"You have gone all out for this victory celebration. You know it's only the Outer Disciple matches, right?" Elder Ling asked as she came into the kitchen area to steal a pastry before lunch.
"That is true, but I don't have Inner Disciples, only these ones, and it is their very first victory, so it is important to them. I can still hear the Disciples talking about it, and none of them have a competition today, so it is the perfect time to hold a banquet." Cain informed her, then handed the Elder a small pumpkin pie that might be better called a tart, given its size.
"These treats are deceptive. They look so simple and mundane, but they are changing the entire culture of the Sect, one sweet tooth at a time." Elder Ling replied, brushing her lips clean after finishing the tart in a single bite.
"They are also a trap for the unwary. A potent lesson in self-discipline. Either you eat very sparingly and suffer the sight of all your friends enjoying the delectable sweets, or you must put in extra physical work to maintain your figure. There is no sitting around looking pretty when you have such foods available, the disciples will have to keep working hard, or they will find themselves out of shape and falling behind their peers." An Elder that Cain didn't recognize informed them as she entered the kitchen area.
"So that's why your Disciples all train so hard every day instead of spending their time meditating. They need to in order to keep themselves in shape." Elder Ling nodded in understanding.
"It is all about balance. Some Sects will meditate for years and years and only build their foundation, with no skills to use it, some will focus only on skills and enhancement medicines, and their foundation will suffer for it, but if you do a bit of everything, every day, you can become the best-rounded version of yourself." Cain agreed.
The puppets were pulling more food out of the ovens, setting it out to cool with gusts of frost magic, and refilling the ovens for the next batch of goodies while the new arrival stared at them.
"I came because I noticed new women in the camp, unfamiliar faces, and thought that we had managed to obtain a large number of new disciples. But that's not the case at all, is it? These helpers are created by your skills." The newly arrived Elder asked.
"That's right. I didn't have enough hands to prepare this all by myself. The summons created the new ovens as well, and I will leave them here for later. If you don't mind, I will be teaching a cooking symposium for the Sect Members at some point so that they can continue to emulate this cooking later if they can find the ingredients.
Most of it is quite simple, just a bit of boiled or chopped fruit along with the same ingredients as a standard bread has since I've deliberately made most of it unsweetened. Loading the disciples up with too much sugar is a bad idea. They get rambunctious."
Elder Ling laughed at Cain's assessment, looking at the tent where his disciples were still sleeping, clearly judging which ones he meant.
The puppets had started setting out covered trays in preparation for lunch, and the crowd was beginning to build as more and more disciples came to see what the commotion near the kitchen was. The Forbidden Treasure Sect had already done so many outrageous things, including winning the fighting matches as an all-female Sect, that nobody wanted to miss out on seeing tomorrow's gossip unfolding live.
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"Is there a celebration feast? We couldn't do one yesterday. We didn't have time after we got back. Do I smell chocolate cake? Please say there is cake." Luna begged.
"You said that too much sugar makes them hyper, but it seems that the problem is an ongoing one.
Yes, little one, he made all sorts of cakes and pastries and sweets for the Sect today. It seems that the theme is bite-sized foods." Elder Ling laughed at Luna's enthusiasm.
"Oh, a garden party buffet. That is excellent. We can walk and talk and visit while we eat. I think there are some new people who hid here after the party last night as well, so everyone can get to know them on their first day." Luna cheered.
"And that means I have to work. I am in charge of new arrivals, you see. It was a pleasure sampling the sweets, and I will be sure to visit the buffet once it opens." The unidentified Elder told them, then left without looking back.
"That's actually the most I have heard Elder Chen speak to a man in the last century. A lot of our reputation is built around her strict enforcement of the no males within the Sect compound rule, and it was a wonder that she didn't object to you, even with these lovely disciples. But it seems that she has taken a liking to you for some reason." Elder Ling chuckled.
Cain had a fairly good idea of why that was. Elder Chen was actually a Dryad in disguise, and Cain had shown up with a druid in his group and, for some reason, had never triggered hostilities from the species before.
Dryads naturally loathed human males, as well as those of most other species, because they cut down trees to build fires and homes and destroyed the forests that the Dryads loved and protected. Ancients didn't do that, they had no need to do that, and despite his appearance, Cain had found that various forest species had always been more friendly than usual toward him.
"It is always good to make a good impression on others. Now, the food is all ready, so we should do the uncovering. But first, a nice light breeze to blow the smell over to the other Sects. The smell of good food is always a benefit to the Sect's reputation among Disciples." Cain told her with a wink.
He didn't even need to use a spell. The wind picked up a little while he was speaking, blowing the smells of freshly baked pastries across the entire field where the Sects were gathered. Most humans wouldn't notice from that far away, but Cultivators had enhanced senses, so they were unlikely to miss it.
This method actually seemed to work better than having the staff fill plates and the disciples pick spots at tables. There was more movement and conversation, letting the Disciples who were going to be competing in various events or putting on demonstrations in the upcoming weeks talk while they ate, a rare luxury that didn't take away from their training and preparation time.
Of course, it also led to many of them sneaking snacks for later, despite the assurances that there would be an evening meal, the same as always, so some of them were going to learn the lesson about temperance the hard way.
They hadn't been allowed any sweets before Cain arrived, the kitchens simply didn't make them, so there would be more than a few sore stomaches tomorrow.
"I heard that you told the Elders something about holding a cooking class. Do you have a signup sheet prepared for it already? Or is it further into the future?" A disciple asked Cain, catching the attention of others around her.
"I don't have a sheet up yet. How much notice do people need? I can do it tomorrow morning after breakfast, and the Sect can see the students' progress at lunch for the next few days." Cain suggested.
"They will all be eating our food?" She asked nervously.
"Well, we could do a small batch and have the students eat their own meal since wasting food is out of the question, but it is better if the Disciples of a Sect learn to cook for the whole Sect, right? Or are you planning meals for a husband and children?" Cain replied, making the Disciples laugh.
"Alright, I see your point. It will be a very long time before any of us consider abandoning the path of advancement for a family. If we reach immortality, we have forever, after all.
So, will you be teaching both regular meals and all those fancy snacks?" The disciple asked.
[Quest Received: Warranted Jealousy] Teach the Lotus Blossom Disciples enough cooking to hold an event in the city that will cause envy among the other Sects.
Cain couldn't hide the wave of amusement that washed through him as he saw the quest message arrive and adjusted his plans accordingly.
"We will be doing both. I will teach a group of Disciples enough about cooking and baking that they can hold an event of their own that will be the envy of the stinky male Sects." Cain informed her.
"You really do enjoy taunting them, don't you?" Elder Ling asked.
"It's just so fun and easy. They deserve what they get for excluding and harassing these lovely disciples simply because they're women. I think a nice Lotus Blossom Cafe event might be just the thing to show them the error of their ways, and it would also be amazing for your Sect's reputation."
His logic was as random as always, but he was right. It would help their reputation. As a combat Sect, they were mediocre, and they didn't have anything else that really made them stand out. They had alchemists and inscriptionists, but neither was anything amazing. Their only real selling point so far had been that they were a safe space for their Disciples, without the violent infighting that so many other Sects embraced to help their disciples grow.
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