[Greek Mythology] The Demons Under My Command - Chapter 9

Over the course of three days, Li Jia thoroughly familiarized herself with the internal structure of the Hot Spring Estate, following Winsor.

Winsor’s personality could be described as simple-minded at best, or genuinely silly at worst.

What she said was forgotten in a moment, and she lived a carefree, happy life.

Li Jia slowly relaxed. Sometimes, when she accidentally let something slip, Winsor wouldn’t notice.

Furthermore, she and Li Jia shared a similar hobby:

An obsession with delicious food.

Winsor had a wide range of interests, and her biggest quirk was her fondness for researching good food.

But unfortunately, the God Lord in the manor did not need to eat.

Doreen only loved her knives.

Winsor’s assessment: One person and one (God) who don’t know how to appreciate art.

This resulted in Winsor frequently worrying over the little loaf of bread she had just baked.

On Li Jia’s first day, she complimented Winsor’s small bread, saying it was delicious, but it would be even better if a little honey was added and the bottom was baked until it was slightly caramelized.

Hearing Li Jia’s suggestion, Winsor’s eyes lit up, and she immediately got to work. That same evening, Li Jia was eating a honey cupcake.

The next day, Li Jia suggested that Winsor could steam taro, mash it into a paste, and then wrap cheese inside to create taro and cheese balls.

Winsor followed her instructions skeptically, but sure enough, she created a dessert she had never seen before—soft, glutinous, and not greasy.

It was also the first time Winsor learned that taro could be turned into a paste; she had previously only eaten it fried.

Winsor once again concluded:

This girl understands her art and is worthy of deep friendship.

On the afternoon of the third day, Winsor took Li Jia to the back mountain to fish.

What Hera saw when she stepped out of the secret room was:

From a distance, two young girls were squatting by the pond, starting a fire.

Doreen instinctively wanted to stop them, but Hera waved her hand to hold her back. She was curious to see what they intended to do.

Winsor and Li Jia gathered several large stones and, following the image in Li Jia’s memory, built a simple square-shaped hearth. They placed some dry firewood they had collected inside and lit it with a match. Soon, flames danced high.

Li Jia placed a pre-made grill, securely wrapped with iron wire, onto the hearth. Winsor felt an endless novelty from Li Jia, circling her and asking for instructions on how to use the grill.

Li Jia placed a few skewers of chicken slices that had been marinated with spices. The chicken wasn’t sliced particularly thin, but it was the limit of what she could manage.

After about six or seven minutes of grilling, Li Jia used a metal skewer she had also prepared to poke the meat, checking its doneness.

“Li Jia, how are you so clever? This is a method I’ve never seen before.”

Winsor’s eyes were sparkling with admiration.

“Low profile, low profile. This is a method from my hometown, called ‘shāokǎo’ (barbecue/grilling).”

Seeing that the meat was cooked, Li Jia picked up two skewers, one for herself and one for Winsor, and smiled, “Let’s lū chuàn (eat skewers).”

Lū chuàn?

Winsor found the term quite novel.

The chicken was grilled until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Since there was no cumin powder here, Li Jia thinly and evenly brushed the meat slices with syrup.

Under high-temperature grilling, this formed a crispy shell, better locking in the meat juices.

It was like Guōbāoròu (sweet and sour pork).

With the first bite, the juices burst out.

“Delicious! It looks crispy but tastes tender.”

Winsor was full of praise and quickly finished one skewer.

“Hehehe, good, right? It’s just that my knife skills are limited; it would taste even better if I could slice it thinner.”

“That’s no problem! Doreen’s knife skills are the best in the world; you won’t find a second person better than her. When she gets back, we’ll ask her to slice the meat for us.”

“Will she agree to that? I feel like she treasures her two knives very much.”

Thinking of the knives Doreen always wore strapped to her back, Li Jia hesitated.

“What’s the big deal? I’ll throw a tantrum and beg her; she’s sure to agree,” Winsor picked up a skewer of grilled mushrooms. “That’s what I do every time… and she’ll (chew, chew) grant (chew, chew) my wish…”

Doreen: …………

Excuse me, who agreed?!

To use the world’s number one blade master’s twin knives to slice meat.

Hera glanced at Doreen sympathetically.

The person concerned had a face as black as the bottom of a pot.

“Alright, then try this one.”

Li Jia pulled out clean grape leaves from the bag she brought. She placed a slice of golden-crisp grilled pork belly inside, along with some spicy seasoning. This portion was deliberately marinated to be savory.

Although there was no New Orleans marinade, the pork was especially fragrant and lacked the usual meat odor—perhaps because the pigs here weren’t factory-farmed.

Li Jia even felt it was hundreds of times better than any grilled meat she had eaten in modern times.

It was just a shame there was no lettuce. The grape leaves were large enough, and the initial slight bitterness gave way to a slowly sweet aftertaste.

The taste made Li Jia’s tongue tingle as if she’d been zapped by electricity, but the more she ate, the more delicious and addictive it became. Winsor felt the same way.

Both their faces were flushed from the heat, but their mouths never stopped moving.

This might be similar to zhe’ergen (Houttuynia cordata)—people who like it love it intensely, while those who don’t will retreat three paces at the smell.

The two ate until they were full, then lay down on the rocking chairs behind them.

“Xū fú de hěn (So comfortable/blissful)～”

Although she didn’t understand what Li Jia meant, Winsor followed suit:

“Xū fú de hěn～”

Winsor finally understood why Li Jia had insisted on bringing the rocking chairs. Nestled by the mountain and the water, shaded by green trees, eating until full and then napping on a rocking chair—it was a life of incomparable freedom, like that of an immortal.

Li Jia lay on the rocking chair, staring straight up at the clear blue sky, as pure and transparent as her own eyes.

Actually, Li Jia felt fine. The three days of buffer time had allowed her to transition from her initial panic and anxiety to a state of calm.

Ultimately, she should have died a long time ago, so every day she lived now was a bonus, no matter what.

She had gradually grown accustomed to this place. There were only four people in this entire divine residence.

One was a slacker, or perhaps now she should be added, making it two slackers plus two workaholics.

Upon closer reflection, Li Jia even felt like she had gained something. In modern society, her biological father cut off her living expenses after she turned eighteen.

Before she was eighteen, her biological father, influenced by her stepmother, tried multiple times to stop providing her with living and school expenses, saying a girl didn’t need to read so many books and should just get married sooner.

Fortunately, Li Jia was quick-witted. She went to various community committees and cried to the neighborhood grandmothers. The grandmothers collectively visited her father, threatening to take him to court if he didn’t support her schooling. This forced her biological father to give her living expenses every month.

Of course, she had to beg him for it. A thousand yuan a month, twelve thousand a year—less than the cost of his son’s one summer interest class, yet it covered her entire year’s tuition and living expenses.

She started working part-time very early to support herself.

Even as a teenager, she had to struggle to survive in that dog-eat-dog society.

It was a necessity.

Now, she had come to a new world. Thinking about it differently: all-inclusive food and accommodation, colleagues who were like good sisters, no office politics or infighting to deal with, and a boss who was rarely seen. Every day, she and her good sister just stayed home to look after the place.

It was as if the two of them were hotel receptionists, with the only difference being the lack of guests.

And they were occasionally executing their ‘conquest plan.’

So, Li Jia felt it wasn’t bad. No need to get up early and work late, no one supervising her; she could sleep whenever she wanted and wake up whenever she wanted.

Thinking of this, Li Jia felt joyful and, without realizing it, fell asleep alongside Winsor.

The God Lord’s residence came with a restriction: anything not actively brought in by the God Lord could not enter, so the two slept soundly.

The divine residence possessed divine nature and automatically memorized the aura of those brought in, allowing them to move freely throughout the manor.

Hera stretched out her hand into the wind, sensing the gradual build-up of humidity.

It was going to rain.

She tapped her pinky ring, and a red stellar power swept towards the two, forming a natural protective shield.

Soon, water droplets began to fall, hitting the surface of the pond and creating numerous tiny ripples.

All things were silent. The two were isolated in the heavy rain. The rainwater flowed along the protective shield, forming a curtain of rain. The air was filled with the fragrance of earth and green grass.

The girl’s messy fringe stuck to her forehead, and a faint sheen of oil still marked the corner of her mouth. As if dreaming of something, she smiled and licked her lips.

Following the God Lord’s gaze, Doreen was completely bewildered as to what was so captivating about the drooling girl.

“Let’s go.”

Hera said this without making any move. Doreen also didn’t understand what Hera meant and just stood there blankly.

“An umbrella.”

“The divine power hasn’t fully recovered; the last bit was used just now.”

Doreen: …………

This was the second time she had been speechless today.

The first was because that ungrateful Winsor wanted to use her twin knives to slice meat. The second was that the usually emotionless and cold God Lord would use her divine power to shield a person from the rain, leaving the two of them to walk back unprotected.

And both incidents were because of that girl.

What could she say? She chose her companion, and she chose her God Lord.

What could she do but endure it?

It seemed she would have to bear another nuisance in the future.

Doreen opened her umbrella. As the rain slanted down, she held the handle and walked with Hera. The black umbrella surface was lifted at the edges by the wind. Raindrops slid down the rim of the umbrella, scattering fine splashes at their feet.

The two walked side by side under the umbrella, listening to the sound of the rain tapping on the canopy. The falling water stained the bluestone slabs with small wet marks.

“Your Majesty, you forcefully ended your seclusion early today. Was it to see how she was faring in the divine residence?”

Nearing the inner chamber of the main temple, Doreen hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking.

Three days was enough time for Hera to fully recover, but she had only taken two and a half days to heal her divine soul.

Hera did not answer her question but countered with, “What should a qualified God Lord be like?”

Hera looked at her, her golden hair and crimson eyes reflecting the unperturbed figure of Doreen.

A qualified God Lord.

Doreen’s eyes trembled slightly: “One who adheres to rules and regulations, and is selfless and impartial.”

“Your Majesty, no other God can surpass you. You are the most qualified God Lord.”

Doreen knew the oath Hera had taken for her divine office.

Anyone could criticize or misunderstand Her Majesty’s cold indifference, but those close to her could not.

Her Majesty’s divine authority was unmatched in this land. The laws Her Majesty enacted held the right to override all other rules.

Supreme.

Unquestionable.

“The most qualified, you say…”

Hera lowered her head, seemingly contemplating Doreen’s words.

Doreen retreated from the inner chamber and closed the door.

The rain had stopped. She planned to wake up the two silly girls sleeping by the pond.

“Tomorrow, have her come to the Main God Temple to see me.”

Hera lay on the rocking chair by the window, conveying the message to Doreen with her divine consciousness.

It truly was comfortable.

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