The Glowing Cuisine Conquers the Tongue of God
Chapter 24 - The Snow Woman Longs for a Sweet and Passionate Love
Chapter 24 The Snow Woman Longs for a Sweet and Passionate Love
Li Yang ate a Spirit Crystal Coin and immediately felt a sense of fullness. According to Zhang Haoran, the true big shots could eat a hundred Spirit Crystal Coins at once. Goodness, that was like an ordinary person spending ten million dollars on a meal!
Indeed, Spirit Crystal Coins cannot be pegged to worldly currencies, or else the entire global economy would collapse. However, Zhang Haoran explained another reason why Spirit Crystals shouldn’t be linked to worldly currencies.
“The energy contained in the Spirit Crystal Coins can repair damaged cells, enhance cellular activity, and delay cell aging. For many rich people, it’s a life-extending miracle medicine, but…”
“Ordinary people cannot fully absorb the energy from Spirit Crystal Coins. The excess energy has nowhere to release, and it will instead harm their bodies, leading to a mental state called ‘spiritual corruption,’ which causes severe consequences.”
Spiritual corruption, meaning the fall of the soul, would turn a person into a monster.
“Therefore, any exchange involving Spirit Crystal Coins is considered a serious crime.”
Soon, Li Yang received a bank card.
Issued by the IGO Financial Bureau, it contained fifteen thousand Spirit Crystal Coins. It could be withdrawn from any bank cooperating with IGO or used to purchase extraordinary ingredients from IGO’s online store.
Zhang Haoran didn’t take any commission from the exclusive agent, as the task was ultimately won by Li Yang himself. And Nagi Kiri Senzoemon was also very generous. He directly added a 50% increase on top of the billion-dollar base amount, giving Li Yang fifteen thousand Spirit Crystal Coins.
…
In the heart of Hokkaido, the convoy sped along the highway, and the scenery outside the window suddenly shifted from a rainbow of colors to a singular white. It was as if an invisible line had divided the two sides, one side filled with the lush greenery of early summer, while the other was blanketed in the snowy cold of winter.
It was hard to imagine that this was the beginning of June, just a few days away from the summer.
“This is the curse of the Snow Woman… It has turned a two-hundred-mile radius into a world of ice and snow, and it continues to spread outward, until it covers all of Hokkaido.”
Nagi Kiri Senzoemon explained the details of the Snow Woman’s curse.
“We are heading to Mount Kamigami, which is three thousand meters above sea level. It used to be the home of the Snow Woman. There’s perpetual snow at the peak, and the Snow Woman resided in the Snow Woman Cave at the summit.”
“Over a thousand years ago, there were already legends of the Snow Woman falling in love with human men. In the legends, the Snow Woman’s tears can turn into extremely expensive pearls, and she only sheds tears for the man she loves…”
“The Snow Woman is a passionate and loyal fairy. She likes human men because only human men can impregnate them and give birth to descendants.”
“Once a Snow Woman has a child with a human man, she will remain faithful to him until he dies, and only after his death will she seek a new human man…”
Because the snow had covered the highway, the convoy slowed down. The closer they got to Mount Kamigami, the deeper the snow became, and the more difficult it was to travel.
Fortunately, there were six snowplows in the convoy clearing the path, and the highway extended all the way to the foot of Mount Kamigami, sparing the group the pain of walking on foot.
Although the sky was originally somewhat cloudy, the next moment, it became completely overcast, and strong winds began to blow. Soon after, heavy snowflakes, as large as goose feathers, fell from the sky, turning into ice blades in the cold wind, pattering on the car windows.
“We are now approaching the one-hundred-mile radius of Mount Kamigami, which is the area most severely affected by the Snow Woman’s curse. For sixteen hours a day, a blizzard rages here, and almost no living creatures can survive in this area.”
Due to the blizzard’s obstruction, the convoy’s speed slowed even further. Finally, as dusk approached, they arrived at a “Snow Castle” at the foot of Mount Kamigami.
This was originally supposed to be a mansion-style villa, but because it was covered in snow, almost no traces of the building could be seen.
The staff from IGO and the Neon Department struggled to dig through the snow, finally locating the main door. Using a key, they opened it and drove the convoy in.
The first-floor hall of the castle resembled a parking garage, large enough to hold all the vehicles. This building was specifically constructed for the worship of the Snow Woman.
Apart from the first floor, which served as a garage, there was a massive basement below, storing energy, mainly in the form of diesel. Large diesel generators were also present, supplying power and heating to the building.
After turning on all the equipment, the temperature inside the castle rose from below sixty degrees Celsius to above twenty degrees, finally becoming suitable for human activity.
The first floor of the villa was a parking lot, the second floor contained the living and dining areas, and the third, fourth, and fifth floors were all bedrooms, similar to hotel suites, capable of accommodating hundreds of people.
It was already deep into the night, and everyone had eaten dinner in the vehicles, so they simply tidied up and prepared for rest. Li Yang’s room was on the fifth floor, with Erina and Hisako’s rooms beside it, and Zhang Haoran’s room next door.
Nagi Kiri Senzoemon’s room was still next to Zhang Haoran’s, but he stopped in front of Li Yang’s room door.
“Li Yang, tonight you might dream of the Snow Woman. The more spiritual energy (inspiration) you have, the clearer the vision will be in your dream… However, the Snow Woman in the dream cannot communicate. Don’t be afraid. Just realize you’re in a dream, and she will quickly disappear.”
Li Yang nodded calmly at Senzoemon’s reminder.
After freshening up, Li Yang lay on the bed. After a long day of travel, he was mentally exhausted and quickly fell asleep. He didn’t know how much time had passed when suddenly, Li Yang found himself in a snowy world. The sky was clear, with no snow falling, and it wasn’t cold at all.
Only a gentle cold wind blew, carrying some strange sounds. A faint whispering sound reached Li Yang’s ear, as if a woman was speaking right next to him.
“I want to fall in love~”
“I want to experience a sweet love~”
“That sweet yet passionate kind of love. Just thinking about it makes me feel so embarrassed~”
“None of those men were sincere. They all abandoned me~”
“Those men only wanted me to cry, so they could get pearls to sell for money~”
“Wuwuwu, I am so miserable~”
“An entire thousand years, a thousand men, and not a single one was worthy of my lifelong devotion~”
Upon hearing this, Li Yang realized he had indeed dreamt of the Snow Woman.
However…
“What kind of man-hating nature does this thousand-year-old Snow Woman have? A thousand men in a thousand years, and none of them were worth a damn?”
Goodness, her standards and luck are quite something!
“No wonder she cast such a terrifying curse. Anyone who’s tormented by a thousand heartless men would probably go crazy.”
The Snow Woman’s whispering faded away.
Li Yang woke up from his dream, turning over and sitting up in bed, lost in thought.
“The Snow Woman’s true inner conflict is her desire for a sweet and passionate love. That’s her obsession.”
“To truly solve the Snow Woman’s curse, we must approach it from this angle.”
Following Nagi Kiri Senzoemon’s thinking, he planned to use magical Mapo Tofu to break the Snow Woman’s icy resentment, followed by golden fried rice to purify her anger.
After a series of combined attacks, the Snow Woman’s curse would nearly be broken. However, Li Yang found himself agreeing more with Liu Longchu’s view. The curse could only be lifted if the Snow Woman willingly canceled it herself!
“But how can I make the Snow Woman experience a sweet and passionate love?”
“I can’t sacrifice my body and use a beauty trick, can I?”
Soon, Li Yang made up his mind.
“Ultimately, I’ll have to use cooking skills to solve this. Let’s try a new dish!”
Unable to sleep any longer, Li Yang got up, dressed, and went to the dining room on the second floor.