Reincarnated Into The Middle Ages

Five days later, in the morning, Norn was in his room, holding a stick and constantly stirring a pile of black and yellow powders.

After mixing the powders well, he added some ale and then kneaded them into spherical "pills," dropping them into a small wooden barrel that already had a layer of black powder. Several completed barrels were lined up beside him. After a busy morning, Norn sealed the last barrel and inserted a cotton wick.

"Finally done!" Norn looked at his creation and stretched contentedly. "I can surprise Anna tonight!"

"Almost forgot, it's Sunday today. Time to visit Uncle!" Norn quickly put everything away and ran out. Patrick was already waiting by the wagon at the entrance.

After confirming he had everything, Norn jumped onto the wagon. Anna, not far away, waved excitedly at him.

"Norn, don't forget my gift!"

"Got it, it'll blow your mind!" Norn replied with a smile, thinking about how he had been busy these past few days preparing the purple dye and the "big surprise" for Anna.

"Anna's going to be so happy," Norn thought as he sat on the wagon.

"Little Norn, here again, huh?"

"Yeah, came to see all the uncles!"

"Little Norn, that mixed vegetable stew you made last time was just amazing. What yummy dish did you bring this time?"

"Enough onion stewed beef for everyone."

Norn sat on the wagon, skillfully greeting all the knights of the Order. The knights all looked at Norn warmly; after all, it was rare to find a "little benefactor" who would come by with money, gifts, and great cooking these days.

Norn hopped off the wagon in front of the residential area and, as usual, found Uncle Otto's house, knocking and entering.

Inside, there was only a bed, a cabinet, and a cross—nothing else.

Otto, as always, was sitting in front of the bed, praying. He smiled when he noticed Norn had arrived.

"How have you been, Uncle?"

Norn sat beside Otto, chatting away about recent trivial matters, while Otto listened quietly, creating a cozy atmosphere.

"You don't need to bring so many things next time! It's not easy for you to earn money here!"

"No way, my textile workshop is almost done. Soon, I'll be making money while lying in bed!"

Remembering his nephew's money-making skills, Otto shook his head and didn't say more.

Seeing lunchtime approaching, Norn ended the chat and went to the Order's kitchen.

Ten chefs were already waiting there. Norn raised his hands, and a quick-thinking kitchen worker draped a custom apron around him.

"Today we're making onion stewed beef. Hey, you, go cut the beef I brought into small pieces," Norn casually pointed at a chef, who immediately and respectfully went to handle the beef.

"You go chop the onions, carrots, and cabbage."

"You go boil the beef for two hourglasses."

The entire kitchen was bustling with activity, but no one complained. In fact, they seemed to enjoy being bossed around by Norn. Initially, they had looked down on the 9-year-old kid, but after he made a dish of red-braised mutton right in front of them, they were thoroughly impressed.

Once the preparations were done, Norn stepped onto a specially made small stool and stood in front of the stove.

"I'm telling you guys, you've been chefs for years and still don't know how to cut beef properly?"

Norn pointed at a piece of beef. "When dealing with the sinew, always use a sharp knife and cut against the grain."

"And for these onions, always pick the round, plump, and crispy ones. Got it?" Norn kept instructing, and the chefs nodded eagerly like chicks.

"Watch closely, I'm only doing this once!"

All the chefs gathered around, eyes wide, watching every move Norn made.

He started by heating up olive oil and small pieces of pork fat. The rich aroma of animal fat mixed with the sweetness of plant oil filled the air.

He added the diced beef, and the scent of butter also bubbled in the sizzling "crackle" of the oil.

Once the beef was golden brown on all six sides, he added the orange-red carrot cubes and tender green herbs, gently stirring. The colorful ingredients formed a vibrant canvas.

With one hand, Norn poured in a large amount of onions, and with the other, he grabbed a jug of wine and poured it in.

A towering flame shot up from the pot, roasting the tender onions.

Everyone present greedily inhaled the aroma of the food, feeling as if they had turned into the onions in the pot, melting in the bubbling sounds.

Norn covered the pot and turned to the chefs, saying, "A chef is a profession that spreads the Lord's light and brings happiness through food! I won't tolerate anyone wasting food, understand?"

"Yes, Sir Norn!"

In the dining hall, everyone was happily gnawing on the food in their plates. Each bite was a completely different experience: the sweetness of the vegetables, the tenderness of the beef, the richness of the sauce. Every bite was unforgettable.

Grand Master Odod looked at the crowd enjoying the food and then at the fragrant dishes in front of him, with a complicated expression.

"Here comes Norn again?"

"Mmm," Everard replied, his face buried in his plate.

"Sigh, does this go against the teachings of our Order about frugality?" Grand Master Odod thought to himself. "Maybe I should stop letting Norn come." He then picked up his spoon and stuffed the food into his mouth.

"Delicious!"

In the afternoon, Norn stood at the entrance of the Order's quarters, waving to Otto: "Uncle, don't see me off. It's such a short distance, I'll be fine."

Otto stood at the entrance, waving gently without saying a word.

"Little Norn, be careful on the road."

"Little Norn, come often."

"Little Norn, if you have any difficulties, be sure to tell Uncle Everard."

Otto turned around in surprise, looking at the group of people who had appeared out of nowhere.

"Thank you all for your concern. And please accept this money. It's a small contribution from the Adler family to the Order's cause," Norn said with a smile, handing over a purse.

"Norn, every time you come, you contribute to the Lord's cause. It's rare to find such a devout believer!" Everard, beaming like a bright chrysanthemum, took the purse and roughly estimated its weight—another 50 gold nomismata.

"Oh, and please look up at the southern sky tonight. There will be a surprise!"

"Sure, sure."

As the sun gradually returned to its resting place and the moonlight enveloped the earth, the entire city once again fell into darkness, with only a few flickering lights.

In the dead of night, in a valley not far from the Order's quarters, a vulture descended from the sky and strutted around as if it were a king inspecting his territory.

Seemingly hearing some movement, the vulture stopped and turned its head, its sharp eyes fixed on the bushes behind it.

After a long silence, the vulture, finding no issues, turned its head and continued walking.

But as the vulture took a step, a black shadow shot out from the sand like lightning, clutching the king's slender neck. Before the king could flap its wings to escape, it left this world.

A figure leaped out from the sand, casually threw the vulture to the side with its right hand, and then let out three crow calls.

The once silent valley instantly saw hundreds of dark figures emerging from the ground, bushes, and various ordinary places. Despite this, the valley remained eerily quiet.

A dark cloud quietly covered the sky. All the dark figures on the ground crouched low and crept towards the direction of the Order's quarters. They moved as gracefully and quietly as cats, as swiftly and steadily as cheetahs. The soft sand did not hinder their movement, and the howling wind covered their advance.

The distant lights of the Order's quarters still flickered as usual, as if they were about to be swallowed by the darkness at any moment.

Abar felt his strong heart boiling in his chest. For 14 years, almost every day since his birth, he had been told about the massacre and the unforgettable hatred. As an adult, his greatest dream was revenge, to avenge his people.

Abar originally wanted to follow everyone to raid the white demons' camp, but the leader found him and asked him to assassinate a young noble related to the white demons first and bring back a little girl.

"All infidels are the same," Abar's eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty light.

Under the cover of darkness, Abar quietly approached the edge of the estate. With a light touch on the wall, Abar climbed up to the top, cautiously observing the surroundings first. After confirming there were no guards, he flipped over and landed silently on all fours, like a cat, slipping into the darkness and gliding over the rooftops like a black wind. Each time he glided over, he would stick to the roof like a gecko, searching for the target's trail.

It seemed the target was not inside the house. Abar carefully looked around from the rooftop and saw the target and his guards in the open space, seemingly doing something.

His black clothes helped him blend completely into the darkness. The cold sand could not hinder his movement. Abar carefully lay on the ground, slowly crawling forward, inch by inch, closing the distance to the target.

Suddenly, Abar saw the target holding a torch in one hand and a barrel in the other, walking towards him.

"Have I been detected!" Abar was startled, took out his pitch-black dagger, and tensed his body, ready to take the target's life as soon as he came closer.

But the target suddenly stopped halfway, put down the barrel, and then crouched behind it, seemingly trying to light the barrel with the torch.

"What's in the barrel?" Abar wondered.

...

At the Order's quarters, Otto and a large group of knights gathered in the open space, the surrounding fire pots howling in the wind.

"Knight Otto, what do you think the surprise Norn mentioned is?" a knight asked.

"I don't know either, but that boy has learned a lot from the monastery's library."

"Is that so? I envy you having such a good nephew," Everard sighed.

"Look! A meteor!" a sharp-eyed knight shouted.

At that moment, a faint sound came from the south, and more than a dozen fireballs pierced the endless darkness, exploding into a brilliant sea of flowers with a "bang," blooming recklessly, sometimes like golden chrysanthemums bursting, silver snakes dancing, sometimes like colorful butterflies fluttering, giant dragons soaring, sometimes like a blazing tree, a rainbow wildly dancing.

The entire sky was illuminated like daylight, and several dark patches on the ground stood out prominently.

"There are assassins!!!" Norn and Otto both started in shock!