It started subtly.
So subtly that most people didn’t even realize anything strange was happening until it became too obvious to ignore.
As if nudged awake by the weirdly familiar phrase "cooking lessons," casual-looking but suspiciously well-curated posts began popping up across Star Net.
There were photos of kitchens.
Well-lit spaces, expensive ones, cozy-looking ones, and surprisingly similar appliances in matching colors. But anyone who looked closely would realize that even the placement of everything was strikingly alike.
But how could they possibly differ when the elites made it their life’s mission to get even the angles right just so they could guarantee the same taste and experience.
One particular noble who had once sold a summer villa in exchange for property that would be able to accommodate a kitchen had uploaded a selfie with her beloved oven.
The caption read: "Practice makes perfect."
It didn’t matter that all she could cook were baked potatoes, fries, eggs, and increasingly questionable variations of those same dishes.
At this point, she was a connoisseur.
Especially when a frightening number of people had not even known cooking at that scale existed until minutes ago.
And yet, that was only the surface.
Because beneath the harmless photos and innocent pride, a veiled revolution was quietly approaching.
Several sharp-eyed individuals had already begun to notice that something was wrong. Or perhaps too right.
For the fortunate elite who had clung tightly to their hunches for months, carefully maintaining their memberships and refusing to ask questions that might cause trouble or increase competition, the feeling was unmistakable.
It wouldn’t be long now.
Soon, people would connect the dots.
And sure enough, in a very specific corner of Star Net, one dedicated to the Empire’s most beloved vendor, the whispers began.
[Forum Thread: Vendor 11820251002 General Discussion]
[Um. Maybe I’m just going crazy but doesn’t it seem familiar?]
[I thought it was just me. Please continue.]
[Okay so. You know how streamer Dylan has those tutorial videos where he makes omelettes?]
[Yes?]
[+1]
[+1]
[+1]
[Has anyone noticed the eggs look exactly like the ones the cadet pulled out of those chickens?]
[Wait]
[Hold on.]
[I definitely watched that tutorial a hundred times...]
[Upstairs commenter, me too. But now I realize I was too distracted to question where the eggs came from.]
[Same. I was focused on the pan technique.]
[But now that you mention it...]
[+1]
[+1]
[+1]
The thread stalled.
Only briefly.
[Also. Jax mentioned chips.]
[Doesn’t that sound familiar? Like the ones sold by the Star Mall Vendor?]
[And the potatoes.]
[Are we talking about the potatoes used for the fries? What’s the difference if it’s a baby?]
Someone posted a comparison image.
Another posted timestamps on the tutorials.
A third quietly deleted their earlier comment and returned with screenshots.
Some began to realize that while they knew about those relics, they had never actually questioned where they came from. It simply never occurred to them that spiritual relics could be farmed.
Because farming relics sounds insane.
Another user chimed in hesitantly.
[Also. The grilled tomato sandwich.]
[What about it?]
[One of the ingredients is cheese.]
[The cadet literally said there was cheese at the minimart.]
A momentary pause followed.
Then the thread refreshed, and everything exploded.
Screenshots flooded in.
Clips were reposted.
Tutorial videos were replayed with new, horrifying clarity.
Just what exactly was the relationship between the Dungeon Guardians and their so-called saint, Vendor 11820251002?
And more importantly.
What did that mean for the Empire?


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