CHAPTER 396: CHAPTER 393: THE MAKING OF A GREAT CHEF?

After spending three months hunting, eating, and wandering, Nezha finally arrived in Mycenae, the nation of his supposed older brother. At that moment, Oulistros also received the directive from Hera and learned of his brother’s impending arrival.

As a mortal, even if Oulistros wanted to refuse, he lacked the ability to defy the Queen of Heaven’s command. For days, he had trouble eating and sleeping, his spirit tormented, much like how he didn’t want to inherit the throne—or torment the brother he had never met.

Inside the royal palace of Mycenae, the two brothers in theory finally met.

Oulistros’s first emotion upon seeing the breathtakingly handsome youth before him was jealousy. Not brothers, but they were born of the same mother—why are you so good-looking?

But precisely because of this, his fear of his so-called younger brother diminished by a good measure.

Nezha, looking at the man above him, felt nothing particularly special, and for a moment neither of them knew what to say, creating an awkward atmosphere. Finally, Nezha broke the silence: "Been a while. Have you eaten yet?"

Oulistros didn’t immediately grasp the connection between eating and the present situation but instinctively responded politely: "I’ve eaten. If you haven’t, we can grab some food together."

"Sure. Let’s have hotpot then."

With that, he pulled out a giant fierce beast with a bull’s head from under his black robe, patted it, and said, "I reckon you’ve never had this guy before—fresh as can be."

Oulistros was completely dumbfounded, thinking, Why did I agree to hotpot? What even IS hotpot? And how did Hercules just pull a beast out of his sleeve?

But none of that seemed to matter. Half an hour later, the two of them were seated cross-legged around a steaming pot filled with spices. Beside them, several maids carefully prepared slices of bull-headed beast meat, swirled them in the pot, and placed them onto their plates.

Oulistros thought, Whatever, forget it. This stuff—I’ve been king for a while now, but I’ve never eaten anything like this. He shoved a generous chunk of meat into his mouth: flavorful! Tender! Spicy! Thrilling!

The beast’s meat was evidently packed with unbelievable energy. Oulistros didn’t eat more than a few pieces before he felt full. Looking up at Hercules, he was still voraciously devouring meat. To be completely honest, Oulistros felt a bit envious.

"Hmm, Hercules—you’re nothing like I imagined."

Nezha paused his eating to ask, "What’s different?"

"Heavenly Queen Hera said you’d come to steal my throne. I thought you’d be a savage, barbaric type. But now, you seem calm, rational—even friendly."

Nezha slowed his eating and countered, "Then tell me—what has the throne given you?"

Although Oulistros didn’t particularly like his throne, it had indeed bestowed upon him many things. He tentatively responded, "An inexhaustible wealth?"

Nezha didn’t refute him but instead reached into his sleeve, pulling out a blue diamond the size of a soccer ball, tossing it casually onto the table.

"Do you think I’d lack wealth?"

Oulistros stared at the gemstone, easily capable of purchasing half his kingdom, and couldn’t bring himself to utter the word "lack."

"I could surround myself with beauties, choosing from all the women in the kingdom."

"I’ve met the Goddess Athena of Wisdom and Victory, the Goddess of Vice and Virtue, the Night Goddess Nyx, and Queen Hera herself. In the future, I’ll encounter even more divine beings. Do you think the women in your kingdom could compare to their beauty and allure?"

Oulistros murmured softly, unable to argue. Humans simply couldn’t surpass goddesses in beauty. Yet, unwilling to admit defeat, he thought for a while and said, "I possess power—countless servants to do as I command."

Nezha gestured toward the heavily carved-up bull-headed beast and asked, "Can your servants hunt such a beast for you and serve it for dinner?"

Oulistros shook his head helplessly. This giant creature, of which he had already eaten several bites, still evoked a certain fear in him. In life, it was undoubtedly a terrifying fierce beast—but to his younger brother, it was merely a meal on the dining table.

Defeated, he slammed the crown onto the table and said, "Fine, fine! You win. You don’t even care about my throne, do you?"

"It’s not that I don’t care—I simply don’t need it."

With that, Nezha clenched his fist in front of him and continued, "It will grant me everything I desire."

Oulistros shook his head with a dejected expression, ultimately resigning himself to the fact that he was destined to be nothing more than a useless king awaiting indulgence.

"Hercules, your first task is to slay the Nemea Lion."

Unfazed by the assignment, Nezha continued eating with ease. Oulistros, watching Hercules’s composure, mused, Is this the grace of a true hero?

"Aren’t you worried you might lose to the Nemea Lion?"

Nezha didn’t respond directly but instead asked, "Have you ever eaten braised lion’s head meatballs?"

...

After resting for the night in the palace, Nezha left Mycenae the next morning under the morning light, heading to Nemea. The task location was relatively nearby, and for the unfamiliar Nezha, it only took a few days to locate the legendary forest where the Nemea Lion dwelled.

Confident in his skills, Nezha boldly ventured in empty-handed, eventually uncovering a massive cavern deep within the forest. The cave reeked of filth—this lion evidently had no regard for hygiene.

The stench inside was overpowering, so Nezha wasn’t about to enter. Instead, he gathered countless branches and dried leaves near the cave’s entrance and set them ablaze. Moist twigs and leaves billowed thick black smoke into the cavern. Before long, a deafening roar erupted as a colossal creature leapt out.