Apocalyptic Fantasy Kitchen

Chapter Two: The Upgradable Kitchen

“This…” Fang Qing, still dressed in her chef’s uniform, looked up at Awu outside the transparent screen. She mentally calculated her finances, then pouted. “I’m broke, wuwu. From now on, I might have to rely on you to support me.”

Awu spread itself out in the spaceship with an air of resignation.

“You might have to sell the spaceship.”

Black lines metaphorically slid down Fang Qing’s forehead. “No way! If I sell the spaceship, how will I get around? Are you going to turn into a spaceship for me?”

Awu rolled its eyes toward the air. “I’m an intelligent robot, not a functional one.” Intelligent robots were equipped with advanced crystals and had independent thought processes. They didn’t blindly agree with everything their owners did; they provided opposition when necessary, as long as it was in the owner’s best interest. For example, Awu constantly complained about Fang Qing’s laziness, but it never did any good. She remained as lazy as ever.

Functional robots were different. They could transform into anything their owners needed—vehicles, chairs, tables, and so on. However, they didn’t possess intelligent chips and were essentially “big, dumb machines.” There were also intelligent functional robots, but Fang Qing was a spendthrift. She originally considered getting one, but when she heard about the new chef certification on Planet No. 2, she spent her savings to pursue that instead. After several months, she got her chef’s certificate, but now, both she and Awu were penniless.

“No worries, I won’t starve,” Fang Qing said, familiarizing herself with the kitchen’s operational controls. She looked around her kitchen, and the more she saw, the more she liked it. It was fully stocked with every spice and ingredient she could need. Honestly, it could serve her for 300 years—though, of course, she wouldn’t live that long. The kitchen was a 360-degree space, and whatever she wanted would appear before her with a mere thought, ready for her to grab.

In the 32nd century, human-inhabited planets could no longer grow food naturally. Scientists had developed hydroponic and soil-less cultivation methods to produce the food people needed. She had never tasted the foods of the past, so she didn’t know if they were better, but the focus of modern food was nutrition. Nutrient-packed meals were practical, but where was the joy in that? Humans weren’t ascetics from ancient times, fasting and abstaining from pleasures.

Eating was life’s top priority. Unfortunately, she lamented, “I really wish I could visit the world of the past, where you could actually grow things in the ground.” She muttered to herself. The modern world had advanced technology, sure, but the distance between people had grown wider. And having to eat those tasteless nutrient blocks every day soured her mood.

But there was nothing she could do; crops simply wouldn’t grow naturally anymore.

She sat on a stool in her kitchen, gazing at the full array of kitchenware in front of her. On her left was an oven for baking bread. To her right was a complete set of pots, including frying pans, steamers, and other tools she was still figuring out. This kitchen was accessible only to her, and it was fully self-sufficient and upgradeable. Unfortunately, she was too poor to consider upgrades.

She stood up and opened a door, revealing a small plot of land about ten square meters in size. This was enriched soil from Planet No. 2, infused with energy that would last three years at most. After that, it would need replenishing, which was a considerable expense.