Taming the Beast World with a Frying Pan-Chapter 232: Pied Piper of Stew

For the next hour, Ren stood by the massive iron cauldron, occasionally giving it a slow, deliberate stir with her heavy wooden branch. The transformation happening inside the pot was nothing short of culinary alchemy.

The dark liquid had reduced beautifully, transforming from a thin, watery broth into a thick, glossy, velvet-like gravy. The russet potatoes had perfectly surrendered their starches to the liquid, thickening the base, while the sliced carrots floated like vibrant orange jewels, having soaked up the rich umami of the seared beef tallow.

And the elk meat—oh, the meat. The chunks of once-tough game meat were now so incredibly tender that they threatened to fall apart at the mere touch of her wooden stirrer.

The scent was weaponized perfection. The aroma of caramelized onions, roasted garlic, red wine, and savory meat plumed high into the air, carried by the morning wind through the dense forest canopy.

It was a culinary siren song.

[System: Host, you might want to start charging an admission fee or set up a ticketing booth.]

Ren paused her stirring, wiping a speck of savory broth from her cheek. ’What are you talking about?’

[System: Check your perimeter. Your food has drawn a crowd. You are officially the Pied Piper of the Beast World.]

Ren subtly shifted her gaze without turning her head. Sure enough, the thick bushes and the shadows behind the towering oak trees were rustling. She couldn’t see them clearly, but she could spot the occasional flash of a white, furry ear, the glow of hungry eyes, and the shifting silhouettes of stray beastmen. The starving White Tiger clan, along with a few brave strays, had been pulled from their dens by the irresistible, mouth-watering aroma.

They were terrified of Kael, so they didn’t dare approach the clearing. They just lurked at the absolute edge of the tree line, practically drooling into the foliage.

Ren smiled a soft, secret smile and continued working. She purposefully didn’t look directly at them, not wanting to scare the skittish, starving crowd away.

Suddenly, the bushes to her left violently shook.

A sharp, panicked yelp of a female tiger rang out, but it was too late.

Bursting through the ferns was a small white tiger cub. It was incredibly tiny, probably no more than a few months old, and it was visibly, painfully skinny, its ribs showing through its fluffy white coat. But starvation had overridden its fear. The cub was making a blind, desperate beeline straight for the bubbling, fifty-gallon cauldron of scalding hot stew.

"Oh, no you don’t!" Ren gasped.

She dropped her wooden stirrer and lunged forward. With reflexes honed from years of dodging falling knives in a kitchen, Ren scooped the tiny, fuzzy beast up into her arms mere inches before it could launch itself over the iron rim and boil itself alive.

"Gotcha!" Ren exhaled, clutching the squirming bundle of fur to her chest.

The little cub let out a frustrated, high-pitched mewl. It was super cute, with massive, bright blue eyes and oversized, clumsy paws. Even safely secured in Ren’s arms, it was still paddling its little legs in the air, trying to claw its way toward the giant pot of stew.

"Hey, hey, calm down, you little marshmallow," Ren sweetly scolded the cub, adjusting her grip so it wouldn’t scratch her. "You can’t jump in there! Do you want to become part of the recipe? I am making elk stew, not tiger soup!"

The cub whined pathetically, its little black nose twitching aggressively in the direction of the food. It was so desperately hungry that Ren’s heart immediately melted into a puddle.

"Okay, okay, hold on," Ren cooed.

Balancing the squirming cub against her hip with her left arm, Ren got a small, carved wooden spoon from her inventory. She dipped the spoon into the bubbling cauldron, scooping up a tiny amount of the thick, rich broth, completely avoiding the large chunks of meat or hot potatoes that could choke the baby.

She brought the spoon back, but before she let the cub near it, Ren blew on it softly. She tested the temperature of the wood against her own lip, ensuring it was perfectly cool enough for a sensitive little tongue.

"Alright, here you go, little guy," Ren murmured, offering the spoon.

The cub’s eyes went completely cross-eyed as it focused on the wooden utensil. It reached out with its tiny, fluffy front paws, actually grabbing the handle of the spoon to steady it, and began to frantically lick the broth.

Ren smiled warmly, her thumb gently petting the incredibly soft fur between the cub’s ears as it ate. "Slow down, buddy. There’s plenty more. You poor little guy, you’re starving, aren’t you?" 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"That smells...incredible."

Ren jumped slightly.

Kael walked up from behind her. He had finally woken up from his deep sleep in the tree hut, utterly unable to ignore the heavenly scent wafting up. He had climbed down and followed his nose directly to the fire. He was bare-chested, his white hair slightly tousled from sleep, looking devastatingly handsome in the morning light.

He stopped beside her, his golden eyes dropping to the bundle of fur in Ren’s arms.

Kael watched in stunned silence as the tiny tiger cub held onto the wooden spoon with its little paws, furiously licking the last drops of the savory broth while Ren affectionately scratched its head.

Then, Kael’s ears twitched. He looked past Ren, his gaze scanning the thick brush surrounding the clearing.

His eyes widened slightly in realization. The entire White Tiger clan was here. They were hiding just beyond the tree line, watching the scene unfold with bated breath.

Because his Beast King status was gone, the powerful, omniscient sensory aura that usually allowed him to detect every heartbeat within a mile had vanished. He hadn’t even sensed his own clan surrounding them until he saw the cub.

Kael looked at Ren, his chest tightening with a mixture of awe and deep affection. She was feeding his kin.

Ren tossed the empty wooden spoon into the grass and gave the cub one last, loving squeeze. She looked up from the baby tiger, directing her gaze toward the rustling bushes and the glowing pairs of eyes hidden in the shadows.

Ren cleared her throat and spoke loud enough that the entire starving crowd could hear her.

"You can all come out now!" Ren called out with a warm, welcoming smile. "I’m not going to bite!"