Chapter 136:


    <b>The Chopstick Sect</b>


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


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


    Sitting in the corner, the prison guard Isabe 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 Prisci before." Franda just nced over and continued eating.


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


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


    "Youngdy, 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.


    Reba, 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 te held bread as the staple, along with a vegetable broth. The main dish, however, took a sudden turn in presentation—arge bowl of freshly cooked spicy hot pot.


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


    "It''s a unique dish created by our cafeteria. Give it a try," Aiden casually invited, noticing Reba 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 te first."


    "Oh, okay..."


    Reba 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?" Reba felt like she had stepped into apletely different foreignnd with distinct customs and practices.


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


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


    ncing around, Reba noticed several guards dining using simr 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..." Reba 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," Reba 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 unrted to him who also used chopsticks... they were likely his patriots."


    Aiden wasn''t particrly 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... " Reba tried to remember, "It seems they emerged around the old Kingdom of Reiser, andter got involved in some sort of event and were destroyed. I stumbled upon it by chance."


    Two or three hundred years ago? If hispatriot 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 session, 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..." Reba replied as she speared a piece of cauliflower with her fork and popped it into her mouth. The intense spiciness exploded on her tongue, apanied by a perfectly bnced aroma that rushed through her nostrils.


    "Delicious!" She instinctively covered her mouth, finding this exotic vor 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 ack 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,cking 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?"