Taking a deep breath, Soren finished preparing the foundational ingredients, arranging thick cuts of marbled beef and chopped moon-stalk celery neatly on the counter.

His gaze then swept over the rest of the ingredients.

’...This single meal cost me almost 200,000 credits,’ he thought, his chest tightening slightly at the sheer numbers. ’I absolutely cannot afford to fail this.’

He focused entirely on the workspace before him, letting the lively chatter from the dining room fade into distant background noise.

Cooking with these premium items required extreme precision due to their volatility. A normal chef might just toss everything into a pot, which would let the elemental essence escape into the air. To prevent such a waste, Soren had to use his own mana to coat the ingredients, locking the pure frost energy directly inside them during the heating process.

He began the journey by pouring a precise measure of Winter-Berry oil into the large soup pot. This oil was incredibly dense, capable of withstanding immense heat without burning, which made it the perfect base. Once the oil reached the ideal temperature, he added the marbled beef, letting the rich fat render down perfectly alongside the moon-stalk celery. These rare base ingredients were crucial, as their unique cellular structures would act as the primary sponge for the magical energy later on.

Once the meat and vegetables had seared beautifully and the liquid base had begun to simmer, it was time for the trickiest part of the recipe. He finely sliced a bundle of crisp Glacial Lotus petals. Each stroke of his knife required him to channel a thin layer of mana through the blade to keep the cold energy from leaking onto the board.

With absolute precision, he dropped the petals into the bubbling broth, carefully adding a few drops of Frost-Root extract to finalize the elemental infusion. The moment the extract hit the liquid, a sudden rush of cold threatened to freeze the entire meal solid. Soren immediately swirled the pot, using his mana to distribute the freezing energy evenly.

’Steady now,’ he thought, keeping his fingers perfectly still. ’The heat needs to cook the physical ingredients while my mana binds the elemental energy into the liquid.’

It was a delicate balancing act that demanded absolute concentration, but his hard-earned control allowed him to tame the elemental forces. Once that primary process was done, the volatile energies finally stabilized, blending into perfect harmony.

With the magical infusion successfully bound to the liquid, the rest of the cooking went much more smoothly.

Time passed while the tense tightness in Soren’s shoulders finally began to ease.

Wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead, he left the soup to simmer quietly, allowing the beef to become incredibly tender and the broth to clarify into a perfectly translucent finish.

When the meal finally concluded its long preparation, a deep sense of satisfaction welled up in his chest. The broth remained beautifully clear, radiating a deceptively warm aroma.

He neatly arranged the soup into deep porcelain bowls and placed them onto a large serving tray alongside the other side dishes. Soren smoothed down his apron, took a calming breath to steady his pulse, and walked out to the dining room.

"Dinner is ready," Soren announced, keeping his voice cheerful and professional.

Hearing his voice, Clara quickly stood up from her seat, helping him serve the food by placing the deep porcelain bowls and side dishes onto the table.

As the plates settled, the rich, savory aroma filled the room, carrying a subtle, crisp undertone that made the atmosphere feel instantly refreshing.

Zoe leaned over her bowl, her eyes widening as she took in the sight. She let out an exclamation, a mix of surprise and delight coloring her face.

"Wow, so you really can cook~" Zoe said, looking up at him with a grin. "Even without tasting, I can tell it’s gonna be good just from the smell and look alone."

"Thanks," Soren replied, a faint smile touching his lips.

Before he could sit down, Clara whispered in a low voice.

"...Let me feed Ethea."

Soren paused, his hand hovering over his chair as he looked at them.

"...Alright," He nodded after a pause. ’I was wondering how I should ask her anyway.’

If sister Zoe witnesses him feeding Ethea like that, who knows what kind of relentless teasing he would have to endure for the next month or even year. Aunt Clara’s timely intervention was a blessing in disguise.

Soren pulled his hand back, smoothly sliding into his own seat across from them.

He picked up his utensils, looking around the table at everyone.

"Well then, let’s dig in."

While Clara picked up a porcelain spoon to help Ethea, Zoe eagerly reached for her own bowl.

Taking a sip himself, Soren observed them, his gaze first falling on Ethea.

She was sitting perfectly rigid. Her posture was exceptionally stiff as she looked down at the steaming bowl placed before her. A faint, barely perceptible tension gripped her shoulders, though her expression remained completely unreadable. It seemed like she had been teased by Sister Zoe a lot before he came.

"Here," Clara scooped a small portion of the translucent broth, blowing on it gently to cool the rising steam before offering it to her.

Ethea leaned forward slightly, accepting the spoonful of soup with quiet grace.

The moment the liquid touched her tongue, Zoe was already digging into her own portion across the table. She picked up a thick piece of the tender meat along with a spoonful of the broth, practically inhaling it.

"Oh my god," She mumbled around her mouthful, her eyes widening to the size of saucers. She swallowed quickly, slamming her spoon back down onto the table. "Soren, what did you even put in this? The meat is literally melting, but the soup itself... it feels warm when I swallow it, but my internal mana is completely freezing up! In a good way!"

She closed her eyes, letting out a sharp breath. A faint, visible mist escaped her lips, drifting into the warm air of the dining room before vanishing.

Soren watched her reaction closely, keeping his expression neutral despite the sudden leap of anticipation in his chest.

’It’s working!’