Auntie Mara had never imagined a day would come when a nobleman would actually learn cooking from her, and so meticulously at that.

She couldn’t help but wonder if she could now brag to everyone that she was the Baron’s teacher—the one who taught him how to cook.

Of course, that was just a fantasy.

A male Baron in the kitchen usually meant the nobleman’s family was in decline. It wasn’t something to be proud of.

"My Lord, you haven’t finished preparing this bone. If you use it for soup, it will greatly affect the flavor."

Mara said, holding up a Fire Source Beast rib that Duane had prepared.

"Let me see."

Duane took it and saw that there was indeed still sinew stuck in the cracks of the bone, and some bits in the nooks and crannies hadn’t been removed either.

"You’re right, I didn’t prepare it properly."

He picked up his knife and began trimming it again, like a carpenter polishing wood.

[Prepared Fire Source Beast Bone Soup ingredients. Fire Source Beast Bone Soup Skill Level +5]

[Learned to use a knife. Basic Cooking Skill Level +3]

This cooking session led Duane to a new discovery.

He had originally only planned on raising his Fire Source Beast Bone Soup Skill Level, but he unexpectedly activated "Basic Cooking."

His attribute panel now showed:

[Basic]: Basic Swordsmanship (Entry 0/200), Basic Cooking (Initial 39/100)

[Cooking]: Fire Source Beast Bone Soup (Initial 74/100)

Based on his guess, general knife work, heat control, and even stir-frying ordinary dishes probably fell under Basic Cooking, while anything involving Extraordinary ingredients would be categorized under the [Cooking] section.

For the next hour, notification text constantly appeared before Duane’s eyes.

From preparing the bones to handling the White Crystal Fruit, from learning to use a knife to mastering the heat...

Finally, his Basic Cooking rose to (Initial 83/100), while his Fire Source Beast Bone Soup Skill Level increased to (Entry 5/200).

As his Skill Level broke through, a flash of insight about how to handle Fire Source Beast ingredients flooded his mind.

At the same time, the two Cooking Skills had a chain reaction.

[Gained insight from brewing Fire Source Beast Bone Soup. Your heat control has improved. Basic Cooking Skill Level +20]

[Basic Cooking Skill Level breakthrough]

[Attribute points +0.1]

A look of pleasant surprise appeared on Duane’s face. He hadn’t expected the two skills to complement each other and lead to consecutive breakthroughs.

This instantly gave him an extra 0.2 attribute points, taking his strength to another level!

It also gave Duane great confidence in his future.

"My Lord, although you seem to have a talent for cooking, I still suggest you stay out of the kitchen."

Mara suggested hesitantly in a low voice, "Whatever you want to eat, you can just leave it to me."

’These are the keys to increasing my strength. How could I not do it myself?’ Duane thought.

Of course, he wouldn’t say that out loud.

"Learning to cook makes me happy. If something brings joy, why shouldn’t I do it?"

He said with a smile, "When Ralph gets back, tell him to purchase a batch of Fire Source Beast Bones and White Crystal Fruit for me. I need them."

As he spoke, he picked up the Fire Source Beast Bone Soup he had just prepared and headed to the dining room.

Leaving Mara standing there, at a loss.

She had thought the Baron was just trying something new by coming to the kitchen once, but now it seemed like he planned to stay for good.

In the dining room, Duane began to drink the soup.

The flavor was a whole level below the soup he’d had last night. There was probably still a significant gap between his ingredient preparation and heat control and Mara’s.

Fortunately, he still gained 0.1 attribute points after finishing the bowl of soup.

He allocated all 0.3 of his newly acquired attribute points, increasing his Strength to 4.0.

Duane clenched his fist. The increase in Strength allowed him to clearly feel the difference between now and before.

’If Fire Source Beast Bone Soup can consistently grant me attribute points, then there are only two things limiting my improvement.’

He patted his slightly bloated stomach.

’One is my stomach, and the other is my coin purse.’

His stomach could only hold so much; one large bowl of soup was basically his limit.

And as for his coin purse...

Although the estate still had an inheritance of over five hundred Gold Coins, he didn’t dare spend it recklessly considering his future expenses.

’I’ll purchase a suitable amount of Magic Ingredients before I leave.’

Duane stood up.

The heat from the soup made him want to stretch his limbs, so he picked up his Longsword and went out to the courtyard to practice.

’My Basic Swordsmanship has reached the Entry level. I’ll aim to break through again as soon as possible!’

Although he had mastered the theoretical knowledge of Basic Swordsmanship, there were still many problems when he actually practiced.

His grip on the Sword, his power generation technique, the speed of his strikes—none of his movements were standard.

Luckily, the attribute panel wasn’t picky about how standard his movements were. After completing one set of forms, his Skill Level directly increased by +3.

Once, twice, three times...

Sweat soaked his clothes again, but his movements never stopped.

He practiced like this for over two hours.

Duane wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced at his attribute panel.

His Basic Swordsmanship Skill Level had now increased to (Entry 153/200).

’Only 47 points left. If I push myself, I might be able to finish it today!’

This feeling of reward for effort filled him with motivation.

Duane rested for a while. Auntie Mara happened to be preparing a fruit and cream cake for afternoon tea, so he sat down to enjoy it.

From a lifestyle perspective, a Lord’s life was quite good. Servants attended to all their needs, from food and clothing to housing and travel.

But beneath this glamorous life, being a good Lord was no easy task. There were countless nobles who pursued only pleasure, neglected their livelihoods, and ultimately went bankrupt.

Not to mention a Baron like Duane, who was about to be forced from his home.

"My Lord, Julian is back. He’s in the front courtyard," Mara reminded him as she brought over a glass of juice.

Duane perked up at the news.

Julian had been managing the estate’s affairs for several years. Regardless of his skill level, his attitude alone was commendable. After the Brian Clan suffered such a major blow, he was still diligently helping Duane prepare for what came next.

The only unfortunate thing was that Julian hadn’t explicitly stated whether or not he would go to Black Forest Island.

Duane had asked Ralph about the reason last night. Ralph guessed that Julian was probably worried about his family, or perhaps his family didn’t approve.

"Quickly, invite him in!"

Duane added, "Tell him I’m inviting him to join me for afternoon tea."

What he lacked now were trustworthy people. People like Julian, who were both competent and trustworthy, were even rarer.

Soon, a middle-aged man in a gray trench coat and a gentleman’s hat strode into the inner courtyard.

Julian walked up to the large parasol on the lawn, removed his hat, and bowed.

"My Lord, seeing you in good health is truly the most pleasant surprise I’ve had recently!"

"You’ve worked hard, Julian. Come, have a seat!"

Duane invited him to sit while sizing him up.

It was said that Julian’s ancestor had been a Baron. His family had lost their Territory due to war and a change of dynasties, and after several generations, they had completely fallen into decline.

"I heard from Ralph that you’re arranging a ship for our journey to Black Forest Island. How is that going?"

Julian glanced at the Baron before him with a hint of curiosity, sensing a change in him.

At the very least, the old Duane would not have so easily invited others to dine with him.

The previous owner of this body had been very particular about his status as a nobleman.

This personality wasn’t necessarily a bad thing; after all, many nobles were like that.

However, it was quite different from the current Duane’s behavior.

’Perhaps the tragedy changed the Baron,’ Julian thought.

"I’m still looking for a suitable ship. I have a few leads, but nothing has been formally agreed upon yet."

Julian looked troubled. "As you know, My Lord, not many Captains are willing to go to Black Forest Island."

Captains need to make money, too. A round trip to other places is profitable, but a trip to Black Forest Island would most likely mean returning with an empty ship.

Duane nodded and said seriously, "I’ll have to keep troubling you with this matter."

"It’s my duty, Baron!" Julian replied humbly.

Duane didn’t ask any more about chartering the ship, confident that his Civil Servant could handle it without issue.

"I heard the two assistants my father assigned to you have also run off. As it happens, I’ve asked Ralph to recruit people. If you need anyone, just let him know. Or, if you have any preferred candidates of your own, you can recommend them to me."

After hearing this, Julian looked as if he wanted to say something but held back. He still hadn’t decided whether to follow Duane to Black Forest Island.

Hiring assistants for him at this point seemed a bit rushed.

Duane noticed this. He smiled, raised his juice, and gestured for Julian to take a drink with him.

"Ralph told me you haven’t decided whether to come with me to Black Forest Island."

He brought up the matter himself. "Do you have any concerns? Why don’t you tell me about them."