HTLCCBFT Chapter 180

Has The Lord’s Career Chart Been Filled Today? – Chapter 180

As soon as Oliver returned to the castle after concluding his private inspection that day, he immediately buried himself in his study. He flipped through reports previously submitted by his subordinates while meticulously recording the data he had gathered during the day’s observations.

This included figures on price fluctuations, the salaries corresponding to the long-term and short-term positions soon to be added in the city, what kind of assistance should be provided to residents lacking necessary skills or facing difficult family conditions, and whether technical schools for adults should be established alongside the construction of new schools…

Oliver remained immersed in his busy world until it grew later and later. It was only when the butler Fosse knocked worriedly on the study door, reminding him it was almost time to sleep, that he reluctantly stopped.

“I need a few more days of field observation,” Oliver whispered after washing up, lying in bed while letting the Cat God cling to him. “I’m counting on you, my dear Cat God.”

The cat-eared deity’s ears twitched suddenly, and he nodded with a serious expression.

Before Oliver could sink back into his thoughts, the deity suddenly remembered something and spoke up to remind him: “Custard pancake, and stuffed pie.”

Oliver: “……”

After being bombarded by the stench of the meat market in the slums, he had completely forgotten about the pancakes.

“Oliver,” the deity asked earnestly, “Do you still want to eat them?”

Though he had just washed up and wasn’t hungry at all, thinking about how he had inadvertently neglected the Cat God and failed to fulfill his earlier promise, Oliver nodded without hesitation and smiled, saying, “Yes.”

And so, in the deep quiet of the night, a faint, mysterious rustling sound emerged from the most luxurious and spacious bedroom in the opulent Gregor city.

But before it could reach the ears of the guards stationed outside the door, it was mercilessly blocked by the thick door panel.

For Oliver, who was experiencing the childish act of “sitting on a clean, soft bed eating snacks with the Cat God” for the first time, he quickly adjusted his mindset and behaved with ease and naturalness.

When he took the Custard Pancake and Stuffed Pie that the Cat God had retrieved from the divine realm, he was surprised to find that they were still warm, perfectly retaining their freshly baked crispy crust and soft, sticky centers.

“I didn’t expect your Divine Temple to have a heat preservation and freshness effect.

Though no matter how you look at it, it seems like a terrible waste… But holding this pancake that still emitted a sweet fragrance, Oliver couldn’t help but feel like laughing.

He tore open the simple packaging and was about to take a bite when the Cat God suddenly spoke.

“Oliver,” his gaze slightly wandering, filled with obvious anticipation yet also some nervousness, “Do you want to enter the divine realm? Into my Divine Temple.”

Oliver paused mid-action, blinked, and smiled warmly as he gazed at him. “Is that allowed?”

He nodded vigorously. “Though it’s only the soul.”

Even as a deity, he couldn’t bring a human’s physical body into the divine realm; he could only temporarily separate a person’s soul from their body.

Faced with this invitation from the Cat God, Oliver was naturally tempted.

Though he couldn’t explain why, ever since the Cat God had briefly recounted the story of the God-King, Oliver had developed a strong curiosity about that deity who had suddenly disappeared.

Moreover, this somewhat “willful” deity, though having repeatedly drawn his soul into the divine realm for interaction when he was unaware of His existence, had always confined their activities to the innermost bedroom—never allowing exploration of other rooms within the Divine Temple.

The only two opportunities to appear outside the temple and explore other areas of the divine realm were both wasted by him.

“While I’m truly delighted by your invitation,” Oliver pondered for a moment before reluctantly declining the proposal, “let’s wait until I’ve completed the replanning of Gregor city first.”

He had no professional experience in related fields and severely lacked academic knowledge in this area—but that was only in comparison to modern standards.

In this era, the knowledge he possessed still held irreplaceable temporal advantages. Most importantly, he would ensure the new city’s layout prioritized residents’ comfort rather than the grandeur and prestige that Arte and others valued most.

“Let’s postpone it for today.” Oliver said half-jokingly, half-seriously: “My mind is completely occupied with matters concerning Gregor city right now, and I wouldn’t be able to properly appreciate your Divine Temple. After I’ve finished dealing with their affairs, I hope you can give me a tour of the divine realm, just like how I showed you around the city today. Would that be alright?”

Him: “Alright.”

Though somewhat disappointed by Oliver’s refusal, the cat-eared deity’s mood visibly improved after receiving the promise of a future visit.

The blond lord clearly saw His ears quietly perk up again, and the fluffy tip of His tail subtly lifted.

After comforting Him, Oliver carefully examined the baked cake in his hand before finally taking a gentle bite.

Beneath the crispy, rose-water sprinkled crust, diluted cream immediately overflowed.

He chewed slowly, carefully savoring it, and soon identified that the golden egg fragments were enveloped in sweetened almond paste.

“Quite impressive indeed.”

Oliver exclaimed in surprise.

For a cake baked by a street vendor and costing only a few copper coins, it surprisingly contained such rich flavors and ingredients.

A bit too sweet overall, but as a snack, it certainly deserved praise.

Although since Fosse found a reliable new cook, memories of the previous cook Annie—whose character was as terrible as her culinary skills—had faded away along with those dark culinary creations… Yet for an ordinary street vendor to create delicacies far surpassing the lord’s cook’s craftsmanship, one could only say this truly lived up to being the southern region’s largest city.

He could imagine that after dividing Gregor city into administrative, residential, temple, public facilities, food, shopping, and scenic districts, he could propose adding public rest seats in the food and shopping areas—a highly feasible plan.

The pancake was only half the size of a child’s palm. After leisurely eating half of it, Oliver suddenly remembered something and smiled at the Cat God, who had only taken one bite and looked hesitant. He naturally suggested: “Shall we exchange? Your cake has granulated sugar sprinkled on it.”

He had specifically asked the vendor to use two different seasonings precisely so he could exchange with the Cat God.

“Alright.”

Before the thought could fully form in his mind, His hand had already passed the pancake over.

Oliver happily accepted it, tasting it with the same enthusiasm as before, then proceeded to eat the remaining large portion.

Meanwhile, the deity who had been somewhat hesitant just moments ago moved with unprecedented speed after the exchange—Oliver had only just shifted his gaze toward Him when the pancake abruptly vanished into thin air.

So sweet, He thought.

To Him, it was a slightly peculiar flavor.

Unlike the wine He had drunk that time, which caused significant fluctuations in His divine power… but the mere thought that this was the pancake Oliver had tasted and then shared with Him made it taste exceptionally good.

Of course, Oliver had no idea of His thoughts.

Regarding the half of the pancake that disappeared in an instant, he had only one comment.

— Like a cat chewing on peonies.

Meeting the Cat God’s utterly innocent eyes, he smiled faintly and silently swallowed back the words he had been about to share with his companion about his culinary impressions.

Compared to the delightful surprise of the Custard Pancake, this deep-fried Stuffed Pie tasted rather mediocre.

But Oliver could completely understand: for those willing to buy these small pies with their less-than-ideal value, the most appealing aspects were undoubtedly the deep-fried crust—made with oil they usually hesitated to use generously—and the small amount of fish paste wrapped inside the thick pastry.

In a context of widespread nutritional scarcity, true vegetarians were rare—aside from the captivating flavor itself, the nutritional value meat provided to the human body was difficult to replace.

While pork, beef, veal, and lamb were most favored by the nobility, fish, though healthier, was not as popular.

Oliver absentmindedly finished the small pie, his thoughts drifting to the prices of these ingredients.

Just as he was about to get out of bed to freshen up, he unexpectedly met the cat-eared deity’s eyes, which held a trace of disappointment.

— What’s wrong?

After freezing for a moment, a somewhat absurd yet perfectly reasonable guess—considering the innocent and simple-minded Cat God—crossed his mind.

He tentatively asked, “Did you want to exchange and eat with me?”

The handsome deity nodded quickly.

Oliver cleared his throat lightly, suppressing a laugh, and said with feigned seriousness, “Sorry, I thought you didn’t like doing that… Let’s exchange tomorrow, alright?”

It was the first time He had received so many promises about “soon.” After a brief moment of thought, the deity happily agreed.

“It’s fine. There’s a little more.”

He suddenly said.

Then, before Oliver could react, He naturally leaned closer and lightly licked off the small bit of pastry crust stuck at the corner of Oliver’s lips.

With utter seriousness and a hint of regret, this deity who had never considered deception said, “It’s gone now.”

His deity was just too adorable.

With that thought running through his mind, the golden-haired lord who had been stealthily kissed couldn’t help but smile.

He got out of bed and, upon entering the washroom, inadvertently glanced at the constantly flickering stamina and energy bars on the right.

Oliver: “……” No way.

His body stiffened slightly, but he quickly finished washing up and lay back down beside the Cat God.

Before closing his eyes, he silently opened his left eye, reached out like a kitten, and gently poked the deity lying close to him. He solemnly vowed, “If I accidentally forget, oh Cat God, please be sure to remind me—I must not forget to promote hygiene knowledge and vigorously improve sanitary conditions in the food industry.”

Although the deity didn’t understand the specific terms, he still nodded seriously.

Only then did Oliver close his eyes in relief.

Custard pancakes and fried stuffed pies—they really did taste good.

Oliver thought gloomily.

If only he hadn’t just discovered that, after eating those two pies, both his stamina bar and energy bar had dropped slightly, and he’d gained a “Food Poisoning” debuff that would last a full two hours and continue to slowly drain his stamina.

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