[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-armed-witch":3,"chapter-armed-witch-armed-witch-chapter-976":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},2354516,4604,"Chapter 976: Roast Meat and the Heart's Intention","armed-witch-chapter-976",976,"\u003Cp>On the other side, Galahad was also ready to taste Dorothy’s cooking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But unlike the House Witch, she didn’t grab the grill and bite into it directly; instead, she carefully sliced the massive roast into several portions with her kitchen knife.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One-sixth of it she planned to share with the palace kitchen staff—though each person would get only about a mouthful, it was more than enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another sixth she reserved as the main course for Long Wang’s table, since it was nearly time to serve; the imperial palace couldn’t go without its main dish today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She gave a third of it to Miss Yao Dao Ji beside Dorothy, since her sister had promised she could take some of the dish home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Galahad’s own roast was not to be shared, so she had to take a portion from Dorothy’s as payment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the remaining half—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it was hers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This roast was made for her by Dorothy, after all, and unlike Astrós, she had no habit of showing off, so offering half already made her heart ache to the point of breathlessness; she wouldn’t dream of giving more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She couldn’t even bear to eat it all at once, so she took only a normal plate’s worth from her share, then sealed the rest with the highest-grade time-stop magic—this way, she could savor her sister’s flavor for a very, very long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After portioning it out, she glanced at Dorothy, who was greedily gnawing on her own roast with no decorum, and smiled contentedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed her sister truly liked her cooking. Hmm, she’d leave her be for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Galahad waved her hand and distributed the portions prepared for the palace chefs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Use every inch of your tongues to savor this blessing—after all, tasting such supreme flavor is the greatest honor of your lives. If even one of you can grasp one ten-thousandth of its essence, you’ll be promoted to head chef; if you grasp one thousandth, I’ll give up my position as chief chef to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This usually gentle, innocent knight spoke with rare pride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, the palace chefs dared not object.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, they truly revered Galahad’s culinary skill—even if they thought her words exaggerated, they’d never voice it outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, their attention was now entirely fixed on the single mouthful of roast on each plate—its color and flavor were flawless, beyond reproach; to these chef-witches, such perfect roast was like the most exquisite art in the world, inspiring an urge to place it on an altar for worship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, this wasn’t an exaggeration—after all, whether or not magic had been specially added, the roast was genuinely glowing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The details—so incredibly detailed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, this was far beyond their own skill. Perhaps the chief chef’s words weren’t exaggerated at all—if they could learn even a fraction from this mysterious master’s cooking, it would serve them for life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, finally, they wiped away the waterfall of drool and picked up their forks, placing the mouthfuls into their mouths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mmm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bliss.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The sun… so warm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wahhh, Mama, I miss you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether head chef or ordinary cook or kitchen assistant, nearly all the palace chefs now wore relaxed, serene smiles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that moment, the tension that had clung to them dissolved; every one of them radiated deep, genuine relaxation, as if basking lazily in winter sunlight in the courtyard or enjoying a peaceful spring picnic with family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that instant, work stress, workplace troubles, and tangled desires vanished far away—they gained rare leisure and peace, savoring this fleeting happiness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing her subordinates’ reactions, Galahad grew curious and turned her gaze to the roast on her own plate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though she could recall memories of her sister’s cooking from the lingering soul fragment of Emora within her, and it was precisely this longing for that dreamt-of flavor that had driven her obsession with cooking in this life—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those were still dreams. Memories tasted through a soul fragment were always distorted, and the squid balls Astrós had shared were too scarce; she’d devoured them too fast to truly savor them. Now, at last, she could properly taste her sister’s cooking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She anticipated this eagerly, then raised her knife and fork.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the tempting roast entered her mouth, an indescribable flavor exploded within her, as if countless mischievous little spirits were playfully teasing her taste buds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perfect. Perfect. This was the taste.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that instant, the hazy scenes from her dreams became vividly real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ruined church, the kind priest, the beautiful nun who always smiled gently, the adorable little sister who radiated confidence like a tiny sun, and the carefree, gluttonous, useless fat dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the taste of home. The taste of happiness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dorothy was still that good child, radiant as a little sun—unchanged after all these years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Galahad burst into tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She generously shared the flavor of this deliciousness with the other Dragon Heads via the Round Table Oath, along with a message:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m back. Everything’s back. This is the happiness Dorothy gave me. You can’t taste it, but I tasted it for you—I ate it, so you all ate it too. We share one Dragon Stomach anyway. No thanks needed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, she received warm, friendly replies from the other Dragon Heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nidhogg: “That was my imperial meal, you chef, you stole it? That’s a grave offense! ╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guinevere: “I curse you to have no appetite for a year—everything you eat, you vomit up. ╭(￣▽￣)╯╧═╧”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Morgan: “I fully support Guinevere. All of you are hoarding food. (／‵Д′)／~╧╧”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arthur: “Guys, I think you’re all too extreme. Knowing Galahad, she’s definitely a squirrel type—she wouldn’t finish it all. You get what I mean, right? (ヘ_)ヘ┳━┳”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lancelot: “As expected, Arthur—you’ve got brains. I’ve already prepared to storm the imperial kitchen. o(*≧▽≦)ツ┏━┓.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Astrós: “Galahad, name your price. How much roast do you have left? I’ll take it all. ┬──┬ノ(゜-゜ノ)”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Meng: “┴┴︵╰（‵□′）╯︵┴┴. This Round Table is useless. And Galahad, you didn’t even prepare my portion. I’m keeping this grudge. Next time we merge, I’ll make your head grow on your ass as a tail.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, today’s Round Table meeting was still very passionate. Looks like everyone’s humanity is overflowing—great. Too bad the Round Table herself felt awful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Galahad paid no mind to the Dragon Heads’ barking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the strongest assassin among the Dragon Heads, though she couldn’t win a direct fight against them, couldn’t she just avoid them? If she didn’t want to be found, no one could locate her. Trying to take something from her? Not a chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So she simply enjoyed her meal in calm ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh, she even cut off a tiny piece and gave it to the dragon-serpent necklace around Dorothy’s neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oops, sorry—I’d completely forgotten Ye Meng just now. This true incarnation was not to be trifled with; Galahad didn’t want her head growing on her ass next time they merged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, that would harm Long Wang—and everyone’s collective dignity. That would be bad. Really bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Ye Meng truly was the true incarnation—so stingy. Among all of them, she was the one who slipped away fastest, yet now she openly enjoyed Dorothy’s feeding every day. Even Nidhogg didn’t get that treatment! Why didn’t you think of the rest of us when you were eating?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Galahad muttered silently to herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, the Dragon Heads’ friendship boat was nearly capsizing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, she waited a little longer, until Dorothy finished wolfing down Nidhogg’s entire shed tail and regained her senses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How was my cooking?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The innocent knight set down her plate—clean licked—and smiled at Dorothy, who had chewed every last bone to dust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dorothy: “.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing her lapse, the House Witch felt embarrassed. She wiped her hands on her apron, trying to remove the grease—but found not a single drop remained; every trace had been licked clean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, not just her hands—given how she’d devoured it, her face should’ve been covered in grease. But now she realized her face was covered in saliva.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dammit, what the hell did I just do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait—I didn’t even know my tongue could lick my whole face. Is it really that long? So flexible? Why does it even have this weird function?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The House Witch was so embarrassed she wanted to dig out a Long Wang Palace with her toes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, for Galahad’s question, she forced down her shyness and gave a serious, thumbs-up praise:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That was amazing. The best roast I’ve ever eaten in my life.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, this wasn’t an exaggeration. Though the half-elf witch’s pure culinary skill still had minor flaws, not quite perfect, the meat from that unknown dragon’s tail was of such supreme quality it perfectly compensated for those small shortcomings—overall, it truly was the best roast Dorothy had ever tasted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, most importantly, Galahad’s cooking heart was delicious too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dorothy recalled the sudden, overwhelming hunger that had seized her—how, in that instant, she’d forgotten everything, her mind reduced to pure instinct to eat. Her appetite became a bottomless pit, greedily craving the flavor before her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That feeling of forgetting everything, focusing solely on eating, had felt strange—but now, looking back, it was surprisingly nice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, Galahad’s cooking had awakened her inner beast, turning her into a predator, a creature driven only by the need to hunt and eat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that was the most fundamental meaning of food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Food that fills the belly, that prevents hunger—that is the most delicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I never expected you to be like this, Galahad. Not at all like your appearance. Quite surprising.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dorothy patted her round belly, trying to speed digestion, as she mused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cooking heart is human heart. Galahad’s cooking heart—desperate to devour everything to fill herself—was actually quite terrifying, utterly mismatched with her innocent, childlike appearance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am, after all, one of the original Knights of the Round Table.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In response to the House Witch’s remark, the half-elf witch remained calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dorothy, though I truly love your warm cooking heart, this world isn’t as kind as you imagine. It’s cruel. To gain anything, you must sacrifice something. I refuse to be sacrificed again. I will never allow anything I care about to become another’s fuel. So I’d rather strike first—become the one who reaps.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Galahad answered frankly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was her cooking heart. It was also the shared belief of the Round Table, and the theme of the great Long Wang-era expedition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were not yet omniscient, omnipotent gods—so at least, they must become the supreme beings beneath the gods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emora was merely a dragon-beast. She wasn’t clever, didn’t understand complex human thoughts, so she preferred to act by beastly rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Survival of the fittest. If one must stand as the ultimate predator, why not me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The innocent knight extended her hand, clenched it into a fist, and added.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, the beast’s world was simple: only survival and reproduction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Survival meant food, meant hunting. Only by capturing enough prey, consuming enough nourishment, could beasts grow strong, gain the power to live, claim better territory, and ultimately reproduce better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, reproduction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dragon Heads didn’t really have many worldly desires—but…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be fair, wasn’t this resurrected sister of hers the perfect result of that very desire?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, in every sense, a perfect ending—as both the result and the object of reproduction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the most precious miracle they’d summoned after accumulating vast magic and nourishment, crafting the perfect, most comfortable dragon’s nest, and preparing thoroughly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, I suppose you won’t fully agree with my philosophy, Dorothy. That’s fine. Just walk your own path.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Galahad then lowered his head slightly, sounding disappointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dragon Heads knew full well that their path had diverged irreversibly from their sister’s—they were the ones who had led the Witch Clan from former dragon-slayers into the very new dragons they once hunted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they felt no regret for this choice; even if given another chance, they would do the same, for it was the only way they could conceive of bringing their sister back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, it did indeed contradict their sister’s original ideals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They never expected her to understand or approve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Dorothy on the other side shook her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who said I don’t agree? Galahad, you’ve all tried your hardest, haven’t you? I’m not the kind to eat with a bowl in hand and curse the moment I put down the chopsticks. You’ve done more than enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Home Witch said this seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She often disapproved of the cruel rules in the Witch World; her values and heart made her unwilling to fully endorse such brutal acts of invasion and plunder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, she was no longer the kind of person who saw things in black and white—she realized the Western Universe was inherently cruel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When granaries are full, people learn propriety; when clothing and food are sufficient, people understand honor and shame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Witch World may seem powerful now, but it is far from ready to slow down. Though the Three Kings are strong, each has their own flaws; without their protection, the Witch Clan would be devoured whole by other worlds watching with hungry eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, that would be karma—just as the Witch World once mercilessly devoured other worlds, its own consumption by them is nothing to complain about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is fair, and it follows the natural law of the strong preying on the weak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Dorothy, in this life, is a witch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Your ass determines your head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other races’ victims may condemn the Three Kings’ cruelty, curse the Witch World’s brutality—but she has no right to say such things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, if given a choice, who would want to fight every day? What choice do they have, living in this strange Western Universe?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she could, Dorothy would harm no one—but clearly, she lacks that power now. In her past life, during her first cycle, she was ambitious and arrogant, naively believing that as a transmigrator and the protagonist, armed with her wit and effort, she could do anything she pleased—launching a direct “feel-good” plot: “My fate is mine, not heaven’s.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And what happened? Hmph.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She died before even leaving the Xinshoucun .\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True, it was because the world bosses all ganged up on her in the Xinshoucun  like cheaters—but failure is still failure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So this life, be practical. No more childish fantasies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, if someone must be hurt, Dorothy doesn’t want it to be her family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She admits she is ultimately selfish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, soon, she too must march to war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how many reasons she has, it won’t change the fact that she is about to become a villain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She has already prepared herself to have blood on her hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Adam took her away from Long Ma, it was because he didn’t want her to walk this path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But fate is just so cruel—she seems destined to walk the very road she has always fled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So she grabbed Galahad’s hand and instantly refined it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pfft, pfft, pfft—wrong script.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you for your hospitality.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She simply said this with solemn gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Home Witch is grateful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wrote five thousand words? Exhausting myself again. Today I got an IV drip—my cold’s finally better. Everyone, take care—colds are unbearable.\u003C\u002Fp>",2519,"2026-06-21T03:49:48.467Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","17e197fe94b940b38efaa872ef087f9bb5b501fa7739c8357ea351187e57dbef","armed-witch-chapter-977","armed-witch-chapter-975",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Farmed-witch-cover.jpg"]