The prize money Hupo had won from the Combat Tournament was a phenomenal sum. Even after buying a two-story inn, he still had plenty of money left over. He converted the first floor of the inn into a restaurant and used the second floor as living space for himself and his companions.

While he was cleaning the first floor, he sneaked a side glance at Alana, who was also busy cleaning. Drawn to her good looks, he felt as though he could stare at her all day. To him, no woman in his old or new world could match her transcendent beauty. When he’d created her avatar in World of Lorecraft, he’d customized her appearance to create what he considered to be the ideal beauty. But she seemed even more stunning in this world.

After only seconds of blissful staring, their eyes met.

"Is something the matter, Hupo?"

Oh no, she's on to me! She probably thinks I’m a pervert.

He cleared his throat. "I was just admiring your work ethic. You're doing a great job."

She smiled. "I try my best."

When she went back to cleaning, he sighed in relief.

Good, it doesn't look like she noticed. That was a close one.

He felt a craving to see her perfect face again, but he restrained himself. It would be rude to stare too much.

Don't look. Don't you dare look!

He glanced at her.

She looked back at him. "Yes?"

Dang! Now what should I say?

He decided to use a delaying tactic. "I have a question."

"I'll answer it to the best of my ability."

Think of a question, any question!

"What do you think of me?" Although he appeared calm on the surface, he was frantic on the inside.

"You're my compassionate creator, someone who I'll do anything for." She put her hands on her chest.

"Anything?"

"Yes, anything."

In that case, hehehe...

"What if I told you to take your clothes off?"

"I'll gladly do so for you." Without hesitation, she began removing her clothes.

"Stop!" He grabbed her arm.

"My apologies, did I displease you?"

He shook his head. "No, it's nothing like that. I should be the one apologizing. I should never have felt the need to test your loyalty. Everything you've done till now is proof enough."

Alana's cheeks turned pink. "I'm grateful you think that way."

***

After he finished cleaning, Hupo went to the kitchen to prepare some food. All the ingredients he needed were already laid out on the spotless kitchen counter. The first food he tried making were French fries. He washed and peeled a few potatoes. Next, he cut them into strips, put them into a pot of cold water, and added lemon juice.

Alana stood next to him. "Why did you squeeze lemon juice into the water?"

"The cold, acidic water prevents the potato strips from turning black."

"How do you know that?”

"I worked part-time at a fast food restaurant while I was in high school.”

The next step was to heat the oil. In this world, it was an arduous task just to cook food. To get a stove fire going, you had to use a flint to shower small sparks onto wood chips. That was, unless you were a mage who could use fire spells.

He pointed to the stove. "Can you help me get the stove going?"

"Of course. Fireball." She ignited the logs in the stove with a ball of fire.

Once the oil began crackling, he dropped the potato strips into it. He waited a few minutes, before removing them. Afterwards, he asked her to add more heat to the stove. When the oil was re-heated, he fried the potato strips again.

"Why did you put the potato strips into the oil twice? Sorry for all the questions."

"Don't be. Never be afraid to ask questions. Otherwise, you won't learn. The trick to making crispy fries is to cook them twice. First, at a lower temperature, to thoroughly cook the inside of the fries, and then, at a higher temperature, to turn the outside of the fries crispy."

"That makes sense."

After the potato strips were fully cooked, he set them aside on a plate. "Next is the fried chicken."

He cracked a few eggs into a bowl of water. Next, he rolled the chicken pieces in a bowl, coated them with crushed bread crumbs, and fried them in hot oil. Once the chicken was cooked to a golden color, he sprinkled some spices on them.

“They smell wonderful.”

He set them aside on another plate. “I hope they taste as good as they smell.”

***

His stomach gurgled. It was such a familiar feeling that Easton thought nothing of it. However, unlike before, the gurgling noise wasn’t triggered by an empty stomach. He heard more gurgling, except the sound didn’t come from him. It came from Coco, the girl sitting next to him at the table. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one craving to eat whatever was giving off such a glorious aroma.

After what seemed like a long wait, Hupo and Alana finally stepped out of the kitchen. In Hupo's hands were plates of food that Easton had never seen before.

Hupo set the plates on the table. "We'll now begin the taste test. What I need is your honest feedback. If you find any faults in my cooking, then please speak up. There's no point in this taste test if I don't hear your true thoughts."

Easton nodded.

Coco stared at the food. “Can we eat now?”

Hupo gestured toward the steaming plate of freshly fried chicken. "Try this first."

Compared to all the other food Easton had ever eaten, the plate of chicken in front of him appeared wondrous and magical. On the plate were drumsticks, thighs, and breasts. He had never eaten such expensive chicken parts in his life. In the past, the only chicken parts he could afford to eat were the ones that no else wanted, such as chicken feet or chicken heads. Still, he had been filled with joy whenever he could buy himself a chicken foot or head to chew on.

He grabbed a piping hot piece of chicken. As he brought it to his mouth, its spices tickled his nose. He took a bite, crunching into its crispy coating. Then, his teeth sunk into the meat's soft and juicy consistency. Fat, mixed with tender chicken meat, rampaged deliciously inside his mouth. Hot meat juices flowed across his lips.

He couldn’t contain his excitement any longer. "This, this taste! It was like an explosion of flavor inside my mouth! For a moment, everything seemed to make sense, like I was seeing things clearly for the very first time. How in the world did you conceive of such a thing?"

Coco rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, it can't be that good. I'm sure it's tasty, but you need to remember that Master Hupo asked for our honest critique. Let me try one."

As soon as she took a bite, her eyes opened wide. "You’re right, this chicken is amazing! It was like a volcanic eruption of deliciousness!”

Easton laughed. "Told you so."

Hupo gave Alana a piece of chicken. "Try it and tell me what you think."

Alana sunk her teeth into it. "This is the best food I've ever tasted."

"I'm glad you all enjoyed it. Where I'm from, this is a popular dish." Hupo bit into a piece of chicken. "Not bad. It turned out better than I thought. I forgot to get something from the kitchen. I’ll be right back."

He went into the kitchen and returned with a platter of cups. Each cup was filled with a bright, sparkling orange liquid that gave off a pleasant citrus smell.

He set the platter on the table. "Before we begin the next taste test, please cleanse your palates with some freshly squeezed orange juice."

Easton salivated in anticipation. He had never drunk anything as luxurious as fruit juice before. When he worked as a pit toiler cleaner, it was a daily struggle just to find enough clean water to drink. More often than not, he had to drink rain water from puddles or from his buckets.

He swallowed a mouthful of the juice. It slid smoothly down his throat and invigorated his body with energy. The balance of sweetness and sourness was perfect.

Do all fruit juices taste this good?

After hearing lavish praise about the juice from the other taste testers, Easton got his answer.

To be worthy of such attention, its taste must be remarkable even compared to other fruit juices.

Hupo pushed the plate of chicken aside and put a plate of freshly cooked potato strips in its place. At the center of the plate was a small bowl of red sauce.

"Now try the other plate of food. These are called 'French fries.' Try dipping them in this tomato-based sauce called 'ketchup.'"

Easton picked up a French fry, dipped it in ketchup, and took a bite. The potato strip was delightfully crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

He could taste a hint of sea salt, which perfectly matched the sweet and tangy sauce. "Eating it was delightful. First, there was a light crunch. Then, it seemed to melt away in my mouth, like a mirage. I felt like I could never get enough of it."

"Let me try!" Coco grabbed a French fry and shoved it into her mouth.

Her fingers didn’t leave her lips.

She sucked and licked them. "So yummy! There's a subtle taste of sea salt that I can't seem to get enough of. The salt and oil that lingers on my fingers has an intoxicating flavor."

After eating a French fry, Alana gave her verdict. "Incredible."

Hupo tried one. "The French fries turned out well. Thank you all for your feedback. The next topic I wanted to talk about is the restaurant's name. I haven't decided on one yet. Any suggestions?"

"I have one!" Coco waved her hand.

Hupo laughed. "You don't need to raise your hand. Just say it out loud."

“Hupo Fried Chicken!"

"That's a pretty good name. It lets people know that fried chicken is our signature dish. However, this restaurant is a group effort and that name would detract from that fact."

Alana made a suggestion. “How about Chicken King?”

“It has a nice ring to it. My only concern is that it may offend the king of this country. Coming up with a name isn’t easy. We have to think carefully, because changing it in the future will be very difficult.” Hupo turned toward Easton. “Do you have any suggestions?”

“The name I had in mind was Chicken Castle.”

“Why Chicken Castle?”

“This place is like a castle. It’s so much better than my home and I feel safe here.”

“Hm… I like it. The name is easy to remember, and it has a nice ring to it.”

Alana nodded. "I agree. It’s an excellent choice."

“I like it too.” Coco smacked Easton on the back. “Good thinking.”

Easton coughed. “Thank you.”

"We'll go with Chicken Castle then.” Hupo took a seat at the table. “Now let’s finish the food before it gets cold.”