Chapter 15: Deal
Fortunately, Adam hadn't returned home even this late at night. Time was 10:30 pm and midnight was approaching. Zeno decides to wash up after storing the loot he had obtained today in an icebox.
Icebox is a day to day item used by the people in the continent to store food items to keep it cold. It could be considered an otherworld refrigerator except for the fact that there is no freezer section in the Icebox. It is a large 2.5m high cuboidal box with many trays inlaid to hold various food items. It is operated from the power extracted from energy stones mined from underground. Low grade monster cores can also act as replacement in case of energy stones.
After coming from the bath, Zeno decides to cook the meat he had obtained by himself. He doesn't have any experience skinning a rabbit except a chicken but his predecessor's memories and experience came to his rescue at the moment.
Since Larry, guardian of both predecessor Zeno and Adam was a proficient hunter, he knew how to efficiently skin and cut meat from carcasses. When predecessor Zeno was dismissed from his school, he was left with only a few crude professions to turn to. That was when Larry taught him a bit about cleaning and butchering meat. After some time, it became a routine that Larry and Adam would bring a hunt home while Zeno would prepare it. However his predecessor Zeno's talent for cooking was far from better, hence that job was done by Larry itself.
Coming back to present, Zeno takes up the carcass in his hand and washes it thoroughly until all the visible blood was washed off. Even after being dead, the fur hadn't lost its shine and was glossy upon touch. Taking a large butcher knife into hand, he chops it down on the neck.
*Thwack*
The head was severed from the body letting blood flow down into the basin. After the whole carcass is drained of blood, it is washed again for skinning. Since it is a rabbit, the procedure is to hold it by hindleg and make a small cut around the feet to its belly and pull the fur with force. Even though Zeno knew that from memories, this time being his real first time experience, he had some minor difficulty. However he was able to pull it off quite good.
Next part is cutting the meat which isn't that difficult for him since all it required was chopping it evenly at the tendons at the bones ends. All he needed to do was chop, chop and chop.
*Thwack*Thwack*Thwack*
Now that the cutting part is over, next comes the cooking part. This is the part Zeno is not so afraid of. First he marinates the meat with strange spicy and salty seasoning found from the cupboard and lets it stand for some time.
Then he takes some sort of weird vegetables from the icebox. He was seeing these vegetables for the first time in the world, however he could sense what it was and how it should be used with his cooking sense. He collects all the vegetables he needs and chops it to the best of his ability.
Next he takes a pan, add and heat the butter over a stove, add all the vegetables along with spices and some water over the hot stove and cook it until it boils. Then he proceeds to add the marinated pieces of meat to the mixture and stir it until a thick gravy is obtained.
Voila! Zeno has made himself a Rabbit Butter curry which only God himself knows whether suitable for consumption. Now for the final check.
'View'
[Item: Rabbit Butter Curry
Description: A dish created spontaneously using fresh rabbit meat, vegetables and condiments. Even though it is a bit spicy, it is suitable for consumption. It provides nourishment to the body and even helps recover a bit of World Energy after consumption.
+20 Energy points ]
"Thank God, it turned out alright."
Heaving a sigh of relief, Zeno tells himself.
~*Creak*Creak*~
Sudden creaking sound from outside alerted Zeno of Adam's arrival. Time is almost 12 o'clock at night. Normally a kid should not be hanging around outside, this time. But Adam isn't such a kid, so rules don't apply to him.
'Is he always going to be late from now on? Well, more freedom for me then, I suppose.'
Thinking that to himself, Zeno brings the prepared food to the table. 2 loaves of bread and the Rabbit Butter Curry was going to be today's dinner. He wasn't planning to do it for all nights. This was just a simple reciprocation for today's breakfast and lunch.
"I am home. Sorry I got late. Even though it's late, I brought food for you....."
Adam apologises coming through the front door. He was carrying some sort of bags with him, most probably the food he mentioned before. That is when he notices the steaming food on the table which felt like an unbelievable illusion to him.
"Wow, Did you, uh.. just cook by yourself?"
Adam asks Zeno with a visible expression of wonder and surprise in his face.
"Yeah, I did. Me and my new friends had gone for a night hunt and luckily we were able to hunt some rabbits for ourselves. I took one from the lot as my share.
I was able to make ourselves a dish with what was left over here. I think there is sufficient food for both of us until tomorrow night. Do you want to try it?"
Zeno asks after telling a bit of lie mixed with some truths. He didn't want to completely explain the endeavours he had undertaken today.
"Yeah, why not?"
Saying that, Adam brings out dumplings he had brought home and dips it into the thick gravy proceeding to eat it. Zeno also proceeds to join him since he too was hungry since evening.
Even though the curry was a bit spicy, it wasn't too bad for an amateur in Adam's eyes. For Zeno, all he felt was exhilaration for being able to eat the food he had caught and cooked by himself. Even though it wasn't that fantastic of a job, to him it was a job well done.
"I didn't know you had it in you. If that's the case, why don't you cook all our dishes from now on? I will provide you with all the ingredients you need and you cook for both of us. Deal?"
Adam asks Zeno trying to make a deal out of it. Adam just wanted to make sure Zeno would not feel useless not being able to do anything for others. Adam would provide money and supplies while Zeno would do the housework, not a bad deal if you think in that way since Zeno isn't bringing home any money.
"Not acceptable."
Zeno rejects it without thinking for much longer.
"Why? Is there any problem?"
Adam asks having not expected such a reply.
"You see, the deal is too disadvantageous for me. Look, I don't mean to be mean here, but I could hunt and cook for myself. So why should I waste my time doing that for you?"
Zeno replies back after a few moments of silence expecting to hear a mouthful.
"Hey, I paid for your school fees and all. Why are you talking like we are no family? I helped you heal yourself. I made food for you, this morning and afternoon. I even helped you get back into the school that threw you out? You could at least help cook and clean for me."
Adam first argues back angrily and then tries to use a form of mild emotional blackmailing to bring Zeno to his way. Even then he hadn't loosened his grip on the rabbit leg in the curry gobbling it down. But what he doesn't know is that, Zeno had already expected such a reply from Adam and was only waiting to throw in a bait.
"First of all, you tempted me with a pill and forced me to go to school. Second of all, you didn't tell me anything about you being a teacher in the class I study. Even though my idiot classmates there, both old and new, don't know the relationship between us, have you ever thought how much shame I would have to go through if they knew we were brothers. Just think about it, one genius brother teaching a stupid brother, how classic.
But since I am a magnanimous person, I can agree to your deal if a certain condition of mine is acceptable to you?"
None of those reasons were a valid problem to Zeno. All he wanted was to make the most out of the opportunity and hook Adam onto the bait he was going to throw. He also grabs another rabbit leg and starts to munch on it imitating Adam.
"What condition?" Adam asks back.
"I will do the housework if and only if you teach me one of those fancy techniques you possess like that vibrating palm or something else like that." Zeno replies back stating his demand.
"You can't do any of that at your current state. You are not even awakened. All my techniques require the usage of World Energy and it is going to be impossible for you to learn it until you awaken." Adam retorts back trying to knock some sense into him.
"What if, I have already awakened my Soul Gift?"
Zeno argues back. There is no point in holding back this information if it is going to hold him back.
"WHAT!!? Why would you do that? Many people had fallen prey to Demon's Plague each generation and died horribly leaving behind not even a body to cremate and killing everything surrounding it in a large scale explosion. Did you also want to die like that?"
Adam was angry at Zeno for making a costly mistake like that. After all, this was something beyond their control.
"Let's just say, I found a solution for that. Now, would you teach me one of your techniques since I can now use World Energy."
Zeno tries to appeal once more to Adam whose face looks crestfallen. According to Adam, Zeno doesn't still realise the gravity of the disaster he had brought upon himself.
"Yeah, whatever you say. Just clean all of this for today, okay. What type of technique do you want to learn? Attack, Defense or Movement type?"
Adam finally gives up on scolding Zeno and gives into his demand.
"It would be better if it is a movement technique. I want to be able to escape when in danger."
Zeno answers remembering his recent experience with Big Bunny. Both of them had finished eating by now.
"So shall it be. I will provide you one tomorrow itself. Don't forget to clean the dishes before going to sleep."
Saying so, Adam goes to his room and fell asleep.
Noticing his effort had paid off, Zeno goes onto clean all the plates and went to his room after doing so.
Before going to sleep, he decides to check his status.
'View'
🔲🔲🔲🔲🔲🔲🔲🔲🔲🔲🔲🔲🔲🔲🔲🔲
Name: Zeno Lockhart / Noir Rivera
Title: Transmigrator
Age: 8 (32)
Cosmic Grade: 1 {0/200}
Energy Points: 100/100 (Recovery: 1EP/min)
Gifts:
1. Construct Gift: Short Sword (Unawakened)
2. Unique Gift: Profile
Traits:
Energy Sense Lv2
Demon's Plague/ Possessor of Fragment of Abyss(Dormant)
Techniques:
Taoist Energy Breathing Technique Lv1
Inbuilt skills:
Scanner Vision, Virtual Processor, Hidden Codex
🔲🔲🔲🔲🔲🔲🔲🔲🔲🔲🔲🔲🔲🔲🔲
All the energy points Zeno had expended during the hunt was regained with the help of the energy recovery of 1 point per minute. Previously, he had already gained himself a new technique that would allow him to break through his current cosmic grade and advance to 2nd grade with the help of Scan and Process skill combo.
[Technique: Taoist Energy Breathing Technique
Level: 1
Description: A technique created based on some sort of breathing patterns followed by Taoist monks belonging to a lost era which helps in allowing a person to expand his current energy absorption limit and continue to expand it daily by daily.
+1 Excess Energy Point per hour ]
'Profile can you run this technique by yourself while I am sleeping.'
Zeno asks Profile in his mind.
[Absolutely, no problem.]
Even though these sort of Advancing technique requires user to be conscious of what he is doing and ensure he does not make a mistake while following it, there was no need for Zeno to be conscious while using it since Profile can act as his mediator in these sort of situation and can help him rest while Profile will look after it.
"Then I shall leave it to you."
After leaving the job to Profile, Zeno falls into a deep sleep.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Zero_Dragnaire
Zero_Dragnaire Hope you like the chapter. Thanks for your compliments.
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