Chapter 67: The Divine Dish Dilemma
🍲 Act I: A Culinary Challenge
Ne Job was reorganizing miracle scrolls when a scroll floated down, trailing the scent of cinnamon and starlight.
> Notice to All Interns:
> The Bureau of Divine Nourishment invites you to the Annual Celestial Cooking Contest.
> Theme: "Comfort in Chaos."
> Winner earns a week's access to the Miracle Pantry.
Ao Bing gasped. "The Pantry? That's where they keep the flavor miracles!"
Taiyi Zhenren adjusted his apron. "I once tasted a soup that made you remember your grandmother's laugh."
Ne Job blinked. "Comfort in chaos… That's poetic."
Twinkle hummed approvingly.
Lord Xian appeared. "Interns must prepare one dish. No miracle shortcuts. All ingredients must be earned."
Ne Job saluted. "Time to cook."
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🧺 Act II: Gathering Ingredients
Ne Job formed his usual team: Ao Bing, Taiyi Zhenren, and Pippa the sprite.
They visited the Department of Celestial Agriculture, where crops grew in floating gardens:
- Glowberries: sweet, calming, and slightly fizzy.
- Whisperroot: a vegetable that murmured encouragement.
- Stardust Salt: rare, only harvested during lunar eclipses.
Ne Job chose ingredients that felt warm, nostalgic, and gentle.
Ao Bing picked spicy cloud peppers and thunderfruit.
Taiyi Zhenren selected precision herbs and logic lentils.
Pippa sniffed a whisperroot. "This one says you're doing great."
Ne Job smiled. "Perfect."
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🔥 Act III: The Cooking Begins
The Divine Kitchen was a marvel — floating stoves, self-stirring pots, and scrolls that offered advice in rhyming couplets.
Ne Job began his dish: a Glowberry Stew with Whisperroot Dumplings, simmered slowly and stirred with kindness.
Ao Bing made a Thunderfruit Curry that sparked with every bite.
Taiyi Zhenren crafted a Lentil Logic Loaf, shaped like the Bureau's emblem.
The judges — a trio of retired deities with golden forks — watched closely.
Ne Job added a final touch: a sprinkle of Stardust Salt and a hum from Twinkle.
The stew shimmered.
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🌀 Act IV: A Sudden Mishap
Just as the judges approached, a rogue miracle orb activated — one left behind from the Pet Adoption Fair.
It bounced into Ao Bing's curry, causing a "Spontaneous Flavor Shift."
The curry exploded in a puff of glitter and turned into jelly.
Taiyi's loaf began reciting Bureau regulations.
Ne Job's stew… began glowing brighter.
Lord Xian arrived. "Intern! Explain."
Ne Job stepped forward. "It's chaos. But comforting chaos."
He served the stew.
The judges tasted it.
One smiled. "I remember my first miracle."
Another sighed. "This feels like home."
The third nodded. "It's… healing."
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🏆 Act V: The Verdict
Lord Xian raised a hand.
"The winner," he declared, "is Intern Ne Job."
The crowd cheered.
Ao Bing tossed confetti. Taiyi Zhenren added a footnote to the recipe. Pippa hugged a whisperroot.
Ne Job was granted access to the Miracle Pantry — where he found scrolls that infused dishes with laughter, memory, and hope.
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đź“ś Epilogue: A New Recipe Scroll
The next morning, a new scroll appeared in the Bureau's cookbook:
> Recipe #C-88: Glowberry Stew with Whisperroot Dumplings
> Created by: Intern Ne Job
> Effect: Comfort in chaos. Best served warm, with kindness.
Ne Job added a note:
> "Sometimes, the best recipes aren't perfect. They're just… heartfelt."
Twinkle hummed.
And somewhere in the Bureau, a stew simmered — glowing gently, waiting to comfort whoever needed it most.