surprisingly, among the hundred people at the table, not a single one chose to refuse—even if many, like her, had joined out of fear of Nidhogg’s power, the ease with which consensus was reached was astonishing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, Galahad understood: it was the Emora soul within them all at work. Even though the Dragon Heads carried only fragments, those fragments formed the absolute core of their souls, the foundation of their existence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Denying the obsession within the fragment was like denying the meaning of one’s own life—nearly impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the most rebellious Dragon Head might resist momentarily, but eventually, they would return to the Round Table, following their true hearts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even now, she still found the Emora soul astonishing: in her current view, Emora’s past self was truly worthless—gluttonous, cowardly, lazy—but such a being’s soul obsession was pure enough to survive even reincarnation unerased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, everyone swore upon their souls, forging the Round Table Oath; the soul-thread each pledged became the Round Table relic, later known as Ye Meng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the Round Table Knights were formally established.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether the Dragon Heads had joined originally for the dream’s happiness or out of fear of being devoured by Nidhogg, over millennia, that false ideal had become a true obsession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes Galahad worried: she feared the obsession within Emora’s soul was a delusion, that the dream’s happiness was merely Emora’s final fantasy—what if the sister they sought to revive wasn’t as beautiful as the dream?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, one of the Round Table’s ancient wishes had been fulfilled: Dorothy had been successfully revived—a divine gift, a little sun as beautiful as the dream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No Dragon Head could resist such soul-level attraction; the entire First-Generation Round Table was hopelessly, utterly sister-crazy—even Arthur, the perfectionist, found no flaw in his sister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Galahad, as a dwarf, was more sensitive than the other rough-and-tumble Dragon Heads, and the Emora trait she inherited was “innocence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Innocence sounds like a virtue, not a flaw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the carefree young dragon Emora had died in the Witch Night; Nidhogg chose to grow up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Galahad, inheriting innocence, was called the Pure Knight—and she was the Round Table’s darling, doted on by all the Dragon Heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Galahad’s personality was childlike; she’d waited for Dorothy’s arrival for days in the imperial kitchen, and the moment her sister appeared, she’d noticed her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But children are nervous when making friends; she’d built up her courage for a long time before approaching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Children’s hearts are more sensitive than adults’; she worried she might annoy her sister, or that her untested expectations might shatter her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, she was at ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Galahad watched her sister walk to a vacant cooking station, selecting ingredients and pondering what dish to make, and smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was even better than the dream’s happiness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, she no longer hesitated; she pulled a special stool from her pocket, stood on it, and reached the counter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though as Chief Chef she could have a custom stove, Galahad hated being treated like a child and disliked special treatment—so she preferred carrying her own footstool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet once atop the stool, she couldn’t help sneak a glance at her sister, fearing she’d be laughed at—luckily, her sister was indeed a warm little sun, smiling sweetly at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Galahad quickly turned back and began preparing her dish with focus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d decided what to make: the special roasted meat Emora had always longed for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was her sister’s flavor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, after years of trying, she’d never replicated it—but it didn’t matter; today, let her sister taste her own version.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking so, Galahad pulled from beneath the counter a segment of black dragon tail meat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Nidhogg’s shed tail, long preserved by her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, the true flavor of the Dragon King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Witch’s Roast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dragon King’s taste is truly excellent—confirmed! But lately it seems the temperature has dropped; everyone, watch your air conditioning—you don’t want to catch a cold. I’ve already been hit—had a low fever and dizziness for two days. It’s awful.\u003C\u002Fp>",1803,"2026-06-21T03:49:48.467Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","4bf91977b2410caf0a2b8acc492ccff66e339363f15cec7f9c8ba1b5efe1fed1","armed-witch-chapter-975","armed-witch-chapter-973",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Farmed-witch-cover.jpg"]