Chapter 724: Kuke's Progress, the Mage-Serpent Statue

After dispelling the Eye of the Sky, Xia Duo reopened his Spell Notes to continue researching the Petrification Spell.

Combining the existing data on Mud-Stone Transformation from the Tower of Time, he had already determined the general appearance of that powerful Petrification Spell, which was strong enough to turn metal into stone.

The Bloodline Awakening not long ago had allowed Xia Duo to come into contact with the 6th Layer of the Magic Net; although this was not within his expectations or even his plans, he had to admit—

Contact with the 6th Layer of the Magic Net had provided a considerable boost to deducing the full scope of the Petrification Spell.

Could this be considered side-corroboration that it is almost impossible for low-rank Mages to research high-rank spells that utilize low-rank element expressions!

……

Near noon, the guard downstairs, Nuoman, suddenly came to report, "My Lord, Kuke requests an audience!"

Xia Duo did not look up, remaining focused on his notes; even the Mithril Pen he was writing with did not pause in the slightest. He only lifted his eyelids in the gap between lines to glance at the doorway:

"What is Kuke here for? Shouldn't he be busy in the Canteen at this time?"

"My Lord, Kuke is here to deliver your lunch!"

"Oh?"

Xia Duo put down his pen, suddenly recalling that he had given Kuke quite a few opportunities before. Although they had agreed on the end of the year, it was about time, so he said, "Let him in! I want to see how much progress he has made during this time!"

Nuoman quickly accepted the order and left, while Xia Duo unhurriedly put away the notes on his desk and went to the dining room downstairs, where Kuke was already waiting.

"Kuke, don't show no progress like last time! It is almost the end of the year now, you understand!"

"My Lord, this time it is different. During this period, I have handed over the Canteen's affairs to the Apprentices and have been practicing my culinary skills diligently. This time, I guarantee I will satisfy you, My Lord!"

Kuke said not without pride; as far as he was concerned, everyone who had eaten his cooking, except for the Lord, had nothing but praise for it!

And the Lord's evaluation was actually a thing of the past; now he was confident that he could make the Lord say it was good too!

"Oh? Then I shall have to taste it properly!"

Xia Duo turned his gaze to the dining table. The dishes were no different from before: a braised pork (venison), a stir-fried vegetable (lettuce), and a mushroom egg soup.

If one practices for a long time, perhaps there really could be a breakthrough.

Casually picking up a piece of braised pork and putting it into his mouth, Xia Duo looked at Kuke with some surprise; it was indeed different from before.

He was not a professional gourmet, just tasting it with the palate of an ordinary person, but the flaws Kuke had before—such as insufficient heat or using too many spices—were basically non-existent this time.

Eating this fragrant, soft, and glutinous braised pork, if he closed his eyes, Xia Duo would almost think it was made by some chef on Earth.

This familiar taste made him reach for more repeatedly.

"It is indeed good! Just regarding this dish of braised pork alone, your culinary skills have completely surpassed mine!"

He had to admit, the braised pork Kuke made this time was really quite good! Xia Duo naturally did not stint on his praise, and at the same time, he did not forget to reach his chopsticks toward the plate of lettuce.

"Hmm, the lettuce is also good, but it is slightly too raw; it would be better if it were cooked a bit more next time!"

"Yes, My Lord!"

Kuke agreed hurriedly. His heart was already blooming with joy; two dishes had already received the Lord's affirmation. It seemed he did not need to worry about his position being replaced by others!

……

The mushroom egg soup was also quite good, but when he ate the staple food, the steamed bun, Xia Duo finally couldn't help but frown, "Who told you to put sugar in the steamed buns!"

"My Lord—"

Kuke was suddenly stunned. Everything had passed normally before; was he going to stumble on the final staple food?

Xia Duo barely finished eating a sweet bun. Looking at the nervous and bewildered Kuke in front of him, he knew that his every word and action would have a huge impact on his subordinates, so he said:

"It's not that sweet buns are bad, it's just that I don't like eating sweet buns myself. You don't need to make sweet ones in the future; you can put in fillings like vegetables or minced meat and make them savory. I want to see the results by the end of the year!"

Ending with an order was a governing trick Xia Duo had figured out. Being overly friendly to the subjects would instead make them feel uneasy; this was just right.

Sure enough, upon receiving the new task, Kuke immediately stopped being nervous and bewildered, becoming full of confidence and fighting spirit instead. He patted his chest and answered loudly:

"Guarantee to complete the mission!"

……

After lunch, Xia Duo went to the Military Camp. Jibu, Qiaoqi, and the others were already waiting there, but Xia Duo had not come this time to listen to their reports; he had other business.

"Where is Jiabasi? Has he not arrived yet?"

"My Lord, Jiabasi has to rush back from the ruins; he is expected to be a bit late."

"Then I will go see that Statue first. When Jiabasi returns, tell him to come find me at the Statue. You all go get busy with your own tasks; there is no need to accompany me!"

Saying this, Xia Duo walked straight toward the location of the Statue.

Although he had not participated in the excavation or transportation of that scaled Statue, he had also targeted the ruin excavation site for observation when he was observing the Territory through the Eye of the Sky this morning.

Most importantly, with such a large Statue placed in the open in the Military Camp, it was clear at a glance when looking down from the sky.

……

Slowly approaching the Statue, Xia Duo still felt a bit apprehensive. It wasn't just the ferocious scaled creature design that was startling, but the Petrification Domain that could be triggered at any time also brought him a great sense of oppression.

However, relatively speaking, no petrification incidents had occurred during the excavation or transportation. Perhaps the one remaining petrification count after the Statue had gone through long years had already been triggered by Jiabasi.

"Is this the legendary creator race, the Sarrukh Mage-Serpent?"

Circling the tall, human-bodied, snake-tailed scaled creature Statue a few times, Xia Duo had some guesses in his heart.

This Statue was about three meters tall, but this was obviously not the true length of the scaled creature the Statue depicted; about half of the tail was coiled around the stone pillar that served as the Statue's base.

The Statue was generally intact; except for a small broken section of the tail which counted as a relatively major damage, the rest were just some minor details of breakage, which did not affect Xia Duo's overall impression of it.

However, judging from the Statue's single-handed upward gesture and the hollow space held by the fingers, this Statue seemed to be missing an important component.

That was some item held in the hand of the Statue's owner; perhaps a weapon, or perhaps a personal ornament.

Xia Duo speculated it should be some kind of weapon, at least possessing the attributes of a weapon. As for what exactly it was, he would have to wait for Jiabasi to come over and ask.

He circled the area, and apart from the broken tail section being placed next to the base of the Statue, there was nothing else related to the Statue.

Finally, Xia Duo took out his notes and imprinted the image of the Statue onto them from all angles, writing a sentence under the front view: "Suspected Sarrukh Mage-Serpent."