Trapped in the Beastworld Breeder System (BL)-Chapter 17: A beast with taste, what a rare sight...

Aries opened the doors to reveal a hot place. It was apparently the kitchen. Aries stepped inside and instantly all eyes were on him. He was starting to feel like those extremely beautiful schoolmates he had, those who, no matter when they entered a room, instantly turned into inescapable spectacle as every head turned toward them..

He smiled lightly as he walked down the row and stopped in front of someone he felt was more approachable.

"Good morning," he said. "Please, are you the head here?"

The person was a middle-aged beastwoman with little streaks of grey hair. Aries took a proper look at what she was doing and almost gagged. He scanned the kitchen, and confusion slammed into him harder with every passing second. Many things were simply out of place, just like the meal he has been served at the palace.

The woman raised her head to look at him. She stared for a few seconds before smiling.

And the system notification simultaneously alerted:

[Task completed

100/100

80 CE rewarded.]

’80? Fuck you!’ Aries screamed inwardly. ’My fucking money isn’t complete!’

[Host, I didn’t know you could curse well. You’ve been so collected.]

’Later for you.’

Aries forced his attention back to the woman. And it seemed it wasn’t only the system reacting to her strange smile. The room suddenly fell silent.

Aries slowly looked behind him to see several people staring at the woman with confusion. Then one of them whispered, "Madam Valaria smiled for the first time in months. Wow... what caused it?"

Aries’ attention snapped back when something wet suddenly held his hand. He looked up to see the woman still smiling.

"What a cute little cub you are ... you remind me of mine."

"Tell me, are you the new worker? Your name is Aries, right?"

"Yes," Aries nodded.

"You are so cute, just so you know."

She raised her dirty hand and seemed about to place it on his head, but Aries dipped away as fast as his body could manage.

Aries lips pressed together as his eyes traced to the mess on the table before her. She had been removing fish dirt and was just about rubbing that all over his head.

"My skin reacts to wet fish hands, so I’m careful about that." He mumbled out.

"Oh..." Madam Valaria was equally stunned.

It was a first for her since she started the business to see or hear a besstman speak such, but then, Aries was a cub and she hasn’t been in touch with much cubs, yet a ute one. So, it was easy for Valaria to heed to that.

"Do you all hear that?" She barked. "Don’t ever make Aries come near fish! Understand?"

"Yes, madam!"

All of this left Aries embarrassed and slightly ashamed. He hadn’t meant to cause such a dramatic reaction; the only reason he dodged her touch was because, seriously, what the heck were they making and calling food?

In the tray meant to be taken outside, fresh fish was placed on a green leaf, and beside it was oil. Aries moved closer and sniffed the oil. He then dipped his hand into it, brought it to his mouth, and tasted it.

"Salt?" he asked, and everyone stared at him as if he were performing witchcraft.

The cleaners, the fire handlers, and the servers were fixated. Maybe they had never seen a cub taste oil before. Probably. But that wasn’t the real issue here.

The madam, whose face had previously been all smiles, now looked ridden with something Aries couldn’t quite name until she spoke.

"Why did you do that?"

"What did I do?" Aries asked, genuinely confused.

"Why did you lick the oil? And why would you taste a customer’s meal? One that is meticulous and very picky at that?"

"Because I thought it was meant to be licked, isn’t it? And also... this is a customer’s food? One that is picky?" Aries looked at the platter again and sighed.

He then stepped closer to the woman and asked, "Who is this guest? And besides, what exactly is going to be my job in the kitchen?"

"Washing. You wash the dishes. And I believe you should start doing that now."

Aries looked at the madam again to study her expression carefully, and it had truly changed. She no longer carried the smile from earlier, so he knew he had done something wrong. Not wanting to aggravate it further, Aries searched for the dirty plates and found them.

He rolled the sleeves of his clothes, bent toward the washing area, and began scrubbing away. Slowly, the liveliness returned to the kitchen.

The servers resumed their duties, carrying food. Madam went back to the rice she was boiling. Everyone continued with their tasks, and Aries crouched there, scrubbing.

As he stood before the trays and plates, preparing to wash them, he looked to the side to see what they used. It was only wet clothes and leaves.

’Well, since they don’t eat anything spicy or oily, it shouldn’t be a big deal what they use to wash it.’

Aries muttered as he went into his work, and it lasted only a few seconds before the system sounded.

> [Ding! System Alert!

Tiger King love meter has dropped by 5

Tiger King fury meter has increased

Love meter –

Fury meter – ]

"He’s awake!" The words rolled out from Aries’ mind as he stared at the transparent screen before him, but his attention was quickly pulled away as he heard voices behind him.

"What did he say was the reason for not eating it?" Madam Valaria now stood before the server, who had returned with the platter untouched.

"He only said he didn’t like it... that he’ll just go with the ladies and wine as usual," the server said, dropping the tray of raw fish and salted oil on the table.

’A beast with taste. Perhaps I can assist this one, because I’m also appalled by their choice of food.’ Aries mumbled as he stood up.

He cleared his throat lightly to get their attention. Madam Valaria looked toward him. She sighed as she said, "Maybe he doesn’t want it because you touched it."

"I doubt," Aries replied.

His eyes moved to the vegetables used as a spread cloth on the tray, then to the raw fish and oil soaked with salt. "Would you believe me if I said I’ve got a solution?"

"What solution could a small cub possibly have?" someone scoffed. "Yes, the higher madam did say you aren’t ordinary and should be treated with a bit of accord, but you already crossed the line by touching the customer’s food."

"Yes, that’s true," another chimed in. "And I think he should be punished just like every other one of us. You wouldn’t have given the chance you’re giving him."

’And who is this one?’

The new voice surprised Aries, and even more so the person’s agenda. Why so eager to push blame onto him? Why try to get him punished?

’Don’t tell me I’ve got a jealous coworker on my first day, accusing the boss of favoritism?’

He looked at the one who spoke. He was a short, soft, scrawny man. If Aries were a top, he certainly would have gone for him—he looked like the type he’d normally like. But alas, Aries was bottom and just wanted to be under strong arms, which the brawny man would probably want as well.

Aries smiled faintly, then turned to the one in charge of the kitchen. Moving closer, he collected the tray from them and placed it on the working table. "Just let me try something. Perhaps it would entice him."

"What do you say?"

Madam Valaria stared at him for a few moments before asking, "Would you be needing anything else?"

"Just a little rice," he added.

"Well, since it’s something that would otherwise go to waste, there’s nothing wrong with letting you try your stuff out. If it works, credit to you. If not, be prepared for punishment. You may go ahead."

’Punishment?’ Aries scoffed inwardly.

"Thank you, madam," he said outwardly, and everyone returned to their tasks.

Aries looked at the fish and examined it carefully. It was a fresh fish he knew from his world—lady fish, the pink-fleshed fish with long fins. He picked up a knife and separated the flesh from the bones and fins with swift, clean cuts.

His gaze then moved to the vegetables used to wrap the tray. They were seaweed. And suddenly, he had the perfect meal in mind.

Aries heated a pan over the fire and poured the salted oil into it. Loud gasps erupted from every corner of the room, but Aries didn’t pay them any mind. Instead, he continued with his work.

As the oil heated, he cut the fish into smaller pieces. When the oil was ready, he gently placed the pieces into the pan, turning them over once they crisped and were cooked through. In moments, he was done frying them.

Then he went to the rice. He scooped a portion and rinsed the seaweed using the salt he found lying around—salt which, apparently, the beastmen believed was meant to be rubbed on their palms before eating and used for wounds, not for seasoning.

Aries shook his head but continued. He placed small amounts of fish and rice into the seaweed, then wrapped it neatly. He managed five wraps, placing them gently on a plate and then onto the tray.

When he turned around, he found the kitchen staff no longer busy with their tasks. Instead, they were staring at him wide-eyed, captivated, and silently watching as though witnessing forbidden magic.