NOVEL WEB Chapter 127: Chicken Soup
Luciel finally laid eyes on the bowl of chicken soup, freshly prepared by Xanthia herself.
The first impression it gave could only be described in four words: plain and unremarkable.
What exactly had she been expecting?
If she were to judge solely by appearance, it seemed even less enticing than the soup her own mother would made.
Her mother always added her favourite with other ingredients that dethrones the chicken from being the main ingredient, making the dish look far more lavish vegetable meat mix soup.
In contrast, Xanthia’s chicken soup, to put it kindly, were “simple and authentic,” but to put it bluntly, it was just a bowl of soup in clear broth.
But such "plainness" and "simplicity" were entirely fitting for the situation.
After all, Xanthia was nothing more than a high school girl living alone. Most of her time was consumed by school; how much time could she realistically dedicate to mastering culinary skills?
With that thought, Luciel found it understandable and lowered her expectations. No matter how bland or odd the soup tasted, she resolved to finish them in one go, out of respect.
Of course, Xanthia had also made a bowl for herself. She felt quite nostalgic for this dish the last time she prepared it, especially after its mysterious enhancement by the system.
"Sister Luciel, dig in! This is my special dish—'Soul-Cleansing Chicken Soup!'" Xanthia urged her with a smile.
Luciel couldn’t help but laugh at the dramatic name. Her mood lightened considerably.
Sometimes, she thought, Xanthia had a peculiar charm about her. There was nothing particularly funny, but watching Xanthia solemnly give such a grandiose name to a simple bowl of soup always made her chuckle. It was, after all, just a plain bowl of soup—there was something quite endearing about calling it ‘Soul-Cleansing Chicken Soup’.
After their emotional embrace and shared tears, Luciel had already vented most of her negative emotions, leaving her feeling refreshed and clear-headed.
In truth, sometimes, having a good cry was the best way to relieve stress. Bottling up one’s sorrow for too long often led to more harm than good.
Finally, Luciel picked up her spoon, hesitant but intrigued. She dipped it into the steaming bowl of chicken soup and lifted it to her lips. The moment the warm liquid touched her tongue, she froze. Her eyes widened, pupils dilating with astonishment. What was this taste?
She took another sip, this time more eagerly, unable to stop herself. Her face softened, a deep look of nostalgia sweeping across her features, as though the soup had unlocked a door to a memory buried within her heart. Each spoonful seemed to transport her further back, stirring feelings she couldn’t quite name but desperately wanted to reclaim.
The taste was rich, comforting, and oddly familiar—like home, but more than that. It was as if the essence of peace and warmth had been distilled into this one bowl of chicken soup. Luciel began to eat faster, her slurping growing louder, more intense. She wasn’t just eating; she was searching, trying to grasp something precious from the recesses of her mind, something lost in the flow of time.
Across the table, Xanthia ate calmly, watching Luciel’s reaction with quiet curiosity. She had experienced the same thing when she first tasted the "Healing Chicken Soup," though not to the same degree. For her, the soup had always been delicious—a strange, joy-bringing dish that lifted her spirits like no other food. But it never stirred the depths of her soul like it seemed to for Luciel.
The system had promised the soup had miraculous effects, but Xanthia had only experienced a pleasant sense of contentment and happiness after eating it. She watched Luciel, wondering if this soup truly had the power to heal more than just the body—perhaps it could heal something far deeper.
Even now, as she ate, the sensation was the same—nothing more, nothing less. Clearly, she herself was some kind of "immune body to pain", unable to trigger the system’s coin-generating abilities.
But for Luciel, the experience was wholly different. As she ate, memories of her late grandmother, who had passed away years ago, suddenly surfaced.
‘Rocking and rocking, to Grandma’s bridge we go. Grandma says I’m a good girl and gives me a pancake…’
Luciel had been raised by her grandmother, and their relationship had been deeply intimate. But when she was only nine, her grandmother had passed away. Back then, she had been too young to fully grasp the sorrow of loss.
It was only as time passed that she began to realise how much she missed her grandmother. But how much of those sweet, tender memories from childhood could she truly recall?
Children often don’t remember the most significant moments of their lives until much later, when they’ve grown. By then, however, the memories are hazy, and no matter how hard one tries, they remain elusive.
Yet now, this bowl of ‘Soul-Cleansing Chicken Soup’ had somehow reawakened those long-forgotten, cherished memories. From its taste, she once again felt her grandmother’s love.
Luciel finished the entire bowl in one go without leaving a single drop. A satisfied smile spread across her face as she savoured the lingering aftertaste.
But when she finally snapped back to reality and glanced at the empty bowl in front of her, her smile froze, and her expression darkened.
Once again, the system’s notification rang in Xanthia’s soul. Clearly, Luciel had triggered the system’s coin-generating mechanism.
Indeed, this was the special effect of the ‘Soul-Cleansing Chicken Soup’.
It didn’t inflict immediate pain on those who ate it—that would have been the dark culinary arts from the system’s "Black Cuisine" recipes.
Instead, it first allowed the eater to feel a deep sense of happiness and contentment, lifting their spirits. But once the soup were gone, and they returned to reality, the realization would hit: that happiness had long since vanished from their lives. This inevitable contrast gave rise to a sense of loss and melancholy.
The more the eater treasured those lost moments of joy, the greater the emotional pain that followed.
For Luciel, the sadness wasn’t overwhelming, as her grandmother had passed away peacefully from old age, without suffering.
So, in this case, the ‘Soul-Cleansing Chicken Soup’ lived up to its system-given name of ‘Healing Chicken Soup’. After hearing Xanthia’s story, Luciel had been feeling down, but this bowl of soup had thoroughly comforted her.
Even though she felt a touch of melancholy when she returned to reality, she didn’t dwell on it. Instead, her eyes sparkled with amazement as she turned to Xanthia, exclaiming, “Li'l Xanthia, your culinary skills are phenomenal! The broth is divine, and the chicken meat is so tender and perfectly cooked. While I was eating, I felt like I was a child again, and I remembered my dear grandmother who treated me so well!”
"Really? I’m glad you liked it," Xanthia replied, clearly pleased with the feedback. Once again, the system’s recipes had proven trustworthy. Even the simplest chicken soup, after being “blessed” by the system, could yield such miraculous results.
With the right resources, she could package this dish and create a ritualistic experience for diners, something akin to a tea ceremony. Whether people could truly discern the taste would be irrelevant; the elaborate rituals beforehand would prime them psychologically. Then, after experiencing the system-enhanced food, the emotional impact would be profound, and customers would believe it to be exactly what they were looking for!
System-enhanced dishes weren’t just for filling stomachs; they were meant to be savored and cherished. Their rarity had to be preserved—they couldn’t become common, lest they lose their mystique.
With that in mind, Xanthia realized she could exploit ordinary ingredients to generate massive profits while building up her brand.
However, when it came to collecting pain points, the ‘Healing Chicken Soup’ weren’t the most efficient. For that, she’d need to focus on more direct methods, rather than squandering a dish like this on anyone.
Yes, Xanthia thought, this was the best way to make use of the system’s recipes: slowly, cautiously, and only for those close to her. After all, if anyone ate these soup too frequently, even a fool would notice that her skills were practically supernatural, worthy of a fantasy cooking show!