Chapter 15: I Picked Up a Child of Destiny, and He Says He Wants to Come Home with Me
In just a day's time, Huo Yuhao, traveling with Shi Meng's group, finally made his way to the Church of the Water God's territory on the west side of Thunderclap City. The closer they got, the more clamorous and bustling the road became—a completely different scene from the quiet, desolate streets they'd passed through on their way in.
Stalls had sprung up along both sides of the road, seemingly out of nowhere. Vendors of incense, hawkers of snacks, and even scalpers who swore they could help you cut the line for the "holy relics"—their cries rose and fell in a chaotic symphony, turning the whole area into a burgeoning temple fair.
"Good heavens, would you look at this!" Shi Meng clicked his tongue in wonder. He'd roamed the land for many years, but never had he seen a religious sect amass this kind of popularity in so short a time. It was like a giant magnet, pulling people in from every direction.
Huo Yuhao kept his silence, his thin lips pressed into a line. But his deep blue eyes quietly surveyed everything around him. All types filled the crowd: farmers with their entire families in tow, gaunt and sallow urban poor, even a few who looked to be low-ranked soul masters mixed among them. Every face carried a measure of hope, all moving in the same direction.
At that very moment, inside the Church of the Water God's courtyard—still somewhat shabby but now clean and well-kept—Furina stood with her hands on her hips, staring at a few beleaguered believers.
"Lady Pope, it's not that we didn't try our hardest!" Old Zhang, who handled procurement, wore a face of pure distress, his wrinkles practically scrunched together. "We ran our legs off, asked at every medicinal shop in the city. Usually the owners greet us politely, but today? Some claimed they were out of stock, others flat-out turned us away with a scowl! Even the grain shop, our old supplier, was hemming and hawing, saying the new grain hadn't come in yet..."
The plump auntie in charge of the kitchen was also wringing her hands anxiously. "Yes, yes! The flour bin's nearly scraping bottom! If we can't make the afternoon batch of cakes, what are we going to tell all those people waiting outside with their hopeful eyes?"
Furina listened and rolled her eyes, waving a dismissive hand. "Alright, alright, I get it! Just make me a list of what's missing. I'll figure something out!"
She knew perfectly well—this had to be that petty little Lei Bao scheming from behind the scenes!
Cut off her supplies? Hah! Was she, Furina, the kind of person who could be stumped by a simple lack of medicinal herbs or grain?
Medicinal ingredients? Didn't matter whether she had them or not—the pills came from the system shop anyway. Besides, the shop had recently unlocked new goods that could be easily substituted. The herbs had always been for appearances. If it came down to it, she'd just drop the pretense.
Cakes? She was a one-woman cake factory! Worst case, she'd just use her soul power to make "premium" cakes directly. A bit more tiring, but lack of grain wasn't going to starve the Water God Church. They could just buy directly from the villagers.
She turned, wanting to consult Neuvillette, but found him cornered by two well-dressed, arrogant-looking men, apparently locked in some dispute over tax records.
Neuvillette stood as calm and unruffled as ever, ledger in hand, responding to each challenge unhurriedly. His tone was even, yet carried undeniable weight, leaving the two men's faces alternating between pale and purple.
Furina curled her lip. She had no interest in dealing with that. She was just weighing up whether to cash in some points to tide them over, or be lazy and just make a batch of plain cakes to get by—when the system notification sounded in her head without the slightest warning, making her jump.
[Urgent Mission: Destined by Heaven]
[Details: Locate and recruit this plane's Child of Destiny. Secure their genuine commitment to join the Church of the Water God.]
[Reward: Direct increase of 5 soul power ranks, suitable ten-thousand-year soul ring x1.]
[Note: An opportunity not to be missed, never to return. The individual is already nearby.]
Furina froze. Her eyes instantly flew wide open.
Child of Destiny? What other Child of Destiny was there in Douluo 2 besides Huo Yuhao?!
She'd even sent Mademoiselle Chevaleyda and the others to deliver money to him before! If not for the system's restrictions, she'd have snatched this kid up long ago. And now, after all his wandering, he'd actually come to her doorstep on his own? Was this fate?
Heh, the Child of Destiny that Tang Buddha's been obsessing over is now falling right into my lap. Perfect timing—saves him from that Buddha's palm, spares him from being trained into a loyal watchdog someday.
She looked at the reward: five ranks of soul power, plus a ten-thousand-year soul ring. Furina could barely contain her excitement. She'd been stuck at rank 35 for a while now—food-type soul masters cultivated at a pace slower than an old ox pulling a cart. She'd only gotten this far by riding the coattails of system quests. And now, a direct five-rank jump and a free ten-thousand-year soul ring? And the mission wasn't even hard—this was practically a gift wrapped just for her!
Wait... he was nearby?
Suddenly fueled as if injected with adrenaline, her head swiveled toward the courtyard gate like a radar dish locking onto its target, her eyes blazing as they swept the crowd.
Just then, Shi Meng's booming voice rang out from the courtyard entrance, carried in the hearty tones of a seasoned wanderer: "Who's in charge here? Name's Shi Meng, rank 22 Soul Grandmaster! I've brought these folks here to join the Church of the Water God! Give us a meal, and we've got the muscle—any work, we'll do it!"
All eyes were drawn. Furina followed the sound, her gaze skipping past the tall, burly man and landing precisely on the dark-haired youth standing quietly behind him—so quiet he almost didn't fit in.
It was him! Huo Yuhao! He looked even thinner and smaller than she'd imagined, but those blue eyes of his were very bright. He clutched a worn bundle tightly in his hands, cautiously surveying the courtyard.
Neuvillette, it seemed, had also just managed to send the tax officials on their way. He closed his ledger and cast his calm gaze over Shi Meng's large group. "Welcome, all of you. Joining requires registration—please state your intentions and capabilities so we can arrange matters appropriately. Form an orderly line, please."
The queue began to move slowly. Shi Meng was first in line, announcing his soul master rank and skills in that booming voice of his. The villagers who'd come with him added their voices in a jumbled chorus: some seeking shelter, others hoping to awaken their children's martial souls, still others just looking for work.
When it came to Huo Yuhao at the very end, he drew a deep breath, stepped forward, and spoke—not loudly, but clearly: "My name is Huo Yuhao. I've come to... to look for work in the kitchen. I can cook. The wages... even a little less would be fine, but... could I possibly... get a small advance? I want to buy medicine for my mother..." His voice trailed off, his ears reddening. His fingers unconsciously twisted the corner of his shirt.
The moment Furina heard this, joy practically burst into bloom inside her. Attaboy! Just what I was hoping for! And she'd been wondering how to get close to him!
She shot forward before Neuvillette could even open his mouth, planting herself in front of Huo Yuhao with the kindest, most approachable smile she could muster (though it came off a touch too radiant to be quite natural). "Oh! You want to be a chef? That's wonderful! We're just short of hands! I can tell at a glance that you're the steady, reliable type!"
Before Huo Yuhao could even react, she had already turned to Neuvillette, words firing off like rapid shot: "Neuvillette, I've taken quite a liking to this young man! I'm sure his cooking's up to par!"
Which wasn't wrong—in the original story, Huo Yuhao's culinary skills were second to none. You could even call him the God of Cuisine on the Douluo Continent. The Douluo Continent was, after all, a culinary wasteland, and her cakes already outclassed the vast majority of desserts—even those made by other food-type soul masters didn't compare. Huo Yuhao's cooking was on another level entirely.
"His wages—put them at the top rate for a full member! Advance him half a year's pay on the spot! No—a full year! And grab some of those medicinal herbs for nursing health—for his mother's treatment! I want it done now!"
The entire sequence flowed like water. Not only was Huo Yuhao thoroughly stupefied, wide-eyed and utterly at a loss, but even the people waiting to register stared in disbelief, murmuring among themselves.
Shi Meng scratched his head, thinking to himself: So the Lady Pope really is just like the rumors say... uh, a little overly enthusiastic? This generous to a kid she'd never even met?
Huo Yuhao was even more flustered. His face flushed bright red and he waved his hands frantically, barely able to string words together. "N-no, you don't need to give so much... really... I—I just need a job, just a little advance... medicine—medicine is very expensive..."
"Not expensive at all! If there's one thing our Church of the Water God has in abundance, it's medicine! More than enough!" Furina waved her hand grandly, nearly ready to stuff the pills directly into his arms, terrified that this prize—ahem, this "five ranks of soul power + ten-thousand-year soul ring gift package"—might somehow fly away. "From now on, the kitchen is yours to run! Do a good job!" She could already see herself shooting up in rank, her fourth soul ring gleaming as another ten-thousand-year ring. The future was bright!
As for Neuvillette—though he felt a flicker of puzzlement at Furina's sudden, almost aberrant "enthusiasm," he merely cast a thoughtful glance at the visibly awkward and uneasy Huo Yuhao, then another at the clearly over-stimulated Furina. He said nothing further, only nodding calmly. "As the Pope wishes. I shall fetch the medicinal herbs and the advance payment at once." He turned and walked away, his stride as steady as ever.
Huo Yuhao remained where he stood, watching the white-haired envoy's retreating figure, then turning back to the Pope who was grinning ear to ear right in front of him. He felt dizzy, as though an enormous meat pie had fallen from the sky and struck him squarely on the head. He couldn't for the life of him understand why the Goddess of Fortune—even if this goddess seemed a little... flighty—had suddenly decided to smile upon him.
He had no way of knowing, of course, that what this "goddess" had her eyes on wasn't merely his God-of-Cuisine-level cooking, but the vast, intangible fortune behind him—the kind worth "five ranks of soul power and a ten-thousand-year soul ring." Nor did he know that this Lady Pope was, in a certain sense, an "old acquaintance" of his all along.