Chapter 37 - The Recipe for Killing a Monster
The page was not a recipe.
Eli was beginning to resent ancient chefs for naming everything like one.
It described Hollow dissolution as "returning borrowed appetite to its rightful owners."
The Maw was composed of accumulated human Hunger Debt.
Destroying the entity by force would release that debt back into the city instantly.
People could suffer compulsive hunger, panic, addiction spikes, violence, or spiritual collapse.
That explained why Nine Banquet kept it contained instead of killing it.
"So the Maw isn't a natural monster," Eli said.
Jian shook his head.
"Not exactly."
The oldest Hearthkeepers created reservoirs beneath major cities to absorb dangerous appetite overflow. Over centuries, stored hunger gained awareness.
They had built the monster.
Victor inherited the problem.
Ren wanted to smash the reservoir and force society to deal with consequences.
Both philosophies were reactions to an original institutional mistake.
The manual's solution was gradual return.
Each unit of Hunger Debt had to be paired with voluntary support strong enough for a person to process it without collapse.
Food alone was insufficient.
Community.
Mental-health support.
Addiction care.
Financial relief.
Social connection.
Eli laughed.
"The ancient magical solution is public services?"
[System comment: Civilization occasionally invents things twice.]
The People's Ladle could distribute small amounts of debt through a consensual Hearth network, where communities helped absorb it over time.
But the Ladle was broken.
They still needed a Living Hearth Core shard.
The tournament winner could legally request one from Jade Table's vault.
Eli had to win three more rounds.
Victor had another option.
"Give me the administrator page," he said. "I can implement controlled return through Sovereign Authority."
Ren laughed.
"You see? Every solution becomes another reason he needs total control."
Victor ignored him.
"Your distributed network is unstable. The blackout proved it."
"And your centralized engine turned Dad into furnace furniture."
"Sacrifice is sometimes required."
"Funny how leaders always find somebody else to sacrifice."
Grant looked at his father.
That line hit him too.
Victor's face remained calm.
"Win your tournament, Eli. Repair your spoon. Try your experiment. If it fails, I will take control before the city dies."
"Deal."
"I was not asking permission."
Fair.
The next tournament bracket appeared.
Eli's semifinal opponent was Madam Sato.
He stared at her.
"You entered?"
She smiled pleasantly.
"I need the vault too."
"For what?"
"My own reasons."
Appraisal failed to reveal them.
Reader engine turned one more time.
His teacher was now standing between him and the artifact required to save his father.
And she had been hiding a goal from him since the beginning.
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