"You've eaten this before—how do you feel?" Voldemort asked anxiously.
"Just... I feel a little stronger," Quirrell replied hesitantly.
"It's true! This kind of food does make me stronger!" Voldemort was ecstatic. But suddenly, the powerful sensation in his body began to fade. "What's going on?"
"The effect of this thing has a duration," Quirrell explained with some experience. "The strengthening effect I felt lasted for about five minutes. For you, the time may be shorter because your strength is already so great."
"So that's it." Voldemort lay down again, but the stillness of his snake tongue betrayed his inner agitation.
"Quirrell, I want you to please him at all costs!" Voldemort said decisively.
"Ah?"
"Do you have any objection?" Voldemort cast a cold glance at him.
"No... No, everything is up to the master," Quirrell stammered, sweat forming on his forehead. But he couldn't help voicing his concern. "But Master, the most urgent matter now is the Philosopher's Stone."
At Quirrell's words, Voldemort fell silent.
"...You're right." He came back to his senses, his snake eyes gleaming. "Yes, our goal is the Philosopher's Stone. Once I'm resurrected... Hehe, when I am fully reborn, I'll capture that child and make him cook for me every day! Hahahaha!"
Watching Voldemort, now writhing on the ground in a state of madness, his snake-like body slithering without control, Quirrell's face was full of despair.
He felt that the master he had chosen was completely insane.
He really regretted it.
Meanwhile, Alan had no idea that he had already been marked by Voldemort—not just as an enemy, but as his future personal chef. Even if he had known, Alan wouldn't have panicked. It was just Voldemort. Could someone like that really turn the world upside down?
So Alan continued to follow his plans and indulge in the joy of cooking.
One week later.
Alan sat at his desk, opened his notebook, dipped his feather quill in ink, and began to write.
Hungarian Horntail
Danger Level: 70
Edible Parts: Dragon liver, dragon blood (not yet tested), dragon heart (not yet tested), dragon meat (not yet tested)
Origin: Hungary
Dragon Liver (Hungarian Horntail)
Properties: Sweet, hard texture, low fat
Best Cooking Method: Mix with butter and orange juice to make foie gras sauce
Australian Eggshell Dragon
Danger Level: 69
Edible Parts: (same as above)
Origin: New Zealand
Dragon Liver (Australian Eggshell Dragon)
Properties: Sweet, soft texture, moderate fat content
Best Cooking Method: Pan-fried foie gras — great praise
As he wrote the words "great praise", Alan couldn't help licking his lips.
The dragon liver from the Australian Eggshell Dragon was truly delicious. It didn't need any complicated preparation—just a bit of olive oil and some honey for seasoning, and it was divine.
Alan had bought this particular liver from the old woman's store later on, mainly to study the differences between the two dragons' flames, both from the same species.
According to the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, there's a major difference in their flame capabilities. The Hungarian Horntail's dragon breath has a longer range and poses more of a threat to wizards.
As for pure destructive power, both could annihilate an average wizard with ease. So, in Alan's opinion, there was no real need to distinguish between "rare" or "well-done"—you'd be toast either way if you got sprayed.
In short, the Hungarian Horntail had a longer attack range, while the Australian Eggshell Dragon had stronger firepower.
For wizards, the former was more dangerous. Not only was its breath long-range, but it was extremely aggressive and would ambush targets without hesitation.
The Australian Eggshell Dragon, however, was more docile. Unless it was starving, it would usually run away from wizards. Even when hungry, if you gave it enough food, it might even let you walk away safely.
This kind of information was invaluable to Alan. If he ever wanted to hunt fire dragons in the future, this would be life-saving knowledge.
You might ask, why hunt fire dragons?
May the gods have mercy—Alan's savings had dwindled to nearly 100 Galleons in just three days. Though he could cook dishes to sell, the daily profits simply couldn't support his desire to eat dragon liver.
The worst part?
The price of dragon liver had gone up because he was eating it.
Yesterday, when Alan went to the shop to ask about prices, the old woman informed him—very apologetically—that due to increased demand, the price of dragon liver had risen across the board.
Now, a single ounce cost 1 Galleon, which was an increase of 2 Sickles!
Alan swore that if he had the ability, he would hunt a fire dragon himself—preferably an Australian Eggshell Dragon—and eat the liver to his heart's content.
He even fantasized about raising one himself. He'd force-feed it until it was fat, then harvest its rich, fatty liver.
Such visions of the future were always beautiful... but reality was another matter.
Alan sighed, closed the notebook, and looked at his current enhancement points.
Each serving of dragon liver prepared as an ultimate dish brought him 500 enhancement points. Over the past few days, combined with a few sub-ultimate dishes, he had accumulated 1,300 enhancement points.
That was enough to enhance most of his skills substantially.
Alan leaned back in his chair, deep in thought.
It wasn't just the enhancement points. The real challenge was the balance between cost and power. Dragon liver was too expensive for regular consumption. Yet the power it provided was unmatched.
And there was another issue...
The more powerful the ingredient, the shorter its enhancement effect lasted on someone like him, who already had decent stats. He had noticed the diminishing returns.
Still, it was impossible to deny the rush he got from cooking and eating such exotic ingredients. The flavors, the power surge, the culinary experiments—it was an obsession now.
He glanced at the notebook again, where he'd scribbled the notes about fire dragons. His handwriting had grown more precise, more urgent, with every entry. He had detailed everything—from flavor profiles to behavior in combat.
This wasn't just cooking anymore.
It was research. It was strategy. It was survival.
And so, even as dark forces plotted to make him their captive chef, Alan remained immersed in his world of flavors and flames, dragon livers and enhancement points.
He would continue cooking.
He would grow stronger.
And maybe—just maybe—someday, he'd roast a fire dragon himself.
For more chapters
patreon.com/Albert213