Arcane: Let's Burn Down Runeterra!

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Chapter 42: Lights in the Night

Isaac found a hotel next door to settle down temporarily. Unexpectedly, Black and White also ended up staying there, making this deserted street suddenly lively. To prepare against any possible interference from Silco and to build up their strength to overthrow the Undercity's lich king, Justin decided first to cook everyone a feast.

Vi thought he might stock up on weapons and gear, but she never quite understood Justin's way of thinking. Undercity nights always fell earlier than elsewhere, yet the orange chandelier brought warmth and brightness to this cafe. Vi and Caitlyn were chatting on the sofa, while Jinx fiddled with her little gadgets in the corner. Occasionally, Jinx would glance their way, and upon being noticed, quickly turned back, pretending to focus intently on her creation.

After a while, Vi got up, bent down, and said something to Jinx. But Jinx, as if she hadn't heard, concentrated on a butterfly-shaped contraption with a magnifying glass. Vi wanted to say more, but Jinx directly switched on the recorder beside her, cranked up the volume, and played a high-energy rock song. Vi's voice was entirely drowned out.

"Jinx?" Hearing the commotion, Justin peeked out from the kitchen, saucepan in hand: "What mischief are you up to now? Don't disturb the neighbors; we have them now." 

"Bleh~" Jinx stuck out her tongue playfully, lowering the volume a bit.

"If you're free, help me peel the potatoes. We're having beef stew tonight."

"I'll do it," Vi volunteered, moved a small stool, unfolded a pocketknife, and diligently began peeling potatoes from a large metal basin.

Caitlyn walked over, squatted beside her, propped her chin with one hand, and quietly watched Vi peel. "Haha," Caitlyn suddenly laughed, causing Vi to feel a bit embarrassed. 

"What is it..." 

"Nothing, just find it interesting. Such a fine task, done by your big fists." 

"Just peeling potatoes, not exactly fine work…" Vi awkwardly rubbed her nose, accidentally getting some potato peels stuck on her face, looking particularly amusing.

Caitlyn held back her laughter, reached out to remove the peel from Vi's face, her fingers lightly brushing against Vi's rough cheek, wanting to linger there longer. Vi suddenly grabbed Caitlyn's hand, then froze, not making any further move. The orange light cast a sudden stillness over the moment, barely concealing Jinx's unfriendly gaze from the corner.

"Um, I-I'll give it a try too." Caitlyn withdrew her hand, pulled out her knife, grabbed a potato from the basin, and tried her hand at peeling. Though she was earnest, her technique was clumsy, reducing each potato by at least half. The shapes ended up rather odd, akin to some form of postmodern art.

"Haha, your potato looks so funny!" 

Caitlyn felt embarrassed: "This is my first time peeling a potato... Should I throw it away?"

"Why throw it away? It's still food." Vi took the potato from Caitlyn's hand, throwing it into another basin: "Don't worry, Justin will turn it into something delicious."

"Did you learn to peel potatoes in prison?" Caitlyn asked.

"Huh? Of course not, I—was it five or six years old? Anyway, kids in the Undercity have to start helping adults early, unlike you carefree noble kids."

Vi tended to speak too quickly, and only after finishing her sentence did she realize her faux pas, hurriedly changing the topic: "Oh right, have you ever had beef stew with potatoes? It's incredibly delicious..." Beef stew with potatoes was Justin's specialty because it was exceptionally simple to make. Since Justin wasn't a professional chef, he relied on fragmented memories from his past life as a foodie; he couldn't manage any complicated dishes. Even if he wanted to try, gathering ingredients was challenging. In the Undercity, potatoes and beef were the easiest to obtain. He grew potatoes himself, and the beef could be bought from stores selling canned goods from the upper city. Although the meat wasn't fresh, it was still better than anything that had spoiled or mutated. 

Of course, with so many people, a single pot of beef stew wouldn't be enough. Justin also planned to make a pot of soup, fry some side dishes, and prepare some cold plates. As he rummaged through his supplies, he realized there wasn't much. The most scarce item was fresh vegetables. Justin had to pull out the small greens he had cultivated after many attempts, intending to make a simple boiled greens dish. Washing and cutting the vegetables, soaking shredded chili, ginger, and scallions in water, blanching the vegetable stems, mixing the sauces, heating oil in the pan...

"Why make such a fuss over a handful of greens?" A sudden voice startled Justin, nearly causing him to pour hot oil on his face. "Black and White… why do you guys move around like ghosts, not making a sound?" Although Justin had known them for a while, they weren't very familiar, and he felt a shiver run through him. "Even at royal banquets, chefs don't put this much effort into green vegetables… your cooking is truly odd," White continued to stare at the plate of greens, while Black watched Justin with interest. "Hmm, I can already smell its aroma." White seemed to swallow. "There's no aroma yet…" Justin twitched his mouth, finding the pair odd, turning to pour the hot oil over the plate, which emitted a sizzling sound. The scents of scallion, ginger, and chili mingled with the fresh fragrance of the greens. "Now there is."

"A soul-stirring aroma." White's compliment made Justin awkwardly scratch his head, feeling his culinary skills weren't that extraordinary. "Hey, kid, you're not from this world, are you?" Black suddenly said. "How do you know?" Justin's eyes widened, taking a few steps back. Though he never hid this fact, and otherworldly visitors weren't uncommon in Runeterra, these two hadn't really had any deep contact with him. How did they find out? "Just as I thought." Black and White exchanged a glance, sighing: "That's why it's all so complicated." "What's complicated?" Justin asked, confused: "My cooking?" "Everything is a bit complicated." White smiled, seemingly disinclined to elaborate further.

Justin particularly hated enigmatic people like these two… but there was nothing he could do, so he vented his frustration on the cutting board, slicing the meat piece by piece. Should he also make some fish-flavored pork, or Kung Pao Chicken? On second thought, he decided against it; the chicken could be used to make soup, something to nourish Vi and Caitlyn. At some point, Black and White had left the kitchen. Justin had a rough idea about their identity… but who cares, there are always troublesome matters to deal with. For now, he just needed to focus on making this meal.