CHAPTER 142: THE SECRET OF THE MUTATED FISH

Mutated Fish had begun appearing in the lakes scattered across the Orc faction’s heartland, the Barrens.

These strange creatures weren’t just used as an ingredient for the peculiar dish called Savory Deviate Delight. Eating them raw could also produce unpredictable effects—some beneficial, some troublesome. A bite might slowly sap a player’s health, or grant a few seconds of complete immunity to control effects. Sometimes it poisoned the eater, and if luck was particularly cruel, it could even send them into a drowsy stupor lasting more than ten seconds.

The fish were unique to the Barrens, and players often hauled them up in bulk while training their fishing skills. Unfortunately, the recipe for Savory Deviate Delight was notoriously hard to obtain.

Not impossible—every day, a handful of players managed to loot it. But because cooking was such an unpopular skill, most of those who stumbled across the schematic simply sold it to an NPC, never realizing its value. After all, the tooltip for Savory Deviate Delight offered nothing more than the cryptic line: Eat me. It gave no hint of what the dish actually did.

And in the early stages of the game, when everyone was racing for levels and equipment, hardly anyone had the time or patience to grind up a neglected skill like cooking, much less gather the materials needed to unlock a mysterious recipe.

Even so, a steady supply of Mutated Fish always made its way to the Orc faction’s Auction House. They had a niche market; players bought them more as curiosities than as necessities. A stack of twenty went for fifty silver—steep compared to ordinary fish of the same level, but nothing remarkable.

Ryan, however, was delighted. His grin grew wider with every purchase, to the point where nearby players exchanged puzzled looks at the human paladin who was so inexplicably cheerful. What on earth had he found?

They didn’t know what he knew: once people discovered the true effect of Savory Deviate Delight, those stacks of fish worth fifty silver would skyrocket in value. A single processed piece could fetch fifty silver by itself, and a full stack of twenty would start at thirty gold.

Ryan already owned the recipe, though his cooking skill was still languishing in the single digits. At this stage of the game, cooking wasn’t valued by anyone, and he hadn’t bothered leveling it. He had only a couple of stacks of Mutated Fish tucked away, enough for his personal use, but hardly enough to profit from.

Now, staring at the Auction House stocked with thousands of stacks, Ryan made a silent vow. The moment he returned to Astral City, he would raise his cooking skill high enough to prepare Savory Deviate Delight and begin selling it.

By the time his inventory was crammed full—nearly a hundred stacks of Mutated Fish—he had been forced to destroy a handful of lesser items just to make room. Between his gear, his usual supplies, and the fish, his bags had reached their limit.

For now, it was worth it. Communication and trade between the Alliance of Light and the Dark Horde were still nearly impossible. Only much later, when players reached level forty and the neutral city of Flame of Order opened its gates, would a shared Auction House allow both factions to exchange goods.

Ryan’s buying spree didn’t go unnoticed. An Orc Hunter, who had been keeping an eye on the Auction House, realized that two of the stacks Ryan purchased had been his own listings. When he checked the sales log and saw the buyer’s name—Featherlight—his eyes narrowed. But by then, Ryan had already stopped buying, satisfied with the haul.

He reorganized his bulging backpack with a grin, pleased at the sight of row after row of Mutated Fish filling his inventory. Humming under his breath, he strolled out of the Auction House, still waiting on the last few minutes of his Hearthstone’s cooldown. The city stretched before him, and curiosity tugged at him to explore more of it while he could.

Ironblood Fortress, however, remained hostile ground. Even though he carried the honorary title of Ambassador, his standing here meant nothing. The reputation vendors’ stalls tempted him with items his hands could never reach. His own faction carried similar wares, but it was always the forbidden things that looked more enticing.

When his Hearthstone finally cooled, Ryan activated it without hesitation. In a flash of light, he was gone. A handful of Dark Horde players arrived seconds later, disappointed groans rippling among them. They had hurried over, hoping to witness the rare sight of a human wandering openly through their capital, only to find he had already vanished.

Ryan gave them no thought. Back in Astral City, he made his usual stop at the Wandering Merchant, browsed half-heartedly through the stock, and left with nothing. Disheartened, he went to the bank, offloaded most of his new acquisitions, and logged out. Switching to an alternate character, he began sweeping the Auction House for cooking materials, mailing stack after stack to Featherlight. He even tracked down a few low-level schematics, just to make leveling smoother.

When he logged back onto his paladin, the mailbox bulged with parcels. He tore through them, loaded with supplies, and hurried straight to the cooking trainer. Every few minutes he was back at the mailbox, grabbing more, then returning to the trainer to raise his skill further. It was tedious, but each rank brought him closer to his goal.

Finally, after countless back-and-forth trips, Ryan’s cooking skill was high enough. His pulse quickened as he pulled out the precious schematic and began to craft Savory Deviate Delight.

The progress bar slid across the screen. One dish became another, and then another. Ryan couldn’t resist—he ate one immediately. A shimmer of magic coursed over him, and his entire appearance shifted into that of a flamboyant pirate.

He burst into laughter. His face, his armor, even his posture had completely changed. "Perfect," he muttered to himself. "Next time I need to keep a low profile, this will be priceless."

He continued cooking until all of his stock was transformed. Nearly a hundred stacks of Savory Deviate Delight now filled his bags. He had no intention of flooding the guild with them. Instead, he would dole them out sparingly, rewards for members who proved themselves.

By the time he was done, his Hearthstone was ready again. Ryan cleaned out his inventory, adjusted his gear, and teleported away.

His destination was the capital of the Minotaurs.

Highland Territory—Nature’s Crown!