The Warden of The Witches

The Chopstick Sect

In the cafeteria, Aiden sat on one side of the square table, with Veronica and Rebecca sitting opposite him. The prison guards coming and going for meals couldn't help but glance over at them a few more times.

"Chief, the woman Warden brought in seems familiar."

Sitting in the corner, the prison guard Isabella spoke to her superior nearby, Chief of the Core area, Franda.

(TN: chief of the core area / supervisor of the core area)

"It seems like a former colleague, the one who had her body swapped by Priscilla before." Franda just glanced over and continued eating.

"Isn't Veronica off duty already? Why did she stay for dinner too?" Isabella remarked.

"She said she coincidentally encountered an incident outside the prison, so she stayed to help out." Franda calmly continued eating, "Didn't you see many people being handed over by the warden just now?"

Isabella glanced over again, her interest piqued, and a smile crept onto her lips, "Hey, Chief, do you think—"

"Young lady, don't be so nosy. And Just eat properly," Franda directly cut off the subject.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere at Aiden's table was gradually heating up.

Rebecca, with a serious expression, looked at Aiden, then at Veronica, and finally couldn't hold back, and spoke, "Sorry, I really have to ask, forgive my impertinence..."

She paused for a moment and continued, "What exactly is this dish?"

In the center of the table sat a thick ceramic bowl filled with a spicy and fragrant medley of spices and ingredients, it was rich in oil, bright red, piping hot, and emitting a surge of heat that enveloped the three seated individuals.

"Spicy hot pot," Aiden responded calmly.

Each person's plate held bread as the staple, along with a vegetable broth. The main dish, however, took a sudden turn in presentation—a large bowl of freshly cooked spicy hot pot.

"Such a strong aroma, is this... a regional dish? I've never seen it before," Rebecca expressed her confusion.

"It's a unique dish created by our cafeteria. Give it a try," Aiden casually invited, noticing Rebecca seemed unsure with her fork. He promptly handed her a long-handled spoon from the pot, "Why don't you use the spoon to transfer some onto your plate first."

"Oh, okay..."

Rebecca quickly took the spoon and then was surprised to see Aiden and Veronica each pull out two thin wooden sticks, deftly picking ingredients from the bowl.

"What are you using now?" Rebecca felt like she had stepped into a completely different foreign land with distinct customs and practices.

"Eating dishes like this with these utensils is more convenient," Aiden briefly explained.

"I... I learned from everyone else," Veronica said a bit sheepishly. She was not very adept with chopsticks and struggled a few times before successfully picking up some food.

Glancing around, Rebecca noticed several guards dining using similar utensils— this is the result of the cafeteria reform spearheaded by Aiden. As most of the recipes he introduced were Chinese cuisine, a chopsticks was required for easier handling, over time, many guards had learned to use them.

"Where did you learn this from? I feel like I have some impression of this..." Rebecca pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized something, "Aiden, you're not promoting some strange religion here, are you?"

"That's a bit rude... Why would you suddenly ask that?" Aiden was puzzled.

"I remember seeing a documented cult in the historical archives of the Inquisition Bureau. The members of that cult seemed to eat with these utensils,"

"Hmmm... " Aiden responded casually as he picked up food with his chopsticks, then abruptly stopped.

He suddenly realized something was amiss, "They eat with these utensils too?"

"Yes, the book mentioned that 'they would use an extremely skilled technique, holding two wooden sticks in one hand to pick up food,' supposedly part of their dining etiquette," Rebecca recalled.

Aiden was taken aback. What kind of cult uses chopsticks? The Chopstick Sect?

No, it's possible that someone in that cult promoted the use of these utensils, which was then misunderstood as a religious ritual by others.

He hadn't heard of any other countries in this world that used chopsticks. The "fine tradition" of using chopsticks in this prison was entirely brought over by him, the transmigrator. If there were others in this world unrelated to him who also used chopsticks... they were likely his "compatriots."

Aiden wasn't particularly surprised by this idea; he had long suspected that the rulers of this world had the ability to summon souls from other worlds, so it wouldn't be strange if there were other transmigrators besides him.

"Which cult is it?" Aiden immediately inquired.

"I forgot the name; it was around two or three hundred years ago... " Rebecca tried to remember, "It seems they emerged around the old Kingdom of Reiser, and later got involved in some sort of event and were destroyed. I stumbled upon it by chance."

Two or three hundred years ago? If his compatriot didn't achieve 'ascension' by then, they would likely have passed away...

This cult, based on the description, was probably something concocted by this transmigrator.

With numerous religions in this world due to the presence of real deities who seem to undergo succession, researching and tracing defunct cults could prove challenging. However, since the Inquisition Bureau's historical archives contain records, gathering some information should be feasible.

"I actually heard about these utensils from someone else as well, and I don't know their origin either. I found them intriguing and decided to give them a try, and surprisingly, they worked quite well," Aiden casually fabricated a story, "Bring me the information on that cult; I'm intrigued to learn more."

Past transmigrators might bring useful information or even resources that could benefit him. Aiden felt it necessary to pay some attention to such matters.

"Sure..." Rebecca replied as she speared a piece of cauliflower with her fork and popped it into her mouth. The intense spiciness exploded on her tongue, accompanied by a perfectly balanced aroma that rushed through her nostrils.

"Delicious!" She instinctively covered her mouth, finding this exotic flavor quite refreshing.

However, Aiden's reaction was much more subdued. In his eyes, this hot pot was just so-so; the ingredients in this world differed from those in his previous life. Many spices were not widely used, or not used at all—most notably, there was a lack of Sichuan peppercorns. They had to substitute with other spices that fell short of replicating the same effect.

In essence, this so-called spicy hot pot was only spicy, lacking the numbing sensation and soul. Although it was decent, it wasn't authentic enough for him.

"Chief," Veronica brought up the topic again, "Are you really going to stay in the prison indefinitely?"